I had the pleasure of visiting the Museums of Sonoma County this week to take in the two new exhibitions they have on display.
Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a celebration of the cycle of life and is marked by festive gatherings to honor & remember those friends and family members who have died and to pray for them on their spiritual journey in the afterlife.
This exhibit on the ground floor of the History Museum, features altars and artwork designed and created by Peter Perez, Mario Uribe, Tracy Ferron, Rubén Guzmán, and Martín Zúñiga, and will feature curated items from Liz Camino-Byers' collection of Mexican folk art.
One of my favorites was a creation by Martin Zuniga featuring a variety of up cycled materials to create a macabre tableau of roses & skulls.
A playful work by Mario Uribe features an imagined meeting of Frida Kahli, Diego Rivera & Luther Burbank here in Santa Rosa.
Perhaps the most stunning & heartbreaking piece of the exhibit is Los Olvidados Liberados or The Forgotten Ones Set Free. This dramatic installation created by Tracy Ferron & Ruben Guzman is inspired by the suffering of children with cerebral palsy who were considered dispensable in 1950s society and subjected to inhumane experiments at the Sonoma State Hospital.
This popular annual exhibit runs through November 4th, so be sure to catch it before it’s gone!
Across the courtyard in the Art Museum you will encounter a very different experience with From the Fire: A Community Reflects & Rebuilds.
This exhibition commemorates the 1 year anniversary of the October 2017 wildfires and features a combination of community-based artworks, installations by professional artists, and salvaged objects to create a meaningful experience with the aim to heal and renew the community and to inspire us to continue to grow together.
My favorite part of the exhibit was the Sonoma Ash Project. Gregory Roberts combined ash contributed from more than 150 participants burned homes to create unique porcelain vessels each infused with the unique fingerprint of that burned home’s ash.
This powerful exhibits runs through January 27th.
For more information or to plan your visit to the Museums of Sonoma County:
Regular Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11am-5pm
425 Seventh Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
707-579-1500