Nonprofit groups and businesses have launched programs to help inmates better prepare for life and a career outside the walls of a prison with the goal of nurturing productive citizens and reducing recidivism rates.

Public art has always had a place in the designed environment, but art in landscape is becoming more common in the public sphere. Here we feature notable spaces in the Capital Region that celebrate beauty through landscape architecture and artistic design.

Rancho Cordova was always a natural location for a multi-city California bike race. This year, the city of 75,000 was finally tapped to host a stage of the race. 

Local potter Joe Triglia of Tufarock Design details his process of making hand-crafted planters and other garden vessels that were inspired by a recent trip overseas.

Artist Shane Grammer knew he had to paint the brick chimney the moment he saw a photo of it — the only part of a friend’s house in Paradise still standing after the Camp Fire devastated the town. The fire started tearing through the area on Nov. 8, 2018, becoming the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.

Jazmine Bonnett, owner of Blossom Bathhouse, works at a brisk pace. If she doesn’t quickly finish her bubble bath bars, the ingredients harden and become unsalvageable. A batch takes 30 minutes to make and yields about 20 individual scoops, which sell for $8.95 each.

Cru Chocolate’s Karla McNeil-Rueda takes beans to bars from her Roseville home. 

Artisan furniture maker Trent Dean shows how he makes his minimalist designs. 

A behind-the-scenes look at how violins get made.