Art is something people never say there is too much of, and in the Verde Valley, it just doesn’t quite fit in if it doesn’t involve some form of creative expression.
Whether it’s giant soaring bird sculptures placed in the roundabouts in Sedona, art hanging on the walls of city offices, businesses and art galleries in every community, or people singing or performing at a number of area venues, art is everywhere in the Verde Valley.
The recent announcement of the addition of one more entity to promote the characteristic that animates the area comes as no surprise.
This venue, however, will be different.
Nothing in it will be for sale and the purpose won’t be to turn a profit.
Instead, founders hope to simply celebrate art created in Sedona and the Verde Valley in the past.
Renovation on a building for the Sedona Art Museum is currently under way in West Sedona.
The museum will feature works of art created by people who have or currently call the area home on loan from private collections.
Residents and visitors will find a space to enjoy pieces they most likely won’t find anywhere else and learn about Sedona and the Verde Valley’s rich artistic past.
It’s no wonder a place as naturally beautiful as the Verde Valley attracts artists. Sedona’s red rocks, Cottonwood and Camp Verde’s Verde River, Jerome’s hillside village and the blue skies, sunrises and sunsets have been known to inspire people, artist or not.
That magic people say they feel here produced what some would argue is the best art in the Southwest, if not the country or world.
What better way to celebrate the decades of diverse, inspired and thoughtful creativity than open a museum to do just that.
By not selling any of the items, the pressure to meet sales quotas disappears, while the need for money does not.
The lack of focus on moving pieces creates a different type of atmosphere, while founders still need to figure out how to financially support the endeavor.
The idea of creating studios to rent to artists seems like a good way to keep cash flowing and, as a nonprofit, the museum can ask for donations and grants to fill the gaps.
What the museum needs is to find the niche of people who will rally behind their idea. People in the Verde Valley are generous, especially when it comes to supporting a cause they care about. It won’t be hard to find people who have a special place in their hearts for art in an area that is itself a piece of natural artwork.
