SONOMA VALLEY MUSEUM OF ART-From Fire, Love Rises: Stories Shared from the Artist Community

From Fire, Love Rises commemorates artists who were impacted by the October 2017 fires in Sonoma and Napa Counties. Many artists in these regions have relied on their artistic practice to recover from their losses and help restore the community around them. The exhibition features artists and writers who work in bronze, photography, ceramics, printmaking, new media, poetry, and prose to express their countless stories of loss, gratitude, and resiliency that have emerged in the year since the fires. 

We are moved by the community effort that has transpired since the fire and with this exhibition, and pledge to continue the Museum’s work in helping to rebuild safe spaces, preserve our collective memories, and create new artistic visions and dreams as we move forward from the fires in the years to come. Our interest in featuring artists and writers who were directly and indirectly impacted by the fires and its aftermath, was to highlight the restoration of emotional resolve, the ability to find beauty among the wreckage, and the knowledge that, in this community, it’s love that burns brightest.   

Participating artists and writers include: John Arntz, Lori Barron, Erick Benitez, Mima Cataldo, Arisbet Camacho, Ed Coletti, Sam Coturri, Alan Crisp, Ethan Davis, Camille Dungy, Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Erick Dunn, Brian Fies, Carole Flaherty, Jackie Huss Hallerberg, Peter Hassen, Katherine Hastings, Brenda Hillman, Kylie Hopp, Maya Khosla, Maurine Killough, Laura Kimpton, Ada Limón, Fran Braga Meininger, Gwynn O'Gara, Norma I. Quintana, Gregory Roberts, Mary Lee Rybar, Kala Stein, Bryan Tedrick, Bob Van Breda, Adam Wiedmann, Valerie Woods, and Breyanna Wright.