21 Monumental Clay Sculptures Exhibited In Napa

Press release from the Rail Arts District (RAD) Napa:

NAPA, CA — Terracotta Corridor, an exhibition of 21 clay sculptures, opens in the Napa Valley this winter with an artist talk and reception at the Culinary Institute of America, Copia, followed by a bike tour Saturday, Dec. 3, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The free exhibition, which is presented by Rail Arts District Napa (RAD) and Mission Clay Products, features the outdoor work by 11 ceramic artists from the Mission Clay Products Arts and Industry residency program. As part of this program, artists spent weeks carving and glazing 6- to 8-foot-tall clay pipe extrusions.

The Mission Clay Products’ facility in Phoenix, Arizona, is known for manufacturing the ceramic sewer pipes the artists used and then fired in some of the world’s largest kilns. Clay pipe is the longest-lasting, most sustainable, and environmentally friendly pipe product ever designed and dates back over 2,000 years. There are clay pipelines installed within many of the metro areas of the United States that date back centuries.

A selection of work from some 400 artists who participated in the program will be showcased in the Rail Arts District — including works by Alan Chin, Cameron Crawford, Ann Christenson, Carolyn Ford, Tom Franco, Robert Harrison, Susannah Israel, Lisa Reinertson, Patrick Siler, John Toki and Rimas VisGirda.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, RAD Napa Executive Director Shelly Willis will moderate a conversation from 1 – 2 p.m. between participating artist John Toki and Bryan Vansell, the founder and director of the Arts and Industry residency program. The conversation will be immediately followed by a reception and bicycle tour guided by Toki and Chuck McMinn, president of RAD Napa. Email info@rad.org to sign up and secure a bicycle for the tour.

"This exhibition is the result of an extraordinary collaboration to bring artwork by a diverse group of artists to the Napa community," Willis said. "It is inspiring to see how a simple, industrial object can be transformed in so many different ways."

Quake Mosaic

In addition, RAD Napa is proud to announce a partnership with local artist Kristina Young to install RAD Napa’s first permanent artwork: a large-scale mosaic titled "Quake Mosaic," made with salvaged objects from the 2014 earthquake and the 2017 and 2020 wildfires, donated by hundreds of community members. Eight years in the making, the 406-section mosaic will be installed on a stationary train car donated by the Napa Valley Wine Train adjacent to the Napa Valley Vine Trail.

"The Rail Arts District has produced dozens of public artworks since 2016," McMinn said. "For our first permanent installation, it was important that the artwork have a strong connection to Napa. We’ve worked with Kristina Young for many years, and we are thrilled to help her bring the Quake Mosaic to fruition."

Rail Arts District (RAD) Napa

The Rail Arts District (RAD) Napa, a nonprofit established in 2016, enriches the community through investment in and stewardship of Napa’s only art district. RAD Napa begins in Napa’s Oxbow District and continues northward for almost 2 miles along the Napa Valley Vine Trail bike and pedestrian path and the Napa Valley Wine Train tracks. Murals, sculptures, landscaping and parks are just some of the examples of how RAD is transforming these semi-industrial areas and neighborhoods with art.

CanDo's Napa Valley Give!Guide

Members of the community can further support these projects, and many more, by donating via CanDo’s Napa Valley Give!Guide, which raises awareness and funds in support of exceptional nonprofits serving Napa County residents while also encouraging collaboration among its participating organizations. Find out more at CanDoGiveGuide.org.

This press release was produced by Rail Arts District (RAD) Napa. The views expressed here are the author’s own.