Black Americana art studio marks grand opening in Sonoma

A Bay Area artist known for her provocative depictions of Black Americana is opening a studio in Sonoma.

Rose Hill Art Studio will have its grand opening this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Over the past few months, Rose Hill’s art has already been showcased around the community. After moving to town from Oakland in May, her work was shown in a four-day Juneteenth pop-up at Musette Atelier, a gallery on the Plaza.

The curator of Musette Atelier, Shiloh Sophia, also runs the Musea Center for Intentional Creativity on Fremont Drive, which is located in the same building as Hill’s new studio, something she views as a huge perk of the space.

“Being near other artists is always fabulous and it’s inspiring in a lot of ways,” Hill said.

Hill’s last studio was in Berkeley, but what she already felt was a bad area before the pandemic took a turn for the worse in 2020, which motivated her relocation. With her daughter and granddaughter in Petaluma, she knew she wanted to move close by, and then she fell in love with Sonoma.

Though the grand opening is this weekend, the studio doors have been open since mid-May. According to Hill, she’s gotten a lot of tourists who are on their way to wineries, specifically Black-owned winery Brown Estate Vineyards, when they see the banner in the front of her store that reads “Black Art and Collectibles.”

“There’s very few Black-owned and operated businesses in Sonoma,” Hill said. “I think especially Black travelers are looking for a space that they identify with, and they step in from curiosity.”

Most of the art in Hill’s studio is her original work, but she has a few pieces by her daughter Letisha Hill Tupper, in the form of mixed media panels. There’s also a collection of Black Americana memorabilia that Hill has collected over several decades that she has on display in the studio in order to contextualize her work.

“What I’m doing is unique in itself and I think it’s educational,” Hill said. “A lot of the work that I do, I’m recapturing old Black children’s stories.”

Hill said that a lot of people from older generations who view her work remember the stories that are associated with it, like “Little Black Sambo.” The sometimes controversial children’s book has been questioned for its racial depictions, but it’s one of Hill’s favorite to reference in her art.

“In my opinion, I feel that we need to embrace our culture to move forward,” Hill said. “I personally don’t think it’s healthy to wipe it out as if it never happened.”

Though a Bay Area artist known for her provocative depictions of Black Americana, “I’m not exclusively appealing to the Black community,” Hill said. “We’re all American, and what I’m doing is very American.”

All of the art in the studio if for sale, including functional ceramics, like plates and cups, that are hand-painted by Hill. Her pieces consist of mixed media panels, canvases and mosaics, a medium that has recently become her primary focus.

The grand opening will feature her work, as well as light hors d'oeuvres and refreshments. “I welcome any and everyone here,” Hill said.

Hill offers both private and group art classes at the studio where participants can learn to paint and create mosaics.

“Everybody so far that’s come into my studio appreciates what I’m doing,” Hill said. “I just hope that the locals want to come and check me out.”

Contact the reporter Rebecca Wolff at rebecca.wolff@sonomanews.com.