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Indian Summer by Ray Strong (1940), perhaps Strong’s most iconic painting.
Ray Strong as photographed by Ansel Adams, circa 1950.
Now on View
earth portraiture:
ray Strong’s norhtern california landscaptes
September 6, 1924 through
January 19, 2025
Oregon-born painter Ray Stanford Strong (1905-2006) captured the essence of the Western landscape in a long career dedicated to what he termed “Earth portraiture.” He was also known for his innovative dioramas, social activism, land conservation, and leadership in art education. For a time, Strong lived in Marin County and spent time in Mendocino County. Drawn from private and public collections, this exhibition focuses primarily on landscapes Strong made of areas in or around San Francisco and the East Bay, Marin and Mendocino Counties, and the Sierra and Cascade Ranges. It also includes subjects depicting places in Oregon, Arizona, Utah, New York, and Italy. A small exhibit of Grace Hudson landscapes complements the show.
BP3: from left, Steve Hahm, Roseanne Wetzel, and Jeff Taylor.
first friday at the grace hudson museum
Friday, October 4
5:00 to 8:00 PM
Make the Museum one of your stops as part of your October First Friday Art Walk. BP3, one of our favorite local musical groups, will be in the house performing their style of Americana, folk-rock, pop, and perhaps a bit of jazz. In the galleries, enjoy our newest exhibition, Earth Portraiture: Ray Strong’s Northern California Landscapes, featuring 49 paintings by Oregon-born artist Ray Strong (1905-2006). Strong captured the essence of the Western landscape in a long career dedicated to what he termed “Earth Portraiture.” He spent a considerable time living in both Southern and Northern California. Included are landscapes depicting places in Mendocino and Marin Counties, Bay Area Counties, the High Sierras, and north to Mt Lassen and Mt. Shasta. While you’re here, also check out our core galleries and take a stroll around our Wild Gardens before evening daylight disappears for the year. In addition to BP3’s music, we’ll have some light refreshments.
On First Fridays, the Museum is free for everyone, all day and evening!
A Sergio Lopez plein-air landscape
Intro to Plein-Air
with Gouache
Saturday, October 5
10 AM to 4 PM
In this painting workshop led by artist Sergio Lopez, participants will work in the Museum’s Wild Gardens, learning essential techniques for painting with gouache, a vibrant medium known for its rich pigmentation and quick-drying properties. Sergio will also share solutions to common problems in plein-air painting.
Advanced registration and a fee of $50 per participant are required. Two scholarship spots are available. Please call for more information.
Lin Marie Devincent
writers read:
ukiah’s literary salon
Thursday, October 31, 7:00 to 9:00 PM
October’s Writers Read will take place on Halloween night and will feature plain-spoken poet Lin Marie Devincent, author of Sky Fishing (Running Wolf Press 2007). Her background includes writing for film, theatre, and radio. And she is “Valley Poet on the Beat” for Sonoma County’s KSVY radio. Writers Read has been happening in Ukiah since 1999, and occurs on the last Thursday of almost every month. (The final Writers Read will of the year will occur on November 21, a week before Thanksgiving.) The program focuses on poetry, spoken word, short stories, song, and expository prose. The evening typically begins with a featured reader and then is followed by an hour of open mic starting around 8:00.
Mt. Shasta by Ray Strong (1936)
first friday at the grace hudson museum
Friday, November 1
5:00 to 8:00 PM
Make the Museum a stop on your November First Friday Art Walk. Take in our current special exhibition, Earth Portraiture: Ray Strong’s Northern California Landscapes, featuring 49 paintings by Oregon-born artist Ray Strong (1905-2006). And, for live music, we’ll be joined for the first time by the Bob Hudson Ensemble. Ray Strong captured the essence of the Western landscape in a long career dedicated to what he termed “Earth Portraiture.” This show focuses on his Northern California paintings. Included are landscapes depicting places in Mendocino and Marin Counties, Bay Area Counties, the High Sierras, and north to Mt Lassen and Mt. Shasta. While you’re here, also check out our core galleries and take a stroll in the Wild Gardens on the last Friday before the end of Daylight Savings Time. Light refreshments will be available.
On First Fridays, the Museum is free for everyone, all day and evening!
deep roots,
spreading branches
virtual programs
We are delighted now to have the video recording of The Song and Dance: Krenov’s American Dreams on our website and available for viewing. In this program, Krenov biographer Brendan Gaffney discusses the inspiration and circumstances that led James Krenov to Mendocino County over 40 years ago, and to the establishment of a fine woodworking program in Fort Bragg. To view it, find the link in the Video Archives section of our website under the Learn tab of our menu at the top of our home page.
In the very near future, we’ll be posting video recordings the other two virtual programs tied to our Deep Roots, Spreading Branches exhibition, one featuring a panel of former and current Krenov School instructors, and the other a panel of four students who went through the Krenov School program at different periods of time.
Greenfield Ranch, Easter 1977
Promise of Paradise
Back to the Land Oral Histories of Mendocino County, on KZYX website
The Grace Hudson Museum is a proud supporter of this important oral history project. The weekly broadcasts have concluded, but you can still listen to all the episodes by clicking here for the Promise of Paradise archive on KZYX.
And to learn more about how it all got started click here to check out Jerry Karp’s November 2018 article in the Anderson Valley Advertiser.
Grace Hudson in the Sun House, 1912.
We are proud that Grace Hudson is featured in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s recent blog about
ten women who have given significantly to the world of art. All are affiliated with a historic artist's home in the
Historic Artists Homes and Studios program, of which the Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House is a founding member. Check it out!
https://savingplaces.org/stories/10-women-who-influenced-historic-artists-homes#.WqqHvsPwa70
Rufous Hummingbird and Scarlett Fritillary
Photograph by Rob Badger and Nita Winter
And in June, the National Trust for Historic Preservation website featured the Museum in an article
on our spring exhibition, Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change,
which ran from February 10 to June 17th. Read the article HERE!
Click on images or text for more information.
The galleries
Short-term exhibits in The Main Gallery highlight contemporary art, Native American cultures, Western American history, historic California art and local natural history. Permanent collections showcase Grace Hudson’s art; her family’s history; and Pomo culture and basketry.
the wild gardens
An outdoor Art and Education center is under development on the museum grounds. Located in a parklike setting, The Wild Gardens features native plant gardens with exhibits and art that teaches about our local environment and how Pomo Indian people managed this landscape.
the sun house
The Hudson’s charming 1911 redwood Craftsman bungalow home, the Sun House sits adjacent to the Museum and is available for docent-led tours. More than a century old, The Sun House allows visitors a glimpse into the Hudsons’ Bohemian lifestyle.
The Grace Hudson Museum highlights regional art, culture and natural history in the tradition of an extraordinary family – that of Ukiah native and nationally admired artist Grace Carpenter Hudson (1865-1937), her ethnologist husband, Dr. John W. Hudson (1857-1936) and her pioneering forebears. We provide opportunities for cultural engagement, art appreciation, historical reflection and hands-on learning.
