It's the 40th anniversary of Art Trails
Sonoma County Art Trails is one of the oldest open studios programs in the country and it's happening over the next two weekends

It’s that time of year again—artists throughout Sonoma County are getting ready to open their studios to the throngs of art lovers who’ll be attending Sonoma County Art Trails Open Studios over the next two weekends, Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 26-27.
It’s the 40th anniversary of Art Trails.
Art Trails was started in 1983 by a group of artists connected with the Arts Council of Sonoma County. The program was adopted by Sebastopol Center for the Arts in 2014, after the Arts Council ran out of money.
No one ever said it was financially easy being an artist—or an art center. But this year, things are definitely looking up, according to Serafina Palandech, the director of Sebastopol Center for the Arts.
Thanks to Palandech’s stewardship and the generosity of local donors and volunteers, Sebastopol Center for the Arts is back on a firm financial footing after a rough few years.
With Art Trails 2024, Palandech said SebArts is continuing its mission of supporting local artists.
“We very closely track the metrics of how many people come through individual artist studios, how much money they spend, where they’re coming from. We track all of the metrics on that for both open studio programs,” Palandech said, referring to Art Trails and Art at the Source. “Last year Art Trails did almost $700,000 in sales,” she said. “The artists are averaging, around $4,000 in sales. Many make much, much more than that.”
The center also provides professional development for Art Trails artists in terms of marketing and provides experienced mentors for artists new to the program.
Nichibei Potters is one of Sebastopol’s most successful Art Trails participants. Nichibei’s co-owner Cheryl Constantini is the chair of this year’s Art Trails Steering Committee, a group of artists that helps put the event together.
“The best thing about Art Trails is being able to show the wide array of work that we make directly to the public,” Constantini said. “The relationships that we’ve developed over the last 39 years have been wonderful, and we always feel honored that people take the time to visit.”
New artists join Art Trails
Many Art Trails artists have been with the program for years, even decades, but Penelope Lenaerts, SebArts’ Open Studios Manager, said Art Trails has made a real effort this year to attract young and emerging artists, including Julia Nelson-Gal, Todd Loyal Rose, Firuze Gokce, Alyson Dobbert, and Jenny Abramson.





How to do Art Trails: four approaches
There are as many ways to experience Art Trails as there are art lovers, but here are four approaches that I’ve taken over the years.
FIND WHAT YOU LOVE, PART 1: The Collector’s Guide is your key to unlocking the Art Trails experience. Peruse the guide, which features a piece by every Art Trails artist, make a list of those that appeal to you, and then hit the road, guide in hand (or in phone). In the Collector’s Guide, every artist has a studio number, and the guide’s numbered maps will show you how to get there. You can pick up a guide at SebArts or dozens of locations around Sebastopol.
FIND WHAT YOU LOVE, PART 2: You can also stop by Sebastopol Center for the Arts Thursday thru Sunday, 10 to 4 pm, to see the official Art Trails exhibition, which, like the guide, features pieces by every artist in the show. Find art that intrigues you there, then grab a copy of the Collector’s Guide (they have stacks) and create your itinerary from there.
GO LOCAL AND RANDOM: Don’t feel like driving all over the county? Then just go local. You can take a random tour of local studios by just following the blue Art Trails studio signs that will be up all over Sebastopol and other west county towns.
TAKE AN ART WALK: Find a local cluster of studios and hoof it. There’s a nice easy art walk in downtown Sebastopol going to Studios 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 and 81.

Ditto for Graton. Visit the cluster of artists in and around Atelier One (Studios 90, 91, 92, 93, 94) and 83. You’ll need to drive to the last one—Jenny Abramson’s studio on Frei Road—but it’s worth it.

Or if you’re feeling more ambitious and want to combine art with a drive in the country, here’s the Art Trails map for West County as a whole. (In the Collector’s Guide, there are also maps for East, North and South county artists.)
Get a copy of the Collector’s Guide here, then get out there and enjoy yourself!