On November 1, Sacramento’s premier art museum opens not one but two new exhibitions simultaneously — a rare double debut that makes the first weekend of the month a genuinely compelling reason to drive downtown. Both shows run through spring, so there’s no rush, but the opening weekend of a major installation is always a different experience from walking in three months later.
Here’s what’s opening and what to expect from each.
Between Earth and Sky: Contemporary Maya Paintings from Guatemala
The more emotionally substantial of the two openings, Between Earth and Sky brings 22 paintings by 14 Indigenous Maya artists into the Crocker’s galleries for the first time as a dedicated show. The artists represented here were working primarily in the 1990s and 2010s — the decades immediately following Guatemala’s civil war, a prolonged conflict that specifically targeted Maya communities. What emerged was an extraordinary body of work: vivid narrative paintings that leaned into celebration and memory rather than erasure.
The subjects range from agricultural cycles and community festivals to spiritual traditions, but the exhibition doesn’t shy away from harder realities either. Migration, climate change, and the lasting aftershocks of violence and displacement all appear in the work. What makes the show unusual is that all 22 paintings come from the Crocker’s own permanent collection — these aren’t borrowed works on a national tour. They were acquired over time and are now being shown together as a coherent conversation.
The exhibition runs November 1, 2026 through May 9, 2027.
A Fine Feast: The Japanese Art of Dining
The second November 1 opening takes a quieter, more material approach. A Fine Feast draws from the Corti Collection — assembled in large part by Sacramento’s own Darrell Corti, the legendary food and wine merchant whose influence on Northern California’s culinary culture is almost impossible to overstate. The show brings together more than 70 objects: ceramics, lacquerware, metalwork, and paintings, all connected to the tradition of dining in Japan.
The works span from the late Edo period (1615–1868) through the Meiji era (1868–1912) and into the present. What they document is the extraordinary precision with which Japanese culture elevated dining into an art form — not just the food, but the vessels, the sequence, the setting. The exhibition is organized around three distinct contexts: dining in temples and shrines, at imperial banquets, and in the formal structure of multi-course Japanese meals. It’s a show that rewards slow looking.
This exhibition also runs November 1, 2026 through May 9, 2027.
Why Go Now
The Crocker is worth a visit in any month, but two simultaneous openings makes November 1 a particularly good moment to go. Both shows are built for extended viewing — meaning a first visit during the opening week will feel different from a return visit in February when you know the works better.
Also worth noting: the museum’s Thursday hours run until 9 PM, which makes it the easiest weeknight option if the weekend crowds aren’t your preference. Parking in the downtown core is variable, but metered street parking on nearby blocks like N Street and 15th is often available on weekday evenings.
Looking further ahead, the Crocker’s next major opening is Samurai: Armor from the Collection of Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, which opens December 23 — giving the museum a strong anchor through the holiday week and into spring.
If you’re building out a fall calendar of Sacramento arts and culture, the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera’s 2026–27 season has two fall concerts worth pairing with a museum visit. And for a broader map of what the city’s arts scene looks like, this guide to Sacramento’s art scene is a solid starting point.
The Details
- Both exhibitions open: November 1, 2026
- Between Earth and Sky runs through May 9, 2027
- A Fine Feast runs through May 9, 2027
- Address: Crocker Art Museum, 216 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
- Hours: Wednesday–Friday 10 AM–5 PM · Thursday 10 AM–9 PM · Saturday–Sunday 10 AM–5 PM · Monday–Tuesday closed
- Admission: Adults $15 · Seniors $10 · College students $10 · Youth (6–17) $8 · Children 5 & under free · Members free
- Tickets: Available at the door or online at crockerart.org
Bottom Line
The Crocker doesn’t often open two major exhibitions on the same day. Between Earth and Sky is the stronger of the two in terms of cultural weight — it’s a rare chance to see a substantial body of contemporary Maya art collected and shown together. A Fine Feast will appeal especially to anyone interested in Japanese material culture or the Corti legacy in Sacramento. Both are worth your time, and both are on view for long enough that you can plan a return visit at a quieter moment if November is already full.
