Museum of Sonoma County celebrates 38th anniversary with gift bags, free admission

Visitors to the Museum of Sonoma County received gift bags full of souvenirs and free admission Jan. 12 in celebration of the Santa Rosa museum’s 38th anniversary.

The art and history museum first opened to the public Jan. 12, 1985.

Visitors took advantage of the fee-free day to view the museum’s newest exhibit, “Art of Risk: The Innovative Sculpture of Michael Cooper.”

Catherine Daley, a Sonoma-based artist and teacher, brought her Sonoma Academy students to the museum for the day, encouraging them to take notes about what they saw for their own art projects.

“Sometimes in art you see the finished product and you don’t have an appreciation for the process,” Daley said.

Though the anniversary marked a special occasion, hosting students for tours and free admission days are not unusual for the museum, which lets visitors in for free about once a month.

“We try to make the museum as accessible as possible,” Executive Director Jeff Nathanson said.

The next free admission day is Feb. 11.

Students from schools all over the county frequently visit the museum, including 5th and 6th grade classes as part of the “Art4Kids” youth education program, Nathanson said. As part of that program, students tour of the museum and participate in a hands-on art activity led by one of the museum’s professional teaching artists.

Though there was no designated fundraiser for this year’s anniversary, the museum is actively raising money for its upcoming “Sonoma County Stories” exhibit.

The exhibit is going to be a look at the history of the county through storytelling, Nathanson told The Press Democrat in 2022.

The museum is hosting its next fundraiser in the spring.

For more information about the Museum of Sonoma County, go to museumsc.org.