Virtual Program

In this virtual panel presentation, find out more about the Muwekma Ohlone people and their fight for federal recognition. Also, learn about the origins of the Reclamation exhibition from those who helped create it. Presenters include Monica Arellano of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Alan Leventhal and Jan English-Lueck of the San Jose State Department of Anthropology, and Alexandra Thompson and Cristiano Colantoni of the New Museum Los Gatos.

Click MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE for the Zoom program link.

10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Miniature Tule Mat and Rope
$15 per person

1:00 to 4:00 PM
Pine Needle Medallion Necklace
$25 per person

Both workshops will be led by cultural educators Mandy Macias (Western Mono/Maidu/Ohlone) and Monica V. Arellano (Ohlone Culture Bearer and Language Keeper), and are suitable for ages 10 and up. Choose your workshop or sign up for both!

Call the Museum at 707-467-2836 to reserve your spot. Space is limited. There is a fee for both workshops. HOWEVER, any Native American can participate for FREE. Scholarship opportunities are also available; just inquire when you call.

Make the Museum part of your Ukiah First Friday Art Walk in March. Our musical guest will be Fair Wind, showcasing a mix of soft rock, folk, ballad, jazz, originals, novelty and more. Check out our latest exhibition, Reclamation: Aboriginal Ancestral Homeland and Resilience of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Or spend some time discovering or getting reacquainted with our core galleries, featuring Grace Hudson’s artwork, exquisite Pomo basketry, and Carpenter-Hudson family history. And with spring arriving just around the corner, you may even see some early blooming flowers in our Wild Gardens. Our Wild Gardens docent Ziggy will be providing tours, but only from 4:45 to 5:45. Light refreshments will be available.

First Fridays at the Grace Hudson Museum are always free all day and evening.

A fundraiser for the Grace Hudson Musuem

Join us once again at Ukiah Players Theatre for our annual evening of live performance, this year featuring the Broadway musical sensation, Company. Boasting music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Company took Broadway by storm in 1970, playing to packed houses. The show earned a record 14 Tony nominations and won 6 of the coveted awards. And it is still amazingly relevant today.

The evening will commence at 6:00 PM with hearty appetizers, wine, and softer beverages. Curtain at 7:00 PM. Dessert and coffee at intermission.

To purchase tickets click COMPANY.

The featured reader for February will be poet, Larry Felson, who is based in Fort Bragg. He previously lived in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco, where he was a high school teacher and social justice activist. His poetry collections include Dawn Out of Order (2022) and Salt and Sugar (2004). He was also one of five authors featured in Five on the Western Edge (1977). Larry serves as a member of the Mendocino County Poet Laureate Program Founding Committee.

Writers Read has been happening in Ukiah since 1999, and occurs on the last Thursday of almost every month. The program focuses on poetry, spoken word, short stories, song, and expository prose. The evening begins with a featured reader and then is followed by an hour of open mic starting around 8:00. Check back soon for information about the featured reader for February.

There is no admission fee but donations are warmly welcome.

Help us celebrate the opening of our newest exhibition organized by members of the Muwekma Ohlone along with the New Museum in Los Gatos and the Department of Anthropology at San Jose State University. Pomo singers and dancers will be on hand as well as the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe Bay Area Feather Dancers. Explore the Muwekma Ohlone exhibits and enjoy refreshments.

The first Writers Read of 2025 will feature Chris Olander. A poet/teacher with California Poets in the Schools (CPITS) since 1984, Chris blends performance techniques with spoken word to create action art poetry. Using musical image phrasing to dramatize relative experiences, his poetry rises from oral and bard traditions, a sound poet exploring meanings and ideas in rhythm patterns. Chris will start off the evening at 7:00 and will be followed by an hour of open mic beginning around 8:00.

Writers Read has been happening in Ukiah since 1999, and occurs on the last Thursday of almost every month. The program focuses on poetry, spoken word, short stories, song, and expository prose. There is no fee to participate, but donations are warmly welcome.

The Mendocino Coast stands in for a remote Nova Scotia island in this fascinating 1948 drama starring Jane Wyman, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance. A watercolor by Ray Strong, featured in our current special exhibition, Earth Portraiture, depicts the film’s farmhouse.

Included with Museum admission.

Are you an Antiques Roadshow fan? Well, something similar is coming to the Grace Hudson Museum. Witherell Auctions in Sacramento will be partnering with the Museum on a public “Evaluation Day.” Visitors will be allowed to bring up to three items to learn about their history and get an idea of how much they might be worth. Professional appraisers from Witherell will provide a 3-minute assessments for each item. Visitors will need to purchase a ticket for each item they bring. Museum Member tickets: $5 per item. Non-member tickets: $8 per item.
All proceeds go to the Grace Hudson Museum.

To purchase tickets, please drop by the Museum during our public hours, or call us at (707) 467-2836.

Our final First Friday of 2024 will have a holiday theme. The wonderful group Cecelia will be caroling throughout the evening, we’ll be doing interactive craft activities for kids and families, and Santa Claus will be stopping by to visit with children of all ages. Beautiful wreaths and swag hand-crafted by our friends at McFadden Farms will also be available for pick-up for those who pre-ordered. We’ll have a limited number for sale if you didn’t get a chance to order ahead of time. We highly recommend you pre-order, though — see the link for ordering just above.

Visitors will also have an opportunity to 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). One can also view our core galleries dedicated to the artwork of Grace Hudson, exquisite Pomo basketry, and Carpenter-Hudson family history. Light holiday-themed refreshments will also be available.

On First Fridays, the Museum is free for everyone, all day and evening!

The final Writers Read of 2024 ends with a flourish as we welcome Devreaux Baker, Mendocino County’s first poet laureate, to the lectern. Among her many accomplishments, Devreaux has published five books of poetry and received the PEN Oakland Award for Red Willow People. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and journals including The Crab Orchard Review, ZYZZYVA, Persimmon Tree, and Poetry in Flight/Poesia En Velo. Devreaux’s many fellowships and awards have taken her to Taos, New Mexico; Edinburgh, Scotland; Peterborough, New Hampshire; Hawaii; and Mexico .

Writers Read has been happening in Ukiah since 1999, and occurs on the last Thursday of almost every month. (We moved it to the third Thursday of November this year so as not to compete with Thanksgiving.) The program focuses on poetry, spoken word, short stories, song, and expository prose. The evening typically begins with a featured reader at 7:00 and then is followed by an hour of open mic starting around 8:00. The first Writers Read of 2025 will occur on January 30.

In this illustrated talk, Tim Buckner, Executive Director of the Historical Society of Mendocino County, will discuss geologic and other natural forces that shape the various landscapes of Northern California, so beautifully captured in Ray Strong's paintings.

Included with Museum admission.

In this family-friendly, interactive program, Pomo cultural educators, Rose and Anthony Steele, will share and teach the many steps involved in processing acorns. Then try processing acorns yourself, and sample acorn mush. Drop by any time throughout the afternoon.

This program is included with Museum admission. There is never an admission fee for Native Americans, Museum Members, and active-duty Military.

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). Harpist Suni Robin will be in the house providing live music. 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!

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.

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.

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!

This month’s Writers Read features award-winning cowboy poet, artist, and storyteller, Richard Schmidt. Richard is the author of Single Tree: A Collection of Stories; the novels Able Stover and Virgil Cooper; and Pony Tales, a collection of cowboy prose and poetry. Based in Lakeport, he is also a Poet-Laureate Emeritus of Lake County, and a recipient of a certificate of acknowledgment from Congress for his work.

Writers Read has been happening in Ukiah since 1999, and occurs on the last Thursday of almost every month. 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.

Join us for our biggest and most festive fundraiser of the year. We will be honoring John Moon, a beloved member of the community and a long-time supporter of the Grace Hudson Museum. John has given considerable time and energy to ensure the growth and excellence of the Museum. We will also be acknowledging the remarkable artistry of landscape painter Ray Stanford Strong, the subject of our fall exhibition, Earth Portraiture. Guests will enjoy splendid food catered by Left Coast Seafood (they do more than seafood); plentiful libations; live music from Barney McClure, Pierre Archain, and David Post; and the company of friends, old and new.     

All proceeds from this event will support Museum exhibitions, public programs, education outreach, collections care, and upkeep of Grace Hudson's historic home and studio, the Sun House. Please make your plans to join us at this celebratory gathering. You can purchase tickets by clicking on 2024 GALA TICKETS.

Mark Humpal, author of the authoritative biography, Ray Stanford Strong: West Coast Landscape Artist (2017, University of Oklahoma Press), and co-curator of our current exhibition Earth Portraiture, will share the story of Ray Strong’s long life from his childhood in Oregon to his final years in Three Rivers, California. Mark will discuss Strong’s teachers, mentors, collaborators, and major accomplishments.

And It’s a first friday!

Help us celebrate the opening of our latest exhibition on this September First Friday. Oregon-born painter Ray Strong (1905-2006) captured the essence of the Western landscape in a long career dedicated to what he termed “Earth Portraiture.” Strong spent a considerable time living in both southern and northern California. This exhibition focuses primarily on landscapes depicting places in Mendocino County, Bay Area Counties, the High Sierras and north to Mt Lassen and Mt. Shasta. Explore the show, talk with guest co-curators Mark Humpal and Karen Holmes, while enjoying refreshments and the live music of bassist Pierre Archain. Also, see our core galleries and, if it’s not too hot, take a stroll around our Wild Gardens and check out the summer blooms.

On First Fridays, the Museum is free for everyone, all day and evening!

Writers Read returns from its brief summer hiatus with a reading by Frej Barty, the current Mendocino County Youth Poet Laureate. Frej is a student at Mendocino High and an aspiring filmmaker, cinematographer, and general multi-hyphenate storyteller. Writers Read has been happening in Ukiah since 1999, and occurs on the last Thursday of almost every month. 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.

Writers Read returns from its brief summer hiatus with a reading by Frej Barty, the current Mendocino County Youth Poet Laureate. Frej is a student at Mendocino High and an aspiring filmmaker, cinematographer, and general multi-hyphenate storyteller. Writers Read has been happening in Ukiah since 1999, and occurs on the last Thursday of almost every month. 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.

Find out about native seed grasses, Pomo cultural traditions, and modern preparation techniques for making pinole from cultural educator Corine Pearce. Visitors will have the opportunity to process seeds first-hand and then to try how pinole tastes.

This program is included with Museum admission. No reservation required.

VIRTUAL PROGRAM

Get a sense of what the student experience is like at the Krenov School from former students Tim Coleman, Taimi Barty, John Shaw, and Phoebe Kuo. They will also discuss their pieces featured in the exhibition.

Click STUDENT EXPERIENCE to connect to the Zoom webinar.

Spend a part of your First Friday Art Walk at the Grace Hudson Museum as we welcome back Yoli Rose and her band Redbud. They were like the house band for a few months last summer during our exhibition, Something’s Happening Here, about the back-to-the-land movement in Mendocino County. Come for the music and stay for our current special exhibition, Deep Roots, Spreading Branches: Fine Woodworking from the Krenov School. This will be the last First Friday to see the show. You might also want to have a look at our core galleries, featuring Grace Hudson’s artwork, exquisite Pomo basketry, and Hudson-Carpenter family history. If it’s not oppressively hot, take a stroll around our Wild Gardens and check out what’s in bloom during the heart of summer. Light refreshments will be available.

On First Fridays, the Museum is free for everyone, all day and evening!

virtual program
Begins at 2:00 PM, Pacific time

Hear about the beginnings and evolution of the Krenov School from Creighton Hoke, who helped get it started; David Welter, shop manager and ad hoc instructor for 30 years; and Laura Mays, its current director and lead instructor.

Click KRENOV INSTRUCTORS to connect to this virtual program.

Our latest pop-up show features artwork by Corine Pearce and her basket weaving students, and from the Acorns & Abalone Art Project, organized by Monique Sonoquie, Michael Racho, Antoinette Acencio, and their students. The art classes and pop-up were made possible by an UpState Art Grant award.

We’ll be celebrating the artists on the evening of July 5, a First Friday.

Spend a part of your First Friday Art Walk by enjoying the sounds of guitarist Clay Hawkins as he returns to the Museum, this time accompanied by his pal, bassist Andrew Robertson. Let Clay and Andrew’s music be the soundtrack of your evening while you explore our current special exhibition, Deep Roots, Spreading Branches: Fine Woodworking from the Krenov School. We’ll also be celebrating our latest popup exhibition featuring Native Artists. You might also want to have a look at our core galleries featuring Grace Hudson’s artwork, exquisite Pomo basketry, and Hudson-Carpenter family history. It’s also a great time of year to stroll around our Wild Gardens and check out what’s in bloom as the early summer day starts to cool down. Light refreshments will be available.

On First Fridays, the Museum is free for everyone, all day and evening!