Museum of Sonoma County

As Sonoma County prepares to implement the regional stay home order this weekend, we're reminded that the winters of 1918 and 1919 challenged our community in similar ways. From reinstated mask orders, to the discouraging of gatherings, and school closures, see how Sonoma County weathered the 1918 Flu Pandemic in our online exhibition, "Looking Back at the Influenza Pandemic of 1918."

Musing on images of femininity and women’s roles in society, Healdsburg artist Pat Lenz was inspired to create a sculpture that confronted these issues. What does it mean to be nobody’s poodle? asks Lenz. No one can name you, command you, or lead you. You think and decide for yourself. The work also considers militarism and violence. Lenz continues, When I began this project there were wars and genocides raging all over the globe fueled by testosterone-filled, power-hung...ry despots without compassion for people or nature. The world has not changed. I envisioned a new icon: a goddess, a heroine, the embodiment everything positive, life giving, and life sustaining. Lenz concludes, Everyone should aspire to be Nobody’s Poodle. "Nobody's Poodle" is featured in the upcoming exhibition "35: Thirty-Five Artists for Thirty-Five Years," which highlights works from MSC's permanent collection and will be available online beginning December 22. Museum members are invited to join us for the Virtual Members' Dual Opening Reception for 35: Thirty-Five Artists for Thirty-Five Years and Artistry in Wood TONIGHT, December 9, at 7:00pm (PT). More information: https://museumsc.org/35-exhibition.

Members of the Museum of Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Woodworkers Association are invited to join us tomorrow evening for an exclusive preview of our TWO new exhibitions! Get a sneak peek (virtually) into the gallery and participate in a live Q&A session with the exhibition organizers. Pre-register today: https://museumsc.org/events/?eid=7484

As we close the Sculpture Garden for the winter and continue to monitor Sonoma County's reopening status, we invite you to enjoy our online content. We have truly enjoyed your visits to the garden these last few months and look forward to welcoming you back as soon as it is safe to do so. We remain committed to serving our community and thank you for your support and encouragement during this challenging year Explore online con...tent: http://museumsc.org/engage/ Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get all of the updates: https://bit.ly/msc-updates

In this virtual panel discussion, we explore the different cultural traditions of honoring the dead. The panel features: Alexis Boutin, Moderator, Sonoma State University Professor of Anthropology Laura Larqué, Santa Rosa Junior College Professor Loren Miyasaki, Enmanji Buddhist Temple Rabbi George Gittleman, Congregation Shomrei Torah Santa Rosa... This program is presented in conjunction with the "Día de los Muertos" exhibition and was originally recorded on October 29, 2020. More about the "2020 Día de los Muertos" exhibition: https://museumsc.org/2020-dia-de-los-muertos/

This low cabinet, titled "Canvasback Love" by woodworker Joe Scannell, was given an Award of Excellence in the 2018 "Artistry in Wood" exhibition. Featuring live oak, madrone, walnut, elm, holly, wenge, and ipé woods, this stunning piece was made to fit in an angled corner in Scannell's dining room, resulting in its "wankel" shape. The nature theme is carried throughout, with its egg-shaped drawer pull, rock foot motif (inspired by a Grif Okie piece he admired), and a catta...il door pull. "Canvasback Love" is revisited in this year's "Artistry in Wood" exhibition, which highlights new and previously completed works in a unique survey of fine woodwork from our region. "Artistry in Wood," presented by the Sonoma County Woodworkers Association, will be available online beginning December 22, 2020. MSC and SCWA members are invited to join us for the Virtual Members' Dual Opening Reception for 35: Thirty-Five Artists for Thirty-Five Years and Artistry in Wood THIS WEDNESDAY, December 9. For more information about this exhibition, visit: https://museumsc.org/2020-artistry-in-wood/

She was a type of woman, and there were a lot during that era, that were independent and intellectual. They don’t get written about a lot, but she definitely was of her era and was an extraordinary woman. Author Iris Dunkle shares about her new book "Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer" in this Press Democrat article. Join us for this Thursday's program ((Virtual) Museum Conversations with Iris Jamahl Dunkle & Jonah Raskin) to hear more and to ask Dunkle and fellow author Jonah Raskin questions about their works and the "independent and intellectual" women featured in them. Event details and registration: https://museumsc.org/events/?eid=7367

CALL TO STUDENT ARTISTS: The Sonoma County Arts Education Alliance is calling for student artwork and performance submissions for a new monthly feature called ...Student Arts Spotlight. Help us share the good news about students and the arts! Learn more here: https://www.creativesonoma.org/arts-education-news-novembe/

THANK YOU for supporting the 2020 Día de los Muertos Exhibition! We enjoyed being able to welcome you back, even if only for a short while, and are honored that so many paid their respects to their loved ones at the community altars/ofrendas and in our online memory portrait gallery. Revisit the exhibition in its virtual form: https://museumsc.org/2020-dia-de-los-muertos/. As we close the Sculpture Garden for the winter and continue to monitor Sonoma County's reopening status, we invite you to enjoy our online content. We remain committed to serving our community and thank you for your support and encouragement during this challenging year. For the latest updates, please continue to follow us on social media or visit: http://museumsc.org/coronavirus-update/.

It’s the final day to view the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) exhibition in the Sculpture Garden! We’ll be open free of charge from 10:00am-1:00pm.

The Museum of Sonoma County, in association with Sonoma State University, hosts a panel discussion as a part of an ongoing process of community support for healing from the 2017 North Bay wildfires. As people fled from threatening wildfires, frantically collecting belongings from their homes, the "cremains" (cremated remains) of loved ones are often left behind. Cremains recovery pairs the uniquely qualified skills of archaeologists and forensic canines in a way that has nev...er been done before. In the aftermath of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County, a team of archaeologists worked with a forensic canine team to locate and recover cremated ashes of over 40 individuals. As cremains recovery teams excavate ashes from ashes, they not only return the physical remains of loved ones, but they also give relief, hope, and peace to families in the midst of turmoil and loss. Our experience of 2017 forever changed our community but also provides stories such as these which inspire us to support each other. Panelists include: - Alex DeGeorgey, Archaeologist with Alta Heritage Foundation - Lynne Engelbert, Institute for Canine Forensics dog handler - Staci Pastis, Museum of Sonoma County board member - Nick & Pam Rasmussen, family of Tubbs Fire survivors - Moderated by Dana Shew, Sonoma State University Oral Historian A Humanities for All grant from California Humanities is allowing a Sonoma State University oral historian to record and share these experiences and stories. California Humanities is a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit calhum.org This program was originally recorded on October 15, 2020 and has been edited for privacy and time. More about the Museum of Sonoma County Fire Project: http://museumsc.org/the-fire-project/ More about Alta Heritage Foundation: https://altahf.org/

It's the FINAL DAYS of the Día de los Muertos exhibition! View the stunning altars and artwork today (Thursday) through Sunday from 10:00am-1:00pm, free of charge. For more information, visit: https://museumsc.org/2020-dia-de-los-muertos/

It's Election Day! Our current exhibition, "From Suffrage to #MeToo: Groundbreaking Women in Sonoma County," commemorates the cententennial of the 19th Amendment, granting women the constitutional right to vote, and highlights the stories of local trailblazing women. In this video, Eric Stanley (Curator of "From Suffrage to #MeToo") and Megan Kane (Collections Registrar) lead us on a virtual tour of the exhibition. More about the exhibition, including free access to the virt...ual experience: https://museumsc.org/suffrage-metoo/ Virtual Experience generously provided by Vargas XR "Mind Over Matter": https://vargasxr.com/

A glimpse at the 2020 Día de los Muertos exhibition during evening hours (October 31-November 2, 2020). The 2020 Día de los Muertos exhibition is presented in the outdoor sculpture garden from October 22-November 8. The exhibition is open free of charge Thursday through Sunday from 10:00am-1:00pm, with the exception of October 31 through November 2, when it is open for evening hours only (4:00-7:00pm). Face masks and social distancing are required. More information: https://museumsc.org/2020-dia-de-los-muertos/

As we commemorate the first day of Dia de los Muertos, we are honored to be joined by Danza Azteca Ohtli Yoliliztli de Santa Rosa for a private blessing before opening hours today Evening hours continue tonight and tomorrow from 4:00-7:00pm.

Sweetness, fragility, purity... learn the symbolism behind common items on an altar (ofrenda).

We hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy Halloween! We enjoyed spending the evening with you in the Dia de los Muertos exhibition Thank you for social distancing and for wearing your masks We’ll be back tomorrow and Monday from 4:00-7:00pm

Evening hours begin tonight! Just a reminder that the Día de los Muertos exhibition in the Sculpture Garden will be closed this morning, but open from 4:00-7:00pm.

We're honored to display portraits of your loved ones in this year's Memory Portrait gallery. To view the gallery and submit a memory portrait, visit: https://museumsc.org/2020-dia-de-los-muertos/