A Brief History of the Sierra Valley Art & Ag Trail

The seeds of the Sierra Valley Art & Ag Trail were planted in 2015 when Watercolorist, Betty Thatcher of Sierra Brooks, said to B.J. Jordan of the Arts Council, “Have you heard of Barn Quilts?” What followed was a three year project that brought together artists and ranchers from across the Sierra Valley to create the large format barn quilts you still enjoy today. This ambitious project brought together the Sierra Valley people in a celebration of our incredible landscape.

The Art and Ag Trail began in 2016 as a passion project of Kristi Jamason from Vinton. It was a fomidable task to bring together so many artists and ranchers for what has become the incredible event you see today. The Art and Ag Trail shut down during Covid, and, when we were able to stage events again, the Arts Council was sad to learn that work committments would keep Kristi from continuing as our leader.

We were grateful to find Lindsay McIntosh of Music Sierra and her husband Owen willing to take on the task in 2019 and we have been pleased to add their energy and enthusiasm to the event. Thank you to everyone who has helped with the Sierra Valley Art and Ag Trail over the years and we hope to keep Trail open for the enjoyment of everyone into the future.