A major conservation agreement in California’s Napa Valley is set to permanently protect much of the sprawling landscape surrounding the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, while potentially providing the institution with up to $1.85 million to support its cultural operations. Announced August 25 by the Land Trust of Napa County, the deal brings together the di Rosa Center and the Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District in an effort to preserve both the land and the arts center’s long-standing connection to it.
The center describes its property as a 217-acre destination featuring galleries, a lake, walking trails and outdoor sculptures. The Land Trust of Napa County will hold the permanent conservation easement over the 162 acres, while the Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District is expected to own and operate the future public parkland. An initial $500,000 allocation is secured for the arts center, while another $1.35 million would be available if voters approve Measure B in November. Together, that could bring the support connected to the deal to $1.85 million. In a region where land, development, conservation and culture frequently compete for space, the di Rosa agreement attempts to make all four coexist on the same 217 acres.
The move is particularly significant for di Rosa, whose identity has always been rooted in the relationship between art and nature. Under the new arrangement, the surrounding landscape will be preserved as public open space, reinforcing the very setting that has helped define di Rosa for decades. The financial arrangement is also designed to help di Rosa remain viable. For Napa, the result could be an unusual combination: land that becomes increasingly accessible to the public without losing the artistic character that made the property distinctive in the first place. If Measure B receives voter approval in November, the proposed funding would also give di Rosa additional resources to maintain its cultural mission while the surrounding hillsides move toward their future as public open space.