The exterior of Petaluma’s Life on Earth Art looks a lot like what it is: a century-old warehouse/factory space from bygone days. The large brick building at the end of Copeland Street, with its wide loading dock and oversized metal doors, has been many things over the years ‒ including a factory that manufactured toilet seats. Surrounded by similarly industrial buildings, one might expect ‒ from outside the place ‒ that this was just another of Petaluma’s many historic commercial spaces.
Once inside, however, such assumptions evaporate instantly. The interior resembles something a girl named Alice might have encountered after tumbling down the rabbit hole. The high ceilings and soaring rafters are everywhere ornamented and embellished with art, specifically bright winged hearts ‒ flying, standing, hanging, reclining, or mounted to the old brick walls.
In short,…