As the North Bay inches towards the reopening, several groups keep the distancing going with virtual event offerings this weekend. Here’s a sample of what’s coming up online.
Virtual Reception
Under the supervision of art instructor Ginny Geoghegan, Tomales High School’s art program remained a bedrock of creativity for students navigating the course of the past year’s unprecedented distance-learning ordeal. This month, several of those students participate in Gallery Route One’s exhibition, “Tomales High School Artist Showcase 2021,” featuring paintings, drawings, photography and mixed-media works. The show opens with a virtual reception on Friday, May 14, and will be viewable online as well as in-person through May 23 at Gallery Route One, 11101 Highway One, Point Reyes Station. Thurs–Sun, 11am to 5pm. galleryrouteone.org.
Virtual Art Walk
The poet John Keats famously declared, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.” Several ceramic artists from Pacific Rim Sculptors ponder that logic and other ideas related to the exhibit, “Beauty or Truth,” now on display at San Rafael’s Art Works Downtown and online. This weekend, the gallery hosts its monthly Virtual Art Walk and Reception to offer a digital tour of the show and presentations that enrich the work. Tune in on Friday, May 14, at 6pm. Art Works Downtown is open for in-person viewing at 1337 Fourth St., San Rafael. Fri, 5–8pm; Sat and Sun, 1–5pm. artworksdowntown.org.
Virtual Family Event
While the theater remains closed for live events, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts continues to host events online, and the center’s season-long Clover Sonoma Family Fun Series entertains and educates children and their families from the comfort of their homes with free virtual performances. This weekend, bilingual kids’ music sensation Sonia De Los Santos (pictured) shares her cheerful, inspiring and award-winning music, sung in Spanish and English, and families can get a sneak peek into how Sonia and her friends make music with special demonstrations. Tune in any time between Saturday, May 15, and Sunday, May 16. Free. lutherburbankcenter.org.
Virtual Festival
For the last decade, the Sonoma County Matsuri! Japanese Arts Festival has showcased traditional Japanese dance, music and cultural presentations in downtown Santa Rosa. This year, the 11th annual Festival will be held virtually due to the pandemic. Yet, the arts, music and culture will still be on hand with featured artists like master musician Riley Lee from Australia performing the Shakuhachi (Japanese flute), Sonoma County Taiko and TenTen Taiko both offering drumming performances, the DeLeon Judo Club from Petaluma sharing their martial arts skills and others appearing over Zoom on Saturday, May 15, at 6:30pm. Registration required. sonomamatsuri.org.
Virtual Concert
Santa Rosa Symphony concludes its 2020–2021 virtual concert season this weekend with a show that celebrates Sonoma County. Acclaimed San Francisco–based pianist Elizabeth Dorman joins the orchestra for a performance of composer and Santa Rosa Symphony Artistic Partner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Peanuts Gallery.” Continuing with the local theme, the concert also features a performance of “Sonoma Strong,” with a new arrangement by Santa Rosa–native Paul Dooley to accommodate the smaller orchestra necessitated by Covid restrictions. The concert premieres on Sunday, May 16, at 3pm, with a pre-concert talk at 2pm. Free, donations gratefully accepted. Srsymphony.org.
