Art Centers

Community arts centers are more than just galleries, more than just a place to take an art class. The good ones become community institutions that create a positive impact on economic development, education, culture and more. Let’s take a close look at two local arts centers and check in with four more that serve as creative hubs in their areas.

Sebastopol Center for the Arts

According to Sebastopol Center for the Arts Executive Director Linda Galletta, “For the first three years, it (SCA) was in three file folders in the bottom drawer of my desk at the Chamber of Commerce.”

Begun as a project of an economic development committee of the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce, SCA was given to Galletta to manage and she’s been running it ever since.

After that first three years as a Chamber project, SCA moved into the basement of the Methodist Church, then to an A-frame downtown. In 2002 it moved to its current location on Depot ?Street, in an area of downtown Sebastopol noted for industry and warehouses.

According to Galletta, SCA was a natural development for the West County, which has a high population of artists. “There were so many artists in West County, but there was not an organization to address their needs in a similar way to how a senior center advocates for seniors or a chamber of commerce advocates for businesses.”

The fact that SCA grew out of a Chamber of Commerce committee supports Galletta’s assertion that art plays a key role in local economies. “Everyone on that committee thought it was a great idea,” says Galletta. “Art provides not only cultural enrichment but is also an economic driver in the community.”

SCA maintains that attitude by making sure its board of directors has representatives from businesses and the community, not just artists. “Sometimes you see organizations that are very creative, but it takes that business sense to support your vision,” Galletta explains.

In Sebastopol, art is truly embraced by the community. It’s even recognized as a resource in city economic development plans. “It draws people into the community who then spend their dollars here. We put ?heads in beds!” says Galletta, employing a term that refers to a community drawing visitors who then spend the night.

According to Galletta, SCA is very grassroots, very community driven. She cites examples of how a small group of determined individuals have created something larger. “The visual arts coalesced first; we had so many painters. Then we got a gallery, then a frame shop, and it grew.”

The summer music series also got started within the auspices of SCA, and is very successful. “Eventually the writers in the community got together and started a literary movement.” The annual Sculpture Jam, a very successful and a growing documentary film festival, an upcoming book arts exhibition (Bibliophoria), a garden sculpture tour, the annual Art at the Source open studio tours, and a constant array of gallery exhibitions, music performances, classes, workshops and more have all grown from those three file folders.

“We can’t do everything, but we can be an incubator for creative ideas,” Galletta notes.

Healdsburg Center for the Arts

Healdsburg Center for the Arts, formerly known as Plaza Arts Center, has a shorter but no less rich history in the Healdsburg community, well-known for its artists, galleries and art events.

Founded in 2001 by the Healdsburg Arts Council, the first effort by the Plaza Arts Center was a six-week holiday gift gallery, held in a former bicycle shop. The first floor contained the temporary retail gallery and the second floor had art classes and a member show. Most of the proceeds went to support Healdsburg High School art classes, beginning a tradition of “paying it forward” to support arts programming and arts education in Healdsburg.

In early 2003, Plaza Arts Center signed  a lease for 130 Plaza Street, a few steps from Healdsburg’s historic Downtown Plaza. The space was large enough for a gallery and a classroom, and it has been busy ever since.

Plaza Arts remained a program of the Healdsburg Arts Council for a year before making the transition to its own nonprofit status. It was assisted by Community Foundation Sonoma County, which served as an umbrella organization while Plaza Arts could establish itself as an independent entity.

Plaza Arts was led and nurtured by Bob Snyder, a retired accountant and artist, who worked with former Arts Council board members to put the new organization on a firm footing. Snyder planned Plaza Arts’ first fund-raiser, Opera in the Garden. When Snyder moved to Denver he recruited entrepreneur and artist, Robert Weiss, to fill his seat as President of the Board, a seat which he held until recently, when Kara Raymond, an original Plaza Arts founder, became Board President. There is no Executive Director at this time.

From the beginning, Plaza Arts embraced a mission to operate a community art gallery, host art classes, help fund community arts programs for children and be a leader in the arts community. The transition to Healdsburg Center for the Arts occurred last year.

HCA has a strategy of partnering with other organizations. It provides support to the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and the Russian River Chamber Music organization. It invests annually in arts education in local schools through a variety of programs.

Because the retail face of HCA is right in the downtown core of Healdsburg, it looks a lot like a cooperative gallery when you walk in the door. But just half of the front is a gallery. The other half is a rotating series of curated shows, and there’s a busy classroom in the rear. HCA also puts on an arts festival each fall in the Healdsburg Plaza.

Raymond, in her role as HCA President, says this year will bring a greater focus on youth. “It’s an effort to bring more young artists’ work into the gallery,” she says, referring to a balcony in HCA that will be devoted exclusively to youth art.

Raymond also notes that HCA plays a social role in the community. Many of its volunteers are not artists, but want to help. “People can come in here and feel connected to something.”

Windsor Arts Council

Founded in 1999, the Windsor Arts Council moved into its first home last year, in the restored Hembree House Cultural Center. There are new shows on a regular basis and the focus is on the art of its members. Windsor Arts Council members work in all sorts of media, and the Arts Council works to promote art and culture in Sonoma County’s newest community. They hold an annual fine arts show in June.

Cloverdale Performing Arts Center

Home to the brand new Cloverdale Performing Arts Center, Sonoma County’s northernmost city is also home to the Cloverdale Arts Alliance, which puts on a successful sculpture show in downtown Cloverdale each summer. The Arts Alliance manages a cooperative gallery, the popular Friday Night summer music series, an independent movie series and more.

Occidental Center for the Arts

Perhaps the newest community arts center in the area, the Occidental Center for the Arts is now open in the former Harmony School at the corner of Graton and Occidental Roads. The organization’s roots began with the interest in finding ?a permanent home for the Occidental Choir. The Occidental Center for the Performing and Visual Arts existed without a physical location for almost 10 years. Plans exist to continue to expand OCA at Harmony Village.

Gualala Center for the Arts

At the far northwest tip of the county, Gualala is home to the busy Gualala Center for the Arts Center. Art exhibits, musical and theatrical performances, lectures, and a wide variety of classes and workshops keep Gualala Center for the Arts a busy place. The annual Art in the Redwoods Festival in August celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, a wonderful achievement for this small coastal community.  •

[ VISIT ]

(Area codes 707)

Cloverdale Arts Alliance
105 E. First St.,
Cloverdale
894-4410
cloverdaleartsalliance.org

Cloverdale Performing Arts Center
209 N. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale
894-2214
cloverdaleperformingarts.com

Gualala Center for the Arts
46501 Gualala Rd.
Gualala
884-1138
gualalaarts.org

Healdsburg Center for the Arts
130 Plaza St.
Healdsburg
431-1970
healdsburgcenterfor
thearts.com

Occidental Center for the Arts
4008 Bohemian Hwy.
Occidental
874-1124
occidentalcenterforthearts.com

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
6780 Depot St.
Sebastopol
829-4797
sebarts.org

Windsor Arts Council
Hembree House Cultural Center
9225 Foxwood Dr.
Windsor
838-4613
windsorartscouncil.com