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
Through April 28, April Exhibitions 2025
*** Opening Reception Thursday, April 3 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Featuring the Emerging Artists Show with work by students from Adele Harrison Middle School and Sonoma Valley High School; as well as work by Arts Guild Members.
140 E. Napa St., Sonoma
707-996-3115
www.artsguildofsonoma.org

Calabi Gallery
Through April 26, Pushing Boundaries
The legendary golden age of the California School of Fine Arts, known as A Period of Exploration, took place between 1945 and 1950. Later the school was renamed the San Francisco Art Institute. Pushing Boundaries features a number of SFAI artists including Susan Marie Dopp, Claire Falkenstein, Bella Feldman, Sonia Gechtoff, Pamela Glasscock, Robert Howard, Harry Jacobus, Walter Kuhlman, Evri Kwong, Frank Lobdell, Sutter Marin, Robert McChesney, Irving Norman, Nathan Oliveira, Hassel Smith, and Inez Storer, among others.
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 May 23, Neighbors
Guest artist for this exhibit is Robert Milano, Painting. Community Annex Artists are: Mona Ashbough, Cindi Gonzales and Sharon Pillsbury. Resident artists are Laura Paine Carr, Trudi Folsom, Jane Gardner, Pamela Heck, Terry Holleman, Jason Taylor Morgan, and Jennifer Weiss. Trudie Folsom is the featured resident artist.
204 N. Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale
707-894-4410
www.cloverdaleartsalliance.org

Corricks Art Trails Gallery/ My Daughter the Framer
April 1 through April 26, Taking Wing
*** Reception Friday, April 4, from 5 to 7 p.m.
A group exhibit of more than 20 top Sonoma County artists, showing works full of fine plumage, fluttering ascent, and taking off to new heights.
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 May 4, Shadows and Light
*** Artists Reception Sunday, April 6, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Featuring artworks by Sally Baker and Harry Frank. Also showing Guest Artists: Bev Haley, Janet McBeen, Anita Fenichel, Thea Goldstine, Connie Mygatt, and Marc Schmid.
9048 Graton Road, Graton
707-829-8912
www.gratongallery.net

Hammerfriar Gallery
Through April 30, The Edge Knows. The Rock is.
The exhibition features mixed-media works by longtime collaborators, Brooke Holve and Catherine Richardson. The two artists, within their unique practices and mediums, use their work to, “draw attention to processes of making. Through experimentation, selection of tools, physical and intuitive engagement, each emphasizes formation as process rather than immutable form. “There is something that is captivating about the earth’s ancient, primal forces. Geological phenomena, with all of its unexpected upheavals, serve as a gateway to a deeper connection and engagement with the earth.”
132 Mill St, Healdsburg
707-473-9600
www.hammerfriar.com

Healdsburg Center for the Arts
April 2 through May 11, Robert Weiss Retrospective
*** Opening Reception April 5 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Honoring Weiss’ 60 years as a ceramic artist and photographer.
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 April 25, Sonoma Impressions, Paintings by Lenona Winter
This exhibition of oil paintings celebrates the breathtaking landscapes of Sonoma County. Featuring scenes of majestic coastlines, golden summer hills, vibrant autumn vineyards, and serene natural vistas.
900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa
707-527-9277
www.lagunafoundation.org

Museum of Sonoma County
Art
Through June 8, UNRULY: North Bay Artists from the San Francisco Art Institute
The exhibition honors the legacy of the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), the oldest and most influential fine arts school on the West Coast, which shut its doors in 2022 after 150 years of dynamic art making. The UNRULY exhibition specifically focuses on the impact and influence of SFAI in the North Bay. The show features the work of 18 regional artists, spanning multiple generations, who either studied or taught at the Art Institute. Collectively, they embody the spirit of boundary-pushing and experimentation that the school so famously fostered, affirmed, and supported.

History
April 12 through September 7, It’s in the Mail! Sonoma County’s Postal History
*** Opening and Museum of Sonoma County 40th birthday celebration, Saturday, April 12, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There’ll be cake and birthday fun at this free event.
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
April 5 through May 11, Four Elements
*** Artist Reception April 19, from 2 to 4 p.m.
This multi-sensory art exhibit celebrates the raw beauty and untamed spirit of the natural world. Featuring works from visionary artists, this exhibit invites you to explore the delicate balance and fierce energy of the elements that shape our lives.
3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental
707-874-9392
www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org



Paul Mahder Gallery
222 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
707-473-9150
paulmahdergallery.com/

Petaluma Arts Center
April 17 through June 7, Figure As Story in the main gallery, and Queer Time Capsule in the north gallery
*** Opening Reception Thursday, April 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
707-762-5600
www.petalumaartscenter.org

Ren Brown Collection Gallery
Spring Show, Winged Creatures, Both Large and Small
Providing lessons in printmaking, the subject of the exhibition highlights work done in intaglio, relief, and planographic mediums. These three modes of printmaking describe how ink is transferred to the paper. Intaglio means “cut into” in Italian, and covers mediums where ink is held below the plate surface. Relief printing is the opposite—ink is applied to the raised surface only. Planographic prints are without a raised or recessed surface, such as silkscreen, stencil or lithograph. 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
April 4 through May 31, Our Precious Planet
*** Artists Reception Friday, April 4 from 5 to 8 p.m.
This annual environmental exhibit coincides with the celebration of Earth Month and features artwork that focuses on the Earth as our common, and currently endangered, home. The work addresses Earth’s unique beauty, stunning diversity, and its place as an enduring home to all living things. Through paintings, sculptures and mixed-media, artists also address the challenges and dangers all living beings now face as we struggle with human-caused climate change.
SOFA Arts District
312 South A Street, Santa Rosa
707-526-0135
santarosaartscenter.org/

Santa Rosa Junior College, Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery
Through April 4, SRJC Art Faculty
This exhibition showcases the diverse and talented faculty members of the SRJC Art Department. Featuring works across a wide range of mediums, styles, and concepts, this event highlights the passion and dedication of our art faculty.
1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-527-4298
art-gallery.santarosa.edu/current-exhibits

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Through May 4, Leftward Bound
A Contemporary Photography Exhibition that reflects the challenges in the world around us and encourages us to see things from our own unique perspective.
282 South High St., Sebastopol
707-829-4797
www.sebarts.org

Sebastopol Gallery
150 N. Main St, Sebastopol
707-829-7200
www.sebastopolgallery.com

Sebastopol Library, Forum Room
Through May 6, Los Abuelitos+
Photographs from the VISUAL ARTS GROUP.
7140 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol
707-823-7691

Sonoma State University, University Art Gallery
April 17 through May 17, 2025 BFA Exhibition
Showing work by five graduating BFA students.
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park
707-664-2295
artgallery.sonoma.edu

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Through April 27, Book Becoming Art
This exhibition introduces audiences to the art of bookmaking, presenting an exquisite collection of approximately 40 contemporary hand-crafted artist books. All of the artwork is inspired by Japanese aesthetics with the majority of pieces coming from Japan. The exhibition highlights how Japanese artistry combines traditional elements such as paper and calligraphy with modern themes and techniques, particularly in bookmaking and print. These limited-edition and one-of-a-kind works celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Japan and its influence on artistic expression, showcasing a blend of sophistication and creativity.
551 Broadway, Sonoma
707-939-7862
www.svma.org

Upstairs Art Gallery
Through April 27, Branching Out
*** Reception Saturday, April 12 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Carolyn Wilson presents Branching Out, a collection of multi-media artwork that explores the strength and majestic beauty of trees. Inspired by Kahill Gribran’s “Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky,” Wilson’s expressionistic-style collages depict trees, both real and imagined. Meet the artist: Wilson will host the Gallery on April 4 and 17 from 11 to 6 p.m.
The Stairway Showcase presents Phyllis Rapp’s Goin’ South, a collection of colorful watercolors inspired by the lively spirit and rich colors south of the border. Meet the artist: Rapp will host the Gallery on April 27 and 28, from 11 to 6 p.m.
306 Center Street, Healdsburg
707-431-4214
www.Upstairsartgallery.net
www.artsguildofsonoma.org

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