Art in Sonoma County: Current Gallery and Museum Exhibitions in December 2018

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
December 5 through December 30, Holiday Show
*** Opening Reception Thursday, December 6, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Work by over 25 AGS member artists! Original Paintings, Prints, Cards, Ceramics, Jewelry, and More.
140 East Napa Street, Sonoma
707-996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org

Blasted Art Gallery
Art Alley, South A Street
SOFA Arts District, Santa Rosa
707-888-1026
www.blastedartgallery.com

by Mary Silverwood

Calabi Gallery
December 1 through January 11, From the Russian River to Santa Fe
*** Opening Reception Saturday, December 1, from 4 to 8 p.m.
A showing of pastels and acrylics by Mary Silverwood, the exhibition features Silverwood’s luminous landscapes of Sonoma County and the Southwest.
456 Tenth St., Santa Rosa
707-781-7070
www.calabigallery.com

Charles M. Schulz Museum
Through March 10, Then Came the Dog
Charles M. Schulz had a lifetime affinity for dogs: beginning with his boyhood dog Spike, who inspired his first cartoon, to creating the world’s most famous beagle Snoopy, who inspired thousands more. In Then Came the Dog, you can simultaneously trace Schulz’s life-long love for dogs and Snoopy’s life-long love for himself. As we journey from Schulz’s backyard into Snoopy’s, discover the life of a man and his best friend through the lens of the Peanuts comic strip.
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa
707-579-4452
www.schulzmuseum.org

Chroma Gallery / Santa Rosa Arts Center
December 7 through January 19, Small Works 2019
*** Opening Reception Friday, December 7 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Small masterpieces in a variety of media at affordable prices.
SOFA Arts District
312 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-293-6051
www.chromagallery.net

By Jocelyn Audette

Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery
Through January 18, Render
Guest artists for this exhibit are painter Jocelyn Audette, and mixed-media artist Cat Kaufman. Resident artists include Laura Paine Carr, Jane Gardner, Pamela Heck, Terry Holleman, and Paul Maurer. Hanya Popova Parker, painter, is the featured resident artist.
204 N. Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale
707-894-4410
www.cloverdaleartsalliance.org

 

 

Corricks Art Trails Gallery
December 1 through December 30, Glass & Fiber Arts
*** First Friday reception, December 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. 6th Street Playhouse will present selections from their upcoming performance of the Broadway musical Annie, making this an extra festive night, in the midst of Corrick’s holiday shopping wonderland. Featured artists include weaver Abby Bard, fused glass artist Valerie Adams, and mixed media artist Luann Udell, as well as woodturner Rick Blundell.
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
707-546-2424
www.corricks.com

Susan Hall

Erickson Fine Art Gallery
December 8 through December 28, Susan Hall
*** Reception for the Artist, Saturday, December 8, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Book Release and Signing, Paintings and Ceramics.
324 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-431-7073
www.ericksonfineartgallery.com

 

Fulton Crossing Gallery
1200 River Rd, Fulton
www.fultoncrossing.com

 

Susan Proehl

Graton Gallery
December 4 through January 6, Abstract
*** Artist Reception & Holiday Party: Saturday, December 8, from 2 to 5 p.m.
New works from Susan Proehl, Guest Artists: Barbara Regan, Connie Robeson, Cynthia Sumner and Catherine Walters.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net

 

 

 

Hammerfriar Gallery
Through December 29, Adela Akers – Threaded Reflections
The artistic career of Adela Akers spans the entire history of modern fiber art. Using her loom and chosen materials of linen, horsehair, metal foil and acrylic paint, she celebrates the calm of geometric patterning and expressive lines. Born in Spain, raised in Cuba, Akers was influenced by Pre-Columbian designs, and paintings by women of the Mbuti, Congo. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and later at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Akers is Professor Emeritus at the Tyler School of Art of Temple University, and her work can be found in the collections of the Renwick Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Art and Design.
132 Mill Street, Ste.101, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
www.hammerfriar.com

Healdsburg Center for the Arts
Through December 30, Holiday Gift Gallery
*** Closing Reception Saturday, December 30, from 5 to 7 p.m.
This 17th Annual sale offers an opportunity for artists to share their work with the community, providing original, hand-crafted creations for people to share and enjoy.
130 Plaza Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
healdsburgcenterforthearts.org

IceHouse Gallery
Through December 28, Imagined Expeditions
In collaboration with Vita Collage, an exhibition of wonderful collages by Cynthia Granados and Jane Murphy, along with selections from the Vita Collage collections.
405 East D St. Petaluma
www.icehousegallery.org

 

Jill Keller Peters

La Crema Estate
Through February 15, Jill Keller Peters
*** Artist reception Sunday, January 13, from 2 to 5 p.m.
Sonoma County artist, Jill Keller Peters, is centered on creating artwork that uplifts the human spirit and emanates the vibrancy that she looks for in life. Her carefully selected hues present “an oasis of calm, a serene juxtaposition of color and balance” in her inspired geometric abstractions and impressionist scenes of nature.
La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard
2nd Floor Gallery
3575 Slusser Road, Windsor
www.lacrema.com/russian-river-estate/

Laguna Foundation, Heron Hall
Through December 21, With Awe and Wonder: A Celebration of Nature’s Beauty
This exhibit represents some of the best of local photographer Brenda Tharp’s work from the past 30 years – from the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed to Yosemite, Utah to Michigan, Oregon to Alaska, and her own backyard in Santa Rosa. Brenda has traveled to Namibia, Botswana, Alaska, Cuba, Italy, Slovenia, and throughout the USA in search of images that express the beauty of this planet and the wildlife that inhabits it.
900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa
707-527-9277
www.lagunafoundation.org

Museum of Sonoma County
Art
Through January 27, From the Fire
From the Fire: A Community Reflects and Rebuilds commemorates the anniversary of the firestorm that devastated large areas of Sonoma County and the North Bay in October 2017. The exhibition examines the fires from personal, historical, and environmental perspectives, as well as highlight art’s power as a healing tool and creative outlet.

History
Through January 6, 2019, Artistry in Wood
The 30th Annual Artistry in Wood continues the collaboration between Museum of Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Woodworkers Association. This major showcase of fine regional craftsmanship has evolved from a modest exhibition featuring the work of local woodworkers, into something much greater. It has become one of the most respected annual exhibitions of woodwork in the state. The exhibition is evaluated by expert judges for the Best of Show as well as awards of merit.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org

Bird at Rest by Bill McMillon

Occidental Center for the Arts
Through January 13, Small Works Exhibit
A juried exhibition of work by Sonoma County artists.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org

Paul Mahder Gallery
Through December, 2018 Annual Holiday Group Exhibit
Celebrating the holidays with artwork by over 40 artists from around the world.
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
www.paulmahdergallery.com

Petaluma Arts Center
December 8 through January 5, Members Show 2018
*** Artists Reception Saturday, December 8, at 5:30 p.m.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org

Ren Brown Collection Gallery
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
www.renbrown.com

Lance Kuehne

Riverfront Art Gallery
Through January 6, Late Fall Show
*** Reception and Artwalk Saturday, December 8, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Showing Recent Photographs by Lance Kuehne, paintings by Dan Kabanuck and Billy Korbus.
132 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma
707-775-4278
www.riverfrontartgallery.com

Santa Rosa Junior College, Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery
Through December 20, Rising From The Ashes: Sonoma County Fires 2017
Pulitzer Prize Winning Coverage from the Press Democrat. Gullixson: Meanwhile, here’s what went on inside The Press Democrat. “My colleagues here at The Press Democrat have done a phenomenal job of telling the story during the past week of the greatest natural disaster to ever hit our home. They have told in detail the battles to save homes, businesses and lives from Sonoma to Geyserville to Calistoga. But what they haven’t done well, journalists rarely do, is tell their own story. In a nutshell, here is how this community nightmare unfolded for them. As usual, any fire story begins with one person — PD photojournalist Kent Porter, known for his remarkable fire coverage, especially during the Valley fire two years ago.”
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
https://art-gallery.santarosa.edu/gullixson-meanwhile-here%E2%80%99s-what-went-inside-press-democrat

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
December 7 through January 4, Members Show 2018
***Opening Reception Friday, December 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
An annual, non-juried event, the Member’s Show continues to shine. Experience the breadth of talent and creativity amongst fellow SCA members!
282 High Street, Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org

Chris Boyd

Sebastopol Gallery
December 3 through February 2, Reflections from Earth and Sky
*** Reception Saturday, December 8, from 4 to 6 p.m.
The Gallery features three member artists; jeweler Joann Lustig, ceramicist Chris Boyd and painter Paula Matzinger. All three artists are deeply influenced by their coastal environment. Nature’s form, color and light are reflected in Joann’s colorful stones and sculptured settings, in Chris’s varied glazes and schools of pit-fired salmon, and in Paula’s glassy bays and cloud-brushed skies.
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopol-gallery.com/

Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
Through December 9, 40 by 40
The Fortieth Anniversary Exhibition, 1978 to 2018, features the work of 40 artists in celebration of 40 years of gallery exhibitions.
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
www.sonoma.edu/artgallery

Sonoma State University, Library Gallery
Through December 14, Reflections: After the Fire
The Fall 2017 Firestorm expressed through painting, photography, video, and mixed media by 21 participants.
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
http://library.sonoma.edu

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through January 6, From Fire, Love Rises: Stories Shared from the Artist Community
From Fire, Love Rises commemorates artists who were impacted by the October 2017 fires in Sonoma and Napa Counties. The exhibition features 14 artists and 19 writers who work in bronze, photography, ceramics, printmaking, new media, poetry, and prose to express their countless stories of loss, gratitude, and resiliency that have emerged in the year since the fires. Related events listed on website.

Also in the museum; 20 Sonoma Collectors: Celebrating SVMA’s 20th Year. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to view contemporary art from important Sonoma collections, including works by Squeak Carnwath, Shepard Fairey, Roy De Forest, Tom Friedman, Jacob Hashimoto, David Hockney, Robert Mapplethorpe, Claes Oldenburg, Kiki Smith, and Andy Warhol, among others.
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
www.svma.org

The Art Wall at Shige Sushi
Through December 30, Sherrie Lovler – Calligraphic Paintings
Ink paintings by artist Sherrie Lovler, who has a background in Western calligraphy.
8235 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati
707-795-9753
http://ctalcroft.wix.com/artwallatshige/

Joann Cassady

Upstairs Art Gallery
Through December 30, Handcrafted Art
*** Meet the Artists Open House, Saturday, December 15, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Creations by ceramicist Joann Cassady, glassmaker Branka Harris, and clay landscapes by Karen Norton are just some of the handcrafted local art being featured at the Upstairs Art Gallery this season. After all, a handcrafted work of art is a lifelong gift that offers years of pleasure.
306 Center St., Healdsburg
707-431-4214
www.Upstairsartgallery.net

 

 

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About Satri Pencak

Independent Curator, art writer
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