Museum execs make case for name change

Statement of Sonoma Valley Museum of Art executive director, president and board of directors on the members’  April 30th decision on ‘our name for the future.’

Back in 1999, a small and dedicated group of Sonoma residents founded an art museum in Sonoma and named it Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. As has been announced by Co-founder Jim Callahan and others, some, but not all, of the members of that early group found a special meaning and purpose by including “Valley” in the name. Since that time, the Museum has been carried forward by continued service from many of those founders and on the shoulders of several extraordinary Executive Directors and thousands of devoted members, docents, volunteers and board leaders.  As a result, the Museum has achieved a proud record of service to the arts, to this community and beyond.

Now, in a new century, on the 20th Anniversary of that founding, our gem of a Museum is poised to turn the page to a new chapter, led by a new Executive Director and following a recently-adopted Strategic Plan, focused on expanded service to the Springs community, to Sonoma, to Sonoma Valley, to Sonoma County and to the San Francisco Bay Area.

After examining the Museum’s desire to serve a wider audience and need to expand our membership and increase financial support, several recent Boards of Directors have judged that the marketing and messaging of the Museum would be improved if we could shorten and simplify the Museum’s name and identify the Museum with a larger audience. We also concluded that, for our purposes and outreach beyond Sonoma town and Sonoma Valley, continuing to use “Valley” in our name could be unnecessarily limiting as having a geographical meaning and that we would thus risk being erroneously identified by part of our desired market segment as only serving Sonoma Valley. Finally, we found that as a result of intensive regional and national marketing by the town of Sonoma, Sonoma County and the wine industry during the last 20 years, the common meaning of the word “Sonoma” has come to include the main positive aspects of “Sonoma Valley” generally — and for our purposes at the Museum — as a place of beauty, creativity, culture and inspiration. These findings are the basis for our recommendation to the members.

In making this recommendation, we mean no disagreement with the 1999 decision to reach for an expanded market beyond Sonoma town or to identify the Museum with the positive cultural aspects of “Sonoma Valley.” We simply want to reach much farther now with clear messaging and we believe that the word “Sonoma” alone now carries essentially the same meaning as “Sonoma Valley” and is therefore sufficient by itself for the Museum’s purposes. Similarly, we mean no disrespect to our founders, to Sonoma Valley or to any special meaning that name may have to its residents. Our pride in being part of Sonoma Valley will continue. Museum exhibitions and activities will devote special attention to the heritage of Sonoma Valley, such as the intriguing, well-attended, exhibition of Jack London photography that closed just last week.

Any cost to changing the name would be incidental only, as the building signage and all other embodiments of the current name, if retained, will be changed as we adopt a new logo and update our branding in tandem with launching the Strategic Plan.

We now have positive momentum as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary and embark on the Strategic Plan. Attendance at exhibitions and programs has set new records this past year. We jump-started a Public Art program with the Albert Paley exhibition last summer and will continue our focus on Public Art with an exhibition of California Women Sculptors in the Plaza this summer. With our partners La Luz and Art Escape, we have just been awarded a much-coveted NEA grant for a public mural in The Springs. Broadening our reach into the community and region, we have inducted ten new Board Members, each with experience, energy and vision.

The Museum is not in a financial “hole.” We are in a strong financial condition due to the recent receipt of several bequests, including a generous legacy from the Estate of Charles “Chuck” Williams, founder of William-Sonoma.   As stewards of the Museum, the Board has invested the lion’s share of the bequests to assure the Museum will be here for future generations, excepting only a small percentage of the bequest to finance the expansion of our service to community and Public Art. To balance our annual operating budget, we still depend upon revenue from grants, programs, visitors and members.

On April 30th, our members will decide to continue to use the original name from 1999 or to embark on our future as Sonoma Museum of Art. Respectfully, the decision to be made next Monday is not about the 1999 decision, not about disrespect of founders and not about cost. We have now supplied members with our reasoning and the contrary argument by those opposing, with time to reflect and discuss. The decision is simply what is best for the future for all of us working together.

We have an exciting year ahead and hope for a large turnout of members on April 30 so that we can come together, with respect for each other, in reaching a decision. We ask all members for their support for an updated, simplified, name — consistent with our expanding reach — as we continue our mission of Building Community Around Art.

— Linda Lima Keaton, Executive Director                            
— Nancy Kivelson, Board President
— Board Members: Diana Bugg, Steven Bush, Susan Campbell, Yvonne Hall, Cherie Hughes, Gary Hultquist, Maite Iturri, Dawn Kimball, Kathleen Leonard, Anne Mieling, Jane Milotich, Darryl Roberson, Connie Schlelein, Elaine Smith, Holly Sorkin, Ken Stokes, Ken Wornick