Sonoma County has been a magnet for artists and art connoisseurs for many decades, and continues to attract sophisticated artists and art collectors, along with casual art lovers. Combined with the sheer natural beauty, and general creative ambience, the area readily entices visitors, as well as long-time residents, to explore the many and varied fine art offerings. With the addition of great food, drink, and outdoor activities, it’s easy to spend a day, a week, or a lifetime traversing through the vineyards, forests, and rolling hills, along the scenic coast, and through the welcoming towns of Sonoma County.
The following is a partial list of local art exhibitions. Many eateries, wineries, and civic buildings also present changing art shows in their spaces.
*** Designates an Opening Reception.
Calabi Gallery
Through September 10, Summer Show
The show features work by 3 Sonoma County artists who are new to the gallery, Terry Holleman, Bernadette Howard, and Bambi Waterman. In their various ways they share a sensibility of revering and preserving the natural world or natural ways of being human.
456 Tenth St., Santa Rosa
707-781-7070
www.calabigallery.com/
Charles M. Schulz Museum
Through December 4, Mr. Schulz Goes to Washington
Peanuts and politics brushed elbows many times! Pig Pen ran for class president, and Lucy eyed the White House. “Snoopy for President” regalia became popular during elections of the 1960s and 70s, and Schulz himself received multiple White House invitations.
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa
707-579-4452
www.schulzmuseum.org/
Christie Marks Fine Art Gallery
Through September 17, HARVESTER; Photo Series by Erik Castro
The photo series brings viewers face to face with the field workers of California’s wine industry. In each image a Sonoma County harvest worker’s face is photographed the moment after he or she completes a harvest pick. It’s a visual story with each face its own personal narrative.
312 South A Street, Suite #7, Santa Rosa
707-695-1011
christiemarksfineart.com
Chroma Gallery
September 1 through October 8, Flight
*** Artists Reception, Friday, September 9, from 5 to 7 p.m.
A show of original paintings, sculptures, photos and prints by Sonoma County and Bay Area artists expressing the concept of flying things –Both with and without wings; Where sky and fancy intersect; Insects, birds, and inspiration –Flights of the imagination. First Friday and Closing Party, October 7, from 5 to 8 p.m.
312 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-293-6051
www.chromagallery.net/
Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery
Through September 15, Edit
Showing the work of Laura Paine Carr, John Hanses, Pamela Heck Terry Holleman, Sharon Kozel, Paul Maurer Hanya Popova Parker, and Nancy Winn.
September 16 through November 17, Fiction
*** Opening Reception, Saturday, September 17, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Featured Resident Artist: Hanya Popova Parker.
204 N. Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale
707-894-4410
www.cloverdaleartsalliance.org/
Cloverdale and Geyserville
Through May 2017, SculptureTrail
The Trail is an exhibit of sculptures on the main streets in of Geyserville and Cloverdale in the Sonoma County Wine Country. The Sculpture Trail is a year-round exhibit with sculptures changing every 12 months. You can download a map for your visit at www.101sculpturetrail.com/
Corricks Art Gallery and My Daughter the Framer, inside Corricks
September 2 through October 31, Art Trails Preview Show
*** First Friday art opening, September 2, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Unique opportunity for the community to support the many Art Trails artists who share their phenomenal labor and skill with us every autumn.
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
707-546-2424
www.corricks.com/
Gallery at First
Through September 19, Through the Eyes of the Lens
This exhibit features juried photography of the members and friends of First Presbyterian Church.
First Presbyterian Church
1550 Pacific Ave, Santa Rosa
707-542-0205
www.fpcsantarosa.org
Graton Gallery
Through September 25, Anything Goes
Second Annual Juried Show featuring over 100 artworks by over 60 artists, juried by Pamela Powell, local painter and art instructor.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net/
Hammerfriar Gallery
September 10 through November 5, Tramaine de Senna; Double Consciousness /Ancestor Worship
*** Opening reception, Saturday, September 10, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Bay Area native and former recipient of the prestigious Sonoma County Emerging Artist Award, artist Tramaine de Senna shows new work and creates an installation in the gallery. In the end, work is a representation of all the progressions which emerge during the creative process: the questions, doubts, and ideas.
132 Mill Street, Ste.101, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
www.hammerfriar.com/
Healdsburg Center for the Arts
September 1 through October 16, Masks, Puppets, & Games
*** Opening reception, Saturday, September 3, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Juried exhibition featuring art that explores the evocative connotations and interpretations of the masks we wear, puppet-people and games we play in real life and in the imagination. See website for related events. Closing Tea, Sunday, October 16, from 2 to 4 p.m.
9130 Plaza Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
www.healdsburgcenterforthearts.com/
IceHouse Gallery
Through September 30, Sonoma Plein Air Festival Exhibition
A wonderful exhibition showing work by many of the Sonoma Plein Air Festival painters participating in this important festival held every year in the Sonoma town plaza. Proceeds from the sale of the paintings both from the Festival itself or IceHouse Gallery go to support Art in the Schools.
405 East D St. Petaluma
707-778-2238
www.icehousegallery.org/
Laguna Foundation, Heron Hall
Through September 13, Russian River Watershed in Fabric
The Pointless Sisters Art Quilt Group presents an exhibition of art quilts reflecting the diversity of the Russian River Watershed.
900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa
707-527-9277
www.lagunafoundation.org/
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Sculpture Garden
Through June 2017, Root 101
On view in the new Sculpture Garden is the inaugural exhibition of recent work by Bruce Johnson. The work is comprised of colossal wood sculptures made from salvaged old growth redwood, which he has been working with for over 50 years.
50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa
http://lutherburbankcenter.org/
http://formandenergy.com/new/root101/
Museums of Sonoma County
Art Museum
Through September 25, EXPOSURE: The Female Nude in Photograph
The exhibition features a selection of approximately 100 photographs from the Tom and Martha Neidecker Collection focusing on the subject of the female nude from the earliest days of the medium to the present. On view are photographs by Man Ray, Robert Mapplethorpe, Judy Dater, Edward Weston, Edweard Muybridge, Flor Garduno, Edward Steichen, and many others. See the website for related programs.
511 B Street, Santa Rosa
History Museum
Through September 4, Medieval To Metal: The Art & Evolution of The Guitar
On display are approximately 40 instruments ranging from the rare and antique to the wildly popular and innovative.
September 17 through October 9, Artistry in Wood
28th Annual Artistry in Wood is presented by the Sonoma County Woodworkers Association. Staged every year since 1982, it is recognized as one of the premier fine woodworking shows in North America.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org/
Occidental Center for the Arts
Through September 10, Leaf and Petal, Root and Seed
September 16 through November 13, Pointless Sisters Quilt Show
*** Opening Reception Sunday, September 18, from 2 to 5 p.m.
Includes quilts from the groups “Abstract Designs” and the “Russian River Watershed” projects.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
http://www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org/
Paul Mahder Gallery
The Moss Zone Sculpture Garden on view with the largest moss walls in the country and sculptures in the garden.
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
www.paulmahdergallery.com
Paradise Ridge Winery Sculpture
Through April 2017, Geometric Reflections: Celebrating Ten Years of Voigt Family Sculpture
This exhibition celebrates ten of the highly regarded artists who have been an important part of the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation. The sculptors in this exhibition are Roger Berry, Dee Briggs, Riis Burwell, Robert Ellison, Peter Forakis, Charles Ginnever, Edwin Hamilton, Ned Kahn, Jann Nunn, and Doug Unkrey.
4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Santa Rosa
707-528-9463
http://www.prwinery.com/
Petaluma Arts Center
Through September 25, Journeys through Light and Dark: Dolls as Tellers of Stories
Curated by Geri Olson and Sherri Morgan, the exhibition highlights the emotional tales that emerge between doll artists and the creatures they create, and explores the nature of figurative art. See website for related workshops and events.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
http://www.petalumaartscenter.org/
Pie Eyed Open Studio
September 10 and 11, Barbara Harris and Naomi Lasley
Pie Eyed Open Studio presents jewelry and assemblages by Barbara Harris; and pit-fired pots and raku ceramics by Naomi Lasley. This is a 2-day event on view Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 11, from 12 to 4 p.m. Pie Eyed Open Studio serves up exciting art, scintillating conversation and don’t forget those fresh pies!
2371 Gravenstein Hwy South, Sebastopol
Look for the ART + PIE sign and turn at the Giant Yellow Duck!
Lauri Luck, 707-477-9442
Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Through September 25, Celebrating Friendships
Mayumi Oda and Ryohei Tanaka have been creating artwork since the 1960s. Mayumi is known for her etchings and colorful silkscreen prints of goddesses and gardens. Ryohei is famous for copperplate etchings depicting buildings and landscapes in and around Kyoto, especially thatched roof farmhouses.
1781 Coast Highway One, Bodega Bay
707-875-2922
http://www.renbrown.com/
Riverfront Art Gallery
September 7 through November 6, Early Fall Show
*** Opening and Art Walk Reception Saturday, September 10, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Featured Artist: Georgianne Fastaia’s paintings, in the series Togetherness, are an ode to relationships, expressed through her whimsically abstracted subjects. Featured Artist: Photographer Gus Feissel displays work from Monument Valley Tribal Park, Navajo country, Northeastern Arizona.
132 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma
707-775-4278
http://www.riverfrontartgallery.com/
Santa Rosa Junior College, Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery
September 19 through October 13, Abstract Mix
*** Opening reception Thursday, September 22, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Drawings and paintings by six California artists. Artist Talk; October 4 at 1:30 p.m. In the Gallery.
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
www.santarosa.edu/art-gallery
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Through September 4, In Three Galleries
Main Gallery; Boundaries. Gallery II, w[o]rdrobe. Gallery III, The Continual Effect of Abuse: Using Photography for Healing.
September 23 through October 16, Art Trails Preview Exhibition
*** Opening Reception Friday, September 23, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Preview exhibition featuring a piece of each participating artist’s work. Open Studios will take place on two weekends, October 8, 9, and 15, 16.
282 High Street, in the Veterans’ Memorial Bldg., Sebastopol
707-829-4797
http://www.sebarts.org/
Sebastopol Gallery
Through October 1, Above and Below – Into the Deep
An exhibition of mixed-media paintings by Susan St. Thomas. This collection of watercolor and combined-media paintings is inspired by nebulae and galaxies photographed by the Hubble telescope as well as the deepest realms of the sea.
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopol-gallery.com/
Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
September 8 through October 16, Wood, Paper, Ink: Contemporary Woodcuts
*** Opening Reception Thursday, September 8, from 4 to 6 p.m.
This exhibition features the work of 13 nationally and internationally recognized artists working in the centuries-old technique of woodcut.
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
www.sonoma.edu/artgallery
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through September 25, Surf Craft: Design and the Culture of Board Riding
Devoted to surfboards built from the late 1940s to the present day, the exhibition chronicles the evolution of surfboard design featuring American makers and shapers of all kinds of wave-riding boards. See the SVMA website for numerous related programs.
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
http://www.svma.org/
The Art Wall at Shige Sushi
Through October 30, Marsha Balian–Collage
Renowned Oakland-based collage artist Marsha Balian creates whimsical narrative worlds inhabited by a cast of mostly cheerful, earnest characters, but characters that always seem to be revealing less than the whole story.
8235 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati
707-795-9753
http://ctalcroft.wix.com/artwallatshige/
Upstairs Art Gallery
September 3 through 30, Travelogue of Watercolors, by John Warner
*** Opening Reception Saturday, September 10 from 2 to 5 p.m.
Painted quickly, many on location, John’s paintings capture a real sense of time and place. While not all his paintings are plein air, his studio paintings are from his own sketches and photography.
306 Center St., Healdsburg
http://www.upstairsartgallery.net/
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