Sacramento City Hall exhibit showcases Oak Park students' lived experiences

The Center for Sacramento History has partnered with students from American Legion High School to curate an exhibit at Sacramento City Hall, spotlighting their personal stories.

The exhibit, titled “We Are Who We Are,” features personal essays from 23 students at American Legion High School. Situated in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood, this credit recovery high school had each student contribute a personal essay as a requirement for their fall semester English class.

“The stories document the lived experiences of our community’s youth and range from the sentimental to the tragic,” said the Center’s historian Marcia Eymann.

To help tell these stories with a visual component in an exhibition format, Sacramento’s Office of Arts and Culture tapped into their network of local artists to create new pieces inspired by the students’ words.

Nine different artists read, interpreted, and captured the essence of each tale in their own unique style. Together, these images and stories paint a diverse picture of life in the Sacramento region for our young community members.

This exhibition was produced in partnership by American Legion High School, the Center for Sacramento History, and the Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture, with support from the Office of Councilmember Caity Maple.

It is free for the public and will be on view in the Robert T. Matsui Gallery at Sacramento City Hall from March 1 through April 30. The gallery’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

A public reception will be held in the gallery on Tuesday, March 19 at 4 p.m.