February is Black History Month, and there are a number of opportunities for you and your family to celebrate in the Sacramento area. Here’s a look at just some of the events happening this month!

Quilt Exhibit to Highlight African-American Quilters & Quilts

Sisters Quilting Collective (SQC) will host its second annual quilt exhibit, “A Stitch in Time: The Past, Present and Future,” from February 2 through 28 at The Brickhouse Art Gallery, 2837 36th Street, in Sacramento.

The exhibit will highlight African-American quilters and quilts with a variety of programs, including quilting demonstrations, children’s activities, quilt displays, lectures and film screenings.

For more information, call 916-475-1240 or visit www.thebrickhousegalleryoakpark.com.

Free Tribute Concert to Famed Female Jazz Singers

The Sacramento Public Library will present a musical tribute to famed women jazz singers at a free family concert at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, February 20, in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria at the Central Library, 828 I Street, Sacramento.
Jazz vocalist and recording artist Vivian Lee and her quartet will celebrate divas of jazz – Carmen McRea, Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson and Dinah Washington.  Hear  the music and learn about the lives of these amazing African American women of the jazz world.  The jazz concert is one of numerous Black History Month programs scheduled at Sacramento Public Library locations throughout February.

For more information, call  916-264-2920 or visit www.saclibrary.org.

Black History Month Family Festival

The Crocker Art Museum will celebrate Black History Month with a showcase of the art, culture, history and traditions of the African Diaspora through its Black History Month Family Festival on Monday, February 18, from 11am-3pm. This free event will feature performances by musical storyteller Asheba, the Vukani Mawethu Choir, and the Sacramento/Black Art of Dance.

The Crocker Art Museum is located at 216 O Street. For more information, call 916-808-7000 or visit www.crockerartmuseum.org.

Sacramento State Celebrates Black History Month

California State University Sacramento is offering a number of programs in celebration of Black History Month.

On February 16, award-winning author Eva Rutland, 95, will lead a discussion about her life from her book, When We Were Colored: A Mother’s Story, at 12 noon in the Union Redwood Room at Sacramento State.

On February 19, representatives from Sacramento State and the California State University system will visit churches in Sacramento’s African-American community to urge young people and their parents to begin planning for college. President Alexander Gonzalez will visit St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church at 10 am, and Joseph Sheley, Sacramento State’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, will visit St. John Missionary Baptist Church at 10:45 am.

A photo exhibit by Felicenne Ramey, “We Stand On Their Shoulders,” featuring images of elder African Americans, will be on display from February 12 through March 15 at the Sacramento State Library lobby. The exhibit is open during Library hours: 7:15 am-11 pm Monday through Thursday; 7:15 am-7 pm Friday; 8 am-5 pm Saturday; and 11 am-10 pm Sunday.

And Sacramento/Black Art of Dance will celebrate its “20th Anniversary Concert: Past, Present and Future” in the Solano Hall Dancespace. Performances are at 8 p.m. Feb. 16-18, 24 and 25; 2 p.m. Feb. 19 and 26; and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22-23. Tickets are $5-$12 and available at Sac State’s Ticket Office, 916-278-4323 or www.tickets.com.

For more information, call 916-278-6943 or visit www.csus.edu.

Sacramento Library Celebrates Black History Month

Local branches of the Sacramento Public Library are offering a number of programs throughout February to help celebrate Black History Month. Here’s a look at a few – to find more, visit  www.saclibrary.org or call tel:(916) 264-2920.

Find Your Black Ancestors – Genealogy expert Lisa Lee will offer tips of tracing your family’s black history roots on Friday, February 15, at 3 pm at Belle Cooledge Library, 5600 South Land Park Drive, in Sacramento.
The Black Kitchen – Cooking from Our Heritage – Join a discussion about the rich culinary heritage and diverse recipe sources of the African American kitchen on Tuesday, February 19, at 6 pm at the Carmichael Library, 5605 Marconi Avenue.
Tar Beach: Faith Ringgold’s Story Quilts with ArtBeast – Hear a reading of Faith Ringgold’s book, Tar Beach, and explore the author’s story quilts celebrating family heritage on Thursday, February 21, at 4 pm at Arcade Library, 2443 Marconi Avenue, in Sacramento.
WaZoBia with Mr. Sunny – WaZoBia means “Come! Come! Come!” in three distinct Nigerian tribal languages and is an invitation of togetherness and unity. Mr. Sunny shares the spirit of Africa with a cultural drum and dance program on Saturday, February 23, at 1:30 pm at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library, 7335 Gloria Drive, in Sacramento.
African American Inventors – Magician Forrest Barnes introduces African American inventors who have changed our lives with their remarkable inventions on Saturday, February 23, at 2 pm at McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd., in Sacramento.

African-American History Tour

“Meet” runaway slaves, Buffalo Soldiers, restaurant owners, deacons and gamblers at the Historic City Cemetery’s African-American History Tour on Saturday, February 23, from 10-11 am.

The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery is located at 1000 Broadway in Sacramento. For more information, call 916-264-7839 or 916-448-0811, or visit www.oldcitycemetery.com.

3 Kings: Black History Month Celebration

Celebrate black history month at The Brickhouse Gallery in Sacramento with live art, poetry and music performances by Destructikonz w/ Algorhythms, Brother Hypnotic, V.S. Chochezi, immoBme, Sean King, NSAA and Russel Cummings on Saturday, February 16 at 8 pm.

The Brickhouse Gallery is located at 2837 36th Street in Sacramento. For more information, call 916-475-1240 or visit www.thebrickhousegalleryoakpark.com.

Everyone deals with a traumatic event differently. Some get depressed, others get angry while some shut down completely. For East Sacramento resident Jeff Mains, he found art to be his coping mechanism.

On September 10, 2001, Mains was shot in the abdomen by Joseph Ferguson, who killed five people and then himself in one of the most horrific rampages in Sacramento history.

“I just got caught in the crossfire when he was shooting at the police,” Mains said. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Understandably, the event caused Mains’ life to flip upside down.

He moved to Napa for three years to recover from his injuries, both physically and mentally, as well as work.

“(Napa) was a nice place to be,” he said. “But I was at a crossroads in my life.”

The time he spent in Napa gave him time to reconnect with drawing, a passion that lay dormant since high school. He drew a lot as a child but never considered it to be something he could do for a living.

“Half the time in school I was drawing instead of listening,” he joked. “But I kind of lost direction after high school.”

After he recovered from his injuries, Mains moved back to Sacramento. He went on to get a job at the Crocker Art Museum where he worked for three years. His passion for the arts continued to grow and his work at Crocker qualified him for a new job.

“A friend of mine at Crocker introduced me to Dave DeCamilla (owner of the Brickhouse Gallery & Arts Complex) and it just kind of went from there,” he said.

 

Life at the Brickhouse

Three months ago Mains was hired as the gallery director of the Brickhouse in East Sacramento. And if Mains has his way, the Brickhouse will become a shining example of Sacramento’s burgeoning art community.

“We have pretty much everything on display here,” he said when asked what kinds of art can be found at the Brickhouse. “I would say that it’s borderline abstract with paintings using all kinds of materials.”

Mains’ vision of what the Brickhouse could eventually be has impressed DeCamilla. “Before Jeff was here we had some people that were talking about art more than they were making it,” DeCamilla said. “We had all kinds of noise and parties but no real body of work.”

The talent currently on display has Mains excited about the future of art not only at the Brickhouse, but in the Sacramento area.

“I think people who come in and look at the pieces we have in here will come away with an understanding that the art is pretty raw and that the place has a positive energy,” he said. “I want the place to give off a strong vibe of the local art community.”

Along with the pieces that can be enjoyed from the perspective of an art-lover, the Brickhouse also offers classes as well as studio space to perspective artists. Move quick, though. Eight of the nine workspaces were taken as of Monday.

“We’re going to try to have classes for all kinds of art,” Mains said. “Oil painting, charcoal drawing and mixed media as well.”

And while Mains himself is an artist, none of his works adorn the gallery walls. Instead, Mains’ paintings, which he calls “representational with a twist of impressionist,” are often given away to interested parties. However, all the art in the Brickhouse is for sale. According to Mains the prices vary but nothing inside the shop is outrageously priced.

The Brickhouse participates in Second Saturday festivities, which has brought people in the doors to see the raw works of the talented local artists.

“We have all kinds of finger foods available for people who want to walk through and look at everything during Second Saturday,” he said. “People can walk through workspaces and we’re trying to get to the point where we have demonstrations in the gallery such as ice sculpting.”

While the Second Saturday event is a good way to bring people in the door, Mains wants to eventually host events specific to the Brickhouse. “I’d like to mix it up in terms of the art we have here,” he said. “Different people enjoy different types of art and I think we can provide that.”

The Brickhouse Gallery & Arts Complex is located at 2837 36th Street. For more information on the gallery, its works and operating hours, call 457-2502 or email art@brickhouseoakpark.com. The gallery’s Web site can be viewed at www.brickhouseoakpark.com.

 

E-mail Benn Hodapp at benn@valcomnews.com.