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.

Please check with the venues for current status of health protocols, hours, events and exhibitions.

Arts Guild of Sonoma
Through October 4, AGS Member Show
Twenty-three AGS Member Artists exhibit their work.
707-996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org

Café Frida Gallery
Through October 31, Brooks Anderson: Paintings From The Edge
Seven beautiful and enigmatic landscape paintings by artist Brooks Anderson are featured in the gallery space.
707-303-5925
300 South A Street, #4, Santa Rosa
www.cafefridagallery.com

 

 

 

Calabi Gallery
456 Tenth St., Santa Rosa
707-781-7070
www.calabigallery.com

Charles M. Schulz Museum
Through November 8, 2021, Girl Power in Peanuts
Peanuts was coed from the very first strip. The original female members of the Peanuts Gang, Patty and Violet, never quite took center stage until Charles Schulz developed characters like Lucy and Sally, and then Peppermint Patty and Marcie, who had, “enough personality to carry out ideas.” The exhibition, Girl Power in Peanuts, displays exemplary girl power as played out in a variety of circumstances, and the influence of the exceptional women in the life of Charles Schulz.

Through March 13, 2022, Drawn from Life: The People and Places of Peanuts
Charles Schulz worked at finding new and fresh ideas to lend to his cast of characters, in addition to developing personas for the characters themselves. To do this Schulz drew from reality much of what he poured into Peanuts. He also borrowed some of the names for his characters from people he knew. Drawn from Life takes a closer look at the people and places in Schulz’s world that inspired the now well-known character names, traits, and gags.
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa
707-579-4452
www.schulzmuseum.org

Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery
204 N. Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale
707-894-4410
www.cloverdaleartsalliance.org

Cloverdale Sculpture Trail
Through April 27, 2022, Cloverdale Sculpture Trail
Ten new sculptures have been installed along the Cloverdale Sculpture Trail in downtown Cloverdale after a 3 month delay due to COVID-19. Cloverdale Boulevard between Citrus Fair Drive and 3rd Street is lined with an array of playful and provocative sculptures. What better way to spark our Imagination than with this impressive exhibit of public art? The current Trail will be available for viewing until April, 2022. For sculpture locations, download a map of the walkable Sculpture Trail.
https://cloverdalesculpturetrail.org/

Corricks Art Trails Gallery/ My Daughter the Framer
October 1 through November 27, It’s All About the STORY
*** First Friday Receptions October 1, from 5 to 7 p.m., and November 5, from 5 to 7 p.m.
An exhibit of Storytelling through Art. The power of narrative is fully present in artistic creations. Explore the intersection of Art and Story with three Sonoma County artists: Caren Catterall; printmaking; images of myth and mystery. Teri Sloat; pastels and paintings with roots in traditional culture. Luann Udell; jewelry, shrines and figures from imagined prehistory.
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
707-546-2424
www.corricks.com

 

Fulton Crossing Gallery
*** First Saturday Art Happening, Saturday, October 2, from 4 to 7 p.m.
The new ACFX (Artist Collective @ Fulton Crossing) is sponsoring this inaugural art and music art party.
The public is invited to walk through several art studios and visit with the resident artists. There are two art demonstrations scheduled: Watch a glass enameling demo in Studio B9 by jeweler Patricia Reilly; and Clay Vajgrt will be showing his painting techniques in Studio B10. Also, on board for this event, in Studio B15, is the Grand Re-Opening of Hopscotch Gifts & Gallery, the newest studio addition to Fulton Crossing. Artist Kay Young presents over fifty local and national artists who make fun and functional jewelry, glass, ceramics, prints, home décor, and more.
1200 River Road, Fulton
707-328-1934
www.fultoncrossing.com/

 

Gallery 300
October 1 through October 31, New Work by Rachel Sager and Robin Burgert
6780 McKinley St., Suite 130, The Barlow
707-332-1212
www.gallery-300.com

 

 

 

 

Graton Gallery
Through October 3, Anything Goes 2021
Sixth Annual Anything Goes Show.

October 9 through November 14, Essential Geometry
Essential Geometry features work by Bruce Hopkins, with guest artists Jackie Kirk and Teresa Worly.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net

 

 

 

Hammerfriar Gallery
Through November 6, New Work by Bill Shelley and Shelley Spira Burns
*** Gallery Talk with Bill Shelly, October 2, from 3 to 6 p.m.
On view are oil and watercolor paintings by Bill Shelley and ceramic forms by Shelley Spira Burns.
132 Mill St, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
www.hammerfriar.com

 

Healdsburg Center for the Arts
*** Grand Opening October 23.
Check their website as the date nears for Day-time family activities, and a Reception in the evening. They are open now for you to see the beautiful center for the arts!

October 23 through November 5, Glimpses of Illumination
Photography Exhibition.
Healdsburg Center for the Arts has moved to 334 Center Street.
334 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
https://healdsburgcenterforthearts.org

IceHouse Gallery
405 East D St, Petaluma
707-778-2238
www.digitalgrange.com

 

Laguna Foundation, Heron Hall
Through December 17, The Russian River and its Watershed
Oils, Pastels and Drawings by Richard McDaniel. Over the course of three years, artist Richard McDaniel explored the length and breadth of the Russian River watershed, painting the free-flowing landscapes that come to life in this new series, with a corresponding book of the same name released earlier this year.
900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa
707-527-9277
www.lagunafoundation.org

Museum of Sonoma County
Art
Through October 31, 2021
35: Thirty-Five Artists for Thirty-Five Years
Curated by Jeff Nathanson, on the occasion of the Museum’s thirty-fifth anniversary, the exhibition presents a sampling of artworks from the Museums art collection. Over the years, the MSC collection has grown to include artworks ranging from works on paper, to photographs, paintings, sculpture, ceramics and crafts, spanning over a century of art-making, from the 19th to the 21st Century. With this in mind, the artworks selected for 35: Thirty-Five Artists for Thirty-Five Years explore a broad range of media and styles. Of particular interest are themes that are recurring in MSC’s collecting practices, such as landscape and the environment, social commentary, mixed media experimentation, and abstraction.

History
October 16 through November 7, 25th Annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
*** Opening Celebration Saturday, October 16, from 12 to 4 p.m. with a free Family Festival! Enjoy dance performances, fun art activities, and more!
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a joyous remembrance of the lives of family members and loved ones who have passed and a celebration of the cycle of life. The holiday is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd throughout Latin America, but is more closely associated with Mexico, where it originated. The Museum’s Día de los Muertos exhibition features artwork and altars created by local artists, students, and collectors.

Ongoing, Light, Clay, and Copper: Mid-Century Arts and Crafts in Sonoma County
The exhibition features three important collections from the Museum of Sonoma County: The photographs of Hansel Mieth and Otto Hagel, the pottery of Marguerite Wildenhain, and the metalwork of Harry Dixon. Each was a master of their artform and all were contemporaries that shared ideals and influences. Light, Clay, and Copper explores the connections and shared experiences of these four remarkable artists.

Ongoing, Go Big or Go Home: Taking Measure of Sonoma County’s Past
Does size matter? When you are making history it does! From agriculture, to transportation, to architecture, big stuff has big things to say about history. From giant tools, to a massive winery door, to a long Russian River canoe, to a surrey with a fringe on top; take a journey through the world of BIG THINGS and the stories they have to tell about Sonoma County.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org

 

Occidental Center for the Arts
October 9 through November 7, Chris Cheek: Transient Paintings, Sight Poems & Other Works
*** Opening reception October 9, from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
According to Sonoma County Artist Chris Cheek, poet Garcia Lorca used the folkloric images of the angel, the muse, and the duende to explain the forces that compel the artist to create great work. “The closest translation that I can come up with to the spirit of duende is an undefinable sense of ‘soul’. Now, I still chase the duende as I work. It hides in common objects and dark corners, where it is easily dismissed as people go about their lives. I feed it metaphors and memories, and sometimes it chases me.”
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org

Paul Mahder Gallery
Through October 31, The Architecture of Nature
Cracked linen water sculpture and botanical carvings by Roberta Ahrens. For those of you who haven’t been able to see the current exhibit yet, here’s a video tour (by Thom Butler).
https://vimeo.com/610182786
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
https://paulmahdergallery.com/

 

Petaluma Arts Center
October 14 through October 30, Amor Nunca Muere/Love Never Dies
*** Opening Reception Saturday, October 9, from 6 to 8 p.m.
El Dia de los Muertos Petaluma, with Featured artist: Panda Fibarra, and Supporting Artists: Peter Perez, Martin Zuñiga, Nestor Torres Lupercio, and Doug Ballou.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org

 

 

Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Through October 3, Remembering Tanaka Ryohei, 1933-2019
The gallery showcases almost 100 Tanaka etchings. 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

Riverfront Art Gallery
Through November 7, Going Big
Featured Artist, Lance Kuehne, titled his show Going Big due to the fact that all of his images have been supersized in response to the frequent question, “How big can you make that?”
132 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma
707-775-4278
www.riverfrontartgallery.com

Santa Rosa Arts Center
Through October 30, We the People
A gallery and on-line exhibition.
Who are the People? We are the People. All the People.
SOFA Arts District
312 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-293-6051
https://santarosaartscenter.org/

 

Santa Rosa Junior College, Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery
Visiting Artist Lecture Series.
Online webinars through Zoom. These lectures are free and open to the public. Register through the SRJC website.
Thursday, October 7, 3:30 p.m.; Amir Fallah
Friday, October 23, 12 Noon, Jiha Moon
Wednesday, October 28, 3:30 p.m.; Kathy Liao
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
https://art-gallery.santarosa.edu/current-exhibits-0

 

 

Sculpturesite, Glen Ellen
Current on-line exhibition, Judith Stewart: Vital Presence
Female Figures in Ceramic and Bronze, through November 30.
Our indoor space is now closed, but our outdoor SculptureWALK exhibition can still be viewed 7 days a week.
14301 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen
707-933-1300
www.sculpturesite.com

 

 

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Through October 3, Art Trails Preview Exhibit
Showing the work of 121 Art Trails artists.

October 23 through November 28, EXTRACTION: Art on the Edge of the Abyss
This international juried exhibition, in collaboration with the CODEX Foundation, brings together galleries and museums worldwide on this project. The curators are Robin Dintiman, Holly Downing, and Catherine Devriese. Extraction: Art on the Edge of the Abyss is a multimedia, multi-venue, cross-border art intervention which seeks to provoke societal change by exposing and interrogating the negative social and environmental consequences of industrialized natural resource extraction.
282 High Street, Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org

Sebastopol Gallery
Through October 2, Summer Colors
Work by Paula Matzinger, Chris Boyd, and Joann Lustig.
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopol-gallery.com/

 

Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
Through October 10, Running Fence at 45 Years
Because the University Art Gallery is temporarily closed, Running Fence at 45 Years is on view at the Library Art Gallery, Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center.
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
www.sonoma.edu/artgallery
http://artgallery.sonoma.edu/

 

 

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through January 2, 2022, Double Trouble: Enrique Chagoya & Kara Maria
This exhibition reviews the revolutionary spirit of Chagoya and Maria as an artist-couple, artists-activists, and their decades-long contribution to the Bay Area arts scene. Chagoya’s unapologetically satirical creations alight in Western historical and pop-cultural imagery and icons to speak to complex issues such as immigration and other socio-economic challenges of our day. Maria’s colorful, playful canvases conceal and reveal themes of ecological collapse and power conflicts between humans and the natural world.

Also on view, The Sanctuary City Project
The Sanctuary City Project is comprised of artists Sergio De La Torre and Chris Treggiari, who utilize a combination of research and community actions to engage individual participants and institutions in creating inclusive spaces where deeper dialogues surrounding sanctuary cities and immigration policy can occur. These include interactive installations, public projections, billboards, banners, tote bags, mobile food distribution, and mobile printmaking workshops. Visit The Sanctuary Print Shop at SVMA every other Saturday and Wednesday, through December 15.

Through October 19, A Delicate Balance
Public Art Exhibition in Sonoma Plaza featuring sculptures by four artists from diverse backgrounds—Bruce Beasley, Catherine Daley, Peter Hassen, and Jun Kaneko. Comprised of abstract and representational sculptures in metal, granite, and Plexiglas, the work explores the balance between nature and technology, fragile and solid, humankind and science.
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
www.svma.org

 

Upstairs Art Gallery
Through October 31, Vineyards Plus
*** Meet the Artist: Meet Donna Schaffer at the Gallery on October 3, 9 or 12. Meet Beverly Bird at the Gallery on October 13 or 20.
Donna Schaffer presents a collection of oil paintings combining her renowned vineyard scenes and related subjects inspired by her surroundings. While focusing on familiar wine country themes, this collection helps the viewer appreciate lesser-known gems of this special region.

The Staircase Showcase features Beverly Bird’s Reflections, a collection of small works exploring the beautiful and intriguing shapes created through reflected images. Working in oil, acrylic and watercolor, these works take the viewer on a tour of mirrored images reflecting nature’s beauty.
306 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-4214
www.Upstairsartgallery.net

 

Wine Snob, Glen Ellen
Through December 2021, Typographic Shuffle by Laurie Szujewska
On view are 12 collaged works on paper by artist Laurie Szujewska. Made from repurposed letterpress prints, the collages are a tour de force of reconstructed typography.
969 Carquinez Avenue, Glen Ellen
707-931-8424
https://www.winesnobwinery.com

 

 

 

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