Sherwood Valley Casino and the Willits Center for the Arts Announce: "Creative at the Casino" Project

WILLITS, Calif., Sept. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- For the first time in the world of casino gaming, Sherwood Valley Casino and the Willits Center for the Arts (WCA) have teamed up to present "Creative at the Casino" to showcase the region, Native American Culture and the playful expression of creativity, color and composition through the eyes of local artists. This will be the first year of an ongoing collaboration which will feature curated work of selected local artists to show on the walls of the casino as well as sculpture displayed on the grounds of the property. The collaboration will start in September of 2019 and will feature a different artist every quarter.

"We are excited to be joining the Willits Center for the Arts in promoting not only this beautiful region, but very talented and locally inspired artists as well," said Barry Weiss, celebrity, art collector and official spokesperson of the casino. "This effort will add beautiful, collectible art to the casino's walls, provide valuable exposure to great artists, and would not be possible without the WCA's commitment and willingness to curate an ongoing show in our public spaces."

Remarked Weiss. "The Center for the Arts is excited about this partnership with Sherwood Valley Casino and further promote the art movement in our area," said Gary Martin, curator of the Willits Center for the Arts. "The casino and the Tribe have been very important patrons of ours over the years, and the casino space will provide an innovative canvas and alternative platform for displaying local artists' work to the people who visit our city and the casino."

To kick off the partnership, the Center's board of directors selected the designs of a Native American artist to be featured for the next quarter: Timoteo Ikoshy Montoya.

Timoteo Ikoshy Montoya was born in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1956. At the age of nine his family moved to San Francisco, California. His artistic abilities have been with him since his youth. As he made his way through school, this creativity was encouraged by his family and instructors. He lived in the San Francisco bay area until his move up to Humboldt County where he attended College of the Redwoods. It was there he entered the Native American Studies Program and began his involvement with other native peoples in securing their culture and history. "It was at this time that I fully understood how much the native people in our family's history was important in creating the foundation for my own life." He also began to paint using acrylics, his work making the most of ideas and inspiration from the native environment he was now a part of. His art, from its inception, represents the evolution of immersion in native teachings as it traced its way through ceremonies and the everyday part of his own personal life. Ikoshy has never had any formal art training. "I was born with my artistic abilities and my elders, the sweat lodge and related ceremonies, have been my art instructors," he states.

The artist reception will be held at the casino on Friday, October 4th, 2019 from 6pm – 8pm. It will be free and open to the public and give the community and casino patrons the opportunity to meet the artist in person. In order to kick off the event with the appropriate fanfare, the first 100 guests who attend the event will receive a signed Giclee print of the artist's work for free.

About Sherwood Valley Casino
The Sherwood Valley Casino has a backdrop of the lush coastal forestry that forms the signature scenery of Willits, California, the heart of Mendocino County. Featuring over 220 of the newest and best slots, Sherwood Valley Casino is reputed to be "The Friendliest Little Casino in Mendocino County". Dedicated to providing our guests with an exceptional gaming and entertainment experience, Sherwood Valley Casino's 6,000 square foot, action-packed gaming floor features the Creekside Café for a delicious bite to eat, the most generous players club in the area, and the friendliest customer service around! We are open 24/7, 365 days a year.

For more information please call: (707) 459-7978 or visit the casino online at http://www.svrcasino.com.

About the Willits Center for the Arts
The Willits Center for the Arts' mission is to support active cultural participation and artistic expression in the City of Willits and its surrounding communities by providing a public space for gallery shows, arts activities, education, cultural activities, and community enrichment.

In 1993 the city of Willits formed a Cultural Arts Commission of seven members who, with the help of volunteers, would focus on renovating the historic Women's Improvement Club building (circa 1926) into a cultural arts center for the community. It took over seven years, countless volunteer hours and many fund-raising events to complete the downstairs which opened in February 2000. Eight more years of equally hard work and the upstairs great room was opened. This room not only increases exhibit space but provides a venue for music and dance performances as well as for community events. In 2015, the Willits Center for the Arts officially became a 501(c)3 corporation. The City of Willits transferred the operations of the Center to a dynamic board of directors, expanding the mission of education in our community for our children's future.

For more information please call: 707-459-1726 or visit the Center online at http://www.willitscenterforthearts.org

SOURCE Sherwood Valley Casino

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