A pair of legs. Warrior’s legs, I’m sure. Maybe Roman by the look of the sandals. Brazen. This is a piece by Stephen Kaltenbach that stands near the entrance of the CSUS Alumni Center. “Only a playful ease with unease can yield pleasure and possibly reveal the complexity of an artist whose work is elusive…
Category: Sculpture
Desert Cactus and Prickly Pear ~ 23rd & K Alley
A midtown business facing a problem with frequent intruders on their back patio hired artists rather than security guards to resolve the situation. Artist Margaret Arnold painted and Steve Cook sculpted, and together they secured the 30-foot-wide patio wall behind Western Properties office (1). The Art: The three-sided mural was painted by Arnold and is…
Arttake: Arty Bike Racks, Part 3
Sacramento is full of clever bike racks, so today’s arttake is a follow-up to my first two posts on arty bike racks from Feb 2011 and July 2011. The red rack pictured above is the very bike-like bike rack that sits in front of INK Eats & Drinks at 27th & N. The ice cream…
Holiday Inn Ceramic Murals ~ 3rd & K
The clay sculpture murals at the Capitol Plaza Holiday Inn were created by someone but just who remains a mystery. Ceramic artist, Stan Bitters, was one promising lead, but no record was found identifying him as the artist and he himself, via email, stated that he has never done work in Sacramento. Regardless who created…
Sojourner Truth ~ 13th & K
Update August 2014: Through the persistence and effort of community members and SMAC, Sojourner has been restored and is now safely exhibited on the main floor (inside) the Crocker Art Museum. Update 1/15/13: I am dismayed to report that the Sojourner Truth sculpture was vandalized on 1/6/13. The sculpture was pushed off of the pedestal…
Califia ~ 15th & Capitol
“Califia, the Amazon-like Queen of the mythical island, Califia, after which California was named…. She is a spirit of cleansing, mending, and healing. She is Yemaja, an African Diaspora deity who is the mother of all waters and the spirit of patient creativity.” A beautiful description by artist, Alison Sarr, of the striking figure of…
State of California Sculpture Plaza ~ 7th/8th & N/O
Who knew? Sacramento has a small but interesting sculpture terrace in a promising but seemingly under-used park that sits hidden atop the roof of a subterranean building on the square block bordered by 7th/8th and N/O Streets. Three of five original sculptures (all installed between 1978-1986) remain in the park surrounded by grassy slopes, trees,…
California Vietnam Veterans Memorial ~ Capitol Park
The blossoms of the weeping cherry trees that encircle the 3,750 square-foot California Vietnam Veterans Memorial bloom in April and are reportedly a spectacular site (1). The memorial sits just beyond the rose garden in the north-east corner of Capitol Park, near 15th Street and Capitol Avenue. At the entrance to the memorial, visitors first…
Jumperman ~ 6th & Q
18′ tall Jumperman looks poised to take flight from the entrance of classical modern design building at 600 Q that was once the Dunn Edwards Paint Store (1). The metal sculpture was created by Michael Riegel in 2003 (2). Riegel has a series of sculptures of similar human figures (3). He has also worked with…
Fountain: Time to Cast Away Stones ~ 13th & K
Where are we going? What have we wrought? How are we loving? What have we thought? These questions, carved in stone and almost hidden under a cascade of water, are posed by Stephen Kaltenbach on his fountain sculpture at the Sacramento Convention Center called, Time to Cast Away Stones. In my image below, you can…