Studio4Art is a hands-on studio that offers classes and workshops for children and adults. A talented and dedicated staff provides instruction in drawing, painting, clay, wheel-throwing and sewing. Drop-in times are available, as are rentals for birthday parties, scout programs, playgroups, day camps and more.
The newest museum in Novato, the Hamilton Field History Museum, opened in May 2010 and drew many airmen who once served at the former air base. The grand opening took place on the 75th anniversary of the dedication of Hamilton Field. The base was operational from 1935 to 1974, first as an Army Air Corps field and later as a station for the U.S. Air Force. Hamilton is named after a World War I flier from Marin who was killed in action in France.
The museum, a rebuilt firehouse erected in 1934, was renovated by a crew of volunteers and was years in the making. It is a joint venture between the city and the Novato Historical Guild. Inside are hundreds of artifacts from the base's heyday, including photos, uniforms, pins, medals and a cockpit simulator. There is a library and research center full of books, posters and videos. Volunteers, curators and docents actively seek additional items from the public to place on display.
Marin Treks Natural History Museum is a museum located in Novato. The museum's exhibits focus on nature and are targeted at children. Marin Treks has been host to countless field trips and other after-school programming. The museum also offers to bring guest speakers to teachers' classrooms to run fun and educational programs. The museum hosts exhibits on topics such as geology, weather patterns, insects, mammals, astronomy and dinosaurs. Private events, such as children's birthday parties, can be held at the museum.
A Spanish-style building from the Art Deco era serves as a lovely and appropriate home for the Novato Arts Center and Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. The structure was built as the centerpiece of the Hamilton Army Air Field, which later became Hamilton Air Force Base. When the base was decommissioned in 1974 and the area turned residential in the early 1990s, the city worked with its Civic Arts Commission to brainstorm how to use the facility as an epicenter for artists. After the City Council decided to create the Novato Arts Center in 1999, the building gradually morphed into studios, classrooms and gardens only a year later.
Since then, the local arts organization has provided a series of juried shows, regional and national exhibitions, member exhibits, lectures, workshops and classes. The gallery and gift shop opened in 2000 and adopted the Marin MOCA name in 2007.
The city arranges for a leasing agent to oversee the rentals of the 24 art studios in the three-building complex in Hamilton's "downtown" area. Visitors are welcome to swing through and talk to the artists at work, although many do not have regular studio hours.
The complex also is home of the nonprofit Artists of Marin MOCA, previously known as the Art League of Northern California and even earlier known as Indian Valley Artists. It was the Indian Valley group that spearheaded the effort to create a Novato Arts Center back in 1995.