Matt Isble, Exhibition Designer and Lead Prepartor Justin Marsh, Museum Experience Facilitator work on the interior design in the New Crocker. The Interior of the existing Crocker will also have a makeover.   "The new Anne and Malcolm McHenry Works on Paper Study Center (above) will enable the Museum to share the Crocker Art Museum's fine early collection of European drawings in the United States", says Kathleen Richards,Crocker Marketing Communications Coordinator.  In addition to two dedicated galleries for special exhibitions, the state-of-the-art facility comprises a 926-square-foot storage room and an 810-square-foot study room for scholars, artists, and the public by appointmen

In case you missed this earlier, let me clarify the newly coined term "greenwash". If whitewashing is to 'gloss over or cover up a crime or a scandal', then "greenwashing" would be the use of money in an attempt to gloss over or cover up a crime or scandal. When our family read that the new wing at the Crocker Art Museum was going to be named The Teel Family Pavilion, we became unglued. This is the same family that owns the Raley’s Supermarket chain of stores. Joyce Raley Teel’s $13 million dollar donation enabled them the honor of having the new addition named after them. As you know from my previous articles about Raley’s and the Teel’s, a crime was committed against my father and our

Concert pianist Sachiko Kato will perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations on Sunday, December 20, at 3 p.m. The hour-long performance will take place in Capistrano Hall at Sacramento State. Concerts are free to members of the Crocker Art Museum, $12 for nonmembers and $5 for students and seniors. Free parking is available in Parking Structure I, which is adjacent to the Hall. The Goldberg Variations, composed in 1742, is one of Bach’s masterpieces, but it is not often performed in concert due to the complexity and length of the work. Kato will open the concert with a work by contemporary Japanese composer Somei Satoh titled Hashi (Bridges) II. A native of Osaka, Japan, Kato grew up in Los Ang

The new entryway of the New Crocker is worked on. A fountain (under yellow beam) will be featured in the courtyard, between the existing museum and the expansion. The expansion of the Crocker: Triples the size of the existing facility  Quadruples the square footage for exhibition space  Accommodates “blockbuster” exhibitions  Preserves the historic Art Gallery Building as the architectural centerpiece with its classic, contemporary design  Provides a café with indoor and outdoor seating, a 300-seat auditorium and art classrooms  Allows for secure collections care and storage space that is not susceptible to flooding  Includes a striking two-story atrium for events that can seat 4

More than 95 regional artists and craftspeople will offer their unique gift items during the Crocker Art Museum’s Holiday Art & Craft Festival at the Scottish Rite Center, located across from the main entrance of California State University, Sacramento, at 6151 H Street. Visitors will support the Crocker and local artists while they shop for everyone on their holiday list with an array of gift items and price ranges. The artist’s creations for sale include jewelry, ceramics, paintings, gourmet food, a variety of unique holiday items and more. You can also capture the holiday season by having photos taken with a Victorian Santa Claus in the front lobby. Attendees will also enjoy free parki

This fall the Crocker Art Museum will host a daylong festival of contemporary films by female directors exploring the roles of Japanese and Japanese American women. Held to coincide with the Crocker’s exhibit of contemporary ceramics by Japanese women, Soaring Voices, the festival will include four film screenings at the Guild Theater, located at 2828 35th Street, on Saturday, October 17. Local filmmakers, artists and scholars will introduce and offer insight on each film. “Soaring Voices tells the story of Japanese women breaking into the male-only ceramic world, and these films expand on that story by looking at the position of women in Japanese society as a whole,” commented Christian

High energy and fun brought Old Sacramento to life at the Second Annual Sacramento World Music and Dance Festival.  The two-day festival kicked off Saturday at the Benvenuti Performing Arts Center, which featured Angentine tango champions Miriam and Leonardo.  Festivities continued Sunday in Old Sacramento. Both days were a celebration of international cultures through ethnic dancing, musical performances, historical storytelling and traditional reenactments of stories and folktales from all over the world. Despite the sweltering Sacramento heat, close to 5,000 attendees managed to stay cool under the shade of large tents and trees, and with the aid of popsicles and cold drinks sold by s

 Nearly 100 panels of reflective glass are installed in the wall of the new expansion facing the existing Crocker Art Museum today. The older structure reflects off the panels. The reflective material inside the panels has a dotted look, a halftone pattern, when see upclose.   The glass is triple-paned, and it has a couple layers of special coatings that have reflective qualities meant to limit the amount of heat entering the Museum.It will be comfortable temperature- and vision-wise while sitting inside the new Crocker's atrium/cafe area.   Workers will be working over the weekend and should be finished with the glass panels installation by Tuesday. Photos | Kati Garner  

Delve into the romance of the Viennese operetta with tenor Hannes Busch, soprano Rufina Anatolevan-James and pianist Schinnerer Deffner. This Sunday, September 27 at 3 p.m., enjoy a luxurious hour of 13 operettas by timeless composers Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Lehár, Johann Strauss Jr. and Carl Zeller. The Classical Concert is presented by the Crocker Art Museum. Due to construction for the Museum’s expansion, the concerts now take place on the Sacramento State campus in Capistrano Hall. A renowned opera and concert singer, Busch was educated at the Opera Studio of Hannover, Germany, where he was later engaged as a soloist for operettas. He has also been a recipient of the prestigious Puccin

Workers prepare the window frames in the New Crocker Art Museum's cafe/atrium area. Windows will be installed in the expansion wing within several weeks. Drywall has been installed in office spaces and the new art galleries and storage areas. The bathrooms are tiled. A new waterfall fountain will be part of the courtyard linking the new and existing Crocker.  Photos | Kati Garner    

Sections of the historic structure receive a fresh coat of paint (top photo). Colors were inspired from the original Victorian palette and complement the materials of the new construction. Two artistis  stand on the sidewalk in front of the existing Crocker and paint the scenery around them (middle). A crane delivers a heavy load of drywall to workers above the entryway of the New Crocker (bottom photo). Windows will be installed in the new expansion soon. Photos | Kati Garner

Jazz keyboard master Roger Smith will perform during the Crocker Art Museum’s Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series on September 17 from 5:30-8 p.m. Smith and his band will bring their lively spirit and exceptional talent to perform an array of melodies ranging from R&B to smooth jazz. This is the final concert of the Summer Concert Series before it takes a hiatus during the winter months. During his 30 year career, Smith has released five CD recordings and collaborated on countless others. His Off the Hook was a smash, No. 1 hit on Billboard’s contemporary jazz singles chart in 1999 and stayed in the top 10 for nearly 20 weeks. Smith returned to the charts in 2004 with the 14-track s

Construction is underway for the Crocker's first water feature. This rounded rectangular wall will have water gently cascading over the side. Patrons can enjoy both the sight and sound while relaxing in the new courtyard.   Photos | Kati Garner

Contemporary jazz guitarist Peter Morgan and his ensemble will perform a light and breezy instrumental jazz with a coastal island flavor at the Crocker's popular Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series on August 20. Running from May through September, concerts are held in the Museum Courtyard on the third Thursday of the month from 5:30-8 p.m. Light refreshments and beverages are available for purchase. Concerts are free to Crocker members and $10 for nonmembers. Morgan is regarded as a stand-out vocalist and guitarist who brings an eclectic musical energy to all of his performances. He has performed alongside some of the biggest names in smooth jazz including Fattburger, Michael McDona

"Sculpture doesn't have to answer to society or beauty," Japanese contemporary ceramic artist Takako Araki once said. Referred to by some as sacrilegious, her lifelike tattered Bible sculptures, one of which she made by silkscreening text from the Bible onto fired clay, are part of the Soaring Voices ceramic exhibition at the Crocker Art Museum in Downtown Sacramento. The exhibition opened to the public Saturday and features a collection of more than 80 ceramic pieces by 25 female Japanese artists. Until the 1950s, the world of ceramics in Japan has been a "man's world," exhibit organizer Maya Nishi told an audience at Sunday's gallery talk. She elaborated on how Japanese women had been

The new addition to the Crocker Art Museum is huge! It is tripling the size of the museum as well as adding new features to enhance the visitor's experience at the Crocker. For more detailed information please visit: http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/expansion/overview.html There is a link that will take you to a live video feed of the construction in progress. Last fall, I began a photographic essay of the expansion. I began shooting when the majority of the work was setting the footprint in place.The only new structures were the block building which is the equipment room and the basement with steel beams on four corners which is becoming the front of the new Crocker. Seating is stadi

There was reason Saturday for double celebration at Sacramento's Safetyville USA. It was not only the 12th annual Family Safety and Health Expo, it also marked Safetyville's 25th year of teaching safety and life skills to more than 200,000 children to date. The free event hosted around 3,000 children and their families for a fun-filled day of learning and celebrating. In the middle of the expo, birthday festivities took the main stage and were led by Liz McClatchy, President and CEO of Safetyville Center Incorporated (SCI) and Terry Polvado, Vice President of SCI. Children sang "Happy Birthday" to Safetyville and were introduced to the new and yet-to-be-named mascot of Safetyville, a dog

It was a veritable who's who of Sacramento artists, arts organizations and art supporters inside KVIE Public Television's offices Friday morning. Nearly 100 invitees gathered to listen to Mayor Kevin Johnson's remarks in a meeting entitled "For Art's Sake." "Performing arts, visual arts and literary arts -- we need all three to reach the potential of what Sacramento can be," Johnson said in his speech. "Our commitment: We are going to promote the arts in a real way." The mayor stressed that the arts community doesn't just use city money, it creates revenue for the city. Therefore, the relationship is a reciprocal one. He then introduced Sharon Gerber, founder of arts and event planning

Art connoisseurs are already reveling in the expanded offerings that will deck out Crocker Art Museum's new wing. But art lovers won't be the only ones to benefit. The capital's economic vitality is expected to get a big boost when the 125,000-square-foot expansion triples the museum's size upon opening next year. "I think it's going to really elevate Sacramento's visibility as a cultural destination," said Michelle Alexander, executive director of the Arts & Business Council of Sacramento. "Cultural tourism is a big, key factor in economic health." In the next few weeks, construction crews will begin building the connection from the contemporary new wing to the future education studio

An all-star cast of jazz musicians are slated to perform during the Crocker Art Museum’s popular Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series. From May through September, concerts are held outside on the third Thursday of the month from 5:30-8 p.m. Light refreshments and beverages are available for purchase. Concerts are free to Crocker members and $10 for nonmembers. The Perry Mills Project will open the series this Thursday, May 21. Guitarist and singer Perry Mills will lead his band in a passionate fusion of rock and jazz. Their new CD Hello? is aimed at engaging, rhythmic, and approachable musical art, infused with R&B and jam-band vibes, while keeping the integrity of progressive-rock a