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
140 E. Napa St., Sonoma
707-996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org

Astro Motel
Through November 25, Mary Fuller McChesney: Myth and Monument from Sonoma Mountain
Talented in many genres, Mary Fuller McChesney found that her sculpture was often overlooked in favor of her husband’s, Robert McChesney, paintings. Working in cement mixed with vermiculite, she built and carved a world of mythic creatures deeply influenced by her philosophic studies as well as Maya and Aztec mythology. Eighteen pieces, three of them bronze, are placed throughout the Astro Motel’s property.
323 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa
707-200-4655
www.theastro.com

 

Calabi Gallery
Through October 29, Mixed Bag
The new exhibition is a reflection of the gallery’s eclectic nature, and features some new work by gallery artists, some newly acquired vintage works. Artists include Adela Akers, Paul Beattie, Douglas Ballou, Gustave Baumann, Iva Hladis, Peter Holbrook, Walter Kuhlman, Carolyn Lord, Lucy Martin, Mary Fuller McChesney, Robert P. McChesney, Michael Ramos, Doel Reed, Martina Skala, Horst Trave, Bambi Waterman, Pegot Waring, and others.
456 Tenth St., Santa Rosa
707-781-7070
www.calabigallery.com

 

Charles M. Schulz Museum
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa
707-579-4452
www.schulzmuseum.org

 

 

Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery
Through November 19, Freedom
Guest artist for this exhibit is Britta Kathmeyer, Acrylic & Oil Pastel. Resident artists are Laura Paine Carr, Jane Gardner, Pamela Heck, Terry Holleman, Hanya Popova Parker and Clay Vajgrt. Hanya Popova Parker, Oil Painting, is the featured resident artist. Special Feature; Ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos created by artists & community.
204 N. Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale
707-894-4410
www.cloverdaleartsalliance.org

Cloverdale, CA
Through April 25, 2024, Cloverdale Sculpture Trail
Nine new sculptures have been chosen by the Selection Committee and are part of the 2022-2024 Sculpture Trail. The themes of these nine sculptures are diverse and show the creative thinking and craftsmanship of the sculptors.
https://cloverdalesculpturetrail.org/

Corricks Art Trails Gallery/ My Daughter the Framer
Through October 22, Art Trails Exhibit
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
707-546-2424
www.corricks.com

 

Erickson Fine Art Gallery
Through November 1, Adam Wolpert: The Great Oaks
On view are nine 4’x6′ paintings from the Great Oaks series.
324 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-431-7073
www.ericksonfineartgallery.com

 

Gallery 300
6780 McKinley St., Suite 130, The Barlow
707-332-1212
www.gallery-300.com

 

Graton Gallery
October 7 through November 13, Graton Gallery Partners Show II
*** Artists Reception Saturday, October 8, from 2 to 5 p.m.
Welcoming our new partner Heather Myler, and Featuring the art of Gallery Partners: Sally Baker, Harry Frank, Bruce Hopkins, Rik Olson, Sandra Rubin, Tamra Sanchez, and Mylette Welch. Guest Artists are Katy Boggs, Pamela Heck, Michelle Leonard, and Bobbie Remedios.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net

 

Hammerfriar Gallery
Through October 8, Reflections on Gold
Frames from the Capricho Collection, an exhibit of antique and contemporary gilt frames and mirrors, drawn from the collection of Julian Billotte, master gilder and founder of Capricho Gilding Studios, San Francisco and Santa Rosa.
132 Mill St, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
www.hammerfriar.com

Healdsburg Center for the Arts
October 8 through November 13, Artists Showcase
*** Opening reception, Saturday, October 8, from 5 to 7 p.m.
334 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
https://healdsburgcenterforthearts.org

 

IceHouse Gallery / Digital Grange
Through October 28, Bill Kane – Light Bodies
Ice House Gallery presents new Lenticular explorations by Bill Kane. Inspired by traditional Tibetan Buddhist Thangka paintings, Kane’s large-scale, colorful, meditative kinetic artworks – which morph from one image to another depending on the angle of viewing – are his reimagining of the Color, Light and Reverence he finds so compelling in the Tibetan works.
707-778-2238
405 East D St., Petaluma
www.digitalgrange.com

 

Laguna Foundation, Heron Hall
Through December 23, Layers: Serenity, Survival, and Silence
Artwork by Sally Rapelye Briggs.
900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa
707-527-9277
www.lagunafoundation.org

 

 

 

 

 

Museum of Sonoma County
Art
Through November 27, Collective Arising: The Insistence of Black Bay Area Artists
Collective Arising features art by contemporary Black artists who have participated in interdisciplinary collectives, including nure, 3.9 Collective, House of Malico, CTRL+SHIFT, and Black [Space] Residency. Collectives—groups of like-minded individuals coming together to achieve a common goal—have offered space for Black artists to expand their practice, amplify their voices, and nurture one another. The artworks in Collective Arising—which includes textile, sculpture, glass, print, painting, photography, video, and installation—speak to the dual purpose at the core of the formation of artist collectives. Curated by Ashara Ekundayo and Lucia Olubunmi R. Momoh.

History
Through November 6, Día de los Muertos
Día de los Muertos is a melding of traditions, Catholic and indigenous. Mexico’s indigenous people preserved their traditions within the accepted practices of the colonial authority, sustaining them through the generations. What has been preserved across time is the message that death is a part of life and the dead live on through our rituals of remembrance.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org

Occidental Center for the Arts
Through October 9, Watercolor Exhibit
Launch for Three Layer Watercolor Landscapes by Patrick Fanning.
Enjoy watercolors by Sonoma County artists in this fine exhibition!

October 15 through December 4, Fantasy Exhibit
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org

 

Paul Mahder Gallery
October 8 through November 28, Feldsott: BuDah Paintings
*** Opening reception October 8, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Feldsott’s body of work has always confronted the complexities of human nature: its violent faults as well as its spiritual aspirations. In The Budah Paintings, Feldsott repeats and alters the motif of the Buddha to examine such aspirations, the immaterial and the irreverent, while still rooting viewers in their contemporary societal realities.
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
https://paulmahdergallery.com/

 

Petaluma Arts Center
October 6 through November 5, Honoring Life: Love & Remembrance
*** Opening Reception Thursday, October 6, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
In conjunction with celebrations for Day of the Dead, the Petaluma Arts Center is inaugurating a different approach to our annual event. Honoring Life: Love and Remembrance uses the artmaking process to address how different cultures or community groups remember those who have passed away. Curated by Irma Vega Bijou.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org

Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Through October 9, Expressions in Clay
Featuring work by six Japanese ceramic artists.
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
Saturday October 8, from 4 to 8 p.m., Super 10
The Super 10 are a collection of emerging and professional artists who represent some of Sonoma Counties best! They represent different genres, techniques and styles—all of which have been mastered by them!
132 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma
707-775-4278
www.riverfrontartgallery.com

 

 

Santa Rosa Arts Center
October 6 through October 30, Art From The Other Side
*** Artist reception Friday, October 7 from 5 to 7 p.m.
In late Autumn is when the barriers between the worlds become thin. This exhibit is a celebration of this time of year and our expanded perception of the Mysterious, the Marvelous and the Magical. This is a non-juried showing work by Bay Area and Northern California artists.
312 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-526-0135
https://santarosaartscenter.org/

 

 

Santa Rosa Junior College, Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery
Through October 20, Donna Larsen
Larsen’s work is often wheat-pasted on the streets of New York and forms a dialogue between what already exists on the location; a process that creates a dialogue between her work and a found environment. Larsen’s work also includes long vertical pieces reminiscent of Chinese landscape paintings. The strong thread of Eastern philosophy and Buddhism runs through the work and gives us insight into a deeper poetic meaning.
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
https://art-gallery.santarosa.edu/current-exhibits-0

 

Sculpturesite, Glen Ellen
14301 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen
707-933-1300
www.sculpturesite.com

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
October 22 through November 27, Not Just Landscapes
*** Opening reception October 22, from 2 to 4 p.m.
The Exhibition is juried by Richard McDaniel.
282 South High St., Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org

 

Sebastopol Gallery
October 4 through December 3, What the Crows Brought Me
*** Reception October 22, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Assemblage by Rebeca Treviño. As crows delight in play and shiny things, Rebeca’s art lures the viewer with unusual juxtapositions, out-of-context objects, and ever-surprising stories.
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopol-gallery.com/

 

Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
Through October 16, Farmworkers
Showing Photographs, Prints, and Paintings by Morrie Camhi, Erik Castro, Jay Mercado, and Christie Tirado.
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
www.sonoma.edu/artgallery

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through January 8, 2023, Raymond Saunders: On Freedom and Trust
The exhibition features 25 large scale mixed-media paintings by Saunders. Many of the works are experimental using stencils, impasto paint, and found objects. Saunders reuses many motifs in his work and repurposes commercial and cultural signs to create multiple perspectives and multiple meanings.
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
www.svma.org

 

Upstairs Art Gallery
Through October 23, Bathed In Golden Light
Nancy Gray presents a collection of paintings inspired by the soft light and golden glow that illuminates Sonoma’s vineyards and rolling hills.

The Staircase Showcase presents Laura Roney’s Reflections, a collection of small oil paintings that celebrate the often-overlooked little objects that we collect as memories.
306 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-4214
www.Upstairsartgallery.net

If you would like to receive these posts in your e-mail each month, please sign up to follow my blog on www.satripencak.com. This post also appears on my Facebook page; Satri’s Best Bets in the Visual Arts.