Enhanced by artwork, drivers heed this warning sign near Charles Schultz-Sonoma County Airport.
photo credit: Google Maps

A new initiative aiming to pepper Sonoma County with diverse and whimsical art pieces is welcoming applicants.

While sculptors and muralists are welcome, Kristen Madson, director of Creative Sonoma, said the call out is actually more broad.

"We're interested in seeing how any genre can engage and enliven our public spaces and so, people that are writers and poets and people who are filmmakers or designers, ought to consider looking at this and seeing if they want to be engaged," Madson said.

Madson cited as an example two metal vultures hovering above Loughlin Road. It's a back road into Sonoma County Airport with sharp turns and low clearance. She says Sebastopol artist Patrick Amiot's unexpected local landmark has proven more effective than standard public works signage.

Successful applicants will attend seminars about successfully pitching an installation or performance and be paired with art advocates seeking to welcome a piece at a specific site.

"So, if you're getting this training you can sort of workshop your project idea, a project idea, with a potential site for you to be working with," Madson said.

Awards will generally range from $1000 to $10,000 and applications are available on Creative Sonoma's website. Madsen said the application isn't onerous or time consuming, but artists should put their efforts on the front burner; the application period closes April 26, 2022.

Funding for the project comes from the Santa Rosa Public Art Advisory Board and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.