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.”
Jan 28, 2026
When Kali Ruth Nerby says creativity runs in her blood, she means it.
Her great-great-great grandpa was a builder. Her great-great grandma was an artist. One of her grandmas was an artist. Her grandpa was a builder. Her dad was a builder and is a home designer. Nerby is married to a builder.
“I come from a long line of builders, designers, artists and doers,” she says.
Dec 28, 2025
Next time you shop at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, pop upstairs. You’ll find an art exhibition by a local artist, thanks to a new partnership between the co-op and Timeless Thrills Gallery.
“A few months back, someone came into the gallery who happened to be an employee at the co-op,” says Tyler Wichmann, who owns the J Street art gallery with his wife Jessica. “We hit it off and they mentioned they were interested in creating more creative avenues with the upstairs space and showing local art.”
Nov 28, 2025
Frankie Hansbearry breathes life into artistic forms, from ceramic dogs and papier-mâché masks to vibrant mosaics and figures that resemble ancient artifacts.
The Oak Park artist credits much of her inspiration to National Geographic magazines she flipped through as a kid.
“Those images just fascinated me,” she says. “They were so different than the life I grew up with in a very homogenous community. Something about those images of artifacts from ancient sites really interested me—the rawness, the fascination that so-called ‘primitive peoples’ could have the ability to create images in such an interesting way.”
Oct 28, 2025
The best place to find Jennifer Reason is at a piano or microphone. Reason figures she’s played for “pretty much everyone at every place in town.”
She recently finished an artist residency at The Jacquelyn club, where she assists with shows. She’s a regular at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Roseville.
A musical theater expert, Reason is in the pit at Broadway at Music Circus shows, including the upcoming “White Christmas” in December, part of the company’s first year-round season.
She performs with the Sacramento Preparatory Music Academy’s The Beatles Guitar Project, where hundreds of students and professional musicians tour the state.
