The Crocker Art Museum’s new space is a big deal for Sacramento.

That was evident Tuesday morning as the museum opened its new, 125,000-square-foot wing to the media, drawing a variety of established TV, radio and print media outlets from as far as Los Angeles.

The sneak peek at the new museum was given in advance of the general opening on Oct. 10 (10.10.10).

“It’s a great new treasure for the city and this region,” said Lial A. Jones, museum director.

In addition to a much-expanded gallery space, the Crocker now has dedicated educational space, which will allow for a much greater scope of activities, Jones said. Some of the educational space includes a viewing gallery on the first floor that will allow visitors to watch staff working on restoring art.

“We’ve never had an educational space before,” said Stacey Shelnut-Hendrick, director of education, who co-led one of the media tours Tuesday.

“Every collection area has a home,” said Chief Curator Scott Shields, who co-led the tour with Shelnut-Hendrick. Art collections that now have their own spaces include African art, Oceanic art, European art and the Crocker’s porcelain collection.

Though large, the building does not appear imposing from the outside – which was exactly what the Crocker designers planned.

“We wanted to create a space large in scale without feeling massive,” Shelnut-Hendrick said.

In showing off the second- and third-floor galleries, Shields was in his element, giving the history of the museum along with tidbits the average visitor will would likely never know.

Passing a painting by internationally known Sacramento artist Wayne Thiebaud, “Big Rock Mountain,” Shields related how the artist actually varnished the painting at the Crocker, as it wasn’t complete before coming to the museum.

In the Crocker’s prized California and American Art section on the third floor, Shields noted that the ceiling heights and wall colors are indicative of architectural and design trends from the eras in which the art was created.

For example, the art created during the Victorian era is housed in a room with a high ceiling emphasizing the vertical, and as the rooms progress to later works, the ceilings are lower – representing the bungalow-style homes that came into vogue, and the smaller paintings of that era.

The museum’s artwork is made up of the Crocker family’s collections, donated works and works the museum has purchased.

The California Impressionist collection, Shields said, came from a private donation, as it was acquired after the Crockers had stopped collecting but before the museum could start purchasing.

Much of the European art was collected by the Crockers, specifically the German artwork housed on the third floor.

Shields said the Crockers focused their collection on German work, as the Franco-Prussian War between France and Germany made travel within the continent difficult.

“Many of them haven’t been seen in decades,” Shields said.

Another of the museum’s treasures is its ceramics collection.

“We are in the top four or five in the country (for ceramics collections),” Shields said.

Also finally getting the breathing room it deserves is the museum’s Asian art collection, which contains some of the oldest pieces in the museum.

Some of the Asian art includes a Cambodian temple decoration, Japanese samurai armor and a section of Himalayan art.

Overlooking the new cafe is a cantilever balcony, where art from Africa and Oceania is displayed. It could also be used for cultural dance performances at times, Shelnut-Hendrick said.

According to General Contractor John Home, the building was constructed to be very robust, with the knowledge that some of the artwork can be very heavy.

The Crocker staff was also eager to show off the museum’s new cafe, which is run by Mulvaney’s B&L.

Currently, the cafe serves sandwiches, snacks, desserts and drinks. In January, beer and wine will also be available.

The public opening of The Crocker Art Museum is from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. on Oct. 10 (10.10.10). Members will be allowed in a day earlier, and a gala event was held Saturday.

Admission to the new museum will be $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and college students, $5 for youths 7-17 and free for children 6 and under and Crocker members. The first floor of the Museum, including the cafe, theatre and gift shop, will be free at all times.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.