sadly, a Napa arts initiative a bit too late for me...whinge alert :)

I got this intriguing email from the Arts Council of Napa Valley today including a press release on an initiative to establish a cultural plan for Napa. Here is a key part of it (the emphasis is mine):

"NAPA, California, February 7th, 2007: In the last five years, donors and funders in Napa County have invested close to $150 million dollars in the arts – without an overarching plan. The result?

- World-class venues, but not enough local audience to fill them
- Numerous arts organizations, but a tough financial climate: at least 12 galleries and theater groups have closed since the fall of 2004
- A wealth of individual artists of all disciplines, but few who can make a living in Napa County
- Committed and passionate arts supporters, but significant fatigue and uncertainty within the donor pool
- 4.7 million visitors per year, but most of whom don’t know about all we have to offer in the arts

To address these problems and opportunities, Arts Council Napa Valley, in concert with arts organizations, community members, and civic leaders from across the county, is creating a road map for a healthy and vital arts and culture sector that represents what the community wants to see, hear, and experience through its local arts. This road map is called a cultural plan. Cultural plans, and the cultural planning process, have been successfully used in communities large and small across America to create strong, vibrant, exciting arts sectors. This plan will be by the community, and for the community. To accomplish this, Arts Council needs Napa County residents to get involved and speak out for the arts. "

I responded to Michelle (whose art planning blog is here), who I was fortunate enough to meet a few times in Napa and found to be lovely and bright.

Here is my email back to her:

Hey Michelle,
I checked out your blog (great idea!) and left a comment there. This initiative looks so exciting, but sadly a bit too late for me. I think that one way to better support the arts in Napa would be to encourage industries like software and high tech. Many of us can't support ourselves full-time doing art and are earning livings as programmers, project managers, graphic designers, animators. But those jobs are few and far between in Napa.
I would also say that Napa needs to lean further to the left and positively embrace / celebrate minorities and gay people before the tipping point to 'artist-friendly' county could happen. I am (as you know) fishbelly-white and straight, but really disliked living in a homogenous, conservative, old-boy-network-heavy community. When working as a fundraiser in Napa, any energy I expended that reeked of "new kid in town" was received with either hostility, derision or plain old passive-aggressive attitude of "let's ignore her until she goes away." The folks running government and key organizations need a serious shift of belief - they need to truly feel that new ideas might be a help instead of a threat, that a rising tide will raise all boats.
I gave it a serious try to stay in the county but just couldn't do it for the reasons noted above, among others. I would have LOVED to help out with this kind of effort but feel like Napa wasn't set up for me to make a success of it.
Just another two cents for your group to consider / forward to the powers-that-be.
Thanks and very very best of luck to you all,