Elk Grove Fine Arts Center celebrates 15th anniversary, grand reopening of new location
Elk Grove’s premier visual arts center that offers exhibitions, community events and workshops will celebrate its 15th anniversary when it returns to historic Old Town’s “Main Street” area on Saturday.
The Elk Grove Fine Arts Center will hold its grand reopening at its new location, 9020 Elk Grove Boulevard. The center’s entrance is located on Walnut Avenue. Doors open at 11 a.m.
The arts center’s marketing director, Heath Buckmaster, said moving the center back to original roots in Old Town is the “perfect spot” to be. Prior to moving to Old Town, the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center was located at 9683 Elk Grove Florin Road in Emerald Park Plaza.
The move was made in effort to grow the arts center, according to Buckmaster. He said it was a great opportunity for the center to get the space needed to carry out the work it does for the local art community.
“Over the last several years we’ve been really expanding our offerings and the services that we provide for the community, so this was an opportunity to move into a bigger space. It will allow us to have more workshops, more gallery space and more display areas,” Buckmaster said.
“Many years ago, we had a smaller place here in Old Town Elk Grove. It was just very fortuitous that a building opened up and we were able to move back because this is where people come, this is where they park once and walk to a lot of different places, restaurants and galleries. So it’s just the perfect spot for us to be.”
There will be art demonstrations throughout the day Saturday from local artists, including Elk Grove Unified School District students. There will also be new shows and exhibits on display every first Saturday of the month, open to the public from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“First Saturday in Elk Grove is when all of the galleries open for evening receptions. So, for instance, Sacramento does second Saturdays and then Davis does like third Saturdays or something like that,” Buckmaster said. “In Elk Grove, it’s the first Saturday and it’s a monthly reception open to the public, free to come and see the new exhibitions. ... So it’s just an opportunity for people to come out and enjoy our work.”
Refreshments will be provided during Saturday’s grand reopening by businesses including Christopher Cellars, Coatza Brewing Company, McConnell Estates Winery, the Sandwich Spot and South Slope Wines.
Normal operating hours for the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
The grand opening schedule includes painting and ceramics demonstrations throughout the day, as well as a “first Saturday” reception from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to kick off December, according to the center’s website.
