“Art in the City,” a special public exhibition at Citrus Heights City Hall, 6315 Fountain Square Drive will continue throughout the summer.

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - The main interior lobby walls and display cases of Citrus Heights City Hall on Fountain Square Drive are again filled with a vibrant display of colors, mediums and artistic styles as individual works by more than 25 local artists are featured in a special public exhibition, “Art in City Hall” which marked its return last week. 

Citrus Heights Arts, in partnership with the city of Citrus Heights, hosted a special opening night reception on Thursday, July 9, at City Hall, 6315 Fountain Square Drive, as artists shared examples of their work expressing the theme “Unexpected Beauty.”

Mayor MariJane Lopez Taff and council members Dr. Jayna Karpinski-Costa and Kelsey Nelson welcomed artists and guests to the summer exhibition at City Hall.

A couple looks up towards one of the paintings on display.

This community event invited each participating artist to explore their own concept of beauty in surprising, unconventional and meaningful ways through their personal choice of a visual art form, according to Citrus Heights Arts. 

The juried pop-up art exhibition provides a unique opportunity for the selected artists to display their work inside Citrus Heights City Hall, bringing their creativity into the heart of civic life.

Reception attendees enjoyed light hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, taking time to meet many of the artists and experience and appreciate a wide range of creative styles on display. Wall space and glass display cases were filled with works of varied sizes. Some pieces were displayed beside portraits of current city council members just outside of council chambers.

The juried pop-up art exhibition provides a unique opportunity for the selected artists to display their work inside Citrus Heights City Hall, bringing their creativity into the heart of civic life.

The event also provided guests with an opportunity to view a large new mural just outside the front doors of City Hall which celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday. The mural was finished just before the city’s Stars and Stripes patriotic celebration on Saturday, June 27 in Van Maren Park. 

In the mural, the centered wording, “Welcome to Citrus Heights - Established in 1997” recognizes the city’s year of incorporation in white letters on a prominent black municipal-style shield.

Participating artists are: David Peterson, Penny S. Hanscom, Lorelei Casey, Nae Nieto, Erik Oliver, Sherri Kneebone, Danitta Nelson, Kari Uhlman, Karsen Kehlet, Latrice Walker, Brittney Miller, Andrea Bartlett, Marti Eason, Marie Thomas, Erica Thomas, Angel LeClair, Kristan Ward, Erick Ortega, Brooke Lumbus, Milk Surface, Cisco Ragsdale and Bradley Lakritz.

The city of Citrus Heights recently launched an Arts & Culture Resource Hub – a centralized space to discover art-related events, funding opportunities and community-driven initiatives on its primary public webpage.

Wall space and glass display cases throughout city hall were filled with art works of varied sizes and styles. Some pieces were displayed beside portraits of current city council members just outside of council chambers.

The official Citrus Heights Arts District spans Auburn Boulevard from the Sylvan Community Center (Community Drive) to the northern city limits. This corridor already includes established arts-related uses, holds historical significance, and has become a growing hub for public art, including several mural installations completed in recent months.

A virtual walking tour of more than 11 murals which have been completed so far along Auburn Boulevard from Sylvan Corners at the corner of Sylvan Road and Auburn Boulevard, heading north, with a featured biography sketch of each of the artists who created them are also featured on the Citrus Heights Arts webpage.

The city hopes this official designation of the Citrus Heights Arts District will help activate underutilized spaces for studios, galleries, performances, and public art installations along Auburn Boulevard, while also building deeper partnerships with arts organizations, schools, and local businesses, officials said.

“Art in the City”, a special public exhibition at Citrus Heights City Hall, 6315 Fountain Square Drive will continue throughout the summer.

For more information about the city’s Arts & Culture Resource Hub, visit: https://www.citrusheights.net/1450/Culture-and-Arts

The public is also invited to follow Citrus Heights Arts at https://citrusheightsarts.org or @CitrusHeightsarts on social media.

Citrus Heights Arts, in partnership with the city of Citrus Heights, hosted a special opening night reception on Thursday, July 9, at City Hall, 6315 Fountain Square Drive, as artists shared examples of their work expressing the theme “Unexpected Beauty.”