Wine and Art Come Together for a
Good Cause
Cottonwood, Az. –
Wine barrels turned into artist’s
canvases have been painted and
sprinkled around
Cottonwood, Sedona, and the Verde Valley
in one of the most unique public art
projects anywhere. Forty Painted
Barrels are on display in wineries,
tasting rooms, and businesses and all of
the barrels will be auctioned off with
proceeds going to support the Yavapai
College Viticulture Program located in
Cottonwood.
Lana Tolleson,
Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce CEO,
explains, “The Painted Barrels are a fun
way to connect our great wineries with
some very talented artists from the
Verde Valley and even renowned Navajo
artist, Baje Whitethorne, Sr. The
artists have been so amazingly creative
with whimsical designs, three
dimensional appliqués, and art that
really show off the beauty of the
Cottonwood, Sedona area. We’re excited
about all of the social media programs
and Artist events that are beginning
this month.”
All of the Painted
Barrels, artist biographies, and
locations can be found on
www.vvwinetrail.com
and the Painted Barrels even have their
own Facebook and FourSquare pages.
There will be cool contests and prizes
for people who connect with the exhibit
through social media.
Since the Verde
Valley is a very artistic community, the
Painted Barrels provides a great
opportunity for visitors to connect with
very talented artists. In addition to
finding them online on
www.vvwinetrail.com,
visitors will be able to connect with
the artists on Artist Days when the
artists will be at their barrel location
demonstrating their talents.
The Painted
Barrels is more than good wine, art &
fun - the barrels will be auctioned off
and the proceeds will benefit the
Yavapai College Viticulture Program, the
first viticulture program in Arizona.
The program, modeled after well
established programs in California, is
providing the education that is needed
to obtain a job in the Arizona wine
industry which is growing fast and
creating employment opportunities. This
summer, Yavapai College planted their
very first acre of vineyards to assist
in the education of their students and
has 15 more acres reserved for planting
of new vineyards.
Information on the Verde Valley Wine
Trail, the Painted Barrels, and the
Yavapai College Viticulture Program is
available from the Cottonwood Chamber of
Commerce at 928-634-7593
Painted
Barrels along the