Sonoma's 22nd Annual Salute to the Arts
A tribute to the art of food and wine presented through literature, film, drama, and the visual arts.
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Sonoma's 22nd Annual Salute to the Arts A tribute to the art of food and wine presented through literature, film, drama, and the visual arts. |
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Press ReleaseA Salute to Happy Trails
NEWS Sonoma, CA ~ The Sonoma Valley Arts Alliance Board of Directors boasts a cast of successful working artists, several of whom have been nationally recognized in their fields. Two Board members, Dick Cole and Claudia Wagar, have created posters for Sonoma’s annual Salute to the Arts. Wagar created posters for the 13th, 14th, and 15th annual events. A nationally revered artist whose work graces Landmark Vineyards in the form of a 17-foot high mural, she was featured in the book Painting the Towns, Murals of California, and was the recipient of the American Artist Achievement Award in 1993. Cole, creator of this year’s Happy Trails poster artwork, won the Gold Medal/Best of Show at the California Watercolor Association 2000 Open Exhibit, and has garnered awards from the New York, San Francisco, Western, and Los Angeles Art Directors Clubs, as well as The Society of Illustrators in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. After graduating from U.C.L.A. and the Art Center College of Design, his career took him to New York City, where he worked as Art Director for Young and Rubicam. “It was baptism by fire!” he recalls. Immersed in the advertising business, he worked with clients such as DuPont, coming up with cutting edge campaigns. “It was an exciting time, but not a lifestyle I wished to pursue forever,” he said, feigning a breath of relief. Back in his home state, Cole developed a San Francisco agency with well-known designer Primo Angeli, developing product labels and fashioning identities for corporate clients such as Henry Weinhard’s and Memorex. He molded a new career as an illustrator in the 1970s, opening a studio on San Francisco’s trendy Jackson Square. He illustrated annual reports and magazines for clients including Chevron and Hewlett Packard through the 1980s, when country life began to beckon. Cole and his wife, Diane Noyes-Cole, moved to Sonoma Valley 13 years ago. Although national corporations still appear on his client list, he also enjoys working for numerous local companies including the Bank of Marin and wineries such as Jordan, Sonoma-Cutrer, and Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves. He most recently created a watercolor and product label for Sonoma Saveurs - Flavors of the Wine Country, a new bistro opening on Sonoma Plaza, which will feature Artisan Foie Gras and other local products. The Coles spend a large part of each summer at their ranch in Idaho, located about 30 miles from Yellowstone and 60 miles from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “I first started painting horses at the Grand National Horse Show, where I won the Gold Medal in 2001. Our ranch horses have become the subject matter for many of my recent western themed paintings,” he said. “When I agreed to create a poster for the 18th annual Sonoma Salute to the Arts, the theme had yet to be determined; when we agreed upon ‘Happy Trails,’ it proved to be a magical fit.” Happy Trails evolved as a result of board discussions over a period of several months. Ted and Lee Meyer, the first chairs of a committee formed to help generate event patronage had suggested a country western theme during their tenure, according to Salute to the Arts Founder Pat Summers. “At the time we were producing events featuring classical music, and a hoe-down didn’t seem to fit,” she said. “We have since produced numerous event themes: Film Noir; Life is a Cabernet, based on the movie Cabaret; and Salute Royale 002, a spin on Casino Royale, to name a few. This period in our history and our economy seemed to call for a back to basics theme.” Summers suggested surprising the Meyers with a country western theme – and the Board came up with Happy Trails – Discovering the Food, Wine, and Art of Sonoma. Unfortunately, the surprise had not yet been announced when the Board received news of Ted’s passing. “We know Ted is with us in spirit,” said ceramic artist and painter Kate Murphy, President of the Sonoma Valley Arts Alliance. “We sincerely appreciate his many years of support and look forward to continuing to work with Lee and the many patrons they have introduced to Salute to the Arts.” Happy Trails is also a perfect fit for Karen Collins, co-chair of this year’s Salute Celebrities Committee, the fundraising committee initially chaired by Ted and Lee Meyer. Collins owns Going Places, a travel company that introduces her customers to the areas they visit via hikes that generally last for several days. Collins and Maggie Salenger-Haywood co-chaired the Sonoma Overlook Trail Committee - a community project which began as a task force to prevent the development of land owned by the City of Sonoma, and resulted in the restoration of an old dump site and building of a two mile hiking trail. Located at the entrance to Mountain Cemetery, the trail head is a five-minute walk from Sonoma Plaza. It snakes along the hillside up to the top of the hill where a panoramic view of Sonoma Plaza unfolds. Collins and Haywood will lead a first time ever Salute to the Arts walk from Sonoma Plaza at 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 26 along the Overlook Trail where visitors and local residents will be able to view Sonoma’s 18th annual Salute to the Arts from above. The walk is sponsored in part by KGO Newstalk AM 810 and FIJI® Natural Artesian Water. There is no charge for the walk, but a donation towards maintenance of the trail will be greatly appreciated. Primary sponsors of the 18th Annual Sonoma Salute to the Arts are the Sonoma Valley Arts Alliance, Visa U.S.A., ABC 7, KGO Newstalk AM 810, American Airlines, Buena Vista Winery, Diablo Publications, Viking Range Corporation, WineCountry.com, and The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. Net proceeds from Salute to the Arts fund scholarships for high school seniors in the visual, theatrical, musical, literary, culinary and winemaking arts; and will provide funding for approximately 20 Sonoma Valley arts, cultural, and arts educational non-profit organizations. Proceeds enhance and enrich local endeavors from theatre and opera, to public school music programs and children's art classes throughout the year. For information and tickets, call Summers-McCann Public Relations, the event's founder and producer, at 707.938.1133, or visit the Sonoma Salute to the Arts website at www.salutetothearts.com. ### prepared by Summers-McCann, Inc. Public Relations P.O. Box 1947 Sonoma, CA 94599 707.938.1133 info@salutetothearts.com See Also: Back to Top |
