EXPANDED MURAL FESTIVAL WILL LITERALLY PAINT THE TOWN
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rt supporters, including me, are excited at the direction our city is now taking to become a leader in the arts. I’m convinced that we certainly have the talent locally. But what we have lacked is the right apparatus to showcase that talent we have here, both to our local residents and to attract visitors from the region and beyond. Last summer’s inaugural Sacramento Mural Festival was a great success, bringing on 11 artists to paint mural locations throughout the Grid’s urban core. The celebration captivated the city for eight days last August, and visitors flocked to watch the artists in action as they completed their largescale projects. The event concluded with a creative-themed street party called Art Jam that raised funds for arts education in local schools. This year, the event has taken on a new identity—it’s now called Wide Open Walls—and has a new organizer in arts fundraiser and auctioneer David Sobon. The event runs Aug. 10–20. I know and like David (he’s a fellow Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commissioner) and definitely consider him a “big thinker.” His energetic approach—fueled by his personal passion for the arts—has broadened the festival to include more than 50 artists and 40 locations, with spots well beyond the Grid, including Natomas, South Sac, Del Paso Heights and Oak Park. About three dozen of the artists are local, including Bryan Valenzuela,
CH By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk
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THE GRID AUG n 17
David Sobon
Jose Di Gregorio, Maren Conrad, Micah Crandall-Bear and Stephanie Taylor, all of whom have had their work featured on our covers. The remaining artists represent 12 countries including Australia, China, France, Germany, New Zealand and the U.K. (To honor some of the local artists who are participating in the mural festival, we have chosen five of them to showcase for this month’s cover art.) Sobon is also expanding the festival to include activities for the
public to engage with the artists, many of them modeled after ones that formed spontaneously last summer. This includes walking tours, pop-up exhibits, gallery openings, busker performances and more. There will even be a muralfinding phone app. All mural artists will have had their mural designs approved by owners of the buildings where they’ll appear. The artists also receive a stipend for participating and have paint and other materials provided to them. Artists arriving
from out of the country will have accommodations and airfare covered, said Sobon. Sobon said funding for the event is provided by dozens of public and private sponsors. Recognizing the ability to draw people to town, Visit Sacramento signed on as the event’s presenting sponsor and provided a significant contribution to the event. Our publications have signed on as a major sponsor, and you’ll see on the adjoining pages a