Art in Sonoma County

by Satri Pencak

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.
Please check with the venues for current status of health protocols, hours, events and exhibitions.

*** Designates an Opening Reception.

Arts Guild of Sonoma
July 2 through July 28, July Show at the Arts Guild
Opening Reception Thursday, July 3, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
See an inspiring new collection of original artwork— from paintings and prints to sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, greeting cards, and handmade gifts. Meet the featured new artist members; Patricia Reilly, Hand-fabricated sterling silver and glass enamel jewelry; and Kay Young, Expressive mixed media works on glass.
140 E. Napa St., Sonoma
707-996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org

Calabi Gallery
Through August 30, Fresh and Juicy!
The show features local contemporary artists working in a variety of styles and media. Many of these works were created recently, thus “fresh,” and all are rich and compelling, thus “juicy.” As usual, some selections from the gallery’s inventory of vintage art will also be shown. Some of the artists include; Douglas Ballou, Robyn Beattie, Warren Bellows, Catherine Daley, Christine DeMeo, Robin Dintiman, Holly Downing, Easton, Molly Eckler, Pamela Glasscock, James Ford Grant, Tim Haworth, Ester Hernandez, Iva Hladis, Evri Kwong, Jill London, Carolyn Lord, Sherrie Lovler, Michael McMillan, Emmanuel Catarino Montoya, Carol Peek, Isabelle Proust, Michael Ramos, Alejandro Salazar, Stephanie Sanchez, Gary Spratt, Inna Talantova, Colin Talcroft, and Bambi Waterman.
456 Tenth St., Santa Rosa
707-781-7070
www.calabigallery.com

Charles M. Schulz Museum
Through September 10, Paperback Peanuts
Downstairs Changing Gallery
The first Peanuts paperback came out in 1952, and it was followed by many, many more. The affordable, pocket-sized books were easy gifts to give, share, and collect and brought joy in good times and solace in bad for many fans. Discover the history of these beloved treasures and learn how it all started with someone who didn’t read comics at all!
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa
707-579-4452
www.schulzmuseum.org

Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery
Through July 25, Community
The guest artist for this exhibit is Sterling Hoffman. Community Annex Artists are: Svetlana Artemoff, Shawna Eddy, and Donna Perimon. Resident artists are Laura Paine Carr, Trudi Folsom, Jane Gardner, Pamela Heck, Terry Holleman, Will McCoy, Jason Taylor Morgan, and Jennifer Weiss. Will McCoy is the featured resident artist.
204 N. Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale
707-894-4410
www.cloverdaleartsalliance.org

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

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

Graton Gallery
Through July 27, Different Strokes; Expressions in Pastel
Featuring artworks by Tamra Sanchez and Bruce Hopkins, with Guest Artists Christine Church, Erika Linn, Hilary Mosberg, and Jay O’Neil.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net

Hammerfriar Gallery
Through July, Cadence
New Work by Bill Shelley, whose work is thought-provoking, visually and conceptually striking, and always surprising.
132 Mill St, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
www.hammerfriar.com

Healdsburg Center for the Arts
Through July 6, Journeys
334 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-1970
healdsburgcenterforthearts.org

IceHouse Gallery / Digital Grange
Through July 31, Lois Stopple; Tenacious Tentacles
Lois Stopple creates vibrant sculptures built from carved wood, layered paint, and intricate chromatic collages. Her work combines fine craftsmanship with emotional resonance. She uses color, shape, and form to express a wide emotional spectrum, from joyful play and serenity to the seriousness of sadness and fear.
405 East D St., Petaluma
707-778-2238
www.digitalgrange.com

Laguna Foundation, Heron Hall
Through August 29, Adam Wolpert; The Great Oak Series
This exhibition features a special selection of large-scale giclée prints (4′ x 6′) of paintings by Wolpert. The work showcases seven stunning oak tree portraits, capturing their beauty, individuality, and seasonal transformations.
900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa
707-527-9277
www.lagunafoundation.org

Museum of Sonoma County
Art
Through November 30, Bruce Johnson: Sculptor
Bruce Johnson: Sculptor, a landmark exhibition celebrating the life, vision, and legacy of one of Sonoma County’s most revered artists. The exhibition marks the first major museum survey of Johnson’s work since his sudden passing in 2023.

History
Through September 7, It’s in the Mail! Sonoma County’s Postal History
Communication wasn’t always easy . . . or fast. A huge advance happened right here in Sonoma County when the world’s FIRST airmail delivery was made between Petaluma and Santa Rosa in 1911. The airplane that made that delivery was built right here in Sonoma County too – by a local race car driver and mechanic named Fred Wiseman. A replica of that airplane is a centerpiece for the show, which is only appropriate since the Post Office building that received that first airmail delivery is now the Museum of Sonoma County.
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa
707-579-1500
www.museumsc.org

Occidental Center for the Arts
Through August 3, Resilience
*** Artist Reception, July12 from 2 to 4 p.m.
This exhibition seeks to explore the strength of the human spirit, the power of endurance, and the beauty that emerges from struggle.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org

Paradise Ridge Winery
June 15-ongoing, Return to Paradise
Paradise Ridge Winery and the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation are pleased to announce Return to Paradise – a sculpture exhibition celebrating Walter Byck and Marijke Byck-Hoenselaars’ thirty year legacy of visionary leadership and community engagement through art and sculpture at Paradise Ridge. Curated by Jeff Nathanson (former director of the Museum of Sonoma County), the exhibition will showcase more than a dozen local artists, each with a unique and rich history of exhibiting at Paradise Ridge. In recognition of Walter Byck and Marijke Byck-Hoenselaars’ enduring dedication to supporting local artists and to bringing sculpture to Sonoma County, the exhibition will serve as a celebratory return for the participating artists.
Paradise Ridge Winery; in Marijke’s Grove
4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Fountaingrove, Santa Rosa
www.prwinery.com

Paul Mahder Gallery
Through July, Chris Blum, This & That
New dioramas by Chris Blum made from found and re-imagined objects.
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
www.paulmahdergallery.com

Pepperwood Gallery
On view, Sacred Habitat: the Visions of Ian Nelson
An exhibit of work by renowned local photographer and cinematographer Ian Nelson, presenting a captivating mixed-media event which showcases breathtaking visuals from around the globe, featuring not only stunning photographs but also thought-provoking short nature documentary films.
2130 Pepperwood Preserve Road, Santa Rosa
www.pepperwoodpreserve.org

Petaluma Arts Center
July 17 through August 23, My World in Blue
***Opening Reception Thursday, July 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
This juried exhibition gathers visual works from 56 Bay Area artists that explore the layered meanings of blue. Through painting, photography, collage, and mixed media, artists delve into the emotional and symbolic range of this multifaceted hue.

Also on view:
Place-Making Through Public Art; A Survey of Petaluma’s Public Art
The City of Petaluma offers a trove of public art linking parks, waterways, municipal sites and even the city’s back alleys. From classically inspired sculptures to contemporary murals, unknown artists to globally acclaimed creators, Petaluma’s public art collection has something for everyone. Find out where these pieces live and learn the names of the artists behind the artwork.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org

Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Currently on view, Summer Fun
As the busy season launches, the gallery highlights artwork in the upstairs gallery with an exhibit celebrating the great memories of summer. 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 28, Art Under the Influence
Artwork inspired and influenced by other artists which demonstrate and acknowledge the influence of another artist on the concept, design or presentation of the work.

July 3 through August 30, Through the Window
*** Artists Reception Friday, July 11 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Looking out or looking in…the window to the world or the window into our soul.
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
art-gallery.santarosa.edu/current-exhibits

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Through August 3, International Fiber Arts XII
International Fiber Arts XII is a juried exhibition celebrating innovative, forward thinking and traditional and nontraditional fiber techniques with 90 outstanding artworks from around the world.
282 South High St., Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org

Sebastopol Gallery
Through August 2, Lucy Martin, Cabinet of Curiosities
*** Artist Talk July 12, at 4 p.m.
Cabinets of curiosities emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries. They included collections of natural history, geology, antiquities and paintings. Objects were displayed in elaborate rooms or cabinets, and were meant to awaken wonder and delight at the vast diversity of nature and art. Lucy’s show was inspired by these collections: an expression of her sense of awe at the marvels and mysteries of nature.
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopolgallery.com

Sebastopol Library, Forum Room
Through July 12, Convergence/Divergence
Paintings and Multimedia by Alan Azhderian and Jackie McCarthy.

July 21 through September 19, Bill Cutler; The Art of Still Life
Paintings of objects with luminous depth, as if they can be picked up from the canvas.
7140 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol
707-823-7691

Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
/artgallery.sonoma.edu

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through September 7, Nancy Genn: The Nature of Being
This retrospective exhibition of work by Berkeley-based artist, Nancy Genn, explores a long career rooted in the history of post-war American art in the fields of gestural abstraction and abstract expressionism. She is known for working in various media, including paintings, bronze sculpture, printmaking, and notably, handmade paper based on the Japanese washi papermaking tradition. Influenced by her extensive travels, Asian craft aesthetics, and spiritual traditions, her work features nature’s effects of light, landscape, and water, along with the human presence represented by architectural motifs and functional objects.
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
www.svma.org

Upstairs Art Gallery
Through July 27, Brush With Wildlife
*** Reception Saturday, July 5, from 3 to 6 p.m. Celebrate the show and the Gallery’s 28th anniversary.
Ron Sumner presents Brush with Wildlife, a collection of paintings that feature birds in their majestic presence. Working primarily in watercolor, his subject matter seems to come to life. Meet the artist: Sumner will be hosting the Gallery on July 4, 9, 18, 20 from 2:30 to 6 p.m.

The Stairway Showcase presents Bev Haley’s Floral Moments, a collection of paintings of flora, fruit and feathered friends. Joyful and fun, these works are a strong antidote to depression. Meet the artist: Haley will be hosting the Gallery on July 6, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and July 12 & 27, 2:30 to 6 p.m. Also, introducing Linda Loveland Reid, new member of the Upstairs Art Gallery.
306 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-4214
www.Upstairsartgallery.net

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