Off the grid

“Solar Power Plant” by Anthony Padilla.

“Solar Power Plant” by Anthony Padilla.

A new art installation at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Sacramento's Raley Branch (1117 G Street) has a unique environmental twist: It's a multimedia piece by local artist Anthony Padilla featuring a wall mural and functional leaf sculptures with solar panels on top. It's completely off the grid, and the sculptures store energy from their panels to power USB devices. The goal, says Padilla, is for the piece to be educational, showing that the energy from the sun can be collected in a self-contained unit and used to power electronic devices. Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission helped the project come to light.