City Picks First Arts & Culture Commission

By Christian Kallen 

Healdsburg’s reputation as a wine and food mecca is only part of the town’s luster. Add to that the arts, which have always been a vital part of Healdsburg’s community life, and the cultural diversity that this town surrounded by farms and vineyards has always enjoyed.

Now it’s official: The Healdsburg Arts and Culture Commission will enter the exclusive ranks of quasi-governmental advisory bodies in town, joining the Planning, Parks and Recreation, and Senior Citizens commissions at the top of the menu on the city website.

They don’t get much newer than this: The seven members of the commission were all appointed on Monday night at the Nov. 18 meeting of the City Council. They were introduced by Councilmember Chris Herrod; Mayor David Hagele was also on the ad hoc committee to make the selection of the commissioners, but Herrod did the honors.

“It was somewhat daunting to see that we had 17 people apply,” Herrod said. “It’s become somewhat customary to gush about how great the applicants are who apply for these commission appointments. And I’ve been a part of a couple of them, and it’s never been more true than this one.”

Of the 17 applicants, Herrod and Hagele interviewed 15 (there were two missed appointments), with a wide variety of “skills, backgrounds, passions,” as Herrod said. They “drilled down” with 10 questions each, and their only regret is that a viable youth commissioner could not be found, with only one eligible Healdsburg High student among the applicants.

Commission terms will be three years, but named on Monday night were four commissioners for three-year terms, and three for two-year terms, so in coming years the selection process will be more staggered.

The Commissioners 

Three-year commissioners chosen were:

Michiko Conklin, a former Parks and Recreation commissioner, board member of several local arts organizations and a member of the Creative Leadership Team that championed the Arts and Culture Commission.

Gianna Davy, a speech language pathologist in Cloverdale and a jewelry maker, children’s book writer and former professional ballerina. She also co-founded the Healdsburg Dance Collective.

Noah Jeppson, owner of an “experiential design firm” that developed the Fitch Mountain Park and Open Space Preserve, as well as several exhibits for the Healdsburg Museum. He’s also worked in design in both Dallas and Seattle.

Cristal Lopez Pardo, at 27 the youngest member of the commission, is the Family Resource Manager at Corazón Healdsburg. There she helps administer their own Arts and Culture Collective, which has distributed almost $200,000 in grants so far, with more on the way.

Appointed to two-year terms were: 

Marcy Frank is a theater costume designer and performing arts professional who also teaches aqua fitness at the Healdsburg Aquatic Center. She was also a founding member of the Creative Leadership Team.

Alexander Harris of The Harris Gallery in town, where he curates and manages its exhibits, sales, event planning and coordination. A Geyserville native, he has an architectural design practice in town as well, and is a member of the Dry Creek Valley Citizens Advisory Committee.

Gina Riner is well-known to the Healdsburg arts community from her 23 years in town, working with the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, the Healdsburg Center for the Arts and American Business Women’s Association as well as being a past member of the Creative Leadership Team.

The Mandate

Community Services Director Mark Themig will be the staff liaison with the Arts and Culture Commission, “with a lot of help” from Taryn Nicoll, the new part-time Arts and Culture Program Administrator (and most recent city hire).

The task list for the new Arts and Culture Commission is long, and its aspirational list even longer. In the City Council’s workplan for the commission are developing a “Percent for Arts” funding program, arts branding, and inventory and maintenance of public art.

The commission is expected to have a group orientation in the next month, followed by its first official meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month, which will be Jan. 22, 2025.

“The first meeting might focus more on the goals and strategies outlined in the Arts and Culture Master Plan, with a follow-up discussion on potential priorities that we could bring back to City Council for review,” Themig said. “We’ll have to see how things come together over the next two months.”