Mar 28, 2026
Valene Byrd is all about helping with art. She’s the founder of ART-TISM, a nonprofit that provides art activities, resources and advocacy for children on the autism spectrum and their families.
ART-TISM started as an act of love for Byrd’s son, Mateo. During the pandemic, longtime teacher Byrd transformed her living room into a classroom for Mateo, now 11, who has autism.
She worried about the impact of isolation and wanted him ready to transition back to the classroom. Byrd reserved half a wall for Mateo’s art. At the end of the year, the wall was full of his drawings.
Mar 1, 2026
For Luis-Genaro Garcia, art is more than pretty pictures. It’s social. It’s political. And everyone should see themselves reflected in it.
“As a teacher, I wanted to change the (school) experience for students who are creative,” the Sacramento State University assistant art professor says. “So I started developing projects where students were not only going to see themselves but also be able to make connections to what’s going on in their own communities.”
Mar 1, 2026
Find out what is happening in Sacramento during the month of March!
Feb 28, 2026
East Sacramento resident Ellen Cochrane is publishing her first book, “Follow the Water,” a true story about a young woman’s survival in Peru’s Amazon rainforest after a plane crash.
Cochrane’s book is designed for middle-grade readers, but it’s a fast, compelling read for adults also. Woven throughout are sidebars on topics such as the science of plane crashes and rainforest flora and fauna.
“It’s so critical to train kids in science and in critical thinking so they’ll be able to navigate today’s environment,” says Cochrane, a veteran middle school teacher of English, English-language learners, Spanish and Russian.
Feb 28, 2026
Agustín Arteaga, new head of the Crocker Art Museum, and I share something in common.
We both worked at the Dallas Museum of Art. I helped organize the Arts & Letters Live literary performance program. Arteaga ran the museum.
Now we cross paths again, this time in Sacramento.
Arteaga became the Crocker’s new Mort and Marcy Friedman director and CEO last July. He calls it “perhaps the best thing to happen to me, to come over here and be at the head of such a great institution.”
Feb 28, 2026
Beloved rock radio station K-ZAP is back on the airwaves, along with one its legendary voices, Dennis Newhall.
Newhall and a crew of about 20 rock aficionados launched the nonprofit K-ZAP in 2015 to recapture radio glory from the 1960s and ’70s. Then and now, the goal is, “Present the most interesting music in an honest and personable way. No hype. No jive. No bluster.”
And no corporate overlords. K-ZAP is run by volunteers, letting Newhall and crew keep it fun.
