curated by Jude Mooney
presented by the Museum of Sonoma County
with support from SFAA
2/15/2025 - 6/8/2025
Exhibition Preview for Alumni: February 15th, 4PM (RSVP here)
Public Reception: February 15th, 5-7PM
UNRULY: North Bay Artists from the San Francisco Art Institute was inspired by the 2022 closure of the San Francisco Art Institute, the oldest, most influential art school on the West Coast. SFAI was a diverse community of artists that for 152 years provided a safe and creative space to inquire, articulate individualistic and avant-garde ideas, and push against the rules.
To honor that legacy, this exhibition features a selection of local alumni and former faculty who embody the spirit of boundary-pushing, critical thinking, and experimentation that the school so famously fostered and affirmed.
Narrowing down the selection of artists from a great pool of talent was an arduous process that defied the SFAI ethos of equity and inclusion. What emerged organically was not so much a theme, but a group of artists who are trying new things in diverse ways - through the medium, materials, and message. While it may feel like a motley crew assembled in this gallery, the common thread is a passion to explore.
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Jude Mooney, curator​
The UNRULY exhibition focuses on the impact and influence of SFAI in the North Bay. The show features the work of 18 regional artists, spanning multiple generations, who either studied or taught at the Art Institute. Collectively, they embody the spirit of boundary-pushing and experimentation that SFAI so famously fostered and affirmed.
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The participating artists are: Richard H. Alpert, Chester Arnold, David Best, Mark Grieve, Robert Hudson, Anton Kuehnhackl, Evri Kwong, Virginia Linder, Janis Crystal Lipzin, Phil McGaughy, naomi murakami, Sam Roloff, Alice Shaw, Simone Simon, Liz Steketee, Inez Storer, Hwei-Li Tsao, and Heather Wilcoxon.​
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Exhibition Catalog
You can view the digital catalog and also order a printed copy of the UNRULY catalog starting Feb 15!
Programming
Join us for our March Spotlight talk with artist and SFAI alumna Liz Steketee (MFA 2005) in conversation with Jude Mooney. This talk is part of the programming for the exhibition UNRULY: North Bay Artists from the San Francisco Art Institute at the Museum of Sonoma County. Stay tuned for more programming events!
Exhibition Curator
Jude Mooney
SFAI Alumna
Jude Mooney is a Northern California based photographer and curator. A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, Jude’s intimate portraits of authors, musicians, environmentalists, families, and everyday people have been featured on book covers, magazines, and album art. Her personal work has been exhibited at the Scott Nichols Gallery in Sonoma, TamaOne in Olema, and the Petaluma Arts Center.
Most recently Jude earned an MFA from UC Davis in exhibition design, with a focus on color theory and how the wall color changes the way we perceive artwork on display. She is passionate about pursuing curatorial and interactive projects that bring communities together in unique ways.