In 1991, Gregory Perkins was a Sacramento corrections officer struck by a calling to make a difference. He realized that most greeting cards lacked representation of the African American community. Perkins worked with his cousin, an artist, to develop three Afrocentric greeting card designs in an effort to create what he calls an “uplifting product that African Americans can take pride in.”

Bill Wagman greets 25 guests at the front door of his Davis house, then sits quietly at a dining room table while his featured musician of the mid-September evening, Florida’s Grant Peeples, entertains in the living room with folk songs and reciting his offbeat poetry.

Comstock’s sat down with Tony Natsoulas to talk about creating and collecting in the Capital Region.

Crocker Park is three acres of unimproved land at 2nd and O streets adjacent to Interstate 5. Prior to the construction of the freeway and the redevelopment of Sacramento’s west end in the mid-1900s, this land once had housing on it.

In an increasingly crowded digital space of bloggers and influencers, Melissa Johnson, founder of the Sacramento-based lifestyle blog Best Friends for Frosting, knew she had to create a thumb-stopping moment to stand out.

Lisa Taira at Kiyo’s Floral Design has practiced ikebana — traditional Japanese flower arrangement — for nearly 50 years. 

When Alejandra Calderon narrowly escaped failing her ceramics class as a fine arts major at Sacramento State, she never imagined that seven years later she would co-own a ceramics business. At the time, she found the discipline to be frustratingly difficult compared to her primary passion, painting.

The success of the film Lady Bird brought Sacramento into the national limelight and local leaders want to incorporate the creative community into its branding efforts. But artists and business leaders can be strange bedfellows. 

Emily Baime Michaels, executive director of Midtown Association, offers her insight into Sacramento business and arts partnerships in the Capital Region.

With the June opening of its Downtown Commons Medical Office Building, Kaiser Permanente has reimagined what a doctor’s office can look like.