Saturday, April 12th, 2008

As you probably know, April 22 is Earth Day, the one day of the year we dedicate to our most precious resource and home. Here on the grid we have a full slate of events all through the month of April to celebrate Earth Day, and draw attention to some of the most pressing issues facing Sacramento and humanity today. Make sure to check out the Earth Day profile page, and come out to Green Second Saturday and get involved!

What is Green 2nd Sat?
A lens through which Sacramentans and visitors can consider what it means to be a green city. As part of an evolving month of green festivities, together with ECOS, we ask “How Green Can You Get?”

Green 2nd Sat. Art Walk will feature the following: Gallery Exhibits, Green Themed Art, Fashion Show, Green Info Booths and After-Party.  An Awareness and Fundraising Campaign for ECOS, the Environmental Council of Sacramento.

The After-Party  8-11 pm Hosted by McMartin Realty.
Parking lot at 21st and  K St. Music by the Richard March Band.

List of Participants and Green Art Walk Map:

> Click image below to enlarge map:

Scroll to bottom for full list of Galleries & Venues

Green Second Saturday Artists:

Two Cats one Heart, Nicolas Caesar showing @ Vox
Nicolas taught himself to draw by tracing movie monsters from his TV screen. One of the most influential shows was KTVU's Creature Features with Bob Wilkins. His love of monsters and pop imagery carried over to his teen years where he would often be reprimanded for sculpting autopsy cadavers in ceramics and when they were to paint a life drawing of a chicken in art - Nicolas' would be 10 feet tall, rabid, and chasing unwitting farmers.


20-20, Jared Konopitski showing @ Vox
My work for the show will be a series of sun prints. Images painted by the sun. Or burnt remnants of shadows. Using a paper that is laced with a chemical that reacts to the sun I can create my own cutouts, drawings and even pieces of the earth and have the sun burn the image right into the paper. No computers, no machines, just the raw power of the sun. Each piece represents a sunny day. My goal as to come up with images that looked as if they had been through a photoshop filter, or rendered in illustrator without actually using a computer at all. In other words my images are solar powered art works.

Monkey & Turtle (credit card front and back), Gary Miller showing @ Vox
Gary Miller has been showing his Art in the Northern California area since 1966. He has been in over 100 juried shows, at least six one-man shows, and six two, three and four-person shows. He has also been part of a dozen invitational shows including those at Humboldt College, The Pioneer Museum in Stockton and the Crocker Museum of Sacramento.


Pocket Zombie, Jill Stafford showing @ Vox
Jill Allyn Stafford currently lives in Sacramento, with her husband, two amazing children, two dogs and a cat. Her day job consists of performing legal assistant work in a small healthlaw law firm. The rest of the time she cycles, hassles her children, avoids housework and the culinary arts, and works on digital photography, collage, and mixed media art.
Description of Work:
I collect used cigarette boxes, paint them, and then cover them with images found in art magazines.  The theme for most of my newer cigarette boxes is "Pocket Zombie".


Orange Peel, Julie Madden, painter/drawer showing @ Old Soul Co.
If art imitates life, Julie Madden's could be from the cosmopolitan school. The 39-year-old 'avid drawer' has put pen to paper everywhere from Japan to Germany to Carmel Valley. As a teacher of kid's art classes and college art history, and a commissioned portrait artist, Madden just can't seem to sit still. It may come as a surprise that her greatest inspiration comes from the quiet moments of every day.


Bows & Arrows, Trisha Rhomberg, designer/artist showing @ Bows & Arrows fashion show
Since moving to Sacramento in 2003, I have fallen in love with the inspiration that thrift stores provide. Collecting, Collaging, Printing, Painting and Sewing have kept me busy and excited for five years. I love putting my hands on the history of the pieces i work with, reconstructing dresses to fit more flatteringly, adding siik screened artwork and vintage patchwork lets me put myself into what i find. I like turning things into One of a Kind pieces of wearable art.  Clothing is fun. Clothing can transform. I believe in the power of clothing. Starting my label Pretty Trashy and opening Bows and Arrows with Olivia have been really huge and happened because i let what i love be fun. Now i dont work, i just play. i am really lucky to enjoy what i do everyday and be inspired and surrounded by lots of local talent! My clothing can be found in 12 boutiques across the country, one in London, I put new stuff i make out everyday at Bows and Arrows. Fashion show pieces will most likely be used to launch my new online store!!  A Trunk show for all the designers would also be great to have the day after the show at Bows and Arrows! 1712 L street. midtown!


Double Spiral, Amy Hemmens showing @ Bows & Arrows fashion show
Local Artist/Designer, Amy Hemmens, is part-owner of Atelier, a local Vintage & Handmade Clothing Boutique. Her 2008 Spring/Summer collection is made entirely of 2nd hand and vintage materials. These one of a kind pieces can be purchased at her shop located at 1617 16th street in Downtown, Sacramento.

ArtSake Studio
On Second Green Saturday ArtSake Studio will bring out its more
pointed digital photographs and drawings, works that highlight the
natural wonders of the planet and the happy symposium-that-could between
man and nature."


Andrew Littlefield showing at Vox
"...personal reflections of favorite cities monoprinted then reworked onto found and scavenged wood.


"Alexandra", Marla Kolb
"I am an outsider artist. What is outsider art? That's a good question with many answers. I like this one: Michel Thevoz, Curator of the Collection de l'Art Brut in Lausanne has written the following: "Art Brut", or "outsider art", consists of works produced by people who for various reasons have not been culturally indocrinated or socially conditioned. They are all kinds of dwellers on the fringes of society. Working outside the fine art "system" (schools, galleries, museums and so on), these people have produced, from the depths of their own personalities and for themselves and no one else, works of outstanding originality in concept, subject and techniques. They are works which owe nothing to tradition or fashion." Some may consider me a contemporary folk artist. I can go with that too. What I do know is that I have such a passion for creating art that it creeps into my dreams at night and distracts me during the day. The joy I feel when I am creating is much like the joy I feel when watching my children when they are unaware of my gaze."

Juliana Athlyn Gerber showing @ Zuda Yoga
Originally from Oakland, CA, mixed media collage artist Juliana Gerber now lives in the Tower district of Sacramento.  Dabbling in cutting, pasting and re-configuring of images and objects since a child, Juliana is drawn to the idea of developing new narratives with images that may already hold meaning to the viewer, and reclaiming items that have been abandoned or thrown away.  Through re-assigning meaning through collage, there is an opportunity to reflect upon a new representation, while also challenging the notion of what is valuable, and ultimately breathing new life, and therefore beauty, into an object that may have otherwise been considered unwanted.  The medium also is an incredibly forgiving way to create, and lends itself well to the ‘process’ of inspiration becoming creation, allowing anyone to become an ‘artist’. Not formally trained, Juliana was inspired to pursue the medium through attending freeform and relaxed workshops in her 20’s, and learned a great deal from those taught by Ada B. Fine who teaches regularly at the Mendocino Arts Center and other Centers along the North Coast.


"Friend and Stranger", Kyle Hittmeier showing @ the Sacramento International Youth Hostel
In The Compiny Series, are based upon social interactions and the discoveries of new relationships.  Though we are all strangers, our physical bodies are subjected to the same local ecosystems and political structures formulating our environment.  And though our capitalist society encourages independence and physical autonomy, the ‘compiny’ of strangers in our everyday lives is still inevitable. Participants of the Compiny Series and the Green Second Saturday Reception are encouraged to sit down with one another and enjoy a set-up communal atmosphere that ties to the environment of the hostel and Hittmeier’s artwork.  Attendants of the reception will be provided with local, organic produce and vegan food.  Ignoring all political and ethical biases, veganism and support of local farmer’s markets have both been a proven method of encouraging green living.  By abating the reliance on chemical and corporate manufacturing, one is stimulating the local food market and promoting a healthy lifestyle.  Ties to global climate change through heavy carbon footprints are diminished and vibrant local economies are nurtured. 

Joanna Hedrick showing @ Vox
A photography student at Cosumnes River College and Calif. State University, Sacramento, Joanna has  recently been featured at The Coolcat Gallery 2007, Viewpoint 2006, and at some local cafes.Her main focus is landscape photography and creating through alternative processes.  She has a great appreciation for nature and is obviously trilled to be participating in the Vox the Earth Day show.  The first is a project with junk mail which everyone should be able to relate to.  She has been cutting up the junk mail received into as many squares as possible and making origami cranes.  "There is an old tale that says if you make 1,000 cranes you are granted 1 wish, my wish is to stop junk mail! I am also an avid knitter, my second project involes knitting with plastic shopping bags."

Lacadia Olsen showing @ Bows & Arrows Fashion Show
Thanks mainly to copious encouragement from the friends and family of designer Lacadia Olsen that CUFFS Originals has recently come to be showcased in local fashion shows and photo shoots.   Lacadia has always considered herself to be a boutique owner and fashion enthusiast first, but has more recently been pushed to dedicate more of her time to design and garment construction.  CUFFS Originals are generally constructed from 75% recycled fabric and trim and 25% new materials and are most often inspired by vintage garments, retro styling and textile designs rediscovered at local thrift stores and estate sales.   Each piece is unique, lighthearted and feminine and often characterized by rich color combinations and a subtle modern edge.  CUFFS Originals are available at CUFFS boutique on J Street and online at Etsy.com.

Sapphire Cordial showing @ Bows & Arrows Fashion Show
Established in 2006, Sapphire Cordial is dedicated to creating one of a kind handmade pieces completely from scratch. The label produces themed collections bi-annually,often drawing from architecture and specific locales for inspiration. SC's most recent collection focused on the city of New Orleans, and was featured in a WEAVE benefit fashion show, Mantra, which was covered in the Sacramento Bee last August. Throughout the past year and a half, Sapphire Cordial has done shows at the Library Galleria, the Townhouse, Avalon, the Red Lion Inn and repeatedly/notoriously at Javalounge. The current collection, 'Transatlantic' is inspired by designer Jamaica Cole's recent trip to England and her peices echo the golden age of transportation: Ships, trains, and vintage luggage.

Jen Ayres
Miss Maude is Jen Ayres’ nostalgic line of clothes heavily indebted to retro vintage fashions spanning from the 1950’s to 1980’s. Miss Maude is the culmination of a prolonged love affair with vintage fashion history. All of the garments are constructed from vintage secondhand notions, trims and fabric. Whether bought off Ebay, purchased from a thrift store, or found at a yard sale, buying secondhand is a form of recycling. Thrift stores usually have a great selection of sewing notions and fabric; you purchase from a thrift store goes to programs and job training aimed at helping disadvantaged members of your community. Recycling materials is good because it reclaims scarce resources that might have ended up filling a landfill. Recycling is also beneficial because it leads to less mass-production and over-consumption of consumer goods. Treasuring the things we have, instead of discarding them the moment they fall out of season or fashion, is important for our global and environmental footprint. Consciousness in the production of a typical garment can help motivate more people to make the choices that impact large corporations. Recycling goods is a way of addressing consumer dissatisfaction and dissent with local and global sweatshops, unethical practices of major corporations, and environmental costs of textile production. Jen Ayres is currently finishing up her BA degree at UCDavis in Women and Gender Studies with an emphasis on textiles and clothing.


About the Butch & Nellie's Exhibit
Oak park is a historic neighborhood in the midst of a roaring city, but it suffers from several socio-economically driven issues that need to be confronted and solved. Young people who go to school, live and/or attend Youthworks afterschool program in Oak Park are addressing issues that are part of the foundation for a sound community – hunger and health – through photographic exhibition. Like many other communities nationwide, Oak Park houses numerous residents with severely limited access to fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables. In order to create access to nutritious and affordable food, the young artists are advocating for a farmer’s market and several community gardens for the Oak Park neighborhood. Their photos wish to represent awareness of:  the importance of a communities health and well-being, the presence of healthy food options in our daily lives, the presence of positive messages for young and old to behold, and the importance of a collective effort in creating better health. The artists also volunteer for the Second Saturday Cleanup Group, and stress the importance of a clean environment.
This project is sponsored in part by the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, the Health Education Council, the Network for a Healthy California, the Healthy Eating Active Living Collaborative, and California Project LEAN.
Please come and enjoy their exhibit, which the students hope spreads the word about the limited availability of healthy fruits and vegetables in Oak Park and what one youth group is doing creatively to bring about change.
Photography provided by: Carlos Rodriguez, Yer Lee, Bee Thao, Kyle Yang, Kim Saechau, Jennifer Pham


Heifer International: Stop by Heifer International’s Northwest Regional Office in the heart of midtown to learn more about what you can do, within your own community, to help in our efforts to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care the for earth. Give a goat, give a pig, give you time.

Participating Venues & Galleries:

Downtown/Midtown
      SoCap Lofts at 4th and R – Open House and Tours
      9onF Eco-Friendly Townhouses – Open House and Tours
      Launderland at 16th and F Street

Midtown
      Butch  N Nellie’s Coffee House
      Deep Art & Yoga
      Green Sacramento in the Green Building with LJ Urban and GreenBuilt Sacramento
      Old Soul at the Weatherstone
      Bodytribe
      Old Soul on the Alley
      Bows & Arrows – Green Fashion Show
      Wildflower Eco-Boutique
      Zanzibar Trading Co.
      L Wine Lounge & Urban Kitchen and the 1801 L Patio
      McMartin Real Estate Parking Lot at 21st and K with Smith Gallery
      Zuda Yoga
      Coventry Gallery & Framing

Midtown/East Sac
      The Sacramento Natural Foods Coop

Broadway/Midtown
      VOX

Oak Park
      Brick House Art Gallery

Hollywood Park/City College Area
      Panama Pottery