BY VIVIENNE AGUILAR

CV Journalism Collaborative

Modesto’s art scene will be offering more opportunities for folks – from artists to performers and even farmers – to tap into their creativity, thanks to a new statewide recognition.

Earlier this month, Modesto’s recently formed Dos Rios Arts and Cultural District was named one of the state’s newest cultural districts, by the California Arts Council. The designation opens doors for local artists, by shining a spotlight of recognition that has historically been granted to big cities.

The Stanislaus Arts Council competed against 74 applicants for the opportunity to be named as one of California’s cultural districts, said Executive Director Dominique Johnson. It was among 10 selected this year, bringing the total number of state cultural districts to 24 since the program’s inception in 2017.

The Dos Rios district includes art communities that are traditionally siloed from each other, including west Modesto, downtown Modesto and Modesto Junior College. The name, which means “two rivers,” was chosen to honor the new Dos Rios State Park west of Modesto. 

“There’s so much opportunity for expansion of the district, or acquiring additional districts throughout our county, depending on what communities would like to do moving in the future. But I feel like this is a really good footprint to start with,” Johnson said.

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Visit Modesto CEO Todd Aaronson, a partner of the arts council, said this strategy opens up more avenues to attract tourism, which relies heavily on arts and entertainment.

“If it’s just downtown, are we just another downtown arts district like you would find in Sacramento or in Fresno? We’re more than that here, locally and regionally. So we looked at this funky trapezoid of what really fits into the core of what we do,” he said.

The state arts council defines a cultural district as a “well-defined geographic area with a high concentration of cultural resources and activities.”

New state park opens doors, inspires arts district

In June 2024, California opened its newest state park Dos Rios, named because of its location at the confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers in western Stanislaus County. 

Aaronson and Johnson say the park opened doors for both tourism and arts in the region by letting locals and visitors experience what Indigenous peoples of the region have always known – that it’s the perfect gathering spot for people to exchange information, goods and services, and celebrate cultural activity.  

“The Dos Rios concept of being able to take the arts district and marry it with the cultural history of Indigenous peoples to this area,” Aaronson said.

Folks can expect to see events like plein air classes (or outdoor painting) in places like the state park and orchards. In the summer, Visit Modesto is planning to launch a food tour that ties locally available produce to culinary arts.

“It’s the tip of the iceberg of letting the world know that this is a culturally rich community,” he said.

Two new cultural stops along Highway 99

Modesto and Merced both earned the designation, adding two stops for arts tourism along Highway 99.

Each district will also receive $10,000 over two years. How the money will be spent is still in the planning stages, Johnson said. 

“I think that it is a really, really exciting opportunity for people, as they’re driving up the 99 to be able to have these relatively close in proximity spaces and have completely different experiences,” Johnson said.

She has been working closely with Merced’s arts community over the past few years to find ways both cities can encourage their tourists to visit one another. She said the designation will give both cities more momentum and open doors to opportunities for philanthropic funding.

“(Stanislaus Arts Council is) looking to reinforce and accentuate the programming that happens in the community and help promote it as best they can,” Aaronson said. “If there’s not a resource that’s the center of the art universe to go back and tell the world, then everybody’s shouting into a canyon and hoping for an echo.”

Agriculture and art work together across Modesto

Johnson and her team said they were awarded the designation by showcasing how Modesto’s artists grow in any conditions.

The region’s arts culture also has roots in its agricultural industry, said Aaronson. He points to local families like Gallo’s and Sciabica’s consistent investments in the region’s artisan cuisine, opera and ballet.

“By having a designation, we check the final box of like, ‘oh, this is for real.’ It’s an agricultural region, it’s in a rural region. It’s in what’s perceived… as a low-income region or a culturally deficient (one),” Aaronson said, “although we’re culturally robust.”

Modesto has a history of showcasing local arts through film competitions, music award ceremonies, theater performances and photography challenges.

Johnson said she hopes the designation will help bring typically isolated groups of artists together, who will in turn draw in visitors to the region. The local council said they also hope to educate the community on what partnerships help support the arts in Modesto.

“So many people work with creatives and don’t even realize that they’re already supporting the arts just by uplifting that individual,” she said.

The state arts council will release more information about how to get involved with upcoming projects shortly after the new year.

Visit stanislausarts.org to find out about events, performance groups, venues and more.

— Vivienne Aguilar is a reporter for The Modesto Focus, a project of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. Contact Aguilar at vivienne@cvlocaljournalism.org.