A Modern Pairing: Napa Valley Arts in April™ Joins Fine Wine with 20th and 21st Century Art

NAPA VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Throughout the month of April, the second annual Napa Valley Arts in April™ celebrates The Napa Valley Collection™: the famed wine region's other collection of priceless vintages - significant 20th and 21st century artwork. Winery art collections include work by notable contemporary painters Francis Bacon and Jean Dubuffet, as well as sculptors George Rickey and Richard Serra. Napa Valley Arts in April 2012 celebrates the Napa Valley Collection by letting mad-about-art winemakers collaborate with collection curators and favorite artists to turn the Napa Valley into a month-long art and wine crawl, made up of a variety of interactive art programs, curator-led tours, special exhibitions and inspired tastings. Many winery art activities are complimentary, and neighboring lodging establishments and spas welcome guests to complement Napa Valley Arts in April happenings with special offers from the best in wine, food and wellness.  

The Napa Valley Arts in April 2012 festivities progress geographically week by week; beginning with Calistoga (April 1-7), followed by St. Helena and Rutherford (April 9-15), Oakville and Yountville (April 16-22), and finally Napa, Carneros, and American Canyon (April 23-30).

Napa Valley Arts in April Sneak Peek

• Calistoga, the Valley's northernmost region kicks off Napa Valley Arts in April on April 1. Throughout the Calistoga week, local wineries showcase impressive collections including the amazing sculpture, painting, and decorative objects collection at Clos Pegase.
• From April 9 - 15, wineries around St. Helena and Rutherford take center stage, featuring an exclusive exhibition of photography at Markham Vineyards by photojournalist Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone magazine's first chief photographer. This week only, original contact sheets belonging to Mr. Wolman's personal collection will be on view.
• From April 16 - 22, wineries in Oakville and Yountville swing open tasting room and gallery doors to showcase permanent and rotating exhibitions, such as Robert Mondavi Winery's permanent collection that holds work by Francis Bacon and a rotating exhibition space currently showing Napa Valley artist Nancy Willis' monotypes and paintings.
• From April 23 - 30, Napa, Carneros, and American Canyon's art-focused wineries include Hess Collection, which is displaying a selection of Donald Hess' personal modern and contemporary collection including artwork by artists Robert Motherwell and Magdalena Abakanowicz.

Benefiting Local Arts

Art-themed fundraisers supporting homegrown arts initiatives benefit local arts education and music programs. Calistoga's Fools For Art benefit, held on April 1, celebrates local artists with a pop-up gallery show and sale. Mozart Festival Napa Valley, benefitting the Napa Valley Symphony, takes place throughout the region from April 14 - 22, featuring concerts showcasing some of Mozart's greatest hits, as well as scholarly lectures and a lighthearted dinner recreating 18th century Vienna. On April 28, Hess Collection is hosting an afternoon and evening of women in contemporary art, featuring a screening of Lynn Hershman Leeson's documentary !War, followed by a discussion of women in contemporary art with KQED Forum host Michael Krasny and wine reception and dinner to benefit the Napa Valley Arts Council.

A full list and detailed map of participating wineries, as well as a variety of art viewing and wine tasting special offers, can be downloaded at the official Legendary Napa Valley website beginning in March. Maps and information are also available at all participating wineries, the Napa Valley Welcome Center, all chambers of commerce offices and many other locations throughout the Napa Valley.

For more information on Napa Valley Arts in April special offers and opportunities, please visit www.LegendaryNapaValley.com.

About the Napa Valley

The Napa Valley is home to the founders of America's fine wine industry – legendary entrepreneurs who showed the world that the art of winemaking had crossed continents – and is prized for its natural beauty, unparalleled culinary scene, top hotel accommodations, robust arts community, and one-of-a-kind wellness experiences including the region's famed spas, mud baths and healing geo-thermal springs. The word Napa means 'land of plenty' in the language of its first known inhabitants, the Wappo Indians, and the Valley itself is one of the most precious agricultural preserves on earth - a place that moves in perfect synchrony with the seasons. The area is internationally recognized as one of only nine "Great Wine Capitals." Visit www.LegendaryNapaValley.com for more information or to download the Visit Napa Valley iPhone application and join The Napa Valley community on Facebook and YouTube.

About Napa Valley Arts in April™

Napa Valley Arts in April is a month-long celebration of The Napa Valley Collection™, the combined collection of significant artwork exhibited at Napa Valley's wineries. Napa Valley Arts in April showcases this collection with four weeks of winery art crawls throughout each region of the Napa Valley. The 30 days of tours and special events progress each week, moving from the northernmost town Calistoga, to St. Helena, Yountville, and wrapping up in the southern Napa and Carneros area. Participating Napa Valley hotels and inns offer special Arts in April lodging packages. More details can be found at www.LegendaryNapaValley.com.

SOURCE The Napa Valley Destination Council