Great places to enjoy art in California
If the weather forecasts are correct, much of California should be rainy this weekend, making it a perfect time to visit a museum.
Over the past few weeks, readers have been emailing me their suggestions for the best places to enjoy the arts in the state. I’m sharing a selection of them today, lightly edited for clarity.
You can send your own recommendation to CAtoday@nytimes.com. Please include your name and the city where you live. To enjoy!
Viewpoint Photographic Arts Center in Sacramento
“For people interested in seeing the photographic art in all its varied forms and styles, Viewpoint is a great place to visit. The free monthly, rotating exhibitions in two gallery spaces showcase landscape, portraits, street art, still life, abstraction, alternative processes, composites and mixed media from artists around the world. At each new exhibition there is a reception where you can talk directly to the artists. You can also browse local artists’ portfolio drawers to see additional photographic works. Viewpoint also regularly organizes photography lectures and workshops. Every April, Sacramento’s Photography Month is held here, along with other visual arts organizations. — Waymond Fong, Loomis
Huntington Library, Art Museum in San Marino
“My favorite place is definitely the Huntington Library. It’s where, as a child, I saw masterful portraits like ‘The Blue Boy’, ‘Pinkie’ and ‘Sarah Siddons’ on those precious Catholic school trips, which led to a lifelong love of museums. Not to mention the many other galleries and special exhibitions, surrounded by beautiful gardens in many styles. Due to Covid, the library is limiting the number of visitors per day, so advance booking is a must. I have always gone on days off, which really requires advance planning – a small price to pay for a day of total immersion in another world.” — Pamela Gravlin, Escondido
ICB-ART in Sausolito
“Without a doubt, the ICB is a treasure trove of beautiful art. Located in beautiful Sausalito, it has over 100 artists who take their work very seriously. Once an old hangar for warships, it is now a well-run arts enclave that is open to the public many times a year.” — Catherine Cole, Mill Valley
Friday evenings at the Oakland Museum of California
“Many locals celebrate the end of the work week with out-of-towners with access to galleries, live music, food trucks and the love of art in all its forms. You can wander through eclectic exhibitions, relax in the gardens or twirl on the dance floor. It is the art of being together.” — Karina Moreno, Oakland
The Mingei International Museum in San Diego
“The Mingei offers folk art, craft and design. Mingei means ‘Art of the People’ in Japanese. In front of the museum there are some beautiful sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle that you can touch, and children love to climb on them.” — Christopher Muller, Murrieta
Where we travel to
Today’s tip comes from Suzy Kosh, who lives in Pacifica. Suzy recommends visiting Jenner, a small coastal town in Sonoma County:
“River’s End Restaurant & Inn overlooks the wonder of Goat Rock Beach in Jenner – where the Russian River flows into the sea – and serves spectacular food (no 5G or WiFi available when we stayed… heaven). The entire drive on Route 1 to Mendocino is incredible, but not many people seem to stop in this beautiful little corner.”
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We will share more in future editions of the newsletter.
Tell us
I think about the way Californians celebrate Thanksgiving. At the beach? With sourdough filling?
Email your Golden State Thanksgiving traditions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name and the city where you live.
And before you go: good news
Bob Daigle, 72, of San Jose, became the oldest person to compete with his pet on the United States team at the FCI Agility World Championship, an international dog agility tournament, held last month in the Czech Republic.
Daigle competed with his faithful companion, his 5-year-old border collie named Blew Bayou, who traversed the tournament’s obstacle courses along with approximately 700 dogs from 55 countries.
During their combined 77 years — or more than 100, if you count Blew Bayou’s age in dog years — the pair had plenty of agility experience: Daigle has been competing in agility trials with his dogs for more than a decade and with Blew Bayou since the dog was 2 .
Despite some setbacks this summer after Daigle suffered a hamstring injury, the pair found success on the courses and, as you would expect from two seasoned agility competitors, had a great time. “The stress and anxiety were 100 percent replaced by focus, fun and the joy of agility with a dog I love,” Daigle told The Mercury News.
Thank you for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. Nice weekend. — Soumya
PS Here it is today’s mini crossword.