The beautifully restored Sacramento County Public Law Library was host to an unusually exciting and enjoyable event for the Sacramento legal and artistic community on April 14th. More than 400 enthusiastic people flocked to the Library for a gala opening reception for an art show, entitled "A Creative Merger: Lawyers and Artists." Curated by Charles Miller, the former owner of the well-known Himovitz Gallery, the show featured outstanding works by lawyers who are artists and artists whose creations portray a legal theme. Throughout the library were displayed paintings, photographs, sculpture and other works by 54 Northern California visual artists, accompanied by statements from the artists describing the work, their inspiration or motivation, and their creative processes. The artists mingled with their friends, colleagues and the crowd, sharing their views on what they intended to convey through their works of art, the importance of artistic expression, and art as a medium of political expression. The mood was decidedly celebratory and the reception was a smashing success.

Michael Virga, Presiding Judge of the Sacramento Superior Court, graciously served as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening's program. Sacramento County Public Law Library Director Coral Henning, whose idea was the genesis for the exhibition, hospitably welcomed the guests. Ellen Taylor, Director of Sacramento Programs for California Lawyers for the Arts introduced the evening's honored guest Juan Carillo, Chief of Grant Programs for the California Arts Council. His remarks underscored the value of public art to the community and the significance of the exhibition as a means of outreach to the community at large.

Guests from a variety of segments of the community came early and stayed late, enjoying the wonderful art. On display were pieces with legal subject matter, such as lawyer/sculptor Edward V. Marouk's wonderful likeness of the unique and remarkable Bernie Witkin, and the painting "Ultimate Verdict" by Dianne Mattar. Other works were concerned with politics, such as lawyer/artist Mike Solomon's series of photographs entitled "The 1984 National Democratic Convention, San Francisco." Still others directly concerned provocative political issues: "T'anks to Mr. Bush" painted on the Fourth of July by lawyer/artist Stephen S. Pearcy as a comment on the policies of the current national administration, and another of Mr. Pearcy's works, the U.S. Army soldier's uniform entitled "Bush Lied/I Died;" a similar piece sparked a national debate about freedom of speech and expression, tolerance of divergent viewpoints, and prosecutorial discretion while on display in his Land Park home.

Additional works addressed compelling humanitarian themes such as "Far from Home (Refugee Camps)" concerning the millions of displaced persons in Asia and Afghanistan, by Janice Nakashima. Ellen Yamshon's "Lessons from Rawanda" dealt with the disturbing subject of genocide and included not only a striking painting, but the display of a room full of artifacts and participation by African students from CSUS.

Good food, and terrific music by ABOTA President John Quincy Brown III's talented musicians, Four Lawyers and a Rice Farmer, contributed to the festive atmosphere. Conceived as a way of obtaining art for the Library, the event was a grand success on that score as well. Thadd Blizzard, partner at Weintraub Genshlea Chediak & Sproul, and a member of Women Lawyers of Sacramento, donated a dramatic and stunning painting, "Ain't Misbehaving," The artist who created the piece is his father, Alan Blizzard, a nationally recognized painter who is a Professor of Art at Scripps College and whose works hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and in other museums of the first rank nationwide. Grace Bergen and Linda Winchester donated another charming painting by Diane Bogush Mills, called "Defenders of the Nest," depicting a mother bird protecting her offspring, inspired by her experiences with the legal system. Other contributions included a photograph by Francisco Dominguez, "I Oppose," from Patsy Schiff; and Howard Watkins' depiction of "Bernie Witkin in his Study" from Ellen Taylor.

Among the most poignant items on display for some of the women lawyers were several of Ilka Hartmann's photographs of a young Fay Stender with some of her most notable clients. Grace Bergen ably served as my Co-chair; other members of the event committee were Coral Henning, Ellen Taylor, Sharon Simms, Louis Greenwald, and Ruth Downes. The exhibit was co-sponsored by the Law Library, California Lawyers for the Arts, Women Lawyers of Sacramento, the Sacramento County Bar Association and the Wiley Manuel Bar Association. Special thanks are due the Solomon Dubnick Gallery for their generous donations of art, and to Joseph F. Harbison, III, for his donation of an exceptional bottle of Cabernet for the raffle. For a full listing of financial contributions and in-kind supporters from the business community, see www.saclaw.org.

The exhibition will hang until mid June, when it moves to the Attorney General's Office, so there is still time to take a look at these interesting, thought provoking, and magnificent visual images.

July / August 2005