FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kings Fans Find Sports and Art
Come Together in New Exhibit
at the Crocker Art Museum

December 20, 2004 – Sacramento, Calif. – Sacramento visitors may find a reflection of themselves when they visit the Crocker Art Museum ’s latest special exhibition, Watching the Sacramento Kings: Photographs by Vesna Pavlovic, open January 29 through March 13. In black-and-white photographs Vesna Pavlovic aims to investigate the spectacle of professional basketball games. However, it is not the players that interest her most, but those who come to watch them. This installation features a selection of her best prints showcasing the NBA’s “most loyal fans.” Additional images will be made available via electronic display within the gallery space.

Pavlovic’s role as a photographer at these sporting events is multifaceted. She is at once a fan, artist, sociologist, documentarian and, most importantly, a spectator. Her seemingly straightforward black-and-white photographs do more than journalistically record – they probe beyond the faces she portrays, finding beauty and ugliness, pathos and humor. For the “Watching” project, the analysis of audience actions and reactions is more than an investigation of the psychology of a single individual; it is a cultural investigation.

Pavlovic has pursued similar projects in other parts of the world, beginning investigations in Belgrade with images of fans watching live broadcasts of the Yugoslav National Basketball Team during the World Championships in 2002. The second phase of the project featured spectators watching European and National League games in person throughout the 2002-03 season. Next, Pavlovic traveled to the United States capture the passion and zeal of Sacramento Kings fans. She recently completed a fourth phase of the project at the Olympic Games in Athens , and will present her project in its entirety during the European Basketball Championship to be held in Belgrade in September 2005.

Conversations with the Artist: Vesna Pavlovic
February 10, 7 PM
Vesna Pavlovic will discuss how her photographs displayed in the special exhibition, Watching the Kings, capture the culture of Sacramento Kings’ fans. The lecture will be followed by a reception for the artist.

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The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of Californian, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday; Thursday until 9 p.m. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 264-5423 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

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Media Contact: LeAnne R. Ruzzamenti
Media: (916) 264-1963
Mobile : (916) 213-9402
Public: (916) 264-5423
216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.crockerartmuseum.org