Creative Sonoma Announces ArtSurround Grantees

Creative Sonoma is pleased to announce that 27 artists are receiving grants from its ArtSurround program, designed to provide creative engagement and placemaking activities in communities across the county.  Each artist will receive grant funds to create new work and is paired with a local arts champion, or “advocate” who has access to a public site where the new art will be presented.

Art projects are wide ranging and include murals, environmental sustainability writing projects, “art” gardens, audio-visual wayfinding signage, musical compositions and more.  Artist projects will engage community members of all ages, will occur in all regions of the County, and will represent a wide variety of media including visual, literary, video, multi-media, and music. 

ArtSurround Advocates include cities and towns, nonprofit arts and social service organizations, and businesses.  The new artworks will be installed primarily between September 2022 and June 2023.

ArtSurround is part of Creative Sonoma’s ongoing activity to encourage more art in our public realm.  “Public art can encourage social cohesion and community pride by reminding of us what we share as neighbors and friends across this county,” said Supervisor James Gore, Chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.  “The ArtSurround program offers a view on what brings us together through the unique lens of our working artists.” 

Participating artists attended a 2½ day training session on community placemaking and engagement practices, led by nationally recognized arts leaders, Springboard for the Arts.  Advocates joined the workshop for its final day to initiate the “match-making” process between artists and advocates. 

The ArtSurround program is funded through partnerships with the City of Santa Rosa Public Art Program along with the Town of Windsor, the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Sonoma County Tourism.  Funding has also been provided by the Hewlett Foundation. 

Photo and video documentation of the projects will be available at www.CreativeSonoma.org/ArtSurround/.

Creative Sonoma is a division of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board dedicated to

supporting and advancing the creative community of Sonoma County. 

Please visit www.CreativeSonoma.org for more.