Photo essay: Sacramento’s stunning public murals

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In a city that boasts a thriving community of locally owned businesses, artists, musicians and writers, it’s no wonder that Sacramento has a stunning array of public art displays that have taken the form of murals on the sides of buildings throughout town.

The works are concentrated in Midtown and downtown Sacramento, where the eclectic collection of stores and businesses creates the ideal canvas for some of the most visually impressive pieces of public art.

Local artist Skinner – born Warren Davis III – said he thinks Sacramento needs more work like the mural he painted on the side of the Java Lounge on 16th Street near Broadway. Skinner said he’s commissioned to do work all over the world – including a project he’ll begin in May in Japan – but it’s difficult to get permission for work in Sacramento because he thinks the people who approve the work, like the City Council, are too conservative.

“I’d paint for free, because I want Sacramento to be more beautiful,” Skinner said. “I’d like to see more support for our local art scene.”

Skinner named the mural at 24th Street and Broadway as one of his favorites in the city. The piece was done by Alex “Cabron” Forster, said Skinner, and depicts “Ishi,” a Native American believed to be the last member of the Yahi people, holding a gold nugget in each hand.

At 1700 Capitol Ave. is an old-fashioned grocery store scene that has become the identifying mark for Grocery Outlet. Store owner Mindi Admire said people refer to her store as, “You know, the building with the mural,” and that when she purchased the business, she wanted to be sure the mural would stay.

“It’s really important to the community,” Admire said, adding that the work was recently restored by one of the original artists, Michael Stanford. 

Dimple Records on 16th Street at Broadway boasts artwork by Shaun Turner and Dan Osterhoff, who did the piece in 2008 for the store’s previous inhabitant, R5 Records. The mural depicts music legends Miles Davis and Billie Holiday.

The California Conservation Corps on 24th Street has a mural that faces the light rail station. According to Susanne Levitskey, public information officer for the CCC, it’s a great location, because it catches the eye of young people on the train and gets them interested in the corps.

“The mural not only showcases corps people, but it advertises what we do here,” Levitsky said, adding that artwork like theirs has become a tradition throughout the organization in California.

The work was done in the late ’90s by a group of CCC members.

Mary Kawano, owner of Sugar Shack Boutique on J Street, said she wanted the look of graffiti art on her shop because it went well with her fun, edgy store. She chose Anthony Padilla to paint her mural a few years ago, in part to give back to the community by supporting local artists.

Kawano said she thinks her storefront might inspire other business owners to support spray-can artists and give them a canvas for their work without defacing any buildings.

She said she hopes to have Padilla come back to update the mural with new outfits on the girls in the image, with one who represents Kawano herself and the other being a “Midtown edgy girl.”

The Masonic Temple building on J Street near the Lincoln Highway was the home of a mural done by Stephanie Taylor, but was destroyed by weather and time. Taylor’s piece, copied from original artwork on display at the Crocker Art Museum, “Sunday Morning in the Mines,” has been digitally reproduced and is back in place on the Masonic Temple.

Jack’s Urban Eats on 20th Street near Capitol Avenue in Midtown is the home to this mural. Unfortunately, no one could be reached at the restaurant for comment.

Michael Brown, owner of Capitol Dawg on 20th Street near L Street, said he had the mural on the back of his building done just about a year ago. Most of the work was done by Shaun Turner.

“I asked him for a little color, a little nostalgia, and to have the words ‘Capitol Dawg’ on the piece somewhere,” Brown said. “I let the artist do what he wanted. I think he winged it.”

Brown said he’s really happy with the piece, and added that an unexpected benefit has been that the mural has been untouched by taggers. The blank wall on the backside of his restaurant had previously been a popular spot for graffiti, but he said he thinks taggers respect the artwork.

The Alhambra Theatre may be closed, but this Midtown mural pays homage to “the showplace of Sacramento,” located off of 25th Street near J Street.

This piece on HR Sports Cards at the corner of 10th and W streets is still in progress. Artist Irubiel Moreno has taken the project on with a collection of other artists. The mural depicts figures from various religions, including Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, and was intended to create a message of unity.

Fox 40 covered the first stages of this mural project in August.

The Art in Public Places program, as part of the Sacramento Metro Arts Commission, works primarily with public projects in new construction, said program director Shelly Willis. Upcoming projects include the Elkhorn Tower in north Sacramento and a test project to paint a large utility box at 20th and J streets.

Willis said the review process for any public piece is extensive, since the program is funded with public money. She said that while her focus is on public work, she is also a resource for artists and business in the private sector who wish to commission artwork.

In 2009, the Art in Public Places program put together the Franklin Urban Plein Air Project, a temporary art project on Franklin Boulevard. The 22 pieces were painted on storefronts by as many different artists, but unlike most of the city’s mural work, these are on a much smaller scale.

“These murals were purposefully meant to engage people at the pedestrian level,” Willis said, adding that Franklin Boulevard was once voted the ugliest street in Sacramento, but is gradually becoming a more beautiful place.

Do you have a favorite mural in Sacramento? Please share below in the comments.