The Street Art
Digitally Exhibiting and Archiving the Street Art at The Ruins in Napa Valley
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Exhibiting and archiving the street art at The Ruins in Napa Valley
Architecture
A site reminiscent of low budget horror flick filming locations, the buildings have deteriorated – some more than others. A few roofs remain, but the majority of The Ruins are free-standing walls, the skeleton of former structures, along with archways, dark crawlspaces and openings.
Graffiti
Graffiti is a contemporary art form characterized by words, which may include images, created in public places. Often this word-based art form is aimed at a specific audience of other graffiti artists.
Street Art
Street art is based on words, images and symbols aimed at a public audience. It is also known as independent art, post-graffiti, neo-graffiti, and guerrilla art.
The 120 Year-Old Site
An Unlikely Outdoor Street Art Gallery in Napa Valley
From Quarry to Gallery
Constructed in 1903, The Ruins began life as Standard Portland Cement Company’s clay and limestone quarry. A bustling hub of jobs in Napa County that fed cement needs for the construction boon in Northern California, the company continued operations until 1935, changing hands to the Santa Cruz Portland Cement Company. By 1950, the Basalt Rock Company had acquired the site and constructed additional buildings to meet the needs of its operations, which ceased in 1978. For the last 45 years, the silos, buildings, and rotunda lay abandoned and slowly devolved into what would ultimately become known as The Ruins. The labyrinth of gray cement canvas walls have and continue to be transformed into a colorful outdoor, rogue street art gallery.
About Us
The genre or medium doesn’t matter, it’s what a piece says to you that counts
A Little Intro
We are art lovers and collectors who admire many different genres, styles, movements and periods. We’re not limited to canvas, but admire sculptures, pottery, and manuscripts – from the present to Pre-Columbian to the Indus Valley. We see the beauty of the natural world, which is often reflected in the pieces we connect to most.
Why The Ruins?
The Ruins of Napa Valley are destined for change. The feral artistic nature of the site will one day be harnessed and dressed for public use. And when that happens, the original, free spirit that commands awe and fear will be tamed, and the inherent danger of water filled pits, falling bricks, and exposed steel will give way to order. And we will have lost an incredibly unique gallery created by time and neglect that beholds raw, colorful street art nestled at the intersection of suburbia and rolling hills. We hope to digitally preserve this essence before it’s lost.