Acting Out
Grant funding allows local youth the opportunity to experience free community theater
Community theater, often known for supporting and encouraging aspiring young artists, has a new home in the greater Sacramento area. Thanks to a new Youth Theatre For All program, launched by the Natomas Arts and Education Foundation, more than 50 children ages 10-18 were afforded the opportunity to participate in a production of “Bye Bye Birdie” for free for three performances in July.
A Taste of Oaxaca
Mezcalito Oaxacan Cuisine shares regional Mexican culture with Sacramento diners
At Mezcalito Oaxacan Cuisine in Rocklin, the mole takes two days and nearly two dozen ingredients to complete. The recipe reads like a catalog of the Mexican state of Oaxaca’s agricultural bounty: plantains, green apples and raisins; warm spices and half a dozen kinds of chiles; a liberal dose of sparsely-sweetened chocolate.
In the Cards
Gregory Perkins of African American Expressions grew a nationally-renowned card business from humble Sacramento roots
In 1991, Gregory Perkins was a Sacramento corrections officer struck by a calling to make a difference. He realized that most greeting cards lacked representation of the African American community. Perkins worked with his cousin, an artist, to develop three Afrocentric greeting card designs in an effort to create what he calls an “uplifting product that African Americans can take pride in.”
Gather ’Round
Local music lovers open up their homes for intimate concerts
Bill Wagman greets 25 guests at the front door of his Davis house, then sits quietly at a dining room table while his featured musician of the mid-September evening, Florida’s Grant Peeples, entertains in the living room with folk songs and reciting his offbeat poetry.
Art Exposed: Tony Natsoulas
Ceramic artist on creating and collecting in the Capital Region
Comstock’s sat down with Tony Natsoulas to talk about creating and collecting in the Capital Region.
Art in the Park
Can $40 million Crocker Park development project drive further riverfront revitalization?
Crocker Park is three acres of unimproved land at 2nd and O streets adjacent to Interstate 5. Prior to the construction of the freeway and the redevelopment of Sacramento’s west end in the mid-1900s, this land once had housing on it.
Sacramento’s Best Friends for Frosting Explores Brick-and-Mortar via Airbnb
In an increasingly crowded digital space of bloggers and influencers, Melissa Johnson, founder of the Sacramento-based lifestyle blog Best Friends for Frosting, knew she had to create a thumb-stopping moment to stand out.
Natural Connection
Lisa Taira at Kiyo’s Floral Design has practiced ikebana — traditional Japanese flower arrangement — for nearly 50 years.
Art Exposed: Alejandra Calderon
Co-founder of Manjar Ceramics talks art, activism and entrepreneurship
When Alejandra Calderon narrowly escaped failing her ceramics class as a fine arts major at Sacramento State, she never imagined that seven years later she would co-own a ceramics business. At the time, she found the discipline to be frustratingly difficult compared to her primary passion, painting.
The Creative Divide
New branding initiatives in Sacramento offer a lesson in balancing business directives with artistic freedom
The success of the film Lady Bird brought Sacramento into the national limelight and local leaders want to incorporate the creative community into its branding efforts. But artists and business leaders can be strange bedfellows.