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

Arts Guild of Sonoma
Through December 31, Gifts of Art and Gratitude
***Reception Thursday, December 7 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Artwork by 23 AGS Members.
140 E. Napa St., Sonoma
707-996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org

 

 

 

Café Frida Gallery
SOFA Arts District
300 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-308-4344
www.cafefridagallery.com

Calabi Gallery
December 9, Gallery Group Exhibition
*** Opening Reception Saturday, December 9, for the new Gallery Group Exhibition and Iva Hladis’ Trunk Show.

Through December, Native American Heritage Celebration
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we’re offering an online exhibition paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Indigenous Peoples. This show features our inventory by Native American artists as well as non-native artists depicting aspects of Native American culture.
calabigallery.com/native-american-heritage-celebration/
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 January 19, Prove
The guest artists for this exhibit are Stephen Fitz-Gerald, Metal Sculpture and Linda Loveland Reid, Acrylic Painting. Resident artists are Laura Paine Carr, Jane Gardner, Pamela Heck, Terry Holleman, Hanya Popova Parker, Jason Taylor Morgan, Clay Vajgrt, and Jennifer Weiss.
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.
cloverdalesculpturetrail.org/

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

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

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

Graton Gallery
Through December 10, 3 Views
Work by Rik Olson, Fred Kling, and Chuck Pyle, with Guest Artists; Ceylan Crow, Anita Fenichel, Beverly Haley, Linda Malone, and Deborah Titus.

December 14 through January 21, Annual Small Works
*** Artists Reception Saturday, December 16, from 1 to 4 p.m.
The 12th Annual Small Works Juried Show was juried by painter, Charles Becker.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net

Hammerfriar Gallery
Through December 30, Adela Akers; Interlacings
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
Through December 30, 22nd Annual Gift Gallery
334 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
healdsburgcenterforthearts.org

 

IceHouse Gallery / Digital Grange
December 2 through January 5, Catch and Release
*** Opening reception Saturday, December 2, from 5 to 8 p.m.
On view are over 100 artworks and curiosities from the collections of Robert Flynn Johnson, Curator Emeritus of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts.
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 January 7, 34th Annual Artistry in Wood
Artistry in Wood is an annual exhibition presented by the Sonoma County Woodworkers Association in partnership with the Museum of Sonoma County. Staged every year since 1988, it is recognized as one of the premier fine woodworking shows in North America and has become a favorite among museum visitors.

History
December 9 through March 3, Tilden Daken: The Art of Adventure
*** Opening Saturday, December 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pay What you Wish.
Tilden Daken (1876-1935) was a California landscape painter known primarily for his oil paintings of the California redwoods, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and countryside scenes in both Northern and Southern California. He is closely associated with the California Impressionists, who painted during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Daken’s life, travels, and adventures paralleled many of the important stories of California – from the Gold Fields, to the growth of San Francisco and the rise of Hollywood, to the state’s connections across the southern border with Mexico.

Permanent Exhibition & Oral History Project, 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
December 2 through January 28, Wonders of West County
*** Artist Reception December 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. People’s Choice Award announced at 3:30 p.m.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org

Oli Gallery
132 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma
16215 Main Street, Guerneville
www.oligallery.com

Paul Mahder Gallery
Through December, Annual Holiday Exhibit
Work by over 40 artists.
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
paulmahdergallery.com/

 

Petaluma Arts Center
Through December 16, PAC Members Exhibition
October 28, 2023
*** Closing Party and Year End Celebration, Thursday, December 14, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
PAC celebrates its 15th Anniversary honoring 15 full years of bringing joy and creativity to the Petaluma community.

Artful Conversation: A Walk Through of Artworks in Our Members’ Exhibition:
Saturday, December 9, 1 to 3 p.m.
Saturday, December 16, 1 to 3 p.m.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org

 

Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Through January 12, Remembering Micah
The current exhibition in the gallery is a retrospective honoring our dear friend Micah Schwaberow. He was a man who devoted his entire life to creating beauty, and expressed his talent in so many different media. 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
Through December 31, Small Works: Sense of Humor
This year’s theme for the Annual Small Works Show is Sense of Humor. On view is Art from dozens of local artists that’s whimsical, oddball, surreal, playful, fun, off-color, or just mixed-up.

Through January 28, Members Show: New Works
*** Artists reception Friday, December 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.
312 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-526-0135
santarosaartscenter.org/

 

Santa Rosa Junior College, Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery
Through December 8, Rich Pictures
This group show explores the relationship between the personal creative practices of 10 Sonoma County artists and how their personal practice inspires a collaborative dialogue that expands the arts within their communities and beyond Sonoma County.
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
art-gallery.santarosa.edu/current-exhibits-0

 

 

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

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Through December 3, People
An international juried exhibition of portraits and more.

December 9 through December 31, Members Exhibition 2023
282 South High St., Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org

Sebastopol Gallery
Through December 2, Fences
New Mixed Media Paintings by Diana Majumdar and work by Guest Artist Louise Williams.
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopol-gallery.com/

Sebastopol Library, Forum Room
Through January 17, Linda Kammer
*** Reception with the artist, December 16, from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
An exhibit of paintings using layers of watercolor on paper with graphite, from the garden by Linda Kammer.
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 December 31, The Art of Giving
*** Reception/Holiday Open House December 2, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
UAG artists, Linda Barretta, Marsha Connell, Karen Miller, Laura Roney, Donna Schaffer, Carmen Sheldon, and Carolyn Wilson, present The Art of Giving, a collection of works that explore the bountiful gifts of the season.

For the Holiday Season our Staircase Showcase features hand-crafted 3D artwork, including glass, ceramics, turned and polished wood, and whimsical sculptures.
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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