San Ramon Holds Arts Summit

SAN RAMON, CA — The City of San Ramon recently hosted a highly anticipated Art Summit, which brought together artists from all disciplines, including performing arts, visual arts, and literary arts. The event was aimed at recognizing the significant contributions made by the arts and discussing what attendees would like to see from the arts in the future, especially given the upcoming opening of the Dougherty Station Community Arts Center.

The Dougherty Station Community Arts Center is currently under renovation to address the community’s arts needs and will reopen later in 2023 with an arts focus. The renovated community center will reimagine how the facility spaces can meet the needs of artists, teachers, students, and art patrons in the community. The facility will have an expanded art gallery, expanded dance studio, along with new artist studios, sound studios, green room, and an additional program room on the second floor.

The Art Summit saw a range of exciting discussions and debates in breakout groups, focusing on key topics such as artist communication and collaboration, arts facilities and resources, arts education and programs, and arts accessibility and connectivity.

Art Summit Organizer, Recreation Supervisor Adam Chow commented “The San Ramon Arts Summit is a gathering of the arts community to develop a vision for arts in San Ramon and inform City planning. We had a wonderful mix of artists, teachers, businesses, students, and arts stakeholders present at the event for robust conversations that will influence the direction of arts programming for our community.”

Other speakers at the event included:

· City Councilmember Marisol Rubio
· Parks & Community Services Commission Chair Heidi Kenniston-Lee
· Arts Advisory Committee Chair Naina Shastri
· San Ramon Artist and Arts Advisory Committee Member Ranjini Venkatachari

The discussions on artist communication and collaboration centered on the importance of effective communication and collaboration among artists of different disciplines. Participants shared their experiences of collaborating with other artists and discussed the benefits and challenges of working together.

Another important topic discussed at the Art Summit was the need for a central clearing house for arts event listings, with an interactive calendar where users could update content. Participants noted that such a platform would be a valuable resource for both artists and audiences, providing a comprehensive overview of arts events in the City of San Ramon and beyond.

Arts facilities and resources were also a topic of discussion, with participants exploring ways to improve and expand access to arts facilities and resources for artists. Attendees highlighted the need for more affordable and accessible studio spaces, exhibition spaces, and performance venues.

Participants emphasized the importance of having a state-of-the-art venue that could accommodate large-scale productions and events, and that would also serve as a hub for the arts community. They noted that such a venue would not only attract top-tier talent but would also provide a platform for emerging artists to showcase their work and reach a wider audience.

The summit also featured discussions on arts education and programs, with participants exploring ways to better support and nurture emerging artists. Attendees discussed the importance of mentorship programs, residencies, and fellowships, which offer opportunities for artists to learn, create, and develop their skills.

Finally, the summit addressed the issue of arts accessibility and connectivity. Participants explored ways to improve access to the arts and discussed ways to leverage technology to create new forms of art and to connect with audiences around the world. There was also a clear call from attendees to create an arts association in San Ramon for visual artists and local artist, Ranjini Venkatachari will be driving the charge to establish this group.

In her opening remarks at the Art Summit Ranjini, an accomplished color pencil artist, captured the audience's attention with a thought-provoking reference to the Japanese concept of ‘ikigai.' She spoke of the deep sense of worth, meaning, and purpose that art brings to her life, and how it aligns with the four essential elements of ikigai: passion, purpose, skill, and profession. Ranjini intends to draw visual artists together to explore these elements and leverage them to enhance the creative journeys of visual artists in San Ramon. An open meeting for San Ramon based visual artists is planned for the beginning of June, 2023.

The Art Summit was a great success, bringing together a diverse group of artists to discuss important issues facing the arts community. The discussions and debates will undoubtedly inform future policies and initiatives aimed at supporting and promoting the arts in the City of San Ramon and beyond.