FAIR'S ART COMPETITION NEEDS NEW THINKING

I find it charming and unique among similar communities that the Sonoma County Fair still sets the cultural standard for the county. The fair has an especially strong influence in certain subjects. It is the equivalent of our local Olympics with regard to agriculture and youth art.

Some children prefer to focus on art over sports. Instead of spending discretionary money on soccer leagues, ballet classes or private coaching sessions, their families spend their money on art instruction. In place of league championship playoffs, awards dinners and performances, all the child artist has is the once-a-year Sonoma County Fair.

The fair's junior art department needs to be taken more seriously as a formative experience for the youth of our community.

For example, in the big picture, what is the point of some of the categories such as pipe cleaners and potpourri? Somehow that needs to be discerned and communicated to the children.

More narrowly, what are the standards within a category? With sculptures, for example, why do machine-made figurines routinely get first place ribbons while sculptures made with advanced techniques and mature styles get third-place ribbons? I have noticed junior art entries seemingly penalized for the following: 1) political or religious images; 2) style that seems mature for the age category; and 3) technique that seems mature for the age category. I'd like to see the art judged on its merit by experts in the subject matter who will be able to appreciate advanced skills.

Within a junior art category, such as sculpture for example, a professional artist with an advanced art degree in sculpture should judge the entries. The swine exhibitors would be miffed if a poultry expert judged their entries; so why should something as important to the community as art get different treatment, as it routinely does at the fair? Perhaps there can be collaboration between a coordinator of the junior arts department who is responsible for the logistics of displaying the arts and crafts and an art director who can define and communicate a standard and choose the judges.

The Sonoma County Fair seems to be unaware that it has inherited, through absence of an alternative, the responsibility of defining the future of this community's culture through fine arts and crafts.

Hilary O'Rourke is a Santa Rosa resident.