The Art & Ag Project cultivates a dialogue between artists, farmers and the community to raise awareness about the importance of preserving farmlands and the visual arts in Yolo County. A nationally recognized creative place making project, Art & Ag has invited farmers to open their land to local artists, providing unique opportunities to capture private landscapes that would otherwise remain inaccessible and unseen.
Each month artists visit a different farm where they can meet the farm owners, paint en plein air, or take photographs. Artists are invited each Fall to exhibit their agriculturally –inspired artwork at YoloArts annual Art Farm, the first Friday in November.
Part of the Art & Ag project, Artful Plate, creates an opportunity to enhance the full farm to plate experience by commissioning original works of art by local artist to be printed onto dinner plates. Dinner plates are then featured and sold at restaurants or non-profit and community events serving locally sourced meals. The project is supported by YoloArts’ collaborative partner the County of Yolo.
From the wheat fields of South Dakota to the ranch lands of Colorado, artists have provided iconic images of America’s rural landscape. Today, one rural community in northern California is providing a unique opportunity for artists to come out to the farm. Yolo County’s “Arts & Ag” program invites artists and photographers to farms and … Continued
Frank Muller has agriculture in his blood. He was raised on a farm, and now runs Muller Ranch in Yolo County, California, northwest of Sacramento, with his two brothers, son, and nephew. The ranch boasts several thousand acres of walnut groves, sunflowers, vineyards, tomato fields, almond trees, and pepper plants. But despite his close ties with the landscape and all it produces, … Continued
Danielle Whitmore, YoloArts’ executive director, tells a story about a student named Diana. When Diana — a pseudonym — was a student in a local continuation school, she wouldn’t even get out of bed to attend classes. It wasn’t that she was lazy. She was uncomfortable in school and had low self-confidence. It was only when she started … Continued