SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 9, 2014 — (PRNewswire) —  With California roots dating back more than 140 years, Bank of the West announced new support of Stanford University's Cantor Arts Center and the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, two important Bay Area arts institutions. Both sponsorships are designed to help fund innovative arts programming for families, students and the entire community.

For the Cantor, Bank of the West pledged a 3-year commitment as Presenting Sponsor of its popular "Family Sundays" programs. The galleries and studios of the museum—home to the largest Rodin sculpture collection outside of Paris—come alive every Sunday as families connect with art in fun, creative and meaningful ways.  

In remarking on the new partnership with the Cantor, Michael Shepherd, Bank of the West Chairman & CEO noted, "The Cantor Arts Center is a community treasure offering families many ways to interact with its collections and exhibitions. Bank of the West is very pleased to expand its support of the arts and its relationship with the Stanford community as Presenting Sponsor of the Family Sundays program.

"More broadly, we are excited about Stanford's efforts to create a world-class arts district for all to enjoy, and we're proud to be a part of it," added Jenny Flores, senior vice president of Community Affairs at Bank of the West.

The Cantor Arts Center sponsorship comes on the heels of Bank of the West's new partnership with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA). Announced this summer, the bank is sponsoring SVMA's "Art Rewards the Student" (A.R.T.S.) educational programming that provides teaching artists and an integrated arts curriculum to more than 800 students in Sonoma Valley 4^th and 5^th grade classrooms. The bank, one of the largest agricultural lenders in the U.S., is also the sponsor of "Eleanor Coppola: Quiet, Creative Force, A Retrospective Exhibition" which runs through Jan 25, 2015. The retrospective spans five decades of Coppola's life as a Napa-based artist, filmmaker and writer.  

About Bank of the West
Bank of the West is a regional financial services company chartered in California and headquartered in San Francisco with $69 billion in assets. Founded in 1874, Bank of the West provides a wide range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services through more than 650 offices in 23 states and the internet (bankofthewest.com). Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 75 countries with 180,000 employees.

Deposit and loan products offered by Bank of the West, Member FDIC. 
Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender

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SOURCE Bank of the West

Contact:

Bank of the West Ayele Ajavon, Bank of the West, Corporate Communications Email Contact 415-432-3501 Web: http://www.bankofthewest.com