Opening the selection process for Sacramento’s new poet laureate is one of the highlights of the four-day Open Daily event put on by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. Other events include a talk on the role of public artwork in private development, a symposium on how arts organizations can raise funds and a workshop to train artists on how to teach art in schools. “This is the first time we’ve run the SMAC Open Daily as a full-blown four-day symposium,” said SMAC spokeswoman Veronica Delgado. “Our overall goal is showing how the creative sector is influencing the dynamics of the economy in Sacramento.” Events run from Wednesday through Saturday. For a full schedule, click her

The Crest Theater will soon be filled with adoring and screaming Garibaldi fans once more. On October 26, performing live at the Crest Theatre will be the Sacramento native and world famous performance artist, David Garibaldi. Garibaldi’s works are known for wowing crowds. The artist travels nationwide and overseas to showcase his talents on something as simple as an empty canvas. Music feeds into his performances and crowds go wild. Many admiring fans guess and wonder what the painting will be when he is finished, but they are always astounded and amazed. Once he has your attention, that’s it - you’re hooked. Garibaldi has created everything from the King of Pop to the King of Rock ‘n’

A mural and sculpture artwork more than a year in the making is set to be finished in about a month and will be installed at the Boys & Girls Club of Sacramento to both inspire and educate the children. “I wanted to do something really original and kind of something that’s never been done before and challenge myself,” said 34-year-old Sacramento artist Anthony Padilla, who is known for works such as the murals on Hot Italian in Midtown and the 16th Street Kings mural. His design for the art involves a roughly 27-foot-by-27-foot mural accompanied by a sculpture that uses solar power to charge electronic devices such as laptops and cellphones and even run devices such as boom boxes. “Basi

To celebrate two of their favorite things: cats and the New Year, mural artists, Sofia Lacin and Hennessy Christophel, choose Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary for their annual charitable mural donation. ‘A Cat for Every Lap,' a 15 foot by 4 foot hand painted mural, will be unveiled at Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary at 6001 Folsom Blvd on the 8th of January, 2011. Ranging in facial expressions and personality just as much as humans, cats are wonderful subjects for a mural. The mural will depict a variety of larger-than-life size human laps occupied by a variety of feline friends. It seems to be a good time to focus on these creatures, as shelters are packed or closing and so many animals are left ho

What: Midtown Bazaar – Sacramento’s weekly art showcase – moves to its indoor location in time for today’s 2nd Saturday festivities When: Today, Saturday, October 9 from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Regular Hours: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. every Saturday 2nd Saturday Hours: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Where: I Street between 16th & 17th Streets, Midtown Sacramento Why: Check out the Midtown Bazaar today as it moves inside for the winter. Extended hours for 2nd Saturday festivities provide safe, indoor environment for meandering through the Midtown Bazaar! It's free and we showcase some of Sacramento's most talented artists and artisans, as well as delicious prepared food and music. Todays' Schedule of Events: 10:00

It was a normal business day at Off Broadway Bean when a man claiming to be from the city of Sacramento’s graffiti abatement program told co-owner Patty Solomon that a mural facing the alley off 16th Street would need to be removed. “It’s a mural, it’s art,” Solomon said. “It’s been here five years.” When Solomon asked the man for a business card, she said he was gruff with her and refused to give her any information. According to Maurice Chaney, spokesman for the city’s Community Development Department, which includes code enforcement, the man who went to the coffeehouse at 2416 16th St. wasn’t from graffiti abatement. “We have no graffiti case in our system,” Chaney said. “I do under

When Shane Grammer's old church acquaintance Clayton Butler asked him to paint a mural in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, he didn't think twice. Grammer, a 38-year-old artist currently residing in Roseville, completed similar murals in Peru, Mexico and Brazil, sometimes teaming with urban kids on the pieces. "I'm ecstatic; I love that," Grammer said. "I've offered stuff like that before, and people are just busy or don't do it. So when I'm asked to do it, I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm there tomorrow. Where do I sign up?' " On April 12, he will be leading a team of six to Cambodia to help Agape International Missions, where Butler works, to help end child sexual slavery and help restore hope to its victims.

One month ago it looked like bye bye mural. Today, it was hello new one.   Stephanie Taylor, the artist who created the mural, said at the time the old mural came down: "It is finally being replaced by the vendor, Metromedia Technologies. They printed the original mural in 1996. It lasted many more years than we expected, but finally started to fail in 2007. The Downtown Partnership and the City paid to have it reprinted- it's digital."   Today the mural was reinstalled.   Mike and Karen Winn, Winn Associates, have their office in the Elks Building,  7th floor. Their view of the mural is perfect and they watched the day-long reinstallation.   And they also watched the prepar

Headed towards the Elks Building along J St. to meet my sister for lunch, I walked on the sidewalk below one of my favorite murals in Sac. Some material was falling to the ground. I looked up and saw the mural is disappearing. Does anyone know what's happening on this side of the building? This is the west wall of Tony's Deli and Catering, and the wall to the east of the Elks Building.   Photo | Kati Garner

Shrouded in a bit of secrecy, it was started late last night at about 10pm.  The guerrilla artists came in with little more than a flashlight, ladder and a can of blue spray paint.  I contemplated approaching the duo to see what they were up to, but instead allowed them to continue working as it appeared time was of the essence.  Rain was approaching and they appeared to be working very quickly.  I watched them for a few minutes before leaving them to their work.  To my delight, I walked over this morning to discover the beautifully outlined beginnings of a large mural. It appears to depict 4 figures total, 3 females and 1 male. One of the figure stands alone and appears to be spraying s

A DJ spinning some records, friends dancing and playing football, and a graffiti artist completing a mural for gardening store Hydroponics -- the spirit of hip hop was alive on Saturday, April 18, in Midtown Sacramento. Sacramento Press stopped to check out the happenings on 16th Street between S and T, and was lucky enough to have a friendly chat with Hydroponics's manager Dave West and graffiti artist Steve Yorgason. "He volunteered," West said, referring to the story of Yorgason's reaction after West first pitched the idea of painting the mural. "I think it is awesome," West said of the product, which was nearly complete by 6 p.m. Yorgason, a veteran of graffiti art and the artist be