With UC Davis campus not opening up the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art until July 14 (next Sunday) for its two new exhibitions, and Mondavi on hiatus for the summer, it’s time this weekend to explore arts throughout the region in Sacramento, Napa or even San Francisco. By the way, Mondavi has the 2019-20 season posted and tickets are for sale here.
First Wednesdays are free at di Rosa
If you live in Napa or Sonoma, receive free admission to di Rosa the first Wednesday of each month. ID required. No reservations needed.
Also, nature hikes at di Rosa are back. They tell us: “We have re-opened our hiking trail to the public after a two-year closure following the 2017 Northern California wildfires.” Along the way, families and avid hikers will encounter pieces from di Rosa’s outdoor collection including Wind House (2003) by the renowned Sebastopol-based artist Ned Kahn. This site-specific kinetic sculpture was damaged during the fires, and has recently been restored with the gracious support of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). To book your Nature Hike go here.
General information on di Rosa here.
‘Big Ideas — Richard Jackson’s Alleged Paintings’ at Crocker through Aug. 25
Richard Jackson, who was born and raised in Sacramento, is well known for combining a playful sense of humor and sharp wit with an unconventional approach to painting. Influenced by Abstract Expressionism and action painting, he meticulously engineers sculptural machines that he activates, causing violent eruptions or seeping trickles of paint. The exhibition at Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento runs through Aug. 25.
The liquid pigments — often comically meant to suggest bodily fluids — are spurted, splattered, and sprayed on gallery walls, pedestals, and floors. Jackson also works in neon, paper, and canvas. He draws from a broad visual lexicon, which includes domestic environments, universal human functions and activities, and what he sees as hallmarks of American life, such as hunting and sports as well as consumerism and addiction to oil. Through what he describes as his alleged paintings, Jackson questions traditions in the contemporary art world.
Jackson studied art and engineering at Sacramento State from 1959–1961 and held his first solo exhibition at the Crocker Art Museum in 1961. He has lived in the Los Angeles area since 1968 but frequents the Sacramento region, where he maintains his family’s ranch. His work has since been shown at museums and important venues around the world.
Tickets and other information here.
Upcoming…
Art. Ink. Icon. At de Young July 13
Up until the 1970s, getting inked was fairly transactional: customers could pick only from a menu of set tattoo designs from the wall. When Ed Hardy moved to San Francisco, he opened the first tattoo parlor focused on custom commissions, a practice that changed the landscape of American tattooing.
Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin is the first museum retrospective of Hardy’s work. On view at the de Young starting July 13, the exhibition tracks the evolution of tattooing from its “outsider” status to an important visual art form through Hardy’s work and influence. General de Young information here.
Opening Weekend Talk and Book Signing
July 13, 2–4 p.m.
Hear tattoo legend Ed Hardy share stories about his life and art practice from the Koret Auditorium stage.
For regional performing arts, go to Capital Culture List
Read the blog here. Or listen to the Podcast about upcoming musicals, band performances or other entertainment. Michael Bublé later this month (July 10 at Golden One).
Sorry you missed Oklahoma! at Music Circus, which is also featured here. I saw it. It was great.