Viewpoint Is On The Move

November 9, 2007

SACRAMENTO, CA. For the past thirteen years, Viewpoint has benefited from the generosity of SAMCC, the Sacramento Archive and Museum Collection Center. When Viewpoint was on the brink of folding in 1994, SAMCC saved the day by offering Viewpoint gallery and office space. Thanks to SAMCC, we’ve been able to build our membership, our programs, and our finances. No Viewpoint member who understands the history of the organization can feel anything but gratitude toward SAMCC and its long-time director, Jim Henley. But now SAMCC needs its space back, and we’re ready to have a home of our own.

By June 1, 2008, Viewpoint will be moving from SAMCC to a new, yet-to-be-located site. This represents a major milestone in the evolution of Viewpoint, and the fulfillment of a dream for many dedicated Viewpoint members. There will be many challenges as we make this transition, but we expect to maintain our exhibit schedule and all of our current programs with little or no interruption. We’re not sure at this time if we’ll need a new location or time for Print Nights and Member Meetings during the first few months of 2008. And we won’t be mounting an exhibit in May 2008, when we’ll be busy with the actual move to a new facility. But other than that, we expect Viewpoint’s exhibits and programs to go on as usual as we prepare for our new home.

We’ve only known for a couple of weeks that we’ll be moving, and we already have a committee in place to locate a new home for Viewpoint. We expect to look at various sites in December, and hope to settle on one or two by January. A couple of years ago, Sacramento Bee art correspondent Victoria Dalkey called Viewpoint “one of Sacramento’s hidden treasures.” One of our goals in moving is to no longer be “hidden”, so we’ll be centering our search in areas where the arts are already strong.

There’ll be lots of work to do in all phases of this exciting transition. In addition to the physical work of turning our new space into a gallery and moving in, fundraising will be critical, from the Fine Print Auction in the spring to securing grants to developing new income sources. We hope that you, the membership of Viewpoint, will be inspired to contribute in whatever ways you can. If you can volunteer some of your time and energy, contact Gene Kennedy at or 916.645.0781, and we’ll find the task that matches your skills and availability; we especially need help with publicity and fundraising. If you can contribute financially, either through a donation or by purchasing prints from our Fine Print Program and Auction, you can be assured that your contribution will directly support Viewpoint’s transition to independence. And if your continued membership is the limit of what you can do at this time, that in itself is a significant contribution, since our members are the core of what Viewpoint is and does.