About Gualala Arts

This multi-million-dollar cultural facility in the little community of Gualala on the Northern California coast is home to art exhibitions, performing arts, and community events of Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

The facility is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and most weekends from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. Visitors are always welcome. Please see the current calendar of events or call (707) 884-1138 for information about exhibits, musical and theatrical events, and classes.

Since 1961 Gualala Arts has served Sonoma and Mendocino County coastal residents and visitors with year-round programs of art, music, theater, and education. With a budget of over half a million dollars, Gualala Arts operates with over 20 members on the board of directors, an executive director, office manager, bookkeeper, public relations coordinator, Dolphin Gallery manager, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers.

Gualala Arts - Growing with its Community

Gualala was vastly different in the early 1950's. The Gualala Hotel was the only place to stay and eat in this little lumber town. There were no motels, gas stations, or supermarkets. There were four sawmills, a general store, four bars, and about 300 people. There were no art galleries.

After the sawmills closed in the 1960's, people drawn by the natural beauty of the area began to settle here, many of them creative, imaginative, and artistic. They opened art galleries and staged musicals, plays, and other artistic events. Gualala, and these people, attracted other creative and artistic people. Gualala became recognized as a center for individuals who enjoyed many forms of the arts.

In 1961, Gualala Arts was formed as a non-profit organization. Since then, it has become a vibrant and active arts association supporting a variety of programs for both residents and visitors to the area.

Our downtown Dolphin Gallery & Shop serves as a retail outlet for local artists and craftspeople. It also houses the Redwood Coast Visitor's Center, where you can obtain information about the area, such as where to go horseback riding or rent kayaks, and where to find restaurants and accommodations.

Gualala Arts regularly holds art exhibits and gallery shows both at the Dolphin Gallery and at the Gualala Arts Center. On the third weekend in August each year, we present one of the most prestigious art exhibitions in northern California - the Art in the Redwoods Festival.

We give scholarships to local high school seniors each year, and provide concerts, plays, and art classes within the public schools, using our abilities to fill in where public school funding is limited.

The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Gualala Road in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email info@gualalaarts.org.