Roseville resident Julie Hirota got her start in the arts more than a decade ago, after leaving a high-tech job in mechanical engineering to concentrate on raising her two children.

In her spare time she started sewing quilts, and over the next few years found herself showing her work at festivals and lecturing on the textile arts more and more. After writing a book on quilting, Hirota created a successful line of handbags and women’s accessories, and the business expertise she gained eventually led her to a position as director for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training.

Photos by Dante Fontana, © Style Media Group.

Hirota is now CEO of the Roseville Arts! Blue Line Gallery in Roseville, a job that combines her love of business and the arts perfectly. She is also a board member for the Roseville City School Foundation and executive consultant for the Roseville Library Foundation, all while working hard to give back to the community any way she can. Hirota is especially passionate about fostering local artistic talent and providing art education and opportunities to area youth. “I want to bring strong arts programming to the region, so that it becomes part of the cultural fabric of our area,” Hirota shares.

For more about Julie Hirota, and other local happenings and information, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style – Roseville, Granite Bay, Rocklin edition. Click on the Get Your Copy link on this Web site for some of our newsstand locations; click on the Subscribe link on this Web site to become a regular subscriber, or to order a copy of this issue or one of our back issues, please email  [email protected], or call 916-988-9888.