Under The Sun: Interview with artist, professor Chester Arnold

I hear you were raised in Germany. Is that true? Yes, my family moved to Munich, Germany when I was five, and I went to school and lived there until I was 15. Honestly, it gave me a European sensibility; I had great teachers, took... Continue

Eilertsen’s new role at Sonoma Valley Museum

Kate Eilertsen has resigned as executive director to accept her ‘dream job’ at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art– the newly created position of Artistic Director. In her new role, Eilertsen will focus on developing exhibitions and educational programs “that engage the community in the... Continue

Leaderglass launches Kickstarter campaign

[caption id="attachment_45064" align="alignnone" width="300"] Leaderglass owner Alex Leader (right) at work. (Photo credit: Leaderglass)[/caption] Leaderglass, a Sonoma glassblowing studio, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000 to build a "hot shop" space at their studio. Leaderglass opened in 2010, sharing a studio with another... Continue

Museum guides have unique viewpoint

[caption id="attachment_37318" align="alignnone" width="420" caption="SVMA’s museum guides on a group visit to Marc Katano’s studio in Sonoma."][/caption] Being a volunteer Museum Guide at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA) is a bit like getting free tuition to art school, teacher training, and continuing graduate... Continue

City's student arts award winner

The winner of the Sonoma 2013 Student Creative Arts Award is Maya Smoot, a 17-year-old Sonoma Valley High School senior. “She performed a Shakespearean monologue for us and we were blown away," said Lisa Carlsson, a member of the Cultural and Fine Arts Commission, which... Continue

Gilbert brings variety show to TV

Jeff Gilbert, the old-school crooner who specializes in forgotten hits from the ’30’s and’40’s, embraces the newfangled medium of television with an hour-long special on SUN TV Comcast 27 this weekend. “The Jeff Gilbert Show” airs Thursday-Saturday February 28-March 2) at 8 p.m. and Sunday... Continue

Finding repurpose

Is there a “Blue Boy” in your blue bin? All the works in the “The Repo Show,” the Arts Guild of Sonoma’s annual themed exhibition and fundraiser, are made from recycled and reused materials. The resulting fine art will be shown and then sold to... Continue

Rolling in it

A photograph of a Cuban cigar factory is among the works in “Revolutionary Island: Tales of Cuban History and Culture, The Sarah & Darius Anderson Collection,” the exhibition currently at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. “A culture is expressed through its art,” said Kate... Continue

SCC welcomes new artist in residence

The incoming Artist in Residence at the Sonoma Community Center is ceramicist Julia Feld, who will teach classes and mount a June exhibition as part of the SCC residency program. Originally from Russia, Feld holds a BFA from San Jose State College and an MFA... Continue

Connected: Music, creativity and the family legacy

Award-winning speech by Emilie Marenec To be honest, I haven’t invented an App, or battled a life threatening disease. At the age of nine I didn’t really see anything inherently different, or special about myself. But when I was in fourth grade, a violin class was... Continue