HEART OF ART—LIVE MUSIC AND COLLECTIVE ACTION
This article was originally published on August 22, 2025.
By MOJO (Meghan Joy O’Keefe)
In his article Arts Vibrancy in Rural Communities is Achieved through Collective Action, Geoffrey Kershner explores rural arts access using Southern Methodist University (SMU) DataArts—the national center for arts research. The CEO of Academy Center of the Arts and founder of Small Town Big Arts, Kershner shares his expert insights on arts vibrancy in rural United States. “As we examine SMU DataArts’ findings, let’s acknowledge that certain environmental factors significantly influence the ease of arts delivery in rural locales, a reality reflected in the data. Factors such as community wealth, robust local tourism, and government officials who recognize and promote the arts for economic and community development greatly facilitate the work of artists and arts organizations. In rural communities lacking advantages like wealth and tourism, achieving arts vibrancy presents a more formidable challenge, though not an insurmountable one. Looking at the data allowed me to uncover how even in less advantaged communities, dedicated efforts by the community and supportive initiatives can bridge the gap, demonstrating that arts vibrancy can be attained through persistent collective action.”
That has certainly been the case right here at home. Only 27 years ago, the Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) launched TGIF Free Summer Concerts and made a unified commitment to bring live music to our county’s most remote communities. Amador Arts has managed to sustain these concerts thanks to persistent collective action in partnership with local musicians, businesses, donors, volunteers, and the California Arts Council.
According to this week’s band, The RoomShakers, these concerts “bring communities together.” This band understands that free live music connects neighbors, nurtures spaces where families safely gather, and creates jobs for local musicians. For most people in rural places, “live entertainment is expensive and sometimes a day trip away,” the band explains.
Like most local bands, the RoomShakers have been musicians since early childhood. “It not only soothes our heart and soul, but the energy we get from an audience reminds us every time of why we do it. It’s not money or fame that keeps us going. It’s knowing that we will get to share our gifts with the audience, and we hope they feel the energy we give, as well as the energy they give us.”
A new-ish band to the Central Sierras, The RoomShakers plan to branch out as far as possible to share more good times and music with everyone who wants to listen (and dance). Their advice to emerging music artists echoes that of other local musicians. “Don’t give up when you think you’re not getting anywhere. It’s a process and takes a while to get heard and known. But believe in yourself and the power you have in your music to bring people together in the most beautiful way. You are the next generation to keep live music alive.” Nurturing and celebrating the next generation of artists is truly at the heart of that ‘persistent collective action’ that Kershner references.
“A rural community may not necessarily receive the art it deserves, but it certainly gets the art it is collectively willing to work for. The majority of any given rural community must demonstrate a willingness to work towards arts vibrancy. Beyond artists and arts administrators, the community at large must actively engage and participate. This commitment is reflected in philanthropic contributions to the arts, volunteerism, engagement through participation as arts observers and arts participants, in-kind donations and services, prominent community figures joining arts boards, and constituents advocating for arts funding from local governments. While community wealth can be advantageous, it is not a prerequisite for success. Every dollar matters, particularly in smaller communities where even modest investments can yield significant results in per capita arts spending.” If you want to learn about the arts in any county throughout the United States, check out the SMU DataArts “Arts Vibrancy Map.”
The RoomShakers is a local band that includes Patty Petersen (vocals), Mark Furtado (guitar), John Trwobridge (drums), and Paul Vierra (bass). They take the Amador Arts TGIF Free Summer Concert stage on Friday, August 29th, from 6 to 8 PM inside Pine Grove Park, in Pine Grove, California, just off the South edge of CA-Hwy 88, in the heart of this small mountain community (19889 CA-HWY 88, Pine Grove, CA 95665). Please bring picnics, chairs, beverages, and bug repellent.
The 27th annual TGIF Free Summer Concerts are possible thanks to local sponsors and the State Local Partner program from the California Arts Council, a state agency, arts.ca.gov. Amador Arts is a 501c3 nonprofit (EIN 94-2811333 established in 1982), advancing arts and cultural expression through resources, data, poetry, and more. To learn more about the TGIF Free Summer Concerts and the State Local Partner work, please visit our website, amadorarts.org, or call/text 209-256-8166.
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