Art and a Place to Put It

I love to go to the Crocker Art Museum and have long wished we had a bigger museum in Sacramento. Some of my happiest memories have involved walking around for hours in museums like the De Young in San Francisco and the Metropolitan in New York, but I'll settle for an art museum of any size.

Happily, the Crocker has expansion plans that are moving along. My neighbor and I went to see the Maxfield Parrish exhibit last Friday, and we got a flyer showing what the finished museum will look like. It will nearly double the size of the present one. The woman at the front desk explained that currently the museum can only desplay about 1/3 of its collection at any one time. I am certainly looking forward to the day when they can display at least 2/3.

Still, "The Economy" has raised its ugly head: If funds run out, the endeavor will have to go on hold. This is a time for members to contribute and for nonmembers to join, enabling the musuem to continue its great work. In addition to displaying art through the ages and bringing wonderful exhibits to Sacramento from other museums, Crocker offers all kinds of family programs, including art classes for children and for adults. (I plan to sign up for a pastel workshop in July.)

The following is a site to visit for anyone desiring to know more: http://crockerartmuseum.org/%22%3Ehttp://crockerartmuseum.org

Meanwhile, the Parrish exhibit was delightful, as were the remarkable animal portraits by Mari Kloeppel and the remaining selections from the the Buddha exhibit featured earlier this year. And, of course, the museum store is like a candy store for art lovers. Needless to say, neither my neighbor nor I left empty-handed.