Visit the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California Part 10/10

Kaltenbach: I’d only done about 10 hairs and he was standing at the back of the room and he could see better than I could. He had a better viewpoint and he said, “Those things look like broom handles sticking out of his chin.” And so, I felt “o-oh” and I went down and walked back and sure enough, they are really big. I actually never painted over them. You can actually see them down at the bottom of the stock of beard on my dad’s chin in the painting.

When it was first shown at the Crocker in 1979, the work was displayed in the corner of one of the bigger rooms in back, so when you off the elevator, there was about a 100 feet between you and the painting which is better distance set, is available now, isn’t quite long enough and so, I’m looking forward to the new wing when it’ll be in a bigger room.

Male: That bigger room will be in a brand new Crocker Art Museum, now under construction on O Street. The new museum will be linked to the old effectively tripling the size. Completion date for this masterpiece in the making is in mid 2010.

Female: We’re only expanding this museum so that we can better fulfill our mission. We’re woefully inadequate as far as physical space and every area of operation. Less than four percent of our collection could be viewed at any particular time.

Marcy Friedman: And so, we began the long, slow task of bringing the museum into what we know today will be a state of the art facility that Sacramento will forever take great pride in because it will be measured and be comparable with any museum in the United States.

Tom Weborg: We went through a very elaborate RFP and that RFP led to 32 responses from world renowned architects in the field of designing museums and we narrowed the field down to three and selected the firm of Gwathmey and Siegel who were known for their remodel of the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan, for the development of the Fogg Museum at Harvard.

Female: There have been people that said, “Why aren’t you building a Victorian Structure? That’s for the Cocker.” and probably the simplest answer is Judge Crocker built a piece of high-styled Contemporary Architecture because he realized museums of anybody, Art Museums of anybody should look to design, look to contemporary society and create a great piece of architecture for the community.

Female: Today, museums are telling a story. They are pointing forward not backward. They’re saying, “Here’s for architectures today, come in. The war is fine, come on in. Come on see what we’re doing here. It’s different.” And I think that pretends something great for the future.

Male: Anytime you can say world class in the city of Sacramento, I think it’s a great conversation and the Crocker Art Museum when it’s done with its kind of renovation, it will be a world class museum.

Male: This building that both the old and the new and particularly the new is going to become a defining icon of Sacramento. I think it’s a symbol of what Sacramento aspires to be and what it is becoming.

Female: It’s about business, good business and good business is what will make this city be a great city.

Male: Great art museums are important to all communities. We’re really excited about it being apart of not only the business growth in the city of Sacramento but also the personal growth that each one of us has in this community to learn how to live our lives in better ways.

Female: I’ve been fortunate enough to have my life changed by museums. More importantly I think and definitely more satisfied against the fact that throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to really see how art and how museum experiences have changed other peoples lives. And I think that if you have ever had that kind of experienced, you know how desperately art matters.