Santa Rosa
The Written Image
The relationship between language and visual art has shifted from ancient hieroglyphics to the bold commercialism of Pop Art, yet the interplay remains a vital frontier for modern creators. And the Santa Rosa Arts Center explores this intersection in its Small Works exhibition, “Words and Letters,” featuring a diverse range of disciplines, including sculpture, ceramics and photography. By examining how text is wedded to the canvas, the show highlights how artists continue to push the boundaries of communication. Running concurrently with the annual Members Show, the exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the region’s creative output.
A reception will commence at 5pm, Friday, Jan. 2, at the Santa Rosa Arts Center, 312 South A St., santarosaartscenter.org.
Healdsburg
Atmospheric Perspectives
Geologist and environmental scientist Gen Zorich brings a technical rigor to the ephemeral in her latest collection of oil paintings, “In the Clouds.” The works examine the shifting cloudscapes of Sonoma County, treating these atmospheric forms as both aesthetic subjects and indicators of a changing climate. Zorich’s debut as a featured artist at the Upstairs Art Gallery is paired with Ron Sumner’s “Yosemite” in the Stairway Small Works Showcase. While Zorich focuses on the transformative power of the sky, Sumner’s watercolors ground the exhibition in the rugged permanence of the Sierra Nevada, capturing the kinetic energy of landmarks like Vernal Falls.
A reception will be held from 3:30–5:30pm, Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Upstairs Art Gallery, 306 Center St., Healdsburg. upstairsartgallery.net.
Novato
Borderless Ballads
The unlikely intersection of the Venezuelan plains and the Appalachian mountains find common ground in the musical duo of Larry & Joe. Larry Bellorín, a legend of Llanera music forced into exile from Venezuela, and Joe Troop, a Grammy-nominated bluegrass artist, have forged a “Latingrass” fusion that defies easy categorization. Their performances are as much about storytelling as they are about technical mastery, blending polyrhythmic Venezuelan traditions with high-lonesome bluegrass roots. In their matinee performance at HopMonk Tavern in Novato, the two offer an intimate look at how social movements and musical inheritances can coalesce into a vibrant, bilingual celebration of resilience.
4pm, Saturday, Jan. 3, HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato, $20–$30. hopmonk.com.
Bolinas
Elemental Intuition
The Bolinas Museum opens its 2026 season by grounding the ethereal in the physical through two concurrent exhibitions. In “Pure Passage,” Oakland-based artist Soleé Darrell utilizes a unique process of applying powdered and liquid dyes to silk velvet, a technique born from dream work and spiritual channeling that results in high-dimension, saturated abstractions. Meanwhile, the group show, “Of Earth: Telluric Mediums,” examines the planet as a literal source of creation. Featuring works in clay, adobe and soil by artists including JB Blunk and Joanna Keane Lopez, the exhibition invites sensory connection to the ground beneath us. Together, the shows bridge the gap between intuitive inner worlds and the raw materiality of the landscape.
An opening reception runs from 2–4pm, Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Bolinas Museum, 48 Wharf Rd. bolinasmuseum.org.
