Name that sheep

Quarantine is over, even for the sheep at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art. Missing from their herding spot in front of the Highway 121 campus in 2016, the sheet-metal sheep have been carefully restored and returned to graze along the hillside of the center’s sculpture meadow.

The flock includes a handful of fluffy white sheep striking various poses and, of course, a lone black sheep.

For years, the painted creations of artist and art patron Veronica di Rosa flanked the hillside of the Winery Lake dam. They became a quirky local landmark, an on-the-way-to-Napa landmark and a favorite stop for Instagram selfies.

The flock’s removal caused a bit of a stir across the community, with calls for their return.  

Said Executive Director Kate Eilertsen: “Once we moved Mark di Suvero’s For Veronica sculpture up to the dam it was clear that we had a void to fill in the Sculpture Meadow. Restoring Veronica’s sheep and placing it in that spot was meaningful to the organization and I hope, to the community.” 

 To add to the fun of our four-legged friends’ return, di Rosa is launching a “name the sheep” contest to raise scholarship funds for Camp di Rosa: Art + Nature, the organization’s first-ever summer camp.

Beginning Friday, May 28, art (and sheep) lovers have a chance to name a sheep for the season and help send a local student to summer camp. Naming opportunities for the white sheep are a $50 donation per entry and black sheep naming opportunities are a $100 donation per entry. The contest ends June 7 at midnight; winners will be announced on di Rosa’s social media channels June 9.

Special collars will be made for the sheep bearing their new names. “We are counting on some very creative sheep names! I think people will have a lot of fun giving while also supporting a good cause,” says Director of Development Laura Zimmerman.