History of Second Saturday - The Art Studios

The history of Sacramento as an “arts town” has been a series of highs and lows. The rise from its “Cowtown” past, to become one of the most exciting and vibrant arts communities in the US can be a moment of pride for all Sacramento. The city’s inability to control, sustain, and encourage Sacramento as an arts mecca, in concert with the Covid epidemic, has disappointed all arts lovers. The city’s art fortunes were strongly tied to the creation, growth and popularity of the Second Saturday event. Galleries flourished, artists created, and tens of thousands of citizens joined in the enjoyment of art before the party tapered off and ended with Covid. Throughout this transition, the I Street Art Studios has played a significant role and has endured. The history of the arts in Sacramento, starts with the founding of the Crocker Art Museum, followed by the growth of Sacramento as an art community spurred on by the impact of UC-Davis and CSUS art department faculty and students, and concluding with the engagement of the citizenry and government in the creation of an art active city via Second Saturday. The I Street Art Studios are the oldest continually operating studios and galleries in Sacramento. The location has been nurturing emerging and established artists for almost 45 years, with many prominent local and national artists rising from early experiences there. The Studios has continued to house resident artists and art activities since 1980 when the location was purchased by Walter and Gloria Burt and later rented to Greg Barton. While once associated with the Barton Gallery and Michelangelo’s Restaurant, the facility at 1727 I Street now consists only of the back building which up until the late 1970 was known as Expert Auto Repairs. There is a large gallery space connected to four studios shared by 18 resident artists currently, all of whom individually rent space there and collectively create 2^nd Saturday shows

The Historical Context

CALIFORNIA

1885. Crocker Art Museum Founded
1930-1960 California Style Water Color Movement
1950-1970 Bay Area Figurative Movement
1959-1962 UC-Davis builds a world-class Studio art faculty

1960-1980 Funk Art movement in Northern California grows

“the UC Davis campus was originally an offshoot of the Bay Area art world but soon became a center of its own, one that in many ways eclipsed the Bay Area scene and invigorated and shaped the entire region. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the Davis/Bay Area artists at this time was the development of an alternative to New York, a regional art that spoke to and for Northern California and replaced the pretensions of the East Coast art world with an earthy, honest and vital local West Coast authenticity.”

1970 The Royal Chicano Air Force, Chicano art collective founded in Sacramento

INFLUENCES OF HIGHER ED

1948 Sacramento State creates an Art Department (1 year after the founding of Sac State. The Royal Chicano Air Force art collective included many faculty members.
1958 UC-Davis Art Department founded
1959-1962 UC-Davis builds a world-class Studio art faculty and attracts top class students
1962 Sacramento State builds Kadema Hall- a new art building.

University Galleries includes the University Library Gallery, the Robert Else Gallery, and the RW & Joyce Witt Gallery. Elise and Witt galleries are located in Kadema Hall (named after emeritus faculty members.)

1970 The Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) is a Sacramento, California-based art collective, founded in 1970 by Ricardo Favela, José Montoya and Esteban Villa.^[1] It was one of the “most important collective artist groups”^[2] in the Chicano art movement in California during the 1970s and the 1980s and continues to be influential into the 21st century.

1970s Sacramento City College appoints faculty member Greg Kondos director of “the little gallery”. In 1982, the gallery was renamed as the Greg Kondos Gallery.
2016 UC-Davis Temporary Building #9 placed on the Historical Register for its significance to art

Sacramento Art Periods

Cowtown Years with influences from Crocker Art Museum
1950-1980. Awakening and burgeoning with influences of UC-Davis and CSUS and emerging arts leadership
1980-2010. Arts alive with uneasy politics
2010-present. The excitement declines
Now. What’s next? What do we want to be?
An arts destination
An artful town with arts engaged citizenry?

SACRAMENTO TIMELINE

1960-1970 Sacramento Art Scene grows and flourishes. Java City—24 hour café where poets and artists hang out

1978 Gloria and Walter Burt move to Sacramento for Walter’s Job. They purchase I Street location. Gloria opens Rara Avis Gallery (1980-1990). Rara Avis,(1981) at I Street Location quickly became a hub for both visual and performing arts, including poetry, theatre and dance. The location houses the I Street Art Center, the Sacramento Poetry Center office and a rare books store. Gloria becomes a mover and. Shaker in the Sacramento Art scene
On the Wing –arts magazine published by Gloria Burt. 750 Gallery and other galleries established at the location

1982-1994 The Michael Himovitz Art Gallery at 1020 10^th Street becomes a center of gallery action

1970’s Matrix Arts Women’s Art Collective formed and housed in I Street Art Center (later becomes broader)
1981-present KVIE Art Auctions begin. (Gloria Burt organized the first auction)
1983 Archival Art Frame shop opens (later become Archival Art Gallery)
198x ?? Creation of Uptown Art District along North Sacramento’s Del Paso Boulevard,
1986 Sacramento Fine Arts Association formed with the joining of several art clubs
1988 Second Saturday begins
1992 City councilman pushes to create Uptown Arts District
1994-2001 Chuck Miller moves Himovitz and Miller Gallery to Uptown Arts district after the death of Michael Himovitz. Gallery closes after foot traffic in the area decreases.
1993 Burts hired Greg Barton to run I Street Center. Barton Art Gallery opens in front building.
1993. 2^nd Saturday becomes more institutionalized with involvement from a downtown partnership

2^nd Saturday Logo was created. Creation of 2^nd Saturday Gallery Association by gallery partnership

199x City fathers support moving Arts to the Del Paso area where there are vacant buildings. Free artist spaces are offered.

1996. Matrix Arts moves to Del Paso
199x 2^nd Saturday 2^nd Shift goes live. 2^nd Saturday 2^nd Shift has galleries open 9-midnight on 2^nd Saturdays. Shuttle buses run between midtown and Del Paso. 2^nd Saturday 2^nd Shift goes with competing hours, more artists and harder to get to venues
2001 Approximately ½ of galleries moved to Uptown have closed

2000 Michael Kennedy comes to Sacramento Opens Kennedy Gallery on 20^th Street then moves to 20^th and L
2000-2010. 20^th Street Art Gallery run by Jim Ferry. Jim Ferry also does 2^nd Saturday blog 2^nd Saturday grows
2008 Second Saturday becomes a gigantic street party with 1000’s in attendance

Street vendors, alcohol,

2008 Articles appear calling for a return to focus on art for 2^nd Saturday activities.
2010 Street party of youth is broken up by police, shooting occurs, 3 wounded, 1 dead during early hours of 9/16/2010
2012 Verge created, Center for Contemporary Art Sacramento merged into Verge
2011 Second Saturday Blog and 20^th Street Gallery close
2013 Verge breaks ground
2020 COVID periods, many galleries close and/or cease to host visitors
2021 A handful of galleries open with masks and precautions, Galleries begin to close.
2023 Galleries struggle to reignite Second Saturday. Midtown Association agrees to refocus arts activities in Sacramento