Museum of Sonoma County

08/30/2026

New school year, same mission: making sure every K-12 student in Sonoma County has access to art, history, and community. Through hands-on field trips and follow-up lessons, we help students build confidence, ask questions, and see their own community's story reflected back at them. And for schools in low-income communities, it's completely free. Will you donate to support Museum education experiences?

https://tickets.museumsc.org/purchase?mode=Donation&campaign=1775938031945x195540181546172400

08/29/2026

Howard “Nemo” Nemerovski tells the story of Running Fence from his unique perspective as Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s lawyer. Check out Christo and Jeanne-Claude Running Fence at 50 Years at the Museum of Sonoma County.

08/27/2026

This isn't your average art and history program! At the Museum of Sonoma County, students get to explore our permanent collection alongside whatever's currently on view. As of last week, that included "Disturbing the Peace: Sonoma County's Early Punk Underground." Students are connecting curriculum to real objects, real stories, and yes, even punk rock history. Will you help us keep museum learning free and accessible for every K-12 student in Sonoma County? ​

https://tickets.museumsc.org/purchase?mode=Donation&campaign=1770053221770x396731819929576600

08/24/2026

Come on by-We're open Wed-Sun 11-5!

A powerful piece of history is on view downtown 🎨

Pair your museum visit with coffee, lunch, shopping local, or a stroll through downtown for an easy arts and culture day.

Start your adventure with breakfast in Historic Railroad Square, then preview the story of Running Fence at the California Welcome Center before heading to the Museum of Sonoma County to experience the full celebration of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s iconic installation.

📸 Share your museum moment or favorite piece and tag us with .

https://museumsc.org/christo/

08/22/2026

Thank you Petaluma Market for supporting Disturbing the Peace. The exhibit closes this weekend. Its now or never!

08/21/2026

Schools are facing growing financial pressures, and arts and culture are often the first things cut. That's why our two museum learning programs matter so much. Art4Kids and History4Kids are thoughtfully designed and proven effective, bringing curriculum to life through real stories. Not just another textbook chapter, but history and art students can actually connect with.

Will you consider becoming a monthly donor to give students access to museum learning, all year long?

https://tickets.museumsc.org/purchase?mode=Donation&campaign=1770053221770x396731819929576600

08/19/2026

Presenting SoCo clicks. Students from Sonoma Valley High School Petaluma High School Santa Rosa Junior College submitted photos from the following categories: Portraiture, The Natural World, Still World, Documentary, Still Life and Alternative Traditional/Digital. On display now. 📸 Junco Bullick, August Ward, Sonoma County Photographer Diego Rico Diaz, Elija Lewin, Ari

08/19/2026

Thank you Marin Magazine-for the great article! Running Fence at Fifty years is up through November 8th. Don't miss it!

As artworks go, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Running Fence was enormous. It was conceived in 1972, but would take four years of designing, engineering, cajoling, politicking and constructing before their masterpiece was completed. And then it was up for only two weeks. Running Fence would run for 24.5 miles and consist of 2,050 panels of white nylon supported by 2,050 18’ tall steel poles and 90 miles of steel cable that was held in place by 350,000 steel hooks. Running Fence would cut across a good portion of Sonoma County, a corner of Marin County and, for a grand finale, dip down a cliff and disappear into the Pacific Ocean. To accomplish this, the artists would set an Olympic record for Hoops Jumped Through. Five dozen ranchers had to allow the artwork to be constructed on their properties; 18 public hearings had to be held; three sessions of California’s Superior Court convened to decide issues; and an Environmental Impact Report as thick as a prison wall.

Somehow Christo and Jeanne-Claude prevailed; except for one item. According to SFGate, the California Coastal Commission hadn’t issued a permit for Running Fence to do that dramatic dip into the ocean. Why? Because the artists had failed to apply for one. Leave it to Don Dickenson, then a newly hired planning aide in Marin County’s Planning Department to spot this oversight and he felt compelled to notify not only the Coastal Commission, but also California’s attorney general of the commission. Such an oversight would result in Christo being served with an injunction to immediately halt construction and leave Running Fence unfinished. Yet Dickenson understood and appreciated Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Running Fence, so he went in two directions. He called the offices of both the Coastal Commission and attorney general and left messages about Christo lacking a permit. He then raced to coastal Marin to warn Christo he could soon be served an order to cease and desist. However, when Dickenson reached the construction site, the artist was being interviewed on television and could not be interrupted. After Dickenson waited, Christo was whisked into hiding out in a nearby eucalyptus grove. Viola! The injunction was not served and Running Fence was completed, 24.5 miles from Cotati to the Marin County coast.

*Eventually Don Dickenson became a senior county planner; then Mill Valley’s planning director for 16 years and served over two decades on Marin County’s Planning Commission. He is revered by Marin’s environmentally conscious community.

Santa Rosa’s Museum of Sonoma County is exhibiting Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Running Fence at 50 Years, through November 8, 2026.

📷 Jeane-Claude © 1976 Christon and Jeanne-Claude Foundation