The Arts Council of Placer County is proud to celebrate 40 years of bringing more art to more people in Placer County! As a part of the celebration of this milestone, we are proud to share with you the second in our series recognizing 40 icons of art who have had a significant and important impact on Placer County arts and culture.

Enjoy meeting these amazing honorees in our emails. Give them a "like" on our social media as well and congratulate them!

These are shared with you in no particular order, and this list is only a small representation of all the marvelous people and places who create and make the arts thrive. Please join us in congratulating these icons and all those who contribute to our community.

40 years of bringing more art

to more people

JACK KOHLER - A member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Jack Kohler is the executive producer of the non-profit media organization, “On Native Ground.” He has also been the media coordinator and media instructor for the United Auburn Indian Community. He has been an independent producer for Native American Public Telecommunications since 2000. His most recent film, “Something Inside is Broken,” will be aired on PBS this Fall. “Gift of Fear” has received 16 awards at festivals throughout the world. It will be the opening presentation at film festivals in Canada and South Dakota this summer as well as the featured movie during the Sacramento International Film Festival in August.



HELEN PHILLIPS founded the Autumn Art Studios Tour (now known as Placer Artists Tour) in 1994 and chaired it for the first three years. She worked on the steering committee for years, watching it become a major event attracting art lovers from throughout the state. She has been described as an expert batik artist – working in that medium for more than 40 years. Her travels throughout the world have resulted in architectural pieces, native designs and large floral pieces. Her work has been featured in shows at the Crocker Art Museum and the Oakland Museum.

DAVID ATTAWAY - Community leader David Attaway was one of the visionaries and leaders of the multimillion-dollar transformation of the former Placer County Fairgrounds into @the Grounds in Roseville. As chief executive officer of Placer Valley Tourism, Attaway collaborated with other community leaders to transform the decades-old fairgrounds into a multipurpose event campus with a massive Event Center that could accommodate major sports tournaments, large conferences, concerts and art shows. (D-2022)

AUBURN SYMPHONY - Monroe DeJarnette had envisioned a symphony orchestra in Auburn for many years. In 1987, he met with Bruce Cosgrove, director of the Auburn Chamber, to discuss the feasibility of forming a community orchestra. With the chamber’s approval, the Auburn Civic Symphony was formed and performed their first concert on May 20, 1988. Clyde Quick, Placer High School’s music teacher, served as conductor with Betty DeJarnette as concertmaster. Michael Goodwin served as artistic director and conductor from 1995 until 2021. Peter Jaffee served as music director for the 2020-2021 season. Maestro Ryan Murry was appointed music director and conductor in April 2022. Traditions that enrich the community include the Family Concert (previously known as the KinderKonzert), the Young Artist Competition and its outreach programs to schools. 

Watch for the announcements of more amazing icons of art coming throughout the month!

Arts Council of Placer County is proud to be the state and local partner of California Arts Council and Placer County