2nd Friday Art Walk

Free to the public, enjoy galleries, open studios, art exhibits, and more on the second Friday of each month. Anchored by the Art Works Downtown galleries and studio tour, the 2nd Friday Art Walk connects art venues throughout downtown San Rafael for an evening of inspiration and community.

2026 Schedule:
1/9, 2/13, 3/13, 4/10, 5/8, 6/12, 7/10, 8/14, 9/11, 10/9, 11/13, 12/11

Please consider supporting the 2nd Friday Art Walk. Donate Today!
Interested in sponsoring the 2nd Friday Art Walk? Contact Elisabeth Setten

June 12, 2026 Participating Venues throughout Downtown San Rafael

In Dialogue • Gallery 1337, Ramya Thattai, Back in the Day

Art Works Downtown

1325–1337 Fourth Street, 5–8pm

  • In Dialogue  reception
    Gallery 1337

    In Dialogue invites you into a conversation—where memory meets imagination, identities unfold across time and place, and art becomes a space for connection, reflection, and transformation.

    Featuring Bay Area artists of the Indian American Artists Association (IAAA), this exhibition brings together works shaped by layered exchange: between tradition and experimentation, personal history and collective memory, material and meaning. Rooted in diverse cultural lineages, these artists bring forward the richness of Eastern sensibilities and Western contexts, creating visual languages that are both grounded and evolving.

  • Layers of Belonging by Nimisha Doonagarwal
    Founders’ Gallery

    Layers of Belonging explores identity as something shaped through memory, migration, culture, and lived experience. Through mixed media portraits layered with collage, textiles, painting, and archival imagery, these works reflect the complexity of belonging between places, histories, and generations.

    Many pieces incorporate fabrics and materials connected to personal and cultural memory, transforming each portrait into a layered narrative of inheritance, transformation, and human connection. Rather than presenting identity as fixed, the exhibition embraces the evolving nature of who we become through movement, experience, and the stories we carry with us.

  • Light and Water: The Landscapes of G. R. Brown
    Donors’ Gallery

    I began my journey as a fine art painter later in life, after a 40-year career as a graphic artist, illustrator and art director in print and web media.  All of my current work is from the last 4 years, the majority of that as landscapes. 

    I do not have a complicated philosophy (yet) about my art. I find and portray beautiful places in nature or the human world that speak to me. Virtually all of my landscapes are derived from photographs I have personally taken while hiking or traveling. Capturing light in nature is the simplest statement of what I attempt in general.  

    Einstein was quoted as saying that “the proof of God is that the universe is unnecessarily beautiful… that only a Higher Conscious Source would make it so”.   I would agree.

  • Discover two levels of art studios and galleries 

Gustavo Ramos Rivera

Kim Eagels-Smith
1327 Fourth Street, 5–8pm

Exhibiting Gustavo Ramos Rivera’s recent mixed media works and sculpture by Beniamino Bufano.

www.kesfineart.com

Marin Jewelers Guild

1331 Fourth Street, 5–8pm

Marin Jewelers Guild’s unique gallery and online store are a cooperative of local artisan jewelers who hand fabricate jewelry from silver, gold, copper and bronze. Choose from the wide variety of handmade necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches and earrings available, or commission a piece and work directly with an artist to design your own one-of-a-kind creation.

When you visit our gallery in downtown San Rafael you will always be greeted by a local artisan jeweler. Our customers love the personal attention, free gift wrap, and the chance to collaborate one-on-one with an artist. Choosing or creating treasured gifts to celebrate birthdays, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, arrival of baby, and graduations often turns into lifelong friendships as we share your joy and milestones right along with you. 

www.marinjewelersguild.com

Ceramic Art Center of Marin Gallery & Boutique

1325–1337 Fourth Street, Studio #24, 5–8pm
ceramic art, pottery, ceramic sculptures & jewelry

Our Gallery & Boutique is an extension of everything the San Anselmo Ceramic Art Center of Marin (CACM) stands for, a carefully curated space where the artistry of our studio comes to life. Featuring works and exhibits by our members and students alongside pieces by select Bay Area ceramic artists, both the CACM Gallery and the Boutique celebrate the full range of what can be born from clay: from sculptural works and functional ceramics to one-of-a-kind jewelry and ceramic gifts. 

Every piece carries a story, a conversation between the artist's hand, intention, and the timeless alchemy of fire and clay. Whether you are an avid collector or simply drawn to the beauty of handmade objects, our boutique invites you to bring a piece of that artistry home.

Make sure to visit us every second Friday of the month, during 2nd Friday Art Walk, AWD’s public hours or by appointment.

www.cacm.studio/gallery

Marelli Brothers Shoe Repair, Window

1318 Fourth Street, 24/7

Original Linocuts and Ceramic Hand-built sculpture on display through May 12, 2026  by Novato artist, Martha Paulos. All available for sale.

Martha Paulos Art @marthapaulos or contact her by email:  Marthampaulos@gmail.com

(Studio visits can be arranged.)

@marelliwindow

Schedule of opening hours — As a Window Display, it is open 24/7

China Camp Trail, Sarah DeParis

Marin Society of Artists  

1515 Third Street, corner of E, 5–8pm

The Marin Society of Artists is presenting "Spring Awakening" in the Main Gallery, featuring the work of artists from all parts of the Bay Area.  This unique exhibition explores the themes of nature, renewal and the transformative energy of spring.  The show was juried by Carol Tarzier, a well known Bay Area artist, educator and sculptor.

Also on view in our "Flex Gallery" are recently created photographs and paintings by Marin Society of Artists members.

www.marinsocietyofartists.org

Vacant To Vibrant Window Activation

1212 Fourth Street, 24/7

Featuring the artwork of Irene Bee Kain and Cynthia Tom.

Irene Bee Kain is a Bay Area painter, mixed-media artist, photographer, curator, and community connector whose work centers on creating uplifting and accessible art experiences. A board member and leader within Art African Diaspora and a board member at Art Works Downtown, she is deeply engaged in fostering creative community and cultural dialogue. Her vibrant, warm, and colorful artworks often incorporate non-traditional tools and techniques, reflecting her commitment to experimentation and inclusivity. Through both her art and her community roles, Kain cultivates spaces that celebrate connection, joy, and creative expression.
www.irenebeekain.com

Cynthia Tom is a cultural surrealist, visual artist, and curator whose work explores ancestral patterns, healing, empowerment, spirituality, and feminism through a social justice lens. For over 30 years, she has used painting, mixed media, installation, and community-based projects to elevate women’s stories and foster intuitive healing. As the founding director of A PLACE OF HER OWN™, she creates art-based programs that address generational trauma and empower women of color. Her art and curatorial work have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the de Young Museum, SOMArts, the Legion of Honor, and Surrealismo NOW in Portugal, with recognition from the Smithsonian Archives and multiple curatorial awards. Featured in publications such as the New York Times, Psychology Today, and ABC7, Tom continues to advocate for social change through culturally rooted, heart-centered art.
www.cynthiatom.com

no event, display only

Art Walk can be everyday, enjoy the emPOWER Utility Box Art Project

Downtown San Rafael emPOWER Utility Box Art Project

A beautification project developed by the 2019 cohort of the Leadership Institute -- a program of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce. Six talented, San Rafael-based artists were selected to design their vision of the “Spirit of San Rafael.” Enjoy their artistry at six locations in downtown San Rafael.