Area Exhibitions and Lectures

Sonoma County is home to a dynamic range of museum exhibitions and special displays that highlight the region’s history, art, and cultural heritage. Throughout the year, museums and cultural organizations across the county present rotating and long-term exhibitions that explore local stories, notable figures, community traditions, and regional themes. Below is a selection of current and upcoming exhibitions, offering visitors and residents an easy way to discover what is on view and plan visits to museums throughout Sonoma County.

Sonoma Barracks

36 East Spain Street, Sonoma, CA 95476
https://www.sonomaparks.org/location/the-sonoma-barracks/

Votes, Voices, Victory: 115 Years of California Women’s Suffrage
Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 11:00am—2:00pm
 
  • Informational tables: Sonoma State University Library, Sonoma County Public Library, National Women’s History Alliance, Sonoma County Historical Society, Saturday Afternoon Club, Sonoma valley Historical Society, and the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County
  • Guest speaker: Molly Murphy MacGregor,
  • Co-Founder of the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA)
  • Video: “California Women Win the Vote” from Wild West Women, Inc
  • Crafts and games
 
Celebrate Día De Los Muertos
Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 5:00pm—9:00pm
 
Altares • Movie • Crafts • ¡Y Măs!
Bring a jacket, blanket or foldable chair
 

Museum of Sonoma County

425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
https://museumsc.org/exhibitions/

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Running Fence at 50 Years
June 27, 2026 — November 8, 2026
 
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.
 
These photographs show people’s daily lives here in Sonoma County and include some recovered pre-war photos. Accompanying the local photos are oral history excerpts from interviews. Each unique story offers insights into the experiences of desperate and inhuman circumstances.
 
30th Annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
September 5, 2026 — November 29, 2026
 
The Museum of Sonoma County is honored to present its 30th Annual Día de Muertos exhibition running from September 5, through November 29, 2026. Presented every year since 1996, the exhibition has become a local touchstone. Over the years, the exhibition has featured altars and artworks created by hundreds of different students, artists, altaristas, and community members, who have presented the powerful traditions of Day of the Dead in our community. To recognize the 30-year milestone, the exhibition highlights the creations of many past participants and honor the founders of the local Día de Muertos exhibitions and celebrations.
 
SoCo Clicks
August 14, 2026 — November 8, 2026
 
The Sixth Annual SoCo Clicks Photography Exhibition showcases the work of students throughout Sonoma County. The exhibit is presented by Sonoma Valley High School, Petaluma High School, Santa Rosa Junior College, and the Museum of Sonoma County. The competition is open to current or previously enrolled Sonoma County students and welcomes photography produced within the last two years. Over 130 individuals entered over 300 images this year.
 
Light, Clay, and Copper: Mid-Century Arts and Crafts in Sonoma County
September 9, 2023 — Ongoing

The photographs of Hansel Mieth and Otto Hagel, the pottery of Marguerite Wildenhain, and the metalwork of Harry Dixon make up three important collections under the Museum’s care. 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.

Sonoma County Stories
September 9, 2023 — Ongoing

Sonoma County Stories is a permanent Sonoma County history exhibition that allows visitors to engage with the past in a brand-new way: through the power of storytelling. The exhibition, captures Sonoma County’s rich history, defined by a confluence of cultures and people, and a powerful connection to the land. Featuring stories representing the many diverse histories and cultures of the county, this ambitious and innovative permanent exhibition has at its core the Oral Histories of Gaye LeBaron.

Healdsburg Museum

221 Matheson St., Healdsburg, CA 95448
www.healdsburgmuseum.org

Healdsburg in the 1970s
February 21, 2026 — October 25, 2026
 
Marking the Healdsburg Museum’s 50th anniversary, “Healdsburg in the 1970s” pairs bright 1970s nostalgia with community-sourced artifacts and thoughtful stories about rights, belonging, land, and how the decade reshaped Healdsburg.
 

Many Paths to Healdsburg
August 9, 2025 — December 29, 2030

“Many Paths to Healdsburg,” is a new long-term exhibition that serves as a comprehensive introduction to the Healdsburg area. Co-curated by Holly Hoods and Experiential Designer Noah Jeppson, “Many Paths” offers a deep dive into the rich tapestry of Northern Sonoma County’s history and cultural geography from the past to the present through stories, photographs, artwork and objects. Visitors can explore the evolution of the region through thematic displays focusing on agriculture, commerce, architecture, transportation, and recreation. Special emphasis is placed on the dynamic natural landscapes, from the Russian River to the Geysers. The exhibition is designed for high visitor engagement with features like listening stations for recorded stories and videos and interactive artifact displays. By adding layers of sound and video imagery, multimedia artist Hugh Livingston helped create an immersive, living exhibition, designed to change and evolve. Information is presented in both English and Spanish, enhancing the experience for a diverse audience.

West County Museum

261 S Main St, Sebastopol, CA 95472
www.wschs.org/museum/

Basket Full of History
Currently Ongoing
 
A Look at Sebastopol’s Grocery Markets from 1890 to the present day. Markets have been a major part of our local history, with many local folks owning, shopping, or working the stores. One market has been here since 1925, another has a 60+ year history in one location. Take a trip down memory lane with photographs, vintage product containers, and current packing boxes. Local markets have loaned us everything from a large 8’ street sign to counter top scales. Open weekends from 11-2pm.

Petaluma Historical Library and Museum

20 Fourth Street Petaluma, CA 94952
https://www.petalumamuseum.com/2025-26-upcoming-exhibits/

The Fabric of Democracy:  Quilts and the Power of the People
June 18, 2026 — August 2, 2026
 
Explore how quilts—made across more than 250 years—have carried powerful messages about freedom, justice, and community in America. Through bold historic and contemporary works, the exhibition reveals how artists and everyday makers have stitched their hopes, protests, and visions for a more inclusive future into cloth.

Charles M. Schulz Museum & Research Center

2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
https://schulzmuseum.org/explore/exhibits/

Peanuts Evolution: The 1990s
May 6, 2026 — November 9, 2026
 
The 1990s are an underappreciated decade in Peanuts. Charles M. Schulz’s final decade of producing Peanuts was one of innovation and creativity. Schulz pushed old characters into new areas, embraced change, and even seemed to consider an end he knew was inevitable. Readers will find references firmly set in that decade, like rollerblades and fax machines, and may be surprised by other things that only rose in popularity afterward. Charlie Brown even has some “wins” (which are always snatched away). See over 50 original Peanuts comic strips from the Schulz Museum’s collection and discover what makes this decade unique in Peanuts.
 
Blanket Statements: The Philosophies of Linus
Through March 10, 2027
 
With his security blanket in hand, Linus Van Pelt offers reflections on life, happiness, faith, and existential uncertainty—even if not everyone is ready to hear them. In this exhibition, take a closer look at the Peanuts gang’s resident philosopher, Linus, whose delicate balance of intellect and childhood innocence has made him one of Charles M. Schulz’s most beloved characters. See original Peanuts comic strips, vintage products, and animation cels, step into some playful photo-ops, and join Linus as he tries to make sense of a big, unpredictable world while keeping Snoopy from stealing his blanket!
 
Inking History
Through January 10, 2027
 
Happy 250th Birthday, America! Snoopy’s Revolutionary War patriot persona tells the story of America’s war for independence while reflecting Charles M. Schulz’s love of history. This series of Peanuts Sunday strips explores suffering and hope for a better future, brought to life through humor and reflection, in one of Snoopy’s final personas.
 
Why Can’t I Have a Normal Dog?
November 11, 2026 — July 12, 2027
 
Charlie Brown desperately wishes to blend in, while Snoopy can’t help but stand out—it is a recipe for a great comedic duo! Explore the evolution of Snoopy and the ways he is totally unique, leaving Charlie Brown to mutter, “Why can’t I have a normal dog like everyone else?”
 
Stage to Page: Shakespeare in Peanuts
January 14, 2027 — November 7, 2027
 
Charles M. Schulz frequently drew inspiration from Shakespeare, with over twenty-five references to the Bard in Peanuts. Discover this unique crossover delivered in humorous Peanuts fashion, and the surprising similarities between the two celebrated creators, whose works continue to captivate readers across generations.

SRJC Multicultural Museum and Doyle Library

1501 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95401
https://museum.santarosa.edu
https://libraries.santarosa.edu

From Sheep to Loom: Diné Weaving Traditions
August 17, 2026 — October 22, 2026
 
For the Diné, weaving is considered a ceremony. Creating a single blanket requires many steps, including shearing the sheep, cleaning, carding, spinning, and dyeing the wool, and then finally weaving. It can take hundreds of hours. This exhibit features rugs from the SRJC Multicultural Museum’s collections, featuring award winning woven rugs such as a fine “Burntwater” style rug by the great Nellie Roan and many other examples of Navajo rugs from the 1920s through the 1970s.  
 
Standing In Her Power: Portraits Beyond the Colonial Frame
November 3, 2026 — March 16, 2027
Saturday, November 14, 2026 4:00pm – 6:00pm
 
For centuries, American Indian women have been photographed and documented through a distant, colonial lens, flattened into stereotypes, relics, and symbols of a vanishing past. The work of Edward S. Curtis remains one of the clearest examples: carefully staged images that shaped a mythology of the “Indian” as stoic, timeless, and disappearing.
 
These images did more than misrepresent us. They helped create a visual language that continues to shape how Indigenous women are seen.
 
Standing in Her Power offers another way of looking. Through portraiture, we turn the camera toward dignity, agency, and self-representation. The women within these pages are dancers, artists, beadworkers, teachers, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, language keepers, and land and water defenders. They are culture bearers, but they are not defined by what they carry for others.
 
They are joyful, complicated, funny, creative, vulnerable, powerful, and ever-changing.
 
These portraits are an act of witnessing, not of studying. They honor Indigenous women as living, breathing people defining for themselves how they are seen: rooted in ancestral knowledge, present in their own lives, and carrying their stories forward on their own terms.
 
In the Spotlight: Lawrence’s George “Nash” Walker
September 1, 2026 — December 4, 2026
 
Featuring the research and personal collection of author Dr. Daniel Atkinson, In the Spotlight: Lawrence’s George “Nash” Walker follows the career of George “Nash” Walker from Lawrence, Kansas to the lights of Broadway. Walker and his partner, Bert Williams, performed a highly successful vaudeville act of Broadway and overseas, blazing the trail of opportunity for future Black actors and actresses in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. 
 
Don’t miss Dr. Atkinson’s lecture on September 10th from 12:00 noon – 3:30 pm in the Quiet Reading Room #4520, on the Fourth floor of the Doyle Library on the Santa Rosa campus. Daniel E. Atkinson is an independent scholar who received his PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 2011. After stints as a jazz musician, journalist and Music Director for an NPR affiliate, he became a specialist of Afro-American vernacular expression. 
 
This Exhibit, and Dr. Atkinson’s lecture, are funded by a grant from the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation Randolph Newman Cultural Enrichment Endowment. 

Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House

431 South Main St., Ukiah, CA 95482
www.gracehudsonmuseum.org

Deep Valley: People, Places, Memory
September 4, 2026 — February 7, 2027
 
With this 2026 exhibition we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Grace Hudson Museum, the 150th anniversary of the City of Ukiah, and the 250th anniversary of our nation by exploring elements of the Greater Ukiah Valley — past and present — which have helped create and shape community.  Deep Valley: People, Places, Memory takes a look at places and associations such as Todd Grove Park, the Palace Hotel, Mendocino State Hospital, Pinoleville Rancheria, the Latino Americano Concilio, the Ukiah Haiku Festival, City of 10,000 Buddhas, and, to be sure, the history and evolution of the historic Sun House and the Grace Hudson Museum.
 
GALA 2026: Our 40th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, September 26, 5:00pm — 8:00pm
 
Help us celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Grace Hudson Museum by attending our 2026 Gala, organized and presented by the Sun House Guild. Dinner will be catered by Ashlin Garbocci Gourmet Catering, and music will be provided by the Back Porch Trio. 
 
Online tickets are no longer available. To inquire about ticket availability, please contact the Museum at ghminfo@cityofukiah.com, or by calling (707) 467-2836, or by stopping by the Museum in person.

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

551 Broadway, Sonoma, CA 95476
www.svma.org

The Real-Life Art History of M. Louise Stanley
September 19, 2026 — January 24, 2027
 
M. Louise Stanley stands a bit apart from other Bay Area Figurative artists like Robert Arneson, James Albertson, and Peter Saul, who also embrace humor (both light and dark, high and low) and comic-style treatments to comment on the more serious side of life. Stanley’s work is celebrated for its wildly imaginative narratives and distinctly female perspective, shaped by her keen observations of everyday life and setting her apart from her male contemporaries.
 
In SVMA’s exhibition, Stanley’s large-scale acrylic paintings, gouache and watercolor works on paper, and sculptural objects are presented alongside selections of the artist’s sketchbooks, studies, photos, and notes from her personal archives, revealing her artistic process and her relentless creative pursuits.
 
Silent Light: San Francisco and the Art of California Zen
February 6, 2027 — June 13, 2027
 
Silent Light: San Francisco and the Art of California Zen explores the influence of Zen Buddhism on artists and thinkers involved in the California counterculture of the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition brings together Bay Area artists who were deeply influenced by the Asian aesthetics of Zen, pursuing organic materials and forms and, for many, approaching art-making itself as a form of meditation. Featured artists include Bernice Bing, JB Blunk, Jay DeFeo, Claire Falkenstein, Sam Francis, Nancy Genn, Sabro Hasegawa, Adaline Kent, Masatoyo Kishi, Arthur Monroe, Arthur Okamura, Gordon Onslow Ford, Wolfgang Paalen, Hodo Tobase, and Peter Voulkos, among others.
 
California Zen offered an alternative to the consumerism and conformity of postwar American society, emphasizing self-sufficiency, communal living, ecology, and creating art for oneself and one’s community with available materials.
 
Long before Shunryu Suzuki established the San Francisco Zen Center in 1962 and Tassajara Mountain Center in 1967, Japanese Zen found fertile ground in California through influential figures including D.T. Suzuki, Alan Watts, and Sabro Hasegawa, helping shape a distinctly Californian approach to Zen, art, and creative practice.