Celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Teel Family Pavilion, by day and by night

The Crocker Art Museum is celebrating the 5-year anniversary of the Teel Family Pavilion with two major events on October 10. 

“Celebrating five years in this building has been a joy, and we want to make sure the next five, 25, and 100 years are as well,” says Lial Jones, the Mort and Marcy Friedman Director and CEO at Crocker Art Museum. “We couldn’t be more proud of the impact the new pavilion has had on the community, through our ability to offer even more family events, educational programs, art classes, and exhibitions not previously possible. Sacramento was smart to see to fruition its vision for an iconic and empowering center of culture.” 

The Crocker Birthday Bash will kick off at 10 a.m., and the Museum will be free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can get in the birthday spirit with great exhibitions, live music, dance performances, and hands-on art making from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The party will kick-off at 10 a.m. with the Grant High School Drumline, followed by performances by Step 1 Dance Company, Natomas Charter School Singing Ensemble, the McKeever School of Irish Dance, and Taiko Dan Japanese drumming. Party guests can also participate in the Global Cardboard Challenge, a worldwide event in which kids of all ages are invited to build anything they can dream up using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination! Food fare will be available at the Crocker Cafe by Supper Club, and members will receive an additional five-percent (5%) off purchases in the Museum Store all day.

From 8 p.m. to midnight, the Museum will host a celebration like no other. Neo-Crocker 2015 will take those who dare into the next stratosphere. A supersensory, high-volume event with dancing, live music, adult libations and lots more, Neo-Crocker is a museum-wide, adults-only celebration of art, creativity, and the thrill of being amidst it all. Come enjoy live performances by modern-blues breakout sensation Fantastic Negrito, winner of National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest. Indulge your senses with the Sizzling Sirens Burlesque Experience, rock out to the City of Trees Brass Band, visit the green fairy at the absinthe bar, pop some bottles of bubbly, and dance the night away to dueling DJs.

Neo-Crocker tickets start at $40 for adults 21 and over, and the party will sell out, so get yours now at tickets.crockerartmuseum.org. Champagne Supporters will receive a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine and express service at cash bars for $200, and there is a six-pack ticket deal featuring six tickets for the price of five. If available, tickets purchased at the door will have a $10 service fee. Dress to inspire. Small bites will be available for purchase.

When the Teel Family Pavilion opened in 2010, it tripled the size of the Museum, providing space for traveling exhibitions, a 270-seat auditorium, art classrooms and more. Since then, the Museum has welcomed dozens of world-class exhibitions, from Japanese origami and Amazonian pottery to contemporary paintings and sculptures. In the coming months, the Pavilion will include shows highlighting Albrecht Durer, Ai Weiwei and Andy Warhol.

“The Teel Family Pavilion has made the impossible possible and is the reason the Crocker Art Museum is now the 37th largest museum in the U.S. in terms of gallery space, the 36th largest in total membership and has the 32nd highest in attendance,” Jones says. “There is more to come, and we look forward to continuing our mission of creating and sustaining a culture of learning here at the Museum and throughout the community.”

The Crocker Art Museum was the first art museum in the Western U.S. and is one of the leading art museums in California today. Established in 1885, the Museum features one of the country’s finest collections of Californian art, exceptional holdings of master drawings, a comprehensive collection of international ceramics, as well as European, Asian, African, and Oceanic art. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 

10 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday; 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Thursdays. Every third Sunday of the month is “Pay What You Wish Sunday” sponsored by Western Health Advantage. For more information, call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.