To make art is a brave act. And I have been a coward. A quick digression though; I'm currently taking a clay sculpture class and it is heaven; more on that later.

Tonight I went strolling along First Street here in town, where the local art organization put together an event called "Art on First."

First Street here has been a sad thing for a long time. Word has it that the local real estate baron keeps the rents too high and no small business can afford to make a go of it for very long. There are a number of storefronts that have been empty since I moved here. Some businesses come and go, give it a try for a while, and then the space goes empty again. Along Main Street there is some life, and further west now there is also new life due to a new hotel and some restaurants and new businesses. But there is still this sad dead zone in the center part of First Street.

So, "Art on First" put together some artists to create something for these sad, empty windows. On a cold night, I ventured out to see. And it was good.

The art scene in Napa is generally pretty dismal. I've gone to quite a few openings and shows, and the caliber of art is really pretty laughable. The vast majority of it is embarrassingly amateur, a bit of it is excruciatingly self conscious, and then there is a tiny bit that is quite good. Of course, art is all about opinion, but, there are some real basics, and it is actually true that a lot of what passes for art here is very amateurish. But the art done for tonight's event was all quite good. What a nice surprise!

And, strolling along First Street, it struck me again, what an odd town this is. I've lived here for some time now, sort of unintentionally. I moved here for a job that I no longer have, and just stayed put, because I was so sick of moving. And it is a really odd town in many ways. Conservative in the middle of a bastion of liberalism. Chichi but very self-conscious about it. Simultaneously very middle-class, uneducated, insular, gossipy, while also completely international, educated, worldly, and sophisticated.

I lived in Boulder for two years. Boulder has a walkable outdoor mall which has shops and restaurants and a very lively street scene, all very safe for the outdoorsy yuppies that flock there. But Napa has never had a lively street scene, not really.

And as I strolled along, I saw people I knew, and they said hello. And people I didn't know struck up conversations. And we had our little moment and smiled and moved along, viewing and commenting on the different creations in the storefront windows. A group of musicians played lively folk music on the sidewalk. And for tonight, it was a real community.

A community that I've known and lived in for some time now, that has not ever really felt like a community until now. I don't know if there is any other place where I could feel this, a place so small like this. Small enough that I could just venture out and have casual, neighborly conversations with my neighbors while looking at art on a First Street in my tiny downtown, USA.

And the art was brave - it was brave to put it out there. And it's so exciting to see so many great things happening here lately, so much support and exposure for good art. And it was amazing that there were so many people who came out to see it, enjoy it, and appreciate it. On a cold night, and with snow in the forecast, in a place that doesn't see snow for 50 years at a stretch. In a town that has been without, I found some real community.

For all its faults, and there are plenty, I'm sort of loving Napa.

Catherine George lives in Napa and works in digital media design.

For more information about Art on First, visit the FAQ here: http://www.artscouncilnapavalley.org/artonfirst/faq.shtml