Art in Sonoma County: Current Gallery and Museum Exhibitions in October 2023

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.

Art Trails Sonoma County
*** Open Studios final weekend, October 7 and 8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
EXPLORE Sonoma County, ENGAGE with artists in their own studios, and COLLECT beautiful art. View the work of 130 local artists in their studios. To prepare, visit the five preview exhibits to get a taste of what the artists have to offer. Starting in September and running through the open studios weekends, you can see preview exhibits at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Corrick’s/My Daughter The Framer, Bodega Art Gallery, Healdsburg Center For The Art, and Gallery One Petaluma. For specific dates and times go to the website, www.sonomacountyarttrails.org/

 

Arts Guild of Sonoma
Through October 30, Art for Autumn
*** Opening reception, Thursday, October 5, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Showing the work of over 25 AGS artist members.
140 E. Napa St., Sonoma
707-996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org

 

 

 

Café Frida Gallery
Through October 29, Fabric is my Palette
*** Artist Talk, October 5 at 5:30 p.m.
Work by Michelle Holland.
SOFA Arts District
300 South A Street, Santa Rosa

 

 

 

 

Calabi Gallery
Continuing, Anticipating Abstract Expressionism
In the years following WWII many Bay Area artists were seeking a new visual vocabulary. Already familiar with European abstraction, they were seeking a more nativist form of expression. By the late 40s most had turned to non-objective abstraction. The exhibition features work by a selection of those artists as they pushed the boundaries of representational art in new directions. Works by Walter Kuhlman, Robert McChesney, and Hassel Smith are included, as well as Ed Corbett, Robert Howard and Lundy Siegriest.
456 Tenth St., Santa Rosa
707-781-7070
www.calabigallery.com

Charles M. Schulz Museum
Through July 14, 2024, Snoopy in Orbit
Into space with Apollo 10, aboard the International Space Station, and now around the Moon during the Artemis I mission—Snoopy is the first beagle on the Moon! See Snoopy, who served as the zero-gravity indicator for the Artemis I mission, now safely home to Earth, alongside more never-before-exhibited space-flown Peanuts artifacts!
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa
707-579-4452
www.schulzmuseum.org

Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery
Through November 17, Check
The guest artist for this exhibit is Stephen Fitz-Gerald. Resident artists are Laura Paine Carr, Jane Gardner, Pamela Heck, Terry Holleman, Hanya Popova Parker, Jason Taylor Morgan, Clay Vajgrt and Jennifer Weiss. Pamela Heck is the featured resident artist.
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 21, Art Trails Preview Exhibit
*** First Friday Meet the Artist reception, October 6, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Presenting works from dozens of Art Trails artists.
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
707-546-2424
www.corricks.com

Fulton Crossing Gallery
Through November 30, Dialogue With Nature
Abstract paintings by Suzanne Jacquot, inspired by nature.
1200 River Rd., Fulton
www.fultoncrossing.com/exhibitions

 

 

Gallery 300
October 13 through November 26, Vibrant Faces and Spaces
*** Opening reception, October 13, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Jennifer Hirshfield, Rachel Sager, and Baylee Van.
6780 McKinley St., Suite 130, The Barlow
707-332-1212
www.gallery-300.com

Graton Gallery
Through October 29, Essential Geometry; Part 2
Featuring Paintings by Bruce Hopkins, and Found Object Sculpture by Susan Shore. Guest Artists include Phyllis Rapp, Laura Lind, and Patricia Connolly.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net

 

Hammerfriar Gallery
October 7 through December 30, Adela Akers; Interlacings
*** Reception Saturday, October 7, from 3 to 6 p.m.
Honoring Adela Akers, who passed away in early August. Adela had been working toward this exhibition and several of the pieces were made specifically for it. These will be on view alongside earlier works from her remarkable career as a textile artist. She had 90 years well-lived.
132 Mill St, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
www.hammerfriar.com

 

Healdsburg Center for the Arts
October 11 through November 13, Emerging Artists 2023
*** Opening reception October 14 from 5 to 7 p.m.
On view are works by artists who are juniors in high school, through age 30.
334 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
healdsburgcenterforthearts.org

 

 

 

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

Laguna Foundation, Heron Hall
Through December 22, Sonoma County Landscape; Paintings by Charles Beck
The exhibit features large-scale paintings by Charles Beck of Sonoma County’s coastal and inland areas.
900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa
707-527-9277
www.lagunafoundation.org

 

Museum of Sonoma County
Art
Through November 5, Nature Abstracted: Chiyomi T. Longo, Bob Nugent, and Younhee C. Paik
Nature Abstracted features three Bay Area artists who make abstract art inspired by nature. These artists differ in style and technique, but they all share a deep love and respect for the environment and humanity’s relationship to the natural world.

Artists in Conversation Series: Nature Abstracted
October 12, 7 to 8 p.m. Bob Nugent and Jeff Nathanson
October 26, 7 to 8 p.m. Chiyomi T. Longo and Satri Pencak

History
Permanent Exhibition & Oral History Project, Sonoma County Stories
Sonoma County Stories is a permanent Sonoma County history exhibition that allows visitors to engage with the past through the power of storytelling. The exhibition captures Sonoma County’s rich history, defined by a confluence of cultures and people, and a powerful connection to the land. Featuring stories representing the many diverse histories and cultures of the county, this ambitious and innovative permanent exhibition has at its core the Oral Histories of Gaye LeBaron.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org

Occidental Center for the Arts
Through October 15, OWLS
Featuring work by the Sonoma 5 Artist Collective; Jane Manning, Walt Morton, Omar Mueller, Charlie Pendergast, and Tamsin Smith.

October 21 through November 26, Falling
Artists getting creative.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org

Oli Gallery
16215 Main Street, Guerneville
www.oligallery.com

 

Paul Mahder Gallery
Through November 19, New Works
New Works by Represented Artists; Nikolai Atanassov, Jesse Clark, and Elena Zolotnitsky.
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
paulmahdergallery.com/

 

Pepperwood Gallery
2130 Pepperwood Preserve Road, Santa Rosa
www.pepperwoodpreserve.org

 

Petaluma Arts Center
Through November 4, The Voice in the Hand: Book Arts and Printmaking
Curated by artist Macy Chadwick, the exhibition highlights the unique tactile qualities, or “visual voice” of handmade books and prints. The hand of the artist is evident in each piece.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org

Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Through October 13, A Journey of Discovery
The show focuses on paintings from the last 25 years by Chiyomi Taneike Longo, who creates uniquely lyrical pieces, often on a very large scale.
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

Santa Rosa Arts Center
October 6 through November 12, The Mask
*** Artists Reception Friday, October 6 from 5 to 8 p.m.
What is the function of a mask? Who or what is behind the mask? Artists explore masks, or the idea of masks in a variety of media.
312 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-526-0135
santarosaartscenter.org/

Santa Rosa Junior College, Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
https://art-gallery.santarosa.edu/current-exhibits-0

Scott Nichols Gallery
Through October 14, Ansel Adams: Exhibition in Wine Country
Scott Nichols Gallery features the photography of Ansel Adams. Photographs spanning Adams’ long career as a photographer, including early vintage photographs, images of Yosemite National Park, the southwest desert, and the bay area will be on view.
450 1st St. E, Suite G, Sonoma
707-343-1928

 

Sculpturesite Gallery, Glen Ellen
On View, 33rd Anniversary Show!
Celebrating a third of a Century of Contemporary Sculpture in Northern California and Beyond! SculptureWALK: View over 30 outdoor sculptures by 15 artists throughout the beautiful grounds at Jack London Village, offering a selection of abstract and figurative sculptures, including wind activated kinetic works. From our website, you may download the map and sculpture list to use for your self-guided tour when visiting.
14301 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen
707-933-1300
www.sculpturesite.com

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Through October 15, Sonoma County Art Trails 2023 Preview Exhibit
See select works from all 130 Open Studio Artists to get a taste of what the artists have to offer. Then pick up a Collector’s Guide and plan your tour of Sonoma County Art Trails 2023. Sonoma County Art Trails Open Studios returns on the weekends of September 30 & October 1; and October 7 & 8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

October 28 through December 3, People
*** Opening Reception October 28, from 2 to 4 p.m.
An International Juried Exhibition of Portraits and more.
282 South High St., Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org

Sebastopol Gallery
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopol-gallery.com/

Sebastopol Library, Forum Room
Through November 18, Richard Nichols
Richard Nichols creates assemblage, collage and photography from trash and refuse.
7140 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol
707-823-7691

 

Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
Through December 10, This Side of Blue: The Art of Mimi Chen Ting
The exhibition is the most comprehensive survey of Mimi Chen Ting’s five-decade career, and an important introduction to this underrepresented artist’s extraordinary work and vision. Mimi Chen Ting (1946-2022) was a North Bay painter whose life and career offer a view into the Bay Area art scene during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. A Chinese American artist who immigrated to California in 1965, Ting often interwove Eastern and Western aesthetics in her work.
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
artgallery.sonoma.edu/

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through January 7, Richard Mayhew: Inner Terrain
The exhibition features paintings that speak to American arts, culture, and history. Mayhew’s African American, Shinnecock, and Cherokee-Lumbee ancestries inform his dreamlike landscapes, which are saturated in vibrant colors, including shades of red and burnt earth that suggest, as the artist has said, “blood in the soil.”
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
www.svma.org

 

Upstairs Art Gallery
Through October 22, Reclamation
*** Reception Saturday, October 14, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Gail Morgan presents Reclamation, a collection of mixed media collages incorporating original monoprints with new compositions emerging from the old images, colors, textures in new ways. Meet the Artist: Morgan will be hosting the Gallery October 6, from 2:30 to 6 pm, October 14, 11 to 2:30 pm, and October 22, 11am to 6pm.
The Stairway Showcase presents Luba Stolper’s Timeless Nature, a collection of classic oil still-lifes, so real, one feels as if they could reach right in a touch them. Meet the Artist: Stolper will be hosting the Gallery October 7 and 17, 11am to 6pm.
306 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-4214
www.Upstairsartgallery.net

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About Satri Pencak

Independent Curator, art writer
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2 Responses to Art in Sonoma County: Current Gallery and Museum Exhibitions in October 2023

  1. Vicky Kumpfer says:

    As always great information..really the only place to get such a comprehensive listing! I wish I could be there for your talk with Chyomi in mid-October..I’ll be on the East Coast- New York and Rhode Island to visit family. Best – Vicky

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