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.
Art Trails Sonoma County 2021
September 18-19 and 25-26, Sonoma County Art Trails Open Studios
*** Studios are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekend.
Sonoma County Art Trails, in beautiful Sonoma County Wine Country, invites you to EXPLORE Sonoma County, ENGAGE with artists in their own studios and COLLECT beautiful art. Visit one of the preview exhibitions and pick a catalog with maps and all the information you need for a self-guided tour.
https://www.sonomacountyarttrails.org/
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
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.
September 19 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
Through September 26, Art Trails Open Studios Preview Show
*** First Friday Reception, September 3, from 5 to 7 p.m.
With the return of Art Trails Open Studios to Sonoma County this Fall, we’re so excited to announce the return of Corricks’ First Friday art receptions! And we’re starting it off by featuring dozens of Art Trails’ artists – our primary collaborators in the Gallery!
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
707-546-2424
www.corricks.com
Fulton Crossing Gallery
Through September 26, Sonoma County Art Trails Preview Exhibition
Showing work by Art Trails artists.
Also on display in the Gallery, Petals + Fur
Paintings by Mylette Welch.
1200 River Road, Fulton
707-536-3305
www.fultoncrossing.com/
Gallery 300
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, juried by Satri Pencak.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net
Healdsburg Center for the Arts
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
September 11 through December 17, The Russian River and its Watershed
*** Opening Reception, Saturday, September 11, from 3 to 5 p.m.
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, 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
New 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.
Ongoing, The Portal Service
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jessica Rasmussen, Anna Wiziarde, and Julian Billotte opened the first known Portal in Courthouse Square; a gilded mailbox, for letters to the past or future. A small sample of these letters is viewable in this exhibit. Towards the end of the project, the Portal Service was astonished to receive a cease and desist from the United States Postal Service. It was for infringement on USPS intellectual property, i.e. the similarity of the name and the shape of the iconic collection box.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org
By Darcy Reinier
Occidental Center for the Arts
Through September 26, A Place In The Woods
With thirty Sonoma County artists contributing their work in a variety of media, this exhibit offers an amazingly diverse interpretation of our theme “A Place In The Woods”. You can visit our gallery on Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 4 p.m.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org
Paul Mahder Gallery
September 4 through September, The Architecture of Nature
*** Opening Reception Saturday, September 4, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Cracked linen water sculpture and botanical carvings by Roberta Ahrens.
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
https://paulmahdergallery.com/
Petaluma Arts Center
Through September 18, By Hand: Makers Among Us
This exhibition looks at the work of Petaluma creatives. In an effort to expand our definition and perception of the arts, we shine a light on these makers from our local community who create beauty and function in their work; taking art off the wall and highlighting connections between art and life. In a juxtaposition of objects, images and text, a story of methods and materials unfolds, illuminating both product and process. Curated by Carin Jacobs.
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 nearly 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
September 9 through November 6, 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
September 3 through October 30, We the People
*** Opening Reception Friday September 3, from 5 to 7 p.m.
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
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
https://art-gallery.santarosa.edu
Sculpturesite, Glen Ellen
Current on-line exhibition, Josef Marek: Infinity Trapped, Glass Sculptures
Presenting an exclusive on-line exhibition featuring 22 exquisite glass sculptures by Czech artist Josef Marek. 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 September 12, Fiber Arts X
The Exhibition is in collaboration with the Surface Design Association, and juried by Carol Beadle, fiber artist and teacher, Melissa Leviton, curator and specialist in textiles and costume, and Tom Grotto, photographer and gallery owner.
September 17 through October 3, Art Trails Preview Exhibit
*** Opening reception September 16, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Showing the work of 121 Art Trails artists.
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
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
www.sonoma.edu/artgallery
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
September 18 through January 2, 2022, Double Trouble: Enrique Chagoya & Kara Maria
*** Opening reception, September 18, check website for details.
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 opening, 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, beginning September 18 through December 15.
Through September 5, Sacred Landscapes, The Art of Ynez Johnston
A retrospective exhibition featuring paintings, sculptures, and prints from more than seven decades by Ynez Johnston (1920-2019).
Through September 5, Question Bridge: Black Males
Question Bridge is an innovative and widely exhibited video installation from artists Chris Johnson and Hank Willis Thomas in collaboration with Bayeté Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair. The project explores challenging issues within the black male community through a transmedia conversation among black men.
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 September 26, Conversing With Nature
*** Reception September 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. Meet and talk with the artists about their inspiration and work to create these special collections. Karen Miller presents Conversing with Nature, a collection of pastel paintings that translate the artist’s passion for subjects in nature, especially trees and flowers. These works masterfully demonstrate the saturated color quality unique to the pastel medium – skies glow, trees shimmer, flowers sparkle.
The Staircase Showcase features Gail Morgan’s Warmth of Wax, a collection that highlights the artist’s recent explorations of encaustic painting and monotype. Encaustic is an ancient art mixing beeswax and resin with heat to fuse layers, giving depth and translucence to the work.
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.
Satri Pencak - Curatorial Services 