Picture This, a temporary regional public art exhibit, asks viewers to stop and enjoy beautiful landscapes, picturesque areas, local landmarks, and scenes of interest by literally framing each view with a large, colorful frame painted by a local artist. Thirty-one frames, each one a three-foot-by-four-foot handcrafted work of art, have been erected in a Tri-Valley location of note thanks to a collaboration by the Town of Danville and the Cities of Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and San Ramon. Picture This began in July and runs until September 30.

"The point of the project was to find places that would frame an iconic location or a really picturesque location," says Jessica Wallner, Recreation Superintendent for the Town of Danville Recreation Arts and Community Services Department. Wallner led the collaboration and worked with officials in other cities to make the project a reality. "One of my favorites is at Osage Station Park because you can see Mt. Diablo in the background, so it's kind of a perfect picture."

Visitors to the exhibit can enjoy the artful frames and the scenic beauty highlighted by the frames without understanding all of the work needed to create the project. A few years ago Wallner and her peers at the other Tri-Valley cities had explored ideas for a joint public art exhibit without success. But then Wallner and her department's Program Coordinator for Visual Arts, Marija Nelson Bleier, became inspired after seeing an image from Outside the Frame. This 2021 exhibit, by artist Carlos Campos and the Santa Cruz County nonprofit County Park Friends, featured empty, decorated frames created by 50 artists that were placed at scenic locations throughout the county.

After seeing the image, "I think a light bulb just kind of clicked," according to Wallner. "I said, okay, that's it. We could do something like that with all five Tri-Valley cities." Wallner and Nelson Bleier spoke to County Park Friends about the process used to create Outside the Frame, which was based on an idea by Campos. Then Wallner reached out to peers in the other Tri-Valley cities to see if a collaboration was possible. 

A public call for artists was issued last spring, with a deadline of May 27, 2022 for submissions. Then the submissions were judged and winnowed down to 31 proposals by June 10. Artists picked up the premade frames no later than June 17. Completed frames  were due back to their assigned cities by July 8. A total of 16 Bay Area artists are involved in the exhibit. Tri-Valley artists with work displayed in Picture This include Lucy Bell, Rhonda Chase, and Rekha Joshi from Pleasanton; Swati Rastogi, Vanessa Thomas, and Sawsan Jari Wolski from Dublin; and Ranjini Venkatachari from San Ramon.

"I was fortunate enough to take all of the Livermore frames out to Livermore, which has  some spectacular views," notes Wallner. "It was really neat to discover all of these beautiful gems we have here. This exhibit is meant to encourage people to get outside and explore these iconic places within the Tri-Valley."

For more information about Picture This, please visit visittrivalley.com/picture-this.

To locate Danville artworks, please visit www.danville.ca.gov/1002/Picture-This.

To locate Dublin artworks, please visit www.dublin.ca.gov/picturethis.

To locate Livermore artworks, please visit www.livermoreca.gov/government/innovation-economic-development/arts/public-art and scroll down.

To locate San Ramon artworks, please visit www.sanramon.ca.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=10826130&pageId=16354691.