Meet Lily Noonan- Where Art Meets Vision

Lily Noonan at Art-O-Culture Gallery next to one of her paintings

by Casie Campbell:

Serving as Board President for the Yuba Sutter Regional Arts Council and Creative Director of Art-O-Culture Gallery in Marysville, Lily Noonan has a unique vision for the future of art in the Yuba Sutter area. She is encouraging the growth and popularity of art and sees her
role in both positions as helping to guide the organization in the right direction and setting the tone for what should be happening in the local art community over the coming years. She says, “There are a lot of fascinating, creative things going on in the community related to the art culture here.”

Lily acknowledges and appreciates the great strides Marysville and Yuba City are making towards actively embracing art in the community. Her vision is to have people think of Yuba Sutter for art and travel here just like they travel to Napa for wine. Having moved here from South Carolina where she was the Executive Director of the Arts Council where she lived, she decided that she could best serve this community by serving on the Board of Directors at the Yuba Sutter Regional Arts Council and after holding the position of treasurer for two years she agreed to take on the position of Board President. She says, “We are well established as an Arts Council having been around for nearly 30 years and we are the only Arts Council in the state that covers two counties. Part of the Council’s mission is to promote and foster the arts and as a result they help guide artists and move them into that next level. We can help guide them on their path as artists helping them figure out what to do with their art, where to take a class and meet up with other artists.” She encourages all local artists to come forward, come out and show your art. With art galleries thriving in Sacramento and Roseville it is not a far stretch to see why she is so excited about art in the Yuba Sutter area. Yuba City has the Theatre Gallery on Plumas Street in Yuba City featuring monthly exhibits and the Sutter Community Memorial Museum showing a great series of art exhibits generally throughout the year. Marysville has Art-O- Culture Gallery, the Brian Shoals Gallery and the formal Gallery for the Yuba Sutter Regional Arts Council.

Art O Culture Gallery has a lot of different things happening inside the space besides just “Art off the Wall.” Showcasing a variety of styles, mediums and subjects with a little bit of everything from abstracts, traditional landscapes, photography, glass work and pottery as well as sculptures and art that you cannot necessarily categorize. A talented artist herself, Lily agrees that there is just a cornucopia of fantastic stuff and it is all produced within the two counties. There is a Readers and Writers Group that meets on Monday nights and a “Sip N Sketch” program that meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Bring in your sketch pad, your paint, your clay or your camera. The cost for Sip N Sketch is $5.00 and is a great opportunity to get back into art and draw costumed models. Art O Culture is a well rounded Gallery supporting many areas of art with Breakaway Theatre Productions as the resident Theatre Company and Fighting With Fire as the resident house band.

Currently nominated for Best Art Gallery on the KCRA Chanel 3 A List, this is an amazing distinction that definitely moves Lily and Yuba Sutter Regional Arts Council forward with their vision for the future of art in our area. Cast your vote for Art-O-Culture as Best Art Gallery at KCRA.com or find the link at the Art-O-Culture page on Facebook.
Published April 3, 2013