Vines & Vision: Presqu'ile Winery Taps Art to Redefine Wine Country

SANTA MARIA VALLEY, CA – March 18, 2026 – In a move that blends viticulture with the avant-garde, Presqu'ile Winery today announced a significant partnership with the Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), a nationally acclaimed nonprofit dedicated to placing contemporary art in unexpected public spaces. The collaboration will transform the rolling hills of Presqu'ile's Santa Maria Valley estate into an open-air gallery, offering the public free access to site-specific installations that promise to reshape the very definition of a trip to wine country.

This initiative places the family-owned winery at the forefront of a growing movement that sees agricultural landscapes as fertile ground for cultural expression. By inviting a celebrated curatorial organization to program art on its property, Presqu'ile is making a bold statement: the experience of a place can be as complex and nuanced as the wine produced from its soil. The partnership will bring LAND’s extensive network of artists to the Central Coast, tasking them with creating works that respond to the unique ecology, history, and terroir of the vineyard itself.

A New Canvas for Contemporary Art

For over 15 years, Los Angeles Nomadic Division has championed the idea that art should not be confined to the sterile white walls of a gallery. The organization has built a national reputation by commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects everywhere from billboards to city parks, challenging artists to work outside traditional constraints. Their model supports place-driven projects that engage directly with the landscape and community, a philosophy that finds a perfect match in the sprawling, windswept vistas of the Presqu'ile estate.

LAND's involvement signals a high level of artistic ambition for the project. The nonprofit is known for its rigorous curatorial vision and has worked with over 500 artists on more than 300 projects, including high-profile commissions that have garnered significant critical attention. This is the organization that helped bring artist Lauren Halsey's monumental, community-focused sculpture park to life in South Los Angeles, demonstrating a deep understanding of how art can become an integral and celebratory part of a specific locale. Bringing this expertise to Santa Barbara County suggests the installations at Presqu'ile will be more than just decorative sculptures; they will be thoughtful interventions that engage with the environment on a profound level.

"Collaborating with Presqu'ile Winery gives artists the opportunity to engage with the natural beauty and unique ecology of the Central Coast, placing artworks in nourishing reciprocity with Presqu'ile's landscape and its visitors," said Laura Hyatt, Director of LAND. Hyatt, who notes her own family's deep, five-generation roots in the area, sees the partnership as a bridge between California's Southern and Central Coast art scenes. "LAND highlights artistic practices that harmonize with extraordinary landscapes, and we're proud to continue that mission through this partnership."

More Than Grapes: A Commitment to Community

Central to the announcement is the unwavering commitment that this new cultural offering will be entirely free and open to the public. In an era where access to world-class art often comes with a steep admission fee, the decision by Presqu'ile and LAND to eliminate this barrier is a significant gesture of community engagement. It reframes the winery not just as a commercial enterprise, but as a cultural steward for the region.

This ethos is deeply personal for the Murphy family, who founded Presqu'ile in 2007. The winery's name, French Creole for "almost an island," is a nod to their Gulf Coast heritage and a sense of place that permeates their winemaking. Now, that ethos is expanding to include the visual arts.

"Our family has a deep appreciation for the visual arts and eagerly embraces the opportunity to work with LAND to create fun, compelling and unexpected opportunities for the community to engage with artists' installations and our site," stated Matt Murphy, co-founder of Presqu'ile Winery. He expressed excitement about seeing the estate through the eyes of artists, adding that the collaboration's commitment to a "no cost experience will provide a world-class opportunity to engage with the arts."

The initiative aims to serve both curious tourists and the local community, creating a new cultural touchstone for the Central Coast. It provides a reason for residents to revisit a local landmark and see it anew, and for visitors to deepen their connection to the region beyond its agricultural output.

The Strategic Art of Brand Elevation

While the community and cultural benefits are clear, the partnership is also a savvy strategic move. The collaboration between a luxury agricultural brand and a respected arts organization is part of a larger global trend where wineries are evolving into multifaceted cultural destinations. By integrating contemporary art, wineries differentiate themselves in a competitive market, attract a broader and more diverse demographic, and elevate their brand beyond the contents of a bottle.

This fusion of art and wine creates a powerful form of experiential marketing. It positions Presqu'ile not merely as a producer of fine cool-climate wines, but as a curator of sophisticated experiences. Visitors are no longer just tasting wine; they are engaging in a cultural dialogue, wandering through a landscape where the creative processes of winemaking and art-making are presented as parallel endeavors—both balancing tradition and experimentation, nature and human intervention.

This strategy can drive significant cultural tourism, attracting visitors who might not otherwise be drawn to a winery. It creates a destination that appeals to the senses on multiple levels, encouraging longer stays and greater engagement with the brand and the region. The association with a credible and dynamic organization like LAND lends Presqu'ile an aura of cultural currency and innovation that is difficult to achieve through traditional marketing alone.

Building a Lasting Cultural Landmark

The collaboration with LAND is not a temporary installation but the foundational step in a long-term vision. Presqu'ile has already submitted plans to the county for approval to develop expanded spaces on the estate specifically designed to support free public art, cultural programming, and community gatherings. This indicates a deep, structural commitment to integrating arts and culture into the winery's DNA.

This forward-looking plan suggests the Murphy family envisions Presqu'ile as a permanent cultural landmark for the Central Coast, a place where the intersection of agriculture and art can be explored for years to come. By investing in the physical infrastructure to support these activities, the winery is laying the groundwork to become a hub for creativity, welcoming other artists, organizations, and partners whose work aligns with their values of openness and place-based expression.

As the partnership progresses, additional details about the participating artists and the timeline for the first installations will be announced. For now, the announcement itself sends a clear signal: the rolling vineyards of Santa Maria are about to become a canvas, inviting everyone to experience the landscape in a completely new light.