"Art is indeed not the bread but the wine of life."-John Paul Richter
The town of Santa Rosa, California is an art lovers dream come true. The whole town has a rich history, with it's wine country past. There are nearly 200 wineries in the region, as well as some of the finest California cuisine to be found. The Area boasts 16 gold courses, some of the countries top spas, some awesome hot air ballooning adventures and of course, some of the best public art to be found, north of San Francisco.
Santa Rosa is also home to the Charles Schultz Museum. Last year I showed you some examples of the Charlie Brown sculptures that dotted the town throughout the summer of 2005. The 55 statues were auctioned off for charity at the end of the summer. This year it will be Woodstock, 77 of them to be exact, that will be positioned around town, from the end of May until September 24th, at which time they will also be auctioned off. But that is by no means the sum total of the art to be found in Santa Rosa, in fact sometimes art can also be found in the most unusual places.
How about on a bus bench? Yep, the above photo is titled, "Wine Country," and it is a part of the Artstart Benches Program, which is a public art project in combination with a youth employment opportunity. 24 of these benches can be found all around the town, each with a unique theme. 21 apprentice artists from the Sonoma County area were selected to participate in the public art program, which also included a large mural. This particular bench paid homage to the rich history of wine making in the region. Other bench themes included one with a cow theme that was titled, "Sonoma Cow-nty," which sat outside Santa Rosa High School, and "Spirit of Santa Rosa," which was placed at the Sonoma County Indian Health Clinic.
I am looking forward to seeking out the Woodstock sculptures, I will of course have my camera in hand. LOL. Don't ya just love great art? :)
