The Arts in Redding
by Lorena Bowser
Mt Shasta
Heading north on I-5 a little more than two hours out of Sacramento on a clear, sunshine-filled day twenty-five years ago, I had a ‘revelation’. Suddenly on the horizon, there appeared a majestic snow-capped mountain. Alive with reflected sunlight, its lofty cone seemed to reach right up to heaven and everything else “disappeared” before its imposing presence. I swear to this day that the sounds around me disappeared as well, as I traveled the next few miles in awe of this sight. Apparently I was not alone, years later I found this 1874 quote by John Muir: "When I first caught sight of Mount Shasta I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since."
That was my first glimpse of the reason so many California artists call Redding ‘the best place to live’. Surrounded on three sides by beautiful mountain ranges, lakes, rivers and an abundance of nature trails, Redding is a wonderland for nature-lovers and artists (are they not one and the same?). But it is Mount Shasta that defines the region: it dominates the landscape wherever you go, and sends its waters in abundance to run through the very heart of the city in the Sacramento River. There is undeniably a spiritual inspiration in these two natural wonders that runs deep in the artistic soul. It’s not surprising that the arts have grown up around the River.
OK, here’s the moment of truth: If you don’t like nature, you don’t like art. And if you don’t like art, you won’t be reading this. Assuming then that you’re “with me”, let’s take The Tour. There is only one place to start – that lofty white spire that you saw from a distance as you came into town - the Sundial Bridge. (Redding always seems to call you in by enticing you from a distance)
View West to the Trinity Alps, photo by Gene Knaebel
Designed by
Santiago Calatrava, celebrated Spanish architect responsible for some of the most exciting architecture of our times, the Sundial Bridge is Redding’s landmark par excellence
. As if in echo to the pristine heights of Mt Shasta, its pure white spire reaches skyward like a bird posed for flight. Stroll across the bridge. “Experience” the river and leave your cares behind. Midway across the bridge, children kneel to peek into the holes where huge cables emerge from the underpinnings, and watch the slow moving river below. Beneath the bridge’s elegant, lofty spire, wide-eyed children and adults alike, stop and look skyward to see the sun’s halo peeking out from the tip of the sundial at mid-day, before moving on to visit the stones that mark the hours on the north bank, or venturing down beneath the bridge to study its beautiful architecture.
The
view of the bridge and river at night are spectacular
. Clearly functional, yes, but the bridge is more – it is a work of art!
You art tour is off to a great start.
The bridge spans the river between the Turtle Bay Exploration Park and Gallery, and the Botanic Gardens. There’s that connection again between art and nature. Highlighting the unique cultural, historical, and natural resources of this riparian region is Turtle Bay Exploration Park. and the Turtle Bay Gallery, which hosts a variety of unique and educational art and cultural exhibitions during the year.
A short walk up the River Trail west from the Sundial, on a small hill surrounded by gardens and overlooking the river, is the North Valley Art League. With some of the finest artists in the region exhibiting monthly, the Art League is one of the major venues of Redding's cultural scene. The League has the only gallery in town that hosts an annual Juried National Show where local artists vie for a place to show alongside artists from all over the nation. The show takes place in January-February each year. The show's reception coincides with the City’s Annual Art Walk and is a favorite among the Redding venues. Located in the historical Carter House in the middle of beautiful Caldwell Park, North Valley Art League’s light and airy gallery offers a pleasant retreat for art enthusiasts, just a few yards from the River Trail.
OK, the trail looks enticing, but you can come back later. Let’s check out the arts. We’re only a few blocks from downtown – the heart of Redding’s Art scene. First stop is the Shasta County Arts Council in the historic Old City Hall. The SCAC Arts Center, houses a gallery, classroom, performance hall, green room, video production studio, and offices for SCAC. The gallery offers professional exhibition space to local and regional artists, with an added touch for the exhibiting artist - a fresh new coat of paint applied before each new show is hung, with colors to enhance the theme of the exhibit. Working closely with SCAC, is Redding's newest monthly cultural event - Art Hop! Each
2nd Saturday until 9 pm, residents can “Hop” from business to
business, see each business’ featured artist, enjoy live music, shop, watch
demonstrating artists and street performers, eat dinner and see a show. While you're at the Art Council, be sure to pick up an itinerary for the Historic Buildings Tour. Buildings from the turn of the century and the 30’s complement each other well. Take a look while you’re walking around town: they’re all around you. Half a block south of SCAC is downtown Redding’s latest ode to the aesthetic: The once-covered mall has recently gone “topless”, with exciting new facades and lots of open space for artists to display their work at the ArtSmart Fair - first Saturday of every month, from 10am-3pm. Nestled among the facades and pillars of the courtyard, local artists, artisans and musicians enliven the downtown scene, giving credence to Redding’s growing reputation as a “vibrant, culturally-rich and talented community.”
South of the Mall is perhaps the most exciting venue in Redding’s claim to the arts - the Cascade Theater, Redding’s most prominent historical building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the few theaters built during the heart of the depression, the Cascade Theatre is a magnificent example of art deco and architecture in California. Restoration of the Cascade Theatre was completed in 2004, and the theater was re-opened as a regional non-profit performing arts center, an active venue for theater, concerts, dance and film presentations hosting performances by renowned artists from around the world.
We’re heading south again: right out the door of the Cascade Theatre and a few blocks away - a straight shot to the Civic Center-City Hall complex, which boasts of being the largest art gallery in Redding. The City’s Art in Public Places Program extends a “Call to Artists” each October and selects a number of local artists to show in the ample foyer and corridors of all three floors. Shows are quarterly, starting in February, June and October. on the City Hall campus logically expands the successful "Art in City Hall" initiative to the outdoors, offering a mixture of permanent works and traveling exhibits displayed along a winding trail amidst water features and decorative plantings. What did I tell you? You can’t separate art from nature, and Redding does its best to prove the point.
As long as you’re in this beautiful area, you’ll want to visit the lakes. But art is never far behind. Whiskeytown Lake, a jewel nestled among the pines, is 15 minutes west of town. Stop in first at the Visitors’ Center and find out who the Artist in Residence is and where you can find the Whiskeytown Plein Air Painters busy painting the glories of - you guessed it! – nature. If you’re lucky, you’ll find them accompanied by a local musician or two as they work. Thus ends our regular art tour, but wait! If you’re in town in October, you won’t want to miss the Annual Open Studio Tour, sponsored by Turtle Bay and Shasta County Arts Council. You’ll be able to do the regular art tour and watch some of Redding’s finest artists themselves at work in their studios. A variety of media is represented -from exquisite hand-crafted wood bowls and unique jewelry to fine art paintings and photography, and “everything in between” – and it’s all first class.
During the school year, a visit to the Shasta College Art Gallery is a must. Offering six exhibitions annually, the gallery features art work by nationally and internationally renowned artists as well as the annual faculty and student shows. The shows are never a disappointment: especially noteworthy is the Annual Spring Student Art Show, where – budding artists notwithstanding – I guarantee that you’ll find some of Redding’s finest art!
There’s more…so much more! But this will get you off to a good start. And don’t worry – anywhere you go, there will be someone to direct you to the other places in town that support the arts – and to any one of the ‘natural wonders’ around the area, where you can get a close-up view of what inspires it all!