ARTrails 2010

Sonoma Country is Art Country

Perhaps best known today as Wine Country, there is far more to Sonoma than just food and wine.  In fact, we can also be called Art Country. While a devotion to stewardship of the land is part of our legacy, a passion for the arts is what really defines Sonoma County. Those fortunate enough to live and visit here soon come to relish this area's rich creative environment past, present and, certainly—future.

World's a Stage

The Wells Fargo Center for the Arts (www.wellsfargocenterarts.org) is among California’s largest performing arts centers and serves the North Bay region with more than 125 live performances annually. The Center’s hallmark for nearly 25 years is its diversity of programs. From opera legend, Jose Carreras to pop legend, Carole King the arts center offers something for everyone. Visitors to the arts center will find great dance, theatre, jazz, rock & roll, country, classical, blues, world music, or comedy.

Live theater is often considered the sole provenance of a big city with high ticket  prices for a blockbuster night. With the establishment in 2002 of the North Bay Theater Group (www.nbtg.org), an alliance of some 38 troupes—exciting, demanding, thoughtful and excellent live performance has become the norm in Sonoma County. During the regular season, fall to spring, expect productions ranging from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights to risky, experimental works one would be hard-pressed to find in New York. The Santa Rosa Junior College (www.santarosa.edu) stages a slate of summer repertory that is nationally renowned. The Pacific Alliance Stage Company at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center is proud to be an Equity house, meaning that their professional actors are welcomed on any stage in the country. In the summer, Shakespeare, farce and original productions are mounted in parks and are particularly enjoyed at area wineries, where a homemade picnic can be supplemented with a bottle of local vintage.

Sonoma County is also home to more musicians and music lovers than can be counted. 78 years young, the Santa Rosa Symphony (www.santarosasymphony.com) is nationally renowned for inspiring and adventurous musical performances.  Known as one of the leading regional symphony orchestras in the U.S., the Santa Rosa Symphony has a full season of classical concerts with stellar guest artists from October through May, a chamber music festival and a brand new Symphony Pops series. It is featured in the annual Green Music Festival (www.greenmusicfestival.org) which also features internationally acclaimed chamber and solo music. The festival runs from July to August and is one of the great regional open air concerts in the country.

Spreckels Performing Arts Center (www.ci.rohnert-park.ca.us/performingarts) in Rohnert Park is another venue with theater, dance and music from Sonoma County and around the world.  Don’t miss the The Glaser Center (www.theglasercenter.org) in Santa Rosa. Some fun commercial venues include the Mystic Theater (www.mcnears.com), The Phoenix (www.thephoenixtheater.com)  and the Last Day Saloon  www.lastdaysaloon.com).  

Visual Vibes

 Galleries proliferate as the landscape and cultural environment inspires artists to create and exhibit. Sonoma County is home to many nationally and internationally known artists and galleries. "Destination Art", the Sonoma County Gallery Group (www.scgg.org), is an association of the county's top galleries, museums and art organizations. Visit the SCGG website to explore this diverse art scene. Here you can preview galleries, current exhibitions, and events. The site also offers regional maps and local art news.

The Arts Council’s annual ARTrails open studios event (www.artrails.org), typically held the second and third weekends in October, finds upwards of 140 artists opening their private workspaces directly to the public for the opportunity to learn about and purchase art directly. Along the rugged coastline of northern Sonoma County, the Gualala Arts Center (www.gualalaarts.org) presents a year-round slate of programming featuring arts of all disciplines that add to the enjoyment of a day at the beach. In western Sonoma County, Sebastopol Center for the Arts (www.sebarts.org) presents a full spectrum of visual, performing and literary arts.

Internationally-known artists view Sonoma County as a retreat, many keeping studios here in addition to ateliers in New York and Europe. Christo and Jeanne-Claude first came to the world’s attention when they launched their Running Fence over Sonoma County’s hillsides and straight down to the coast.

Today, the Sonoma County Museum (www.sonomacountymuseum.org) showcases work by internationally acclaimed artists, and is proud to hold the country's largest private collection of work by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Innovative exhibitions and education programs for all ages on art, history and culture, organized around the theme 'Where Land Meets Art,'  the Sonoma County Museum is amid an ambitious expansion both physical and conceptual as it aims to better serve an increasingly sophisticated audience in this gem of a regional Museum.

Closely aligned with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (www.svma.org) showcases everything from the post-modern painterly visions of Sandow Birk and Chester Arnold to Rodin sculptures rarely seen to cultural programming designed to engage a diverse membership.  Contemporary outdoor sculpture can be found in many locations including Paradise Ridge Winery and  the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center (www.schulzmuseum.org), established to honor the late Peanuts cartoonist, regularly hosts visiting cartoonists and promotes the arts to children as a viable career path. Plus, there’s everything there about that little round-headed kid!

Last Word

Dana Gioia, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, is a poet from Sonoma County; the written word flourishes here. Look for the Sonoma County Book Festival (www.sonomacountybookfair.org) to take place outdoors each September and for the Petaluma Poetry Walk to follow. A thriving poetry and story circuit is well established throughout the county. Local bookstores such as Copperfield’s Books (www.copperfieldsbooks.com) and other bookstores plus many of the branches of the county’s library system host free author readings regularly. The Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is home to a popular spoken word series that hosts a diverse annual series of world renowned authors.

Come to Art Country

The Arts Council of Sonoma County (www.sonomaarts.com) serves as an umbrella organization tying the community arts panels together and offers valuable information for the visitor. This list is only the beginning as Sonoma County is home to several thousand artists and more than 100 arts organizations. Look here for links to the arts and events county-wide. Those who come to Sonoma County for the food and wine may find themselves soon returning to take in more of this area’s richest treasure, the arts.