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| A Wake-Up Call Through Art at SaraJane & Co! By Angela Rosas Your local source for art, jewelry, and clothing,” the flyer reads. During Sacramento’s beloved Second Saturday, they offer live entertainment, serve beer and wine, and invite members of the community to help them, help make a difference. SaraJane & Co. is more than just a stop on your Second Saturday Art Walk, it is one woman’s dream for a brighter future becoming a reality. Located at 908 21st Street, this humble little gallery is much larger in size than it appears. The driving force behind the gallery is SaraJane who wants nothing more than to show and teach children that there are different ways to make a living. “They don’t have to be followers, they don’t have to sit in cubicles their whole lives,” said SaraJane. “There are other ways to live. They need inspiration to be leaders.” After working in a call center for 15 years, SaraJane started to experience “wake-up calls” which led her to open the gallery. She told the story of her grandmother, a portrait artist, who passed away from cancer. Then a few months later she went into work to find a man, who had worked at her call center for 30 years, had died in that same cubical he spent his whole life in. A few months after that, SaraJane’s friend, Kenneth Scott Mackrel, a talented writer and musician, took his own life. She realized then things had to change. “Either you kill yourself because of the way the world is, or you die because of the way the world is,” she said. It was then that her quest for what she wanted her life to be like began. “It’s time to create a movement,” she said. SaraJane quit her call center job. One day, on her way to get her nails done, she passed by a art gallery for rent. Without hesitation, she made a deal, and found herself with a gallery to fill. She didn’t quite know what she was going to do with it, but she saw an opportunity and took it. Sara and her husband, “Insane Joe” of Insane Productions, decided to make it into a jewelry studio for SaraJane’s original pieces and art gallery. SaraJane & Co. had i’s grand opening on December 8, 2007. The gallery acts more as a tool for SaraJane’s real passion, The Fay Throckmorton Kenneth Scott Mackel Organization for the Arts. The organization provides art and music education to underprivileged schools, many of whom do not have music or art programs. The first school the organization taught art classes at was in Rancho Cordova. There they teamed up with The OK Program which reaches out to at-risk African American Youths. All Second Saturday profits go to the organization. In trade for artists teaching classes SaraJane & Co. donates art supplies to the artists and donates materials for the classes themselves. “We’re trying to create a safe environment where kids can be expressive,” SaraJane said. And to do that the organization relies a great deal on artists, musicians and the general community to donate time, supplies, equipment, and money. Montana Paints, sold at SaraJane & Co., has donated paints for the local charity. Local breweries have also made donations to show their support. “Sell a beer, teach a kid art!” she said. “We are still a new business, and still have a long way to go,” she said. “I’m sure the store will morph into what it is meant to be.” For now SaraJane & Co. is your friendly neighborhood gallery for art, jewelry, and clothing and prides itself on being there for the community, just as the community is there for The Fay Throckmorton Kenneth Scott Mackel Organization for the Arts. “We are a community,” SaraJane said. “We all have something to give.” You can find more information about SaraJane & Co. and information on how to donate at: sarajaneandco.com, or by calling (916)446- 8985. Posted: February 15, 2008 · Filed Under Art, Features |