Greetings!
It is with great sadness that I inform you that last week Michelle Walker, Director of the Sa cramento Metropolitan Arts Commission from 1992 to 2006, passed away. Through interviews with former staff and Arts Commissioners, I heard over and over again that throughout her career Michelle supported, advocated and worked tirelessly for arts education and equity of access to the arts. She began her professional career as an artist and was an accomplished ceramicist and dancer, receiving a BFA in Dance. In fact, colleague, friend, and Director of PlacerArts, Angela Tahti told me Michelle financed her college education through the sales of her ceramic work. Perhaps it was this experience that made her so committed to fighting for artists when she later became an arts administrator. "She respected the work of individual artists and fought to pay them well," said Josie Talamantez, former Chief of Programs at the California Arts Council. Later in life, Michelle received a Masters in Public Administration and flourished in the 14 years she served as SMAC's Director. She was instrumental in founding the Sacramento Philharmonic and helped steward the commissioning of major public artworks at the Sacramento International Airport Terminal A. In 2004 she founded World Arts, a 2-year long, free arts education program which provided students with in-depth arts experiences, 5-days a week, all summer, in Oak Park. Michelle helped champion Surreal Estates, a unique artist live/work community that includes 11 single family units in Sacramento. The idea for the development came from a series of meetings in 1992 dedicated to cleaning up Del Paso Boulevard and turning it into a cultural magnet. The project was partially subsidized by SMUD and monitored by the company as a pilot project. She also reached beyond City and County government funding for the arts to the private sector for support. "Michelle identified alternative resources for the arts, establishing the Arts Commission's nonprofit arm, Friends of the Arts Commission while growing work place giving," said Barbara Bonebrake, the City of Sacramento, Convention, Culture and Leisure Department Director. "The Sacramento art community has suffered a great loss with Michelle's passing." Michelle was an advocate for all the arts, but had a soft spot for traditional folk art forms, according to Rhyena Halpern, former Executive Director of the Arts Commission, "She had exceptional gifts of insight and understanding, and a sweetness to her that I will always hold dear. Her good fight made life better for many artists, arts organizations, social service organizations and all the people they served." "Michelle was a true champion for underserved communities, developing programs to provide arts access to all neighborhoods and ethnicities. Her leadership of the regional Metropolitan Arts Partnership leveraged support through workplace giving to many arts providers region-wide," said Tahti, "She will be missed." On behalf of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, we offer our deepest condolences to Michelle's daughter, Ondrea, her brother Pierre and Mother Aurolie Walker. Shelly Willis Interim Director & Art in Public Places Director Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission | 
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