Murally sound

To say that there are two kinds of people in the city—those who are excited about the “sloppily coloured-in picture of Piglet” sculpture by Jeff Koons (that’s shade from the fancy-art folks at Phaidon, not me) and those who think it’s an 18-and-a-half-foot shiny turd with an absurd price tag of $8 million—might be a little reductive. As evidenced by the smashing success of Art Hotel earlier this year, the major incidents in the city’s art scene are only somewhat dictated by rich people with questionable taste.

Further proof: This week, the city becomes the canvas for the first Sacramento Mural Festival, which kicks off on Saturday, August 20 and runs through the following Saturday, August 27. Twelve muralists—some local and some arriving from as far away as Portugal—will be painting 12 new murals throughout the city over the course of the week. Artists include Jake Castro, the artists behind the mural on the front of the aforementioned Art Hotel; renown Los Angeles-based artists Risk and Drew Merritt; and Kristin Farr, hailing from San Francisco, to name a few.

Looky-loos will be encouraged, and there will also be opportunities to attend panels and discussions about the state of the local arts scene. For the grand finale, ArtJam is going down on the top of the parking garage at 21st and L streets from 7 to 10 p.m. There will be pop-up art installations, attendees will create interactive art, and there will of course be food and drinks. It’s a fundraiser for local arts education, so know that your $100 ticket (or two tickets for $175) is going to a good cause. Otherwise, the rest of the festival is free. Find out more and buy tickets for ArtJam at www.sacramentomuralfestival.com.