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Exhibits
CURRENT EXHIBIT IN THE LOBBY OF 900 N STREET
THE LIBRARY & COURTS BUILDING: CELEBRATING AN ARCHITECTURAL JEWEL
The art, architecture, and lore of the Stanley Mosk Library & Courts Building are celebrated in this exhibit in the lobby of the California State Library.
Period photographs, sketches, blueprints, and commentaries illuminate the planning, construction, and use of this national landmark, a stunning example of 1920s neoclassical architecture. Photos of the pediments, bronze and marble statuary, Maynard Dixon’s monumental “Pageant of Tradition” mural and Frank Van Sloun’s “History of War” panels are also included.
Before moving to the Library & Courts Building in 1928, the State Library was strategically located in the State Capitol Building in an east-facing apse with well-lit, circular rooms. Photos and plans from these years in the Capitol Building are also on display.
Open to the public, this free exhibit is located in the first floor rotunda of the California State Library at 900 N Street, Sacramento. Hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays.
The Stanley Mosk Library & Courts Building is currently under renovation. It’s scheduled to re-open to the public in 2013.
Current exhibit in the Mead B. Kibbey Gallery
CALIFORNIA CALLS YOU: THE ART OF PROMOTING THE GOLDEN STATE, 1870-1940
This exhibition highlights the beautiful and colorful booster materials designed to attract tourists and home seekers to the Golden State. Produced by the thousands, these now rare publications touted California as a land of perpetual spring and boundless opportunity. Featured in the display are spectacular posters created by California’s great commercial artists promoting natural wonders, orange shows, resorts, and world fairs; rare books with gorgeous pictorial bindings; beautifully designed booklets and brochures produced by railroads and developers extolling the advantages of various counties; and fruit crate labels, postcards, trade cards, and other ephemera. This unprecedented public relations campaign literally lured millions to this land of “health, wealth, and sunshine.”
The Mead B. Kibbey Gallery is located in the rotunda outside the California History Room, Room 200, 900 N Street. The gallery is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
High-quality reproductions of many of the items in the exhibit are available from Zazzle.com.
Online exhibits
"California As We Saw It": Exploring The California Gold Rush
Historic Posters of California
Historic Library & Courts Building: An Exhibition of Historical Photographs and Contemporary Images
Treasures of the California State Library
“Rich, Rare, and Curious: Treasures of the California State Library, 1850-2000” was held at the Crocker Art Museum in 2000. The exhibit catalog is available as California StateLibrary Foundation Bulletin Number 67. The issue consists of 75 pages, including several full-color illustrations describing the history and special collections of library. It can be purchased from the California State Library Foundation.
