Guest editorial: Placer Artists Tour has been worth the hard work

As the 29th annual Placer Artists Tour gets underway this week, there is a lot of gratitude flowing from our organizing team to our supportive community. Placer Artists Tour is a new organization formed in 2021 to present the November open studios tour, the largest and longest-standing visual art tour in the northern Sierra foothills region. After presenting the tour for 27 years, the Arts Council of Placer County's Board of Directors voted in February 2021 to discontinue presenting the tour, a result of their changing mission to no longer offer public facing programs in order to focus on grants to arts organizations. A huge outpouring of collaboration and hard work began. Starting from scratch at a time when tour applications usually go out, we obtained all the things a new business needs: business license, bank account, Post Office box, email, website, and contracted a tour coordinator. The Steering Committee met in parks, outdoor restaurants and other places with Wifi. By April, we had a website in place and began to accept applications. We were off and running! The 2021 tour, the first our new organization produced, included four artists showing with their adult artist children, showing the tour has literally raised a generation of artists. This aligns with our mission, which includes not only showcasing and celebrating the work of local artists but also educating our community and visitors about how artists create their work and providing opportunities to experience and purchase art. This year, we expanded to scope of the tour from individual artists and art galleries to include five art schools and two music schools, thus expanding our dedication to educating and growing future generations of visual and performing artists. We owe a debt of gratitude to our sponsor businesses that support and cater to our arts community and tour goers. To enhance the economic impact of the tour, this year we created a Dine & Drink sponsorship that includes 27 local restaurants, coffee shops, wineries and breweries. We have a sponsor agreement with Sac Wine & Ale Trail, which includes scores of additional wineries and breweries. We have developed working relationships with a number of strategic partners. The Auburn Symphony is a willing and enthusiastic partner. We collaborated in 2021 to have symphony musicians play at key Placer Artists Tour events, and hosted a joint gratitude celebration in January for our respective donors, sponsors and partners. This year, we forged a deeper relationship, renaming their popular outdoor concert "Symphony and Art in the Park" to include displays by tour artists. We hosted a plein air and photography event at a Placer Land Trust preserve, and the resulting "Natural Wonders" exhibit is on display at the Auburn City Hall Gallery through Dec. 9. Blue Line Arts in Roseville, Placer County's premier visual arts gallery, hosts our "Taste of the Tour" Preview Show through Nov. 20, with one piece of work by all participating artists. They are also hosting three tour artists. Several key donors have established a legacy fund at the Placer Community Foundation, which will ensure the sustainability of the tour far into the future. This month, we filed our Articles of Incorporation to become a non-profit corporation and signed a lease for office space in Auburn. None of this would have been possible without the spirit of support and partnership in Placer County, a community where art adds so much to our quality of life! We hope you will join us for the free tour, which takes place on Veterans Day weekend, Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. This year features an "Encore" weekend Friday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 20, to give patrons more time to visit artists. The county-wide tour includes 109 artists, six galleries and seven art and music schools. You may pick up an Arts Directory & Tour Guide at Visit Placer, Auburn Old Town Gallery, Persimmon Gallery and other galleries and businesses around the county. Our website, PlacerArtistsTour.org, includes profiles of all participating artists, galleries and schools, an interactive tour map and a robust events calendar of all related tour events. It is a year-round resource for the arts in Placer County. Has it been more work than we ever imagined? Yes. Are the rewards worth it? A resounding yes!