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.
Arts Guild of Sonoma
February 2 through 27, Romance Month in Sonoma
***Opening Reception Friday, February 3, from 5 to 7 p.m.
140 East Napa Street, Sonoma
(707) 996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org
Backstreet Gallery
February 3 through March 3, The Art of Resistance
*** Opening reception Friday February 3, from 5 to 8 p.m.
New work created by professional artists since the last presidential election. Intelligent, passionate, and expert. Artists include Fred Vedder, Suzanne Edminster, Karina Nishi Marcus, Gerald Huth, Christie Marks, Kate Black, Michele Botaro, Claudia Sanchez, Adrian Mendoza, and more. Closing Friday March 3, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Backstreet Gallery and Studios
Art Alley off South A Street, Santa Rosa
http://sofasantarosa.com/events
Calabi Gallery
February 18 through March 18, We Shall Overcome
*** Opening Reception Saturday, February 18, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Art of Defiance and Resistance to Illicit Governance and Corporate Malfeasance. This exhibition features works of art in all media which refer to power-gone-wrong and other social maladies, spanning a period from 1853 to 2017. Some of the historical artists included are Honore Daumier, Jean Halpert-Ryden, Robert McChesney, Thomas Nast, and Irving Norman. Contemporary artists include Catherine Daley, Molly Eckler, Evelyn Glaubman, Art Hazelwood, Tyler Hoare, Holly Downing, Mary Fuller McChesney, Michael McMillan, and Emmanuel Catarino Montoya.
456 Tenth St., Santa Rosa
707-781-7070
www.calabigallery.com/
Charles M. Schulz Museum
Through September 10, 2017, It Was A Dark And Stormy Night
Charles Schulz brought his love of literature to his art, especially with his depiction of Snoopy as the “World Famous Author” sitting atop his doghouse using a typewriter. This exhibition explores Schulz’s love of literature, and highlights many Peanuts comic strips where books and writing appear in the lives of his characters.
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa
707-579-4452
www.schulzmuseum.org/
Chroma Gallery
Through March 11, The Art Of The Figure
*** Artist Reception: Friday, February 3, from 5 to 8 p.m.
An exhibit of recent figurative drawings and paintings by members of Sonoma County drawing groups.
312 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-293-6051
www.chromagallery.net/
Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery
Through March 17, Mix
Guest Artists for this exhibition are Aaron Poovey and Michael Coy. Resident artists included are Laura Paine Carr, Jane Gardner, Shane Gidcumb, Pamela Heck, Sharon Kozel, Paul Maurer and Hanya Popova Parker. Terry Holleman will be the featured resident artist.
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
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
707-546-2424
www.corricks.com/
Erickson Fine Art Gallery
February 4 through March, CANTOS: Songs for a New Year
*** Opening reception Saturday, February 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Featuring recent abstract paintings by Northern California artist Carol Setterlund.
324 Healdsburg Avenue
Healdsburg, CA 95448
707-431-7073
www.ericksonfineartgallery.com
Gallery at First
Through March 13, Eco-Abstracts & Bio-tiques: Earth-Art Images Implying Visual Metaphor
Two series by Mary Vaughan are on view. Eco-Abstract series ranges from subtle, ecological pieces suggesting the brevity of existence and the inevitable process of change, while Bio-tique combines the intuitive painting of biotic subjects alongside man-made, nostalgic surfaces that are worn over time.
First Presbyterian Church
1550 Pacific Ave, Santa Rosa
707-542-0205
www.fpcsantarosa.org
Graton Gallery
February 1 through March 5, 6th Annual Juried Small Works Exhibition
*** Artist Reception Saturday, February 4, from 2 to 5 p.m.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net/
Hammerfriar Gallery
132 Mill Street, Ste.101, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
www.hammerfriar.com/
Healdsburg Center for the Arts
Through February 5, Annual Members’ Exhibition
This Exhibition reflects the HCA Artist Members’ diverse range of artistic expression and use of materials, and includes 2-dimentional, 3-dimentional visual arts, literary, and other forms of artistic expression. Closing Tea Sunday, February 5, from 2 to 4 p.m.
9130 Plaza Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
www.healdsburgcenterforthearts.com/
IceHouse Gallery
Through February 18, Mostly Monochrome
An invitational show of artwork by over 80 artists that is mostly monochrome, black & white, color images primarily in one or two tones, etc.
405 East D St. Petaluma
707-778-2238
www.icehousegallery.org/
Laguna Foundation, Heron Hall
Through April 27, Birds of the Laguna; Paintings by Diana Majumdar
*** Opening Reception, Saturday, February 11, from 3 to 5 p.m.
This exhibit features local artist Diana Majumdar’s mixed media and encaustic paintings of birds and landscapes of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. She combines various media into the finished painting, including watercolor, ink, graphite, collage, and chine colle.
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://formandenergy.com/new/root101/
Museums of Sonoma County
Art Museum
February 12 through April 30, Outside Voice: Tarp Paintings by Marc Katano
*** Opening Reception with Talk by Marc Katano, Saturday, February 11, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Featuring Marc Katano’s most recent series of abstractions on 9 x 12 foot canvas tarps, and works on handmade Nepalese paper. Katano’s paintings are about mark-making and may remind the viewer of the visual language of Japanese kanji, based on Chinese characters.
History Museum
Through April 2, 2017 The Beat Goes On: Peace, Love and Rock & Roll in the North Bay
The late 1960s was as volatile a time in music as it was in the rest of society. Music became part of the national conversation about youth, free love, drugs, and rebellion. The Beat Goes On features rock posters, artifacts and images that trace the influences of music, counterculture and rebellion in the North Bay Area.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org/
Occidental Center for the Arts
Through March 18, OnSite
Featuring Sonoma County landscapes by Charles Beck, Dave Gordon, and Bill Taylor.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org/
Paul Mahder Gallery
Through March, Annual Group Exhibit
Featuring over 40 artists from around the world.
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
www.prwinery.com/
Petaluma Arts Center
Through March 18, Discovered: Emerging Visual Artists of Sonoma County
Produced by Creative Sonoma and PAC, five Sonoma County artists are recognized through the fourth annual Emerging Artists from Sonoma County program. These works explore a culture that has less to do with the intrinsic value of things, and more to do with providing a felt experience. Featured Artists; Kala Stein, Jenny Harp, Catherine Sieck, Dayana Leon, and Jaynee Watson.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org/
Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Currently on view, New-Found Treasures, featuring recently acquired mid-century woodblock prints and other acquisitions. Housed in a refurbished building with shoji and a small, serene Japanese garden, the gallery shows contemporary art by Japanese and regional Northern California artists.
1781 Coast Highway One, Bodega Bay
707-875-2922
http://www.renbrown.com/
Riverfront Art Gallery
Through March 5, Winter Show
In the Featured Artist exhibit, Photoshopped or Not?, photographer Lance Kuehne challenges viewers to determine whether an image has been “photoshopped” or not. The work in this show is about straddling the worlds of ‘straight photography’ and ‘creative license’.
132 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma
707-775-4278 www.riverfrontartgallery.com/
Santa Rosa Junior College, Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery
February 21 through March 16, Forgotten Words
*** Artists Reception Thursday, February 23, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Forgotten Words investigates the ways in which six artists employ social objects to promote new connections and discussions among those that interact and experience them. Participating Artists are Ilana Crispi, Edith Garcia Monnet, Victoria Jang, Kari Marboe, Stephanie Syjuco, and Victoria Wagner.
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
art-gallery.santarosa.edu/robert-f-agrella-art-gallery
Sculpturesite Gallery
Jack London Village
14301 Arnold Dr. Suite 8, Glen Ellen
707-933-1300
www.sculpturesite.com/
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Through February 12, Marvelous!
An International Exhibition of Collage, Assemblage, and Construction, featuring the scope and relevance of these mediums today, and exposing viewers to some of the most innovative collage and assemblage artists world-wide. The three jurors are John Hundt, Sherry Parker, and Cecil Touchon. Gallery II: Reflections Within—The Reliquary Series by Valerie L. Winslow. A combination of figurative sculpture with added components symbolizing relics of memories and introspective observations. Gallery III: Stranger than Fiction by John Hundt and Sherry Parker. The artists are renowned California collagists whose art reflects their fascination with anthropomorphism.
February 17 through March 26, Reflections & Shadows
*** Opening reception Friday, February 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Juried exhibition of work in all mediums that focuses on the duality of light and dark, and on reflections of every kind.
Also showing: Gallery II, BIRDS: One inspiration. Five visions. Five artists; Mary Blake, Nancy Wheeler Klippert, Joyce Libeu, Diana Majumdar, and Linda Schroeter use a variety of methods and materials including watercolors, oils, encaustic, pastels, acrylics, printmaking, colored pencil, and mixed media, in a vibrant and diverse range of styles.
Gallery III, Caught in Time: Calligraphic Abstractions by Sherrie Lovler. From her background in western calligraphy, Sherrie uses the marks, gestures and tools of calligraphy to make modern abstract paintings.
282 High Street, Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org/
Sebastopol Gallery
Through March 26, A Walk in the Forest: Botanical paintings by Lucy Martin
*** Opening Reception: Saturday, February 4, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Botanical paintings by Lucy Martin who uses gouache, watercolor, and a bit of colored pencil.
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopol-gallery.com/
Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
*** Saturday, February 4 from 6 to 9 p.m., Art from the Heart
33rd annual silent art auction and party at the University Art Gallery, Proceeds from the auction directly benefit the Art Gallery’s exhibition, publication, and lecture programs.
February 15 through March 12, Black White Color Life: Recent Works on Paper by Laurie Fendrich and Peter Plagens
*** Opening reception Wednesday, February 15, from 4 to 6 p.m.
SSU Art Gallery presents new work by two nationally recognized and highly regarded New York-based artists. The exhibition includes 52 works on paper; 26 by each artist. Plagens is perhaps equally known for his art criticism as he is for his art. He is the author of Sunshine Muse: Art on the West Coast, 1945-70 and was art critic for Newsweek from 1989 to 2003. The artists will give a free lecture on Wednesday, February 15, at noon in Art 136.
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
www.sonoma.edu/artgallery
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through April 2, Eye of the Beholder–The Sculpture and Early Prints of Nathan Oliveira
This exhibition offers a glimpse into the significant artistic accomplishments of a pivotal post-war artist. Early lithography works are dramatically paired for the first time with later bronze sculptures that provide perhaps one of the most unique and insightful views into the creative contributions of the artist.
Also showing: Graphic Knowledge: The Prints of Karl Kasten
Karl Albert Kasten (1916-2010) pioneered materials, techniques and theory as artist, teacher and inventor. Ranging from early representational prints through a multitude of styles and processes including etching, aquatint, lithography and collography, this exhibition offers a rich opportunity to survey one of the pivotal voices in the evolution and advancement of modern graphic arts.
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
www.svma.org/
The Art Wall at Shige Sushi
Through February 26, Drawings and paintings by Sami Lange
A printmaker by training, Sami Lange creates works on paper by stitching together small detailed drawings that often give the appearance of intricate paper quilts. Her work is in permanent collections across the United States, in Japan, and New Zealand.
8235 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati
707-795-9753
ctalcroft.wix.com/artwallatshige/
Upstairs Art Gallery
Through February, RED
*** Open House, Sunday, Feb. 19, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Celebrating the traditional month of love, the gallery’s resident artists are sharing new and treasured creations in the theme of “red.”
306 Center St., Healdsburg
www.upstairsartgallery.net/
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Thank you, Satri! Appreciate your efforts!
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Thanks Carol, my pleasure.
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