And they might be shocked when she starts pouring black paint all over herself.

But don't worry, folks. It's all part of the show.

Cattaneo's unconventional dance solo is only one of many unexpected sights you'll see during Arts Sonoma, a series of exhibits and performances running Saturday through Oct. 4 all over Sonoma County.

While Arts Sonoma also embraces all of the area's regular events at galleries, museums, theaters and concert halls this fall, many of its offerings will pop up in unlikely venues.

The series includes hundreds of specific events, but here are a few examples:

The Slaughterhouse Space at Healdsburg's Duchamp Winery (a former working abattoir now dedicated to the arts) presents three live performances and an art exhibition, all free, starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The program includes a reading by poet Bill Berkson, a light and sound show by Laetitia Sonam, and experimental theater written by Jordan Essoe and performed by Kelley Miles.

On Sept. 12, the Pegasus Theater Company will perform David Beckman's 10-minute play, “Isn't It Fabulous,” six times at six different restaurants, from Forestville to Duncans Mills.

The Felix String Quartet presents a free classical concert at noon Sept. 28 at the Kaiser Permanente medical complex in Santa Rosa, one of several similar shows the foursome will put on during Arts Sonoma.

And at 2 p.m. Sunday at Tower Gasoline on Santa Rosa Avenue, Cattaneo will perform a symbolic dance piece protesting America's dependence on fossil fuels, the first of half a dozen performances at different gas stations throughout the county.

“Basically, I will be dancing in what looks like oil. It looks like I'm drowning in tar. It's paint, really. I'll be wearing a suit and tie, symbolizing corporate America,” Cattaneo said. (In case you're wondering, the paint will be caught in a tub and not allowed to soak into the ground.)

Aside from the obvious symbolism, why did she choose these particular venues for her performances?

“This festival is bringing art to unexpected places. When I was touring last year, driving around the country, all I saw were gas stations,” she added. “So I figured performing at them would be a great way to take the arts to the people.”

Over the past few years, the Arts Council of Sonoma County has promoted annual countywide arts celebrations focusing on a different discipline each year: sculpture, live performance or literature. This year's effort encompasses all of the arts, in the hopes of raising public awareness.

“Art is not on the streets in Sonoma County the way it is in big cities,” said arts council member John Duran. “This is about the diversity and the breadth of creativity in the community, rather than any specific art endeavor.”

Duran's collaborator on the project is Arts Sonoma coordinator John Moran, actor, playwright and longtime local arts advocate. Moran wants Arts Sonoma to raise the profile of local arts, but also broaden the definition.

“We've got improv, modern music, classical music, visual arts and we've got some weird art,” Moran said. “This is about breaking down the barriers and the preconceptions of what art is.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.pressdemocrat.com