FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crocker Art Museum Celebrates 125th Anniversary with Family-Friendly Festival and $1.25 Admission

Happy Birthday, Crocker Art Museum! event hearkens to Floral Festival of 1885 

March 23, 2010 – Sacramento, Calif. – On Saturday, May 8, the Crocker Art Museum will mark its 125th anniversary with a celebration of the Crocker family, the era in which they lived, and the generous gift of their Art Gallery and collection to the city of Sacramento. From noon to 4 p.m., all ages will enjoy events that hearken back to the Floral Festival in 1885, when the Museum was formally given to the City of Sacramento.

Starting at noon, living history interpreters portraying Museum founders E. B. and Margaret Crocker and their daughter Aimée Crocker will greet visitors as they arrive. At 1:25 p.m., visitors are invited to join in singing Happy Birthday. Throughout the event, visitors can take part in a video project to record memories of and birthday wishes for the Crocker. Additional festivities include:

The Crocker Art Museum was established on May 6, 1885, when Margaret E. Crocker presented her family’s art gallery building, grounds, and art collection “in trust for the public” to the public-private partnership of the City of Sacramento and the California Museum Association, now the Crocker Art Museum Association.

To thank Margaret for this incredible gift to the people of Sacramento, city leaders planned a Floral Festival on the day the Gallery and collection were presented. The Festival drew a reported 20,000 visitors from within the region and abroad. The first round of ceremonies focused on school children with a program of songs, recitations, a Maypole Dance and floral presentations. The evening program featured the formal gift of the Art Gallery building and collection, which was celebrated with speeches, concerts and dancing until midnight.

Admission on May 8 is $1.25 per person, and the festivities are free with admission. For more information, visit crockerartmuseum.org.

The Crocker Art Museum was established 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 California, 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; 1st & 3rd Thursdays until 9 p.m. Free admission on Sundays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. is made possible through the support of Bank of America. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

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Media Contact: Kathleen C. Richards
Media: (916) 808-5157
Public: (916) 808-7000

216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.crockerartmuseum.org

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