The creative energy in Sacramento is surging. From the diversity in the region’s live music scene to the legacy of innovation and creative vitality among its community of visual and performing artists, the feeling of civic pride is palpable. With creative businesses flourishing, creatives are taking hold of Sacramento and giving its residents reason to celebrate the various neighborhoods that comprise this diverse city.

For graphic designer Amber Witzke, this sentiment of community pride has manifested itself in her latest project: a limited-edition screen-printed poster titled Neighborhoods of Sacramento that memorializes every Sacto ‘hood from Greenbriar to Valley High and everything in between.

And while she was born in Santa Barbara—her family moved to the region when she was 3 years old—suffice it to say, Witzke reps Sacramento hard.

The project’s evolution came out of Witzke’s love for Sacramento and celebrating the 130 neighborhoods that connects all who inhabit the City of Trees. The work is currently being shown at Archival Gallery, where fellow devoted Sacramentans can show their love for the city by scooping up one of her graphic homages to the region.

“I grew up in Sacramento and I’ve lived pretty much my entire adult life here, and I have loved the city from the moment I moved down to Midtown,” Witzke gushes. “And recently, my now-husband and I were looking for a home to buy, and I just kind of happened upon all these different neighborhoods and realized how many different areas within Sacramento there are. The actual city itself I didn’t realize had all of these really cool names. Each of these little neighborhoods have their own distinct qualities.”

Born into a family of creatives, the newlywed’s passion for the arts revealed itself early in life, and she was compelled to contribute to the fabric of the local creative space.

“My grandmother is an artist. My mom is an artist. I always loved drawing and painting and anything creative as a child,” Witzke explains. “So, when my dad brought home a computer, it was just like, ‘what can I do with this artistically?’ That’s kind of how I fell into design and advertising.”

This natural curiosity led Witzke to pursue a degree in design from Sacramento State. The intensity of the program she says was vital to her development of discipline as an artist.

“The program is pretty difficult, and it’s pretty difficult to get into,” she explains. “You wouldn’t think being a state school it would be something that would be so desirable for so many people in California to get an art or design degree from, but they were really impacted, and it was really hard to get into.

“You had to go through a portfolio review where they would look at your work and see if they thought you had potential,” Witzke continues. “Then, once you got in, they actually did more of a fundamentals program; we didn’t spend any time on a computer—it was color theory and that sort of thing—and you come out of that with a portfolio and you go through another review for them to see if they’ll let you graduate. It was pretty tough, and I’m really glad that [it was], because it teaches you discipline. A lot of people think that as an artist you don’t need to have that, but you really do, especially if you want to create stuff for yourself.”

As the senior art director at Un/common advertising agency, Witzke taps into her creativity on the daily by serving the greater community through television and print ad campaigns for local governments, state administrations, as well as in the private sector.

“I started [at Un/common] about seven years ago,” she explains. “I started as a designer and have moved my way up to art director. There’s definitely a lot of creative freedom that we have, and it’s fun to explore different areas of other people’s business and trying to come up with creative solutions for a lot of public issues.”

Drawing on the vibe of other projects that celebrate neighborhoods in other cities like New York and Paris, Witzke’s black-and-white graphic map homage to Sacramento sprung to life during the course of her wedding planning (in December 2017 to fellow graphic designer Jason Malmberg) when she snuck in time over the course of several long nights spent visualizing and contemplating how best to articulate the diversity within the confines of the River City.

For the Neighborhoods of Sacramento project, while each neighborhood’s moniker leaps to life with a nod to a vintage vibe, the work is thoroughly modern, as each neighborhood is confined to the borders on the official city map—the creativity in fitting in each neighborhood was an exercise in patience and ingenuity. Letters are stretched and fit snugly within the framework of each boundary, evoking an urban feel, fitting for a celebration of the grid and all of Sacramento’s outlying communities.

Initially, the project was offered as a limited-edition run of signed, 18-by-24-inch screen-printed posters, but when the maps leapt off the shelves and quickly sold out with its first run at the ShopCuffs boutique in Midtown and Kicksville Vinyl and Vintage in the WAL Public Market, Witzke was approached by Archival Gallery to show at the space with her Sacto tribute.

As Witzke looks forward to taking on new projects that boast the unique and diverse community she’s proud to call home, she cites her extensive research on the many communities in the area as that “aha” moment that brought everything together in the Neighborhoods project.

“I’ve been learning a lot about the city, and I’m very proud of our city,” Witzke says. “And it’s nice to see other people now appreciating it like I have for so long. That’s where it started, and it’s continued to grow, and I’m trying to think of other ways to express the amazing diversity and the awesomeness of our city.”

Keep up with Amber Witzke online at Facebook.com/shopamberwitzke, on Instagram @missamberw or on her website, Amberwitzke.com. You can purchase her limited edition screen prints, totes and pins at Amber-witzke.myshopify.com. For her T-shirts and other merch, go to Redbubble.com/people/missamberw. You can also check out Witzke’s work at Archival Gallery (3223 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento) through the end of September.

**This piece first appeared in print on pages 26 – 27 of issue #274 (Sept. 12 – 26, 2018)**

Self-taught local mixed media painter Mark Fox makes “urban outsider folk art” that we’ve been big fans of since first discovering his stuff back in ‘08. In fact, after featuring him in the mag way back then, we even collaborated with him on a Submerge T-shirt design (hit us up if you want one, we might have a couple lying around). His style is unique and he’s been doing his thing for many years, having really mastered his craft. Check out Mark Fox and Friends in person at Little Relics (908 21st Street, Sacramento) through Oct. 31, 2015. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Visit Mark-fox.com for more on the artist.

“A decade of musical ephemera, propaganda and juvenalia” is what to expect when you step foot into the University Union 2nd Floor Gallery at Sacramento State to see Better Living Through Modern Lehzure: The Gigposters of Jason Malmberg. Malmberg’s resume is impressive: he’s currently the head designer behind TBD Fest’s slick branding, he’s also Sactown Magazine’s art director, and he’s even created official gig posters for such acts as Cut Copy, Justice, Foals, Drive-By Truckers, Future Islands, Mogwai, The Walkmen, Surfer Blood … the list goes on and on. His solo show at Sacramento State runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 19, 2015. Opening reception is Oct. 29 from 6–8 p.m. Free and open to the public. Check out Decabet.com for more on the artist.

A native of Santa Cruz, Jeremiah Kille is the epitome of the word “maker.” When he’s not hand-shaping surfboards, he’s creating insanely amazing artwork that explores “themes of nature and coexistence.” Some of his work is currently up at The Urban Hive (1931 H Street, Sacramento) and we highly suggest stopping in to see it with your own two eyes. Some of the paintings are huge and jaw dropping. The show is up through Oct. 31, 2015. Visit Jeremiahkille.com to learn more about the artist.

–JC

What used to be known as Launch has morphed into a brand new, even bigger shebang called TBD Fest. From Oct. 3 to 5, 2014, TBD will invade The Bridge District in West Sacramento (hence the name “TBD Fest”), right along the River Walk next to Raley Field. Sweeping views of Sacramento’s cityscape and Tower Bridge will make for a spectacular setting to experience the music, food, art, yoga and more that the festival has to offer. Here we’ve dedicated an entire Submerge Your Senses section to highlight just a few things you can hear, see, taste and touch at TBD. Get your tickets now at Tbdfest.com! Single day tix are $69, or get a three-day pass for just $159.

SEE: Local Artists’ Gig Posters for TBD Fest Acts

Once again, the creative dudes and dudettes behind TBD Fest have collaborated with a few of the many talented poster artists in the Sacramento region to curate a gallery of beautiful one-of-a-kind posters for individual acts playing the festival. Artists Jason Malmberg, Hans Bennewitz, Jonathan Buck, Laura Matranga, Benjamin Della Rosa and many more have created mind-blowing poster art for acts like Justice, The War on Drugs, Explosions in the Sky, Kurt Vile and the Violators and tons of others. The posters are extremely diverse, creative and engaging, very reminiscent of Sacramento’s creative culture as a whole. We’ll bet there are more than a few you’d want to hang on your walls. The best part? You can! Get your hands on high quality prints of select posters at the festival! You can also get an inside look at the concepts and processes behind each artists’ piece by following TBD Fest at Facebook.com/tbdfest, where they will be presenting the posters and some stories behind them in the weeks leading up to the big event.

TOUCH: Get Your Blood Flowing with Yoga on the Main Stage in the Mornings

What better way to get your pre-festival blood flowing than with morning yoga on the main stage at TBD? On Saturday and Sunday starting at 10 a.m. join instructors Ryan Bailey from East Wind Yoga (locations in Roseville and Auburn), Heather Roussos and Joel Strehle from Zuda Yoga (locations in Midtown, Folsom and Roseville), as well as MC Yogi with DJ Sol Rising and last but not least, San Francisco-based instructor Mark Morford. TBD Yoga is open to the public and they are only asking for a $5 to $10 donation for Yoga Across America. Organizers are asking that you also please RSVP at Tbdfestyoga.splashthat.com if you plan on attending. Throughout the weekend there will also be a “Riverside Yoga Play Area” where festival-goers can try Slacklining, Hooping and Acro Yoga. Come get bendy with TBD!

HEAR:The Unsung Heroes of TBD Fest

It’s pretty much a given that the larger headliners at TBD Fest are going to leave behind thousands of melted faces at the end of each night. High profile acts such as Moby, Blondie, Justice, Danny Brown, Empire of the Sun, Explosions in the Sky and other top-billed artists might be the reason you buy tickets, but we’d like to point out a few of the hidden gems that could easily get buried in the huge lineup (there are nearly 80 artists in total!). Here are two acts that we feel are the unsung heroes from each day.

Friday
Kauf and MNDR

Kauf is an electronic artist from Los Angeles whose 2013 EP As Much Again was released on Cutters Records (Cut Copy’s label) to much acclaim in the blogosphere. He’s done a lot of remixing for artists like Labyrinth Ear and Polica. He’s also working on a new album that will be out early next year that will surely be amazing. Definitely an act to look out for if you like groovy, slow-moving, electro beats.

MNDR is the project of singer/frontwoman Amanda Warner and producer Peter Wade. It’s hard to describe how rad MNDR is in such a small space. Think pop-y/industrial/EDM with heavy German vibes, if that makes any sense. SPIN gave their debut album Feed Me Diamonds an 8 out of 10 and just weeks before they perform at TBD, MNDR will be at San Francisco’s famed Folsom Street Fair, an annual BDSM and leather subculture street fair. Warner’s got this underground Lady Gaga-meets-David Bowie art-pop thing going on, and we absolutely love it!

Saturday
Wildcat! Wildcat! and Skaters

Wildcat! Wildcat! is a fantastic new-ish Los Angeles-based synth/indie-pop group that Submerge discovered via Lollapalooza’s live stream earlier this year. Their nearly flawless live set blew us away and we’ve been hooked ever since. Their debut full-length No Moon at All just came out in early August and was co-produced by Morgan Kibby of White Sea and M83.

Skaters are a band you don’t want to miss if you’re looking for something a little more rock-y, garage-y and more guitar based. They have gigged with Cage the Elephant (a perfect pairing in our opinion) and their new album Manhattan is out now on Warner Bros. Records. These dudes could easily blow up, see ‘em first at TBD!

Sunday
Incan Abraham and Flashlights

Incan Abraham is a dreamy pop group from Los Angeles whose members have been friends since kindergarten! They’re debut full-length Tolerance is out now and was produced by Lewis Pesacov (Best Coast, FIDLAR, Fool’s Gold). Its lush layers and textures with hauntingly good melodies make it an absolute joy to listen to.

Flashlights are a gritty young rock band from Florida that have drawn comparisons to greats like Built to Spill and Superchunk. Their new album Bummer Summer is a killer long player with songs about “dead end jobs and lousy living conditions, heartbreaks and hangovers. And, of course, there are also songs about cats,” according to Flashlightsmusic.com. Check the track “Don’t Take Me Seriously.” It’s seriously great.

TASTE: The Pit: A Wood-Fired Cooking Demonstration Featuring 14 Top Local Chefs

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Sacramento’s restaurant scene is booming; after all, we are America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital! To showcase our region’s culinary prowess, TBD Fest is introducing “The Pit,” a wood-fired cooking demonstration zone that will feature chefs from 14 of the area’s most acclaimed eateries. Chefs such as Oliver Ridgeway of Grange, Michael Fagnoni of Hawks, Kurt Spataro of Paragary Restaurant Group, Michael Thiemann and Matt Masera of Mother, Michael Tuohy of LowBrau/Block Butcher Bar and many others will prepare “festival bites” that people will be able to purchase individually, or you’ll also be able to get all-day passes to The Pit. So you best come hungry to TBD! More info at Tbdfest.com/pit.

How local graphic designer and poster artist Jason Malmberg came up through the ranks

If you look at a Jason Malmberg poster and you’re unsure at first of what you’re looking at, if you need a minute to stare and process, if things seem off balance, if for a moment you feel like you are looking at a worksheet out of a German school book—don’t be alarmed. This is just the effect the local graphic designer is going for.

In the ‘70s, even public service announcement posters were psychedelic, Malmberg remembers, including one he’ll never forget. It was of a sobbing child throwing his arms over his head in horror, except his arms were 13 or 14 snakes. The poster read, “Why you shouldn’t take LSD” and went on to list what happens in the first 15 minutes, and in the second.

Take a look at the poster Malmberg made for the Foals show at Ace of Spades last month, and in the midst of colliding geometric shapes, you’ll see two intersecting male arms, each turning into the head of a snake from the elbow up.

Malmberg sampled two to four hands, arms and snakes to put together that image alone. “I don’t like hacking on other images,” he explains over the phone from his home office. “I want it to be more my own.”

So he salvages bits and pieces from historical images and online library archives public libraries, sometimes drawing on top of them, to recreate entirely new concepts, often with a ‘60s and ‘70s feel. Then he’ll lay out some type—and as a self-proclaimed typography nerd, this is key.

For the last 13 years, Malmberg has designed posters for just under 100 shows, including mainstream acts like Mos Def and the Violent Femmes as well as indie rock band Foals and former underground pop band Luna. Next month, he will showcase some of his pieces in his second-ever poster art show, Modern Lehzure, at Cuffs in Midtown.

Visit Decabet.com and you will get a taste of Malmberg’s work. Yes, decabet, as in Dan Aykroyd’s 10-letter alphabet on Saturday Night Live.

Poster design is Malmberg’s ultimate outlet. What he hasn’t been able to get away with in his day job, he has gotten away with in poster art.

Within the last year Malmberg landed a job with a branding agency in Washington, D.C, where he is now developing his Web skills. Before that, he worked in print, as an art director for a handful of local publications, like Sacramento News & Review, Sactown Magazine and MGW.

While he was with Sactown Magazine, one of his designs popped up on T-shirts at Nordstrom sometime in 2007. You’d never know it, he says, and that’s probably all for the best. Unfortunately, his unique filigree design somehow became a part of the douche bag national uniform, he discloses.

Regardless, life wasn’t always peachy for Malmberg. If anyone has earned the seat they are sitting in now, he certainly has. It took a lengthy series of events to get him here.

To put it bluntly, “I’ve worked every shitty, low-paying job you could imagine,” he says.

This includes working fast food joints, at an eyeglass factory, in furniture assembly and smoothing down edges of windshields for eight hours a day.

Malmberg’s beginnings took place in Omaha, Neb. His teen years preceded Saddle Creek Records.

“It’s still not really cool to be from Omaha, but more than it was when I was there,” he says. “Now Omaha is sort of like a mini Athens kind of city—not Greek obviously—with their hipster cred. I was there in 1999, when it was a terrible wasteland and our claim to fame at the time, which everyone is still trying to live down, is 311.”

He studied under a “hands-off” kind of art teacher in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue, who provided Malmberg with just the right amount of guidance that made him successful. He had gallery shows before graduating from high school and went on to study at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Unfortunately, along with admittance into one of the best art schools in the country came unlimited pretentiousness.

He was surrounded by art students. To his dismay many of them were kids desperately attempting to fit social roles and convince the world they were someone other than themselves.

He quickly came to this realization: “I love people who make art, but I hate artists.”

He also realized that the Art Institute was not for him.

“I was making less art than when I was just a bum working at Taco Bell,” he remembers.

So, a year into it, Malmberg did what many students who find themselves in similar situations don’t have the courage to do—he left.

He returned to Omaha at 19 and began designing T-shirts for his friend’s skateboard gig. It seemed like a good idea at the time he said, but it didn’t last long. Then he took on the factory jobs. After that he spent three years as a rave promoter in Omaha. The last rave he threw was in 1997. It was going to be a huge party, outside. Tons of people were going to be there. This was the one that was going to lift him out of poverty, he thought.

Not quite. But it did result in him getting work laying out classified ads for a small local publication called The Reader. It started out as work to repay a debt. Up to that point he had never used a computer to design.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” he confesses.

The bus only ran twice daily between his place and the office, so rather than go home he would stay all night at the office and teach himself how to design. Eventually he was bumped up to art director.

Within about 18 months he redesigned the publication, drawing national accolades. Sacramento News & Review took notice and offered him a position as art director. He took it, and moved to Sacramento in 1999.

In 2006, he connected with the editors of Sactown Magazine when the publication was in its infancy. He became their art director, and helped create the look of the publication from its inception in 2006 until last year.

It was only a matter of time before he ran into local promoter and legend Brian McKenna in the early ‘00s. Next thing you know, Malmberg was designing posters for local shows on the side.

As his designs have improved he has become more selective about which shows he designs for. If he’s designing a poster for a show, it’s because he’s a fan of the band on the ticket. He doesn’t get paid much, if anything, for his work. He designed the Foals poster out-of-pocket. Hearing back from the band, however, is excellent compensation.

When Malmberg designed a poster for Luna’s show at Harlow’s in 2005, the band liked the design so much they asked to repurpose it as a limited edition sale item for their final show in New York. By the third show they sold out of 250 posters. The following year they used the design again for the DVD cover of their farewell tour.

Regardless of who he designs for, he makes it a point to represent the band properly through his design. For each band poster he designs, he’ll listen to the albums to come up with a theme. Each poster should have its own feel.

“You don’t want to be one of those guys who’s basically just churning out art prints and tacking band names on them, because that’s not cool,” he says. “If the bands don’t sound the same, the posters shouldn’t look the same.

“I don’t try to be literal or narrative,” he says.

That’s how he ends up with posters that look like German ice cream bar wrappers from the ‘70s, like the one he made for the Naked and Famous show. Both fun and grotesque, what looks like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup wags its tongue beneath the noses of two interlinked revolvers.

Malmberg explains the look on his website.

“With the band’s bright candy-colored-yet-tasteful aesthetic in mind, I had the idea to try to make something a little European and a lot of odd,” he says. “I started out wanting to make something bizarre in the Polish movie poster vein but ended up with something a bit more like a German ice cream bar wrapper from the ‘70s. A little pop-art, a little glam, a lot of odd.”

Check out Jason Malmberg’s Modern Lehzure at Cuffs in Midtown (2523 J Street, Sacramento) on May 11, 2013. The event is part of Second Saturday. You can learn more about Malmberg at Decabet.com. While you’re online checking out his rad designs, why not check out Cuffs’ home on the Web at Shopcuffs.com?