Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

SVMA is the cultural heart of Sonoma may be small, but it leaves an indelible mark on the city's artistic landscape. The center's art exhibitions are impeccably curated, showcasing the formidable talents of artists from the Bay Area and beyond. The current exhibition, featuring the works of Arthur Monroe, is particularly noteworthy and should not be missed. From the moment you step into the museum, you are enveloped by the powerful energy of Monroe's artistry. His use of bold colors and dynamic, brash strokes creates a palpable vibration that resonates deeply, making a lasting impression on every visitor.. even on the youngest.

Small wonderful Gallery space with a Gift Shop not to be missed. Staff were very helpful and friendly.

Small museum but they made up for it with their personal docents. Very knowledgeable about the artist and exhibit, and she answered all our questions. The gift shop is quite charming too.

The art sculptures were incredible, and some funny. The place was small, I just thought it would be bigger. They have a small gift shop. But, the art was beautiful and colorful.

Great rotating every 3 months exhibits. Friendly staff and free admission on Wednesdays!

What a great show. It is not a large venue but the art was exceptional and the person behind the counter was very nice.

Sonoma Vallet Museum of Art is a gem. The exhibition of Japanese artists books that just concluded was amazing!

The Arthur Monroe show is a must see and SVMA does a brilliant job showcasing this relatively unknown artists work and history. I loved the dark walls which makes these exceptional abstract paintings pulse with energy. May this be the start of more scholarly research and presentations of this dynamic artists work. Big tip of the hat to Curators Linda Keaton and Alistair Monroe on a stunning show. We'll definitely be back! 🙏🎨♥️

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art has two fascinating exhibits- Mexican art books (with subjects like Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz&Mayan mythology) and Jack London's photography. One gets the international scope of Jack London's travels- from the leper colony in Molokai to the ravages of the Russo-Japanese War, along with the devastation of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake (that awakened Jack&Charmian in their Glen Ellen home) They give tours, local schoolchildren contribute to the exhibits, they have a small research library- but it looks like the Museum Cafe has been replaced with a gift shop. It IS surprisingly good for a small museum. The $10 admission is worth it. Their gift shop had an amazing coffee table book about the visionary art of New Mexican artists. If you have challenges finding them, they're next to a frozen yogurt/boba spot. A peaceful, artist oasis off hectic Highway 12.

Surf Craft Art Exhibit! What's the deal?! I was in a California high school in the late 60's - so surfer stuff was a big deal: madras shirts, Beach Boys, Ventures, Dick Dale, stretch tight levi's, vans shoes, sun bleached blond hair and blue eyed blond girls in bikinis. It was with these thoughts that I went to the surf exhibit. I was disappointed. Dick Dale wasn't there, no girls in bikinis - just a silent hall with a bunch of surf boards on display. Sofie and I were given a nice overview by the docent who explained the history of the boards, how they evolved and for what use the different boards are for. The "long boards" for the big waves and the smaller ones for smaller waves. Did you know there are boards for "lefties" and boards for the rest of us? Left handed people ride the boards differently. Some board are made of solid redwood. I am partial to redwood because it is so easy to work with and so beautiful. The one on display was made from recycled wood from an old water tank. They also have a couple of very old boards from the turn of the century... and one from Africa that washed up on the beach. Those old boards looked pretty crude. Looked like they were shaped with a hatchet. Most all of the surf stuff in the gift shop is 40% off. There were 3 ukuleles hanging on the wall for sale. I thought about how nice it would be to play the ukulele for Sofie and sing her love songs... but I decided it would be wrong to deprive someone else of those ukuleles - so maybe you should get one of the ukuleles. They also have a 9' redwood longboard that I thought would be cool to have. There were several books on surfing that were there. I just looked at them and thought, "Hmmm. Someone wrote a book about surfing." Too bad there were no Dick Dale books.

This small but mighty museum has world-class exhibitions in the beautiful town of Sonoma. I recently saw the California Rocks display of amazing photographs by famous rock and roll photographers from the 1960s to 1980s. The museum store had great gift options when I stopped in for the catalog of the exhibition.

Beautiful, small museum space. It is obvious they try hard to make it a nice destination. After several attempts to visit, I finally went on a designated FREE day and I'm glad. I wouldn't pay more than $5 to view what was on display, but it was good for about a 15 minute visit. I don't know what types of art they normally display, but what was being shown during my particular visit was just not my taste in any way. Very nice although extremely pricey gift shop. I saw several items I would have purchased except for the crazy high retail prices. Nearby parking can be extremely difficult, but it's a lovely walk to the museum no matter where you have to park. Best of wishes for you museum's future!

This museum offers a wide range of contemporary art show including, but not limited to, sustainable fashion, traditional masters, different looks of religion and beliefs of the world, to intriguing and though provoking public art and educational programs.

Bought a quality sketchbook book here from the gift shop for a great price! The sales associate, Nicole, was very sweet and talkative. Lots of cool things to choose from and the exhibits are awesome!

Nice place. Definitely worth a visit. The gift shop is the attraction, the exhibitions are wonderful too, but museum gift stores rock!!!

It's a small and short 15 minute visit, but surprisingly good. The museum had only one temporary exhibit and no permanent exhibit (I said it was small). During our visit, they were showing a Cuban collection. My personal favorite was surrealist painter Ruben C. Alpizar Quintana. Unfortunately, the Quintana's were not well lit because a light bulb was out and another lamp was needed on the track light. There is metered street parking which might get scarce because of tourists going to the town square.