Best of the Bay 2025 Editors' Pick: di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art - 48 hills

"Collectors Rene and Veronica di Rosa first opened their private collection to the public in 1997. Since that time, the museum's exhibits and special programs have focused on established Northern California artists, including Robert Arneson, Joan Brown, Jay DeFeo, Roy De Forest, William T. Wiley, and others. The integration on its 217-acre campus of contemporary new work, outdoor sculptures, nature camps, hikes, the Winery Lake Vineyards, programs at the di Rosa residence, and other features elevates the institution into a culturally significant and ever-changing regional"

"Arguably best of all, a new 5,000-square-foot satellite space, The Incorrect Museum, has risen like a phoenix-and is free to all visitors. The close-to-home di Rosa SF satellite museum officially opened in early August in the former McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, within the Minnesota Street Project complex. Its first show, "Far Out: Northern California Art from the di Rosa Collection" (now thru October 4), features work by Joan Brown, Enrique Chagoya, Jay DeFeo, Mildred Howard, Packard Jennings, Lynn Hershman Leeson, and Peter Saul."

"Napa's di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art made major moves in 2025. Like other arts museums, institutions, and galleries in the Bay Area, it found itself in a storm of financial challenges and the general public's shifting cultural habits. The museum recently responded by transforming two of its spaces into rental venues and launching new initiatives. The changes resulted in staffing cuts and other unfortunate actions,"

di Rosa faced 2025 financial pressures and changing public habits, prompting the conversion of two gallery spaces into rental venues and the launch of new initiatives. The moves produced staff reductions and other difficult measures but preserved the museum's mission of exhibiting a 1,600-item collection focused on Northern California artists and amplifying emerging voices. The 217-acre campus combines contemporary work, outdoor sculpture, nature camps, hikes, Winery Lake Vineyards, residence programs, and revolving exhibitions to create a regional cultural destination. A free 5,000-square-foot San Francisco satellite, The Incorrect Museum, opened in August with 'Far Out' through October 4.

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