Sonoma County’s sheer natural beauty and general creative ambience 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.
This July brings a selection of shows with a focus on America; and in the American way that artists do best–through opinion, dissent, nostalgia, and celebration.
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
July 1 through August 3, California Gold
*** Reception Sonoma Art Walk Thursday, July 2, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Discover California Gold, a special exhibition celebrating 175 years of California history highlighting selected works by Guild artists inspired by California’s distinctive landscapes, vineyards, coastlines, architecture, and way of life. Also see the vibrant abstract paintings of Sonoma guest artist Carola McAndrew.
140 E. Napa St., Sonoma
707-996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org
Blasted Art Gallery
July 2, 3, and 11, SCREAM: Small Space: BIG IDEA
*** Grand Opening: Thursday, July 2, from 5 to7 p.m., Rena Charles Gallery, Healdsburg
*** Artist’s Reception: Friday, July 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., Santa Rosa Arts Center, Santa Rosa
*** Artist’s Reception: Saturday, July 11, from 4 to 6 p.m., Studio LZ Gallery, Petaluma
This unique and timely event takes place on three dates, in three locations. The exhibit as well as each individual artwork in the show share the same name: SCREAM. Twelve Sonoma County artists will “SCREAM” together in a miniature exhibit that will appear at 3 different locations. The miniature FUN SIZE Blasted Art Gallery, which measures only 16 x 32 x 21″, serves as a portable vessel for this chorus of artists, as a timely response to global, national, local, and personal issues. SCREAM and FUN SIZE Blasted Art Gallery are a project of Blasted Art Gallery (Santa Rosa artists Chris Beards and Bill Shelley).
Charles M. Schulz Museum
Through September 16, Snoopy’s Family
Snoopy once claimed to be an “only dog,” but we know that’s not true! Enjoy an in-depth look at Snoopy’s family with original Peanuts art by Charles M. Schulz, animation cels, and products. Learn about Daisy Hill Farm, Snoopy’s parents, his siblings, and how they became a part of Peanuts.
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa
707-579-4452
www.schulzmuseum.org
Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery
Through July 12, Sanctuary
Sanctuary is a group exhibition featuring three artists whose work explores what it means to find refuge. From mystical self-reflection, to nests and mythic figures, scenes of community and welcome, the exhibition asks where we go to feel held. Also on view is work by Featured Resident Artist Terry Holleman, Guest Artist James William Moore, and Karen Pierce Gonzalez, as well as the following artists: Laura Paine Carr, Trudie Folsom, Jane Gardner, Pamela Heck, Will McCoy, Jennifer Weiss, and Community Annex Artist, Xiomara Pena.
204 N. Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale
707-894-4410
www.cloverdaleartsalliance.org
Corricks Art Trails Gallery/ My Daughter the Framer
Through August, Maurice Lapp 101
Corrick’s presents a retrospective exhibit of the works of the late, beloved painter and art teacher Maurice Lapp. With a newly-expanded collection of Maury’s oils and watercolors, this will be an outstanding celebration of his life and works.
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
707-546-2424
www.corricks.com
Erickson Fine Art Gallery, Inc.
324 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-431-7073
www.ericksonfineartgallery.com
Fulton Crossing Art Gallery
1200 River Rd., Fulton
www.fultoncrossing.com/exhibitions
Graton Gallery
Through August 2, Anything Goes
This is a juried show where, Anything Goes. 148 Artworks by 103 Artists.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
http://www.gratongallery.net
Hammerfriar Gallery
Through July11, Forms in Flux
Kerry Vander Meer and Laura Van Duren bring together their shared love of organic abstract forms using a variety of materials and bold colors. Together, their work reflects forms in continual transformation evolving through intuitive processes.
132 Mill St, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
https://www.hammerfriar.com/art-gallery
Healdsburg Center for the Arts
Through July 19, Small Wonders
Some of the most exquisite beauty can be captured in the smallest of images and objects, e.g., the iridescence of a hummingbird in flight, a millefiori paperweight, Faberge eggs, or a miniature woven basket. These pieces are modest in size but powerful in creativity and expression.
334 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
healdsburgcenterforthearts.org
IceHouse Gallery / Digital Grange
405 East D St., Petaluma
707-778-2238
www.digitalgrange.com
Keller Street Cowork
Through July 13, Debra Seal—Human Landscapes
Making The Familiar Strange. This exhibition invites us to look again at the human body. By shifting scale, perspective and context, the works on view extrange the familiar allowing its hidden structures to emerge. What appears ordinary becomes an entry point for inquiry, empathy and critique.
140 Keller Street, Petaluma
Laguna Foundation, Heron Hall
Through August, Illuminating Connections
Megan Gnekow offers a series of watercolor and ink illustrations that highlight the connections between organisms in their ecosystems, with a special focus on threatened or endangered species in California. All organisms exist in relation to each other – a kaleidoscope of connections across species, habitat, and time. When we recognize the interconnected needs of all species – including our own – we can make decisions that benefit us all.
900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa
707-527-9277
www.lagunafoundation.org
Museum of Sonoma County
Art
Through November 8, Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Running Fence at 50 Years
This landmark exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s monumental Running Fence, the temporary art installation that stretched 24.5 miles through Sonoma and Marin Counties. The project became world famous, and is an iconic part of North Bay culture and history. Through immersive design, powerful visuals, and firsthand accounts, the exhibit invites visitors to experience the magic and beauty that was the Running Fence – white fabric flowing across fields and cresting over hills to vanish into the Pacific Ocean – and to discover the remarkable 4-year odyssey that brought it to fruition.
Related Events:
Running Fence Reunion: September 12, 2026
Documentary Screening: September 26, 2026
For more information and further reading: https://museumsc.org/christo/
History
Through August 23, Disturbing the Peace: Sonoma County’s Early Punk Underground
In the 1970s and ’80s, as their parents settled in the suburbs or got “back to the land,” a generation of disaffected youth in Sonoma County channeled their alienation into a subculture that would grow to become a cultural force: the underground punk scene. With photos, flyers, records, zines, videos, listening stations and more, Disturbing the Peace chronicles the impact of Sonoma County’s flourishing punk movement that continues to reverberate today. A first-of-its-kind visual and audio history of Sonoma County’s punk scene, Disturbing the Peace is guest curated by Gabe Meline, KQED’s Senior Editor of Arts and Culture. A Santa Rosa native, Gabe evidences his love of the punk scene (as both musician and fan) in the artifacts and details gathered for this exhibition.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org
Occidental Center for the Arts
Through August 2, Wonders of Worlds
*** Artists Reception and People’s Choice Award July 11, from 2 to 4 p.m.
There are places and objects that stand out as exceptional throughout history, but some inspire WONDER itself, something so unique that people cannot grasp it as real or even possible.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org
Oli Gallery
Saturday, July 4, from 4 to 7 p.m. AMERICANA; Then and Now
The idea of America is so wonderful because the more equal something is, the more American it is.”—Andy Warhol. Come experience the America we grew up knowing and artist thinking on where we are.
16215 Main St. Guerneville
Paul Mahder Gallery
Through August 16, Elena Zolotnitsky: Idols, Icons & Variations on the Theme
Zolotnitska creates emotionally charged representational paintings that exist between observation and memory, and between realism and abstraction.
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
www.paulmahdergallery.com
Petaluma Arts Center
Through July 11, New Voices
New Voices is a new annual exhibition dedicated to celebrating the next generation of artistic talent. This group show features recent graduates from North Bay educational institutions—artists at that critical, early stage in their careers. Selected through a collaborative process led by a guest curator, Emma Logan, these emerging artists represent a diverse range of media and creative perspectives. We will offer public programming including artist talks, panel discussions, and workshops—giving you the chance to engage with fresh voices shaping the future of our creative community.
July 23 through August 29, Expressions in Metal
*** Opening Reception Thursday, July 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
This exhibition celebrates the depth and range of contemporary metalwork, featuring artists who forge, cast, weld, and experiment with contrasting materials to transform industrial elements into expressive works of art.
Also on view in the North Gallery:
Arthur Drooker; Selections from Thirty-Six Views of the Golden Gate Bridge
Drooker presents selections from Thirty-Six Views of the Golden Gate Bridge, a photographic series inspired by the celebrated 19th-century Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai and his iconic series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.
230 Lakeville St. Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org
Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Through August, Sarah Brayer—A Sense of Place
*** Meet the artist, July 18 and 19, in the Gallery.
A special exhibition of work by Kyoto artist, Sarah Brayer —A Sense of Place, Five Decades in Japan. 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 July 27, Out to Sea
The beauty, myth and mystery of the sea.
July 2 through August 29, Red, White, and Blue
*** Opening reception, First Friday July 3 from 5 to 8 p.m.
SOFA Arts District
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/exhibitions
Santa Rosa Junior College, Frank P. Doyle Library Gallery
Through December 11, Jerrold Ballaine: Land and Sea
On view are 20 paintings by Ballaine who was part of the art faculty at U.C. Berkeley for over 30 years. There he befriended many artists including Joan Brown, Manuel Neri, and Richard Diebenkorn. Ballaine continues to paint and work in a variety of media in his Sebastopol studio.
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
https://libraries.santarosa.edu
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Through July 26, Resist and Persist: Social (in)Justice
Artists have always responded at the forefront of cultural change. In times of unrest, art does not stay silent. It speaks truth, demands change, mourns loss, and envisions hope. The work in the show reflects the moment where art confronts injustice, reclaims identity, honors resistance, or envisions hope. Juried by Alan Beckstead and Beulah Vega.
282 South High St., Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org
Sebastopol Gallery
Through July 31, Take Your Time
In her newest oil paintings Sharon Eisley explores the time as a process. Change and transformation take time. Be it moving through grief, reframing your story of self, or birthing some new creation, each painting lures you in with beautiful application then holds you in time for a closer examination of our human experience. Eisleys paintings are all inspired by tarot cards and her personal journey. Guest artist, Robert Benson, challenges your eyes to fill in the details with his impressionist watercolors.
Come see and celebrate the Gallery’s new location.
186 N Main Street, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
https://www.sebastopolgallery.com
Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
https://artgallery.sonoma.edu
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through September 6, John Paul Morabito and Norma I. Quintana
John Paul Morabito: Dancing in the Night features richly woven works that blend digital processes with handcraft, transforming ritual materials into luminous tapestries that honor Queer life with color, reverence, and exuberance.
Norma I. Quintana: Paradise of Memory is a powerful portrait series drawing on itinerant photography traditions to connect personal and collective histories, celebrating everyday lives as vital expressions of cultural identity.
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
www.svma.org
Studio LZ
Through August 5, Shapes and Colors Paintings by Michael Coy
*** Reception Saturday, July 11, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Watershed Building
429 1st Street, Suite 130, Petaluma
www.studiolz.net
Upstairs Art Gallery
Through July 26, Local Color
*** Reception Saturday, July 4, from 3 to 6 p.m.
Linda Barretta presents Local Color, a collection unveiling new oil paintings that tap into the vivid natural hues found in our region’s breathtaking beauty. From flowers to vineyards, color takes a starring role in these works. Meet the artist: Barretta will host the Gallery on July 4, 6 & 26, 2:30 – 6pm and July 22, 11am to 2:30 pm.
The Stairway Smallworks Showcase features Beverly Bird’s Birds by Bird, a collection of acrylic paintings that depict our feathered friends, big and small, in natural habitats. Rendered in an impressionistic textured style, these works imbue their subjects with a lively spirit. Birds enliven our daily existence and their wild spirit provides endless subject matter. Meet the artist: Bird will host the Gallery on July 22 & 27, 2:30 – 6pm and July 29, 11am to 6 pm.
Also join us for Art Nite Healdsburg on Thursday, July 2, from 5 to 7 pm. This Monthly community event celebrates art and creativity with over 20 galleries participating. ArtNiteHealdsburg.com.
306 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-4214
www.Upstairsartgallery.net
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