Plus, Community is Invited to Free Opening Reception on August 10
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Railroad Museum and Foundation are proud to partner with the Sacramento Public Library to host two special exhibits that showcase local artistry created by Parks and Tranquility Grant Awardees. The overarching concepts of the two exhibits, titled Chókim bètana wéeye (It Comes from the Stars) and Fieldnotes, were presented by the artists then selected by joint committee with the Sacramento Public Library and California State Railroad Museum, and curated with help provided by the California State Railroad Museum and Foundation.
“Public art is a powerful way to help connect people to each other and to our shared history,” said Dr. Ty Smith, Museum Director of the California State Railroad Museum. “We are very pleased to offer a platform to demonstrate how we’re all connected – through land, water, and the riverfront – and multi-dimensional art helps reflect on the past, but it also can show us a path forward.”
Chókim bètana wéeye (It Comes from the Stars)
The new sound and multi-media installation was created by Amy Melissa Reed, descendent of people Indigenous to the Sonoran Desert. Amy is also co-founder of Gold Lion Arts in Sacramento and Ma Series Arts, an arts organization to support and fund underfunded BIPOC Femme and Queer artists and culture bearers. With a focus on sound, visual, multi-instrumentalist and performance artistry, the exhibit demonstrates how water moves through the landscape and connects us all. The soothing, trickling, and sometimes dramatic sounds were recorded in rivers, the ocean, and inside Summit Tunnel, which played a key role in the building and completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The multi-sensory new exhibit is now on display inside the Fruit Growers Express refrigerator car in the Roundhouse at the California State Railroad Museum.
Fieldnotes: California State Railroad Museum
After extensive research conducted at the California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, a thought-provoking video installation art piece was created by local artists and curators Chris Christion and Jessica Wimbley. Their new work, Fieldnotes: California State Railroad Museum, centers on the history of Black laborers and riders within railroad history, including representations of Black Pullman Porters, performances as Black female riders and workers, migration, and archival materials from the CSRM Archives, Prelinger Archives, and a repository of images produced and collected by the artists. Chris and Jessica’s interdisciplinary practice includes ambitious video and digital installations, with past works featured in the California Natural Resources Agency building in Sacramento and the Library of Congress. The new Fieldnotes installation is on display on the concrete pillars outside the Fruit Growers Express refrigerator car in the Roundhouse at the California State Railroad Museum.
“Parks and Tranquility uses the power of art as a tool for community engagement and wellness,” said Ricardo Ramirez, System Supervisor of Community Engagement for Sacramento Public Library. “This community collaboration is bringing arts and educational experiences to life at multiple park sites with support from the California State Library’s Parks Pass Grant. The new exhibits by Amy Melissa Reed, Chris Christion, and Jessica Wimbley illustrate how nature can inspire and bring us together.
To celebrate the debut of these two captivating exhibits, a special evening reception will be held on Saturday, August 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Roundhouse at the California State Railroad Museum. During the program, the artists will discuss their video and sound art exhibitions, and the evening will also feature performances by MA ENSEMBLE along with additional Sacramento poets and artists who were awarded Parks and Tranquility grants. The reception is free and open to the public with advance registration that is available here.
These special art exhibits on display at the Railroad Museum are possible due to funding provided by the State of California and administered by the California State Library. For more information about the Sacramento Public Library’s Parks and Tranquility program, please visit www.saclibrary.org/tranquility. For more information about the California State Railroad Museum or Foundation, please visit www.californiarailroad.museum.
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The California Department of Parks and Recreation, popularly known as State Parks, and the programs supported by its Office of Historic Preservation and divisions of Boating and Waterways and Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation provides for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Learn more at parks.ca.gov.
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About the California State Railroad Museum Foundation
The mission of the California State Railroad Museum Foundation (CSRMF) is to generate revenue and awareness on behalf of its destinations, while supporting the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of our railroad heritage. The Foundation provides funding for ongoing support of numerous programs, both at the museum's Old Sacramento location and at the historic park in Jamestown, Calif. For more information, please visit www.californiarailroad.museum.