MEDIUM Art Center – Friday, November 7, from 5 – 8 PM
MEDIUM Art Center presents “It’s Always Something, Ain’t It?” — The Surreal and Satirical Art of Winston Smith
MEDIUM Art Center is proud to present It’s Always Something, Ain’t It?, a solo exhibition featuring the provocative collage work of punk surrealist Winston Smith. The exhibition opens during the First Friday Art Walk on November 7, 2025, from 5 to 8 p.m., with light refreshments, wine, and beer available by donation.
Winston Smith, a legendary collage artist and illustrator, is best known for creating the iconic Dead Kennedys logo and album artwork. His influence extends across decades of punk, pop, and political art. Smith’s intricate, hand-cut compositions have appeared on more than 50 record covers, including Green Day’s Insomniac, and in publications such as The New Yorker, Playboy, Spin, Vice, and Mother Jones.
Trained in classical Renaissance art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Smith blends old-world craftsmanship with biting social commentary. His surreal dreamscapes, cut from vintage Americana, Victoriana, and mid-century ephemera, warp the familiar into the absurd. The results are darkly funny, politically charged, and distinctly human.
Smith’s collaborations with punk legend Jello Biafra and Alternative Tentacles Records cemented his place as a visual architect of punk culture. Beyond album art, his work has graced book covers, including Greg Palast’s The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, and has been featured in art history texts as a defining example of 20th-century collage.
It’s Always Something, Ain’t It? invites viewers to confront the absurdities of modern life through the lens of a true punk surrealist. The exhibition runs through November 29, 2025.
Opening Reception: First Friday Art Walk: Friday, November 7th, 2025, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Beverages and light refreshments available. Wine provided by Saracina Vineyards.
Community Art Project: Group collage. Add your piece to a large collage or create a small collage of your own. All supplies provided.
Music: Singer/songwriter Special Music Showcase with artists JaSo, Ori Ray Polkinghorn, Helena I Hear You, Megan Miller & John Francis, and Shovelman!
Come support the arts!
The exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours on the First Friday of each month from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
MEDIUM Art Center, located at 110 S. School Street in downtown Ukiah, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.mediumarts.org or email info@deepvalleyarts.org.
The Grace Hudson Museum – Friday, November 7, from 5 – 8 PM Celebrating Mission Gráfica: Reflecting a Community in Print
Spend a part of your November First Friday Art Walk at the Grace Hudson Museum, where we’ll have a celebratory reception for our latest exhibition, Mission Gráfica: Reflecting a Community in Print. The show features dozens of engaging screenprints made at Mission Gráfica studio in the Mission District of San Franciso, which dates back to 1982. The artwork speaks to political protest, cultural movements, and social advocacy. At the reception, you’ll be able to enjoy edible art from members of the tortilla art collective, The Great Tortilla Conspiracy. Watch the conspirators make screen prints with chocolate on tortillas, toasting the artworks on a comal to make quesadillas. Eat on site or take home. Tell your friends…but, shhh, do it quietly. After all, it’s a conspiracy! Jazz/Flamenco/North African guitarist Yoba Bouabid will be our musical guest. You’ll also be able to spend time discovering or getting reacquainted with our core galleries, featuring Grace Hudson’s artwork, exquisite Pomo basketry, and Carpenter-Hudson family history. Refreshments, including wine, will be available. First Fridays at the Grace Hudson Museum are always free all day and evening.
The Grace Hudson is located at 431 S. Main St., Ukiah. For more information, please call (707) 467-2836. See more at gracehudsonmuseum.org
The Ukiah Branch Library – Friday, November 7, from 5 – 7 PM
Art Walk Ukiah Featuring the Mendocino Quilt Artists: Well-Rounded – Contemporary Quilts Using Non-Traditional Materials & Techniques with Music by BP3
The Ukiah Branch Library invites the community to join us for Art Walk Ukiah openings on Friday, November 7 and Friday, December 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. The library will feature a quilt exhibit by the Mendocino Quilt Artists.
The Mendocino Quilt Artists have been quilting together for over 30 years. Comprised of 10 women, the group meets twice a month to share their personal art journeys and engage in talks on a chosen subject. Each member encourages one another while exploring new techniques such as dyeing fabric, printing, embellishments, and creative stitching. The finished quilts often feature abstract patterns and non-traditional themes. Many members exhibit their art at national and international venues, earning widespread recognition for their work.
On November 7, the Branch will host live music by Rosie Wetzel and Steve Hahm of Back Porch Trio (BP3); and on December 5, the Branch will host live music by banjoist, Hannah Mayree. During both Art Walk openings, guests can enjoy an all-ages fabric bookmarks craft program and a robust book sale hosted by the Ukiah Valley Friends of the Library.
This art exhibition is free to the public, open to all ages, and is sponsored by the kind and generous support of the Ukiah Valley Friends of the Library and Mendocino County Library.
For more information, please visit mendolibrary.org or contact the Ukiah Branch at uklibrary@mendocinocounty.gov or 707-463-4490.
Ample, free parking is located next to the library in the parking lot at Standley and Main Streets, weekdays after 3:30 PM.
Corner Gallery – Friday, November 7, from 5 – 8 PM
Corner Gallery presents MCAA Annual Member’s Exhibit “Art for Art’s Sake”
Tight, loose, representative, abstract, realistic, playful, colorful, and innovative; it is all in this exhibit. Thirty MCAA members of varying experience and skill level will add to the vibrancy of the show that follows no rules or themes; rather, it is art for art’s sake. Join the opening evening an opportunity meet these local artists.
Young artist Wall: McKinzie Vanderpool oil paintings. McKinzie’s first young artist wall exhibit as a high school student featured her charcoal sketches. Her oil paintings reflect her dedication to the traditional arts. This is a treat to experience examples of a developing artist.
MCAA Pony Wall: Kathleen Gordon Burke, oil paintings. Michael Eich, Abstract oils large paintings. Ursula Partch felting and mixed media works.
First Friday opening Friday, November 7th 5pm- 8pm
Live guitar and vocal music will be presented throughout the evening by Steve Winkle.
201 South State Street Ukiah, Gallery hours 11am-5pm Tuesday thru Saturday.
Art Center Ukiah November 2025 “Quick Draw”
Art Center Ukiah, once again offers a view of the artist at work with Quick Draw: Artists will draw from live models as the public watches. Six local artists will be participating, drawing a series of 20 minute poses with a seven different models. Completed work will be hung on lines around the room for visitors to enjoy as each modeling session closes.
Visitors should expect an evening that is fun, lively and unpredictable. Come early, come halfway through the event, or come late… there will be art happening before your eyes.
All the sketches will be displayed for the month of October, along with additional works by each of the artists. Artists start drawing November 7th at 5pm and continue through the entire evening until 8 pm. Different model will sit at different times.
Opening reception Friday, November 7th 5pm -8pm. Live music presented throughout the evening by Steve Winkle
201 S. State Street Ukiah in back of Corner Gallery.
Gallery hours 11am -5pm Tuesday thru Saturday.
Art Center Ukiah is located at 201 S. State Street Ukiah, in back of Corner Gallery.
Gallery hours 11am -5pm Tuesday thru Saturday. See more at cornergalleryukiah.com/art-center-ukiah
Mamas Medicinals – Friday, November 7, from 5 – 8 PM
We will be having: Nathan Louis Valensky is a California artist whose work reimagines Western iconography through a modern, pop-influenced lens. His work balance grit and nostalgia, exploring the tension between history, memory, and identity in the American West. Utilizing a muted and bood palette, sharp composition, and an eye for storytelling, Nathan creates images that feel both timeless and current, capturing the spirit of the American spirit and psyche.
We will have tea and wine, and nibbles, and CBD Mendo will be offering CBD mocktails.
Mamas Medicinals is located at 328 N. State St., Ukiah. For more information, please call (707) 734-3021 or email info@mamasmedicinals.com. See more at mamasmedicinals.com