The Heart of Sacramento Exhibit
Arden Fair is a regional shopping center located in Sacramento. It consists of over 165 tenants, encompassing over 1,100,000 square feet of retail space.
In 2018, Uppercloud assisted in developing a public art program for Arden Fair called UnchARTed. The name UnchARTed was intended to be a play on showcasing art where it is not usually seen and to rediscover the spaces within Arden Fair. The goal of UnchARTed is to highlight local artists and makers to exhibit their talents in a new space. The program focused on creating art in categories such as performance art, murals, and interactive.
Task
The program has reached a massive milestone and we needed to show what Sacramento has brought to Arden Fair over the years, a culmination of prior activations, exhibits and performances were on display to celebrate both the artists and the supporting community. Bringing a greater awareness that Arden Fair has become a gravity center for art and to allow other partners in our community to collaborate on its future. Utilizing an vacant tenant space within Arden Fair, two exhibits were created, curated, and executed with an opening date of April 8th. Arden UnchARTed Through the Years consisted of works by artists who have featured in the UnchARTed program since its inauguration in 2018. The space featured a docent on staff to explain all prior art and further information on each artist as well as featuring some of the past exhibitions on video.
Approach
To celebrate the program’s fifth year, the “Heart of Sacramento” gallery was created in gratitude towards all of the artists that have participated in the program since its inception. The intent was to showcase the love we all have for the work people do as well as inspire future and aspiring artists an opportunity to grow within the program.
The Heart of Sacramento gallery temporary exhibitions spanned April 8, 2022 – June 19, 2022.
This showcase is a critical milestone in Sacramento’s art community as it continues to forge ahead new paths for the underrepresented and underserved. The opportunity and spotlight gives us the opportunity to recognize such talents we can celebrate and support. The success of the UnchARTed program will continue to pave the way for new talent, interests, and groups into the space.
The Dreamers' Box by Dreaming Black
The Dreamers Box is a window installation that features a LCD screen suspended by clouds with rotating still and moving images. The content highlights past and future Black people throughout Sacramento. This piece is meant to evoke inspiration and pride as viewers experience the creator’s dream. Dreaming Black is an arts collective founded by Michaela Stewart and Didier Mponte.
View of Gallery Spaces
During the 3 month exhibition period, the Heart of Sacramento gallery highlighted 41 artists with a total of 140 works of art. The gallery was broken up into exhibit sections with a central informational booth, LCD screen of rotating past UnchARTed events, and the Black Creativity in Sacramento timeline on the main back wall. Benches were strategically placed throughout the gallery to encourage visitors to take a moment and fully absorb the art.
Artist Talk with moderator & curator, Faith J. McKinnie
On April 23rd we invited the public to an Artist Talk with artists from the “Black Creativity at the Heart of Sacramento” exhibit. The panel featured Keia Kodama, Tasha Nichole King, Jaunita Gonzales, and Unity Lewis. Attendees were given an in-depth look into the artists’ muses, inspirations, processes, and the intention behind their craft. A Q&A session rounded out the talk with complimentary beverages served giving the public a chance to directly speak with the panel.
