The Idea In December, renowned urbanist Brent Toderian posted a photo on social media of a larger-than-life, cube-shaped version of the Lite-Brite toy in a park just outside of Vancouver. But in this case, the colorful plastic pegs traditionally used to create words or a design were instead standard plastic water bottles that had been filled with colored water. A light placed inside the handcrafted box illuminated them in spectacular fashion. “Watch how a simple idea can add a lot of life to a [public space],” Toderian wrote. He observed that the structure—part of a free annual festival called ..read more

On any given weekday in Sacramento, you have a reasonably good chance of finding Michael Calcagno standing in a U.S. Postal Service truck making a map. The 54-year-old letter carrier, while on lunch breaks from his rounds in midtown and downtown, will retreat to the back of his “2-Ton” (as the ubiquitous boxy trucks are known), place his MacBook Air on one of the top shelves of the cargo area alongside the city’s packages, and practice his specialty: Mash-ups and updates of rail transit maps, with a particular emphasis on Sacramento Regional Transit’s light rail. Mail carrier and transit map ..read more

Since 2005, Davis-based “urban sketcher” Pete Scully—who works in the UC Davis statistics department—has been roaming city streets with a pen and notebook at the ready, capturing sidewalk scenes in painstakingly exquisite detail. He also encourages others to do the same, organizing monthly sketch crawls called “Let’s Draw Davis.” The North London-born artist has published two books about sketching and held numerous exhibits, including a solo show at Davis’ Pence Gallery. Below, we spotlight a selection of his singular depictions of our region that illustrate the art of the city.   Monda ..read more

Generations of UC Davis students, staff and visitors have long been greeted by legendary art professor Robert Arneson’s witty Egghead sculptures silently yelling, grinning and gawking at the academic goings-on. During a career on the faculty that spanned from 1962 until his death in 1992, Arneson created the series of seven painted bronzes, which were installed between 1991 and 1994 and proved to be his last loving contribution to campus. Aggies silk-screened Egghead tees and 3D-printed their own Egghead pencil holders, but thanks to a new licensing deal with Arneson’s estate, now everyone wil ..read more

Pizza Supreme Being chef-owner Ben Roberts found a way to guarantee he would get along with his new neighbor. About two years after Zia’s Delicatessen moved out of its corner spot next to his walk-up window eatery at 14th and O streets in downtown Sacramento, Roberts took over the space. “Zia’s owners were really awesome neighbors. They were sweet and warm, and helped me out with anything I ever needed,” Roberts says. “I was kind of worried that we wouldn’t have neighbors like that again. The joke is now I can be my own bad neighbor.” Keeping his restaurant’s original footprint, which still c ..read more

  California Hall Of Fame  Through Oct. 31 A new group of Golden State greats get the star treatment at this California Museum exhibit, which launched in February. Artifacts on view include the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame trophy awarded to The Go-Go’s in 2021 and an early diagram of the internet by one of its founding fathers, Vint Cerf. californiamuseum.org Zora & Langston March 1–17 Visionaries of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes live on through their writing. They’re also remembered for one of America’s most notorious literary feuds. A tragedy o ..read more

Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Tree Foundation Sacramento has long carried the charming nickname City of Trees, a tribute to our vast urban forest comprising the likes of native oaks and cottonwoods, as well as ubiquitous guest species like ginkgos and palms. Dr. Jessica Sanders—who took over as the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s executive director in 2021 after its longtime leader, Ray Tretheway, retired—leads the efforts to help our shady, leafy friends thrive in communities around the region. She speaks about the wide diversity of the local tree population, her group’s big Arbor Day plan ..read more

  Without your health, as they say, you have nothing. To that end, we’re excited to publish our annual list of peer-selected top doctors from around our region. This list of 991 doctors in 69 different specialties was compiled in partnership with the national research firm Professional Research Services, which surveyed and vetted Sacramento-area physicians on who they would trust to treat themselves and their families.   ..read more

Food Festivals. Art Exhibits. Comedy Shows. Musicals. Plays. Parades. Concerts. And More. All. Year. Long.   Bow Tie (© 2023 Deborah Butterfield / licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society [ARS], NY. Photo courtesy of Walla Walla Foundry and the Manetti Shrem Museum) Deborah Butterfield Through June 24 The mystery and majesty of the equine form has long captivated Deborah Butterfield, a UC Davis grad whose five-decade career is the focus of her retrospective at the school’s Manetti Shrem Museum titled P.S. These are not horses. The exhibit’s name hints at the highly conceptual nature ..read more

In 1986, a state worker named James Wheatley founded a Black theater company in Sacramento as a side gig. Nearly 40 years later, Celebration Arts has trained countless Black actors, dancers and singers, providing the education and experience that the mainstream theater community hadn’t afforded them. Today, alums populate stages and sets ranging from B Street to Hollywood, and one of them, James Ellison, is carrying the torch at Celebration Arts and embarking on an ambitious journey. With new funding, a larger space, and a growing audience for diverse storytelling, the seeds that Wheatley has ..read more