Art Escape’s mission is in Educating, inspiring and unleashing the power of creativity for all our community.

Founded by five dynamic, creative, and committed women: Janis Kobe, Gayle Manfre, Penny MacNaughton, Kate Ortolano, and Thena Trygstad. Their goal – to create a welcoming venue for art teachers and students of the greater Sonoma area and to nurture and expand the importance of fine arts and crafts in enhancing our education and lives.

Art Escapes does this by providing a vibrant, stimulating place where the diverse population of Sonoma Valley can gather to discover and explore their creative potential.  Through quality art experiences, we offer participants affordable opportunities to cultivate greater multi-cultural awareness and build strong community connections.

There is a need, particularly on the west side of Sonoma Valley, for access to art classes and workshops for all ages, and for local artists to have an accessible and affordable venue to hold classes and workshops.
Art Escape fulfills these needs by:

• providing quality art and craft classes in a supportive, creative environment that fosters and expands artistic abilities;
• identifying, encouraging and supporting Sonoma Valley youth to pursue careers in the fine arts;
• providing a venue for Sonoma Valley professional artists to offer lectures, classes, workshops, and hold exhibitions.

La misión de Art Escape es en educar, inspirar y desatar el poder de la creatividad para toda nuestra comunidad.

Somos una organización sin fines de lucro; tenemos clases de arte para ninos, jovenes y adultos a bajo o sin costo y tambien ofrecemos becas.
Es necesario, particularmente en el lado oeste del Valle de Sonoma, hacer accesible los clases de arte y talleres para todos los edades y para los artistas locales que tengan un lugar accesible y asequible para los clases y talleres.

Art Escape satisface estas necesidades con: proporcionando clases de arte y artesanía en un ambiente de apoyo y creatividad que fomenta y amplía las habilidades artísticas; identificar, fomentar y apoyar a la juventud del Valle de Sonoma para carreras en las Artes; brindando un lugar para artistas profesionales del Valle de Sonoma para dar conferencias, clases, talleres y exposiciones.

Art Escape provides:

• Art and craft classes, at low or no cost, in a supportive environment that encourages and expands creative expression.
• A well-equipped space that Sonoma Valley professional artists may rent to hold classes, workshops, and lectures.
• Mentors and Teachers who encourage and support people of all ages to pursue careers in the fine arts.
• A Mobile art truck used as an on-location art education studio, to bring art activities to all areas of the valley.

Art Escape programs:

Classes and workshops • Demonstrations • Exhibitions • Guest artists • After school programs
Special events • Summer art camps • Student shows • Teaching apprenticeships

Art Escape offers free:

Monthly art projects for parents and children.
Weekly Wednesday after-school art classes for elementary school students.
Curriculum-based classes for Sonoma Valley teachers.
Matching students to artist mentors.
Advisors for high school senior projects.
Assistant teaching experience.

Art Escape Classes (not limited to):

Assemblage, painting, acrylic, watercolor and oil, book arts, paper arts, calligraphy, photography, drawing, cartooning, recycled and upcycled art, encaustic painting, sculpture, floorcloths, stenciling, jewelry, textiles, mixed media, urban art, mosaics.

Art Escape is a 501©(3) Non-profit organization Tax ID #47-3626950