Honoring a civic ‘treasure’

Sonoma Mayor Rachel Hundley presents media instructor Peter Hansen as the city’s Treasure Artist for 2017 at reception Wednesday night.

In selecting Hansen, the Sonoma Cultural and Fine Arts Commission noted not only his accomplishments as a filmmaker, but also his dedication to the youth of Sonoma Valley.

Now in his fifteenth year at Sonoma Valley High School, has built an impressive Media Arts program, said a Commission statement. During that time, he and his students have produced the annual Student Film Festival, screening approximately twenty films each year.

The Commission was impressed that Hansen ensures his students learn professional skills in media and broadcast production using industry standard equipment to create content which is unparalleled by other high school media departments. With his guidance, Advanced Media students produce weekly news broadcasts in addition to creating their own short films which are shown in the Sonoma International Film Festival.

Hansen designed an internship program so advanced students can work with the local cable television channel or the Sonoma International Film Society. With his mentoring, students graduate to become directors themselves.

Also impressive to the Commission was that as a proud supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, Hansen has helped bring the visual arts departments to life at two of the facilities serving youth and teens in Sonoma Valley.

In a nomination letter Hansen was described as a “passionate artist in Sonoma, serving both its youth and local community organizations, someone who helps others be better informed, more culturally savvy, and perhaps better citizens of the world.”

The Cultural and Fine Arts Commission also named Dick Cole, posthumously, as the 2016 Treasure Artist. Cole was influential in the founding of Sonoma Plein Air and was a highly respected, nationally recognized watercolor artist. The Commission recognized his dedication to the art education of students in Sonoma Valley and his serving as an inspiration to young and old artists alike.