Jeff Koons Sculpture At Golden 1 Center Still Not Sitting Well With Local Artists

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – As if on cue, just as the curtain came down on the controversial Coloring Book sculpture at the Golden 1 Center, the tweet went up.

Sacramento native David Garibaldi tweeted his own big announcement: he'll be performing for the president at the White House.

We asked if the timing of his tweet was intentional

"You know, I wish I could say it was," Garibaldi said.

Garibaldi is a Sacramento-native-turned-internationally-known performing artist.

"I represent Sacramento wherever I go … including the White house on October 3rd," Garibaldi said.

He's also been a vocal critic of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission's decision to pay $8 million for New York artist Jeff Koons' work.

"I think we have to look at why are we even talking about this. Well, because there's a lot of people that were not happy with the process taken to choose this art," Garibaldi said.

Koons was introduced at this unveiling as the world's most influential post-war artist. One of his sculptures sold recently sold for $58 million.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson seemed to acknowledge the debate the sculpture has created.

"As a nation, we can use art, and our feeling about it, to engage in debate and discussion," Johnson said at the unveiling of the art.

Sacramento artist Gale Hart was awarded a spot for her sculpture "Missing the Mark" of darts dotting L Street alongside the Golden 1 Center.

"It's not like you get rich from public art, but you get exposure you would never get in a gallery or museum or anywhere else," Hart said.

Garibaldi said he thinks the city should wait for the sculpture's value to appreciate, then sell it for a profit.