Client

Overview

Featured at ‘Bottlerock,’ Napa Valley’s annual, nationally acclaimed, 3-day music event, Hand of the Land pays tribute to the thousands of laborers without whom Napa Valley’s staple agricultural product, grapes, would not exist. The oversized hand is created with fiberglass, paint, and lighting (16’H x 5’D x 5’D).

Goals

The brightly colored, iconic sculpture welcomed an estimated crowd of 120,000 people as they poured onto Bottlerock’s festival grounds at the Napa Valley Expo in the heart of downtown Napa, CA. Visitors not only came to enjoy the music, but also to explore Napa Valley’s and the Bay Area’s best libations, culinary offerings as well as Huether’s one of a kind temporary sculpture exhibit. Festival organizers approached Huether several months before the event with the idea of staging a temporary exhibit of his work; ‘Hand of the Land’ was one of six major pop-up artworks on display. Huether’s temporary artwork was a perfect interactive backdrop for many photo opportunities, as well as a hub for playful social media activity. The sculpture added a dynamic, vibrant and colorful twist to the event that provided festival attendees to experience the artwork up close and personal.

Process

Huether’s collaboration with those involved started with an understanding of the overall music and food festival goals; he was in sync with the festival organizers in the early stages of planning to bring an interactive project to life. Justin Dragoo of Latitude 38 Entertainment, Bottlerock’s organizers, stated, “BottleRock reflects the best of Napa Valley, pairing great music with the amazing wine, food and weather for which the Valley is known. For our art program in 2017, we wanted to continue the theme and feature Huether who is perhaps our area’s most renowned artist. He is internationally acclaimed but makes his home here in Napa. The Valley is lucky to have Huether as one of our own, and we are thrilled to showcase his work at the festival.”

Additional Information

‘Hand of the Land’ is currently on display on the grassy knoll in front of Huether’s studio on Monticello Road in Napa, CA welcoming visitors and locals alike.