Christopher Geanakos | Editor in Chief
geanakc@imail.losrios.edu
The Golden Bear Awards for The California Artist of the Year were presented to Clayton Bailey and retired City College art instructor Fred Dalkey Aug. 29 at the California State Fair.
“Someone’s made a mistake,” Dalkey said to the audience as he received the award. He later said that he very flattered but surprised to be picked.
Dalkey instructed many of the campus’s painting and drawing courses from 1969 until his retirement in May of this year. He was also a student at City College from 1960 to 1962. During this time he studied under famed Sacramento artist Gregory Kondos.
“I have no idea why they would have picked me,” Dalkey said. “Theres so many wonderful people who I would have thought would be far ahead of me.”
The Golden Bear Award is the highest award bequeathed by the California State Fair and has been given for Artist of the Year since 2006, according to California State Fair fine art exhibit coordinator Carol Buchanan. Former winners include fellow Sacramento luminaries Gregory Kondos and Wayne Thiebaud.
“I don’t think there has been a Sacramento artist in this show, since I’ve been here, that hasn’t taken a class from Fred a workshop from Fred or somehow hasn’t been touched by him,” Buchanan said.
Bailey, who is also a California artist, is well known for his work in robotic sculpture.
Many pieces of Dalkey’s artwork are currently part of the City College Fine Art Department’s collection and will be open again to the public with the completion of the new Fine Arts Building.
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