Writer Miranda Culp curates local treasures at Amatoria Fine Art Books
Miranda Culp floats among the densely packed bookshelves, her fingertips straightening up tomes on Roman architecture one moment and neatening a bundle of vintage street-art books the next.
At Amatoria Fine Art Books, the obscure share shelves alongside the classics. The store specializes in “coffee table” art books known for their stunning visuals and insights into a variety of art disciplines. Culp, who co-owns the bookstore, prides herself on curating a collection that both connects and supports Sacramento’s artists.
At Amatoria Fine Art Books, the obscure share shelves alongside the classics. The store specializes in “coffee table” art books known for their stunning visuals and insights into a variety of art disciplines. Culp, who co-owns the bookstore, prides herself on curating a collection that both connects and supports Sacramento’s artists.
“When you walk into our store, we don’t want the typical books on Picasso or Michelangelo,” Culp says. “We want the obscure lost drawings of Michelangelo and the obscure ceramics of Picasso. We’re going for that next level of deep cut.”
The store has long had a home at 1831 F St. in Sacramento, and for nearly 40 years was under the ownership of Richard Press, who ran Richard L. Press Fine and Scholarly Books on the Arts. Press sold the business in early 2020, but as the pandemic struck the store’s future fell into a period of free fall.
Culp and her business partner, Laurelin Gilmore, knew if no one stood up, the store and its long history in Sacramento’s art community would be lost.
The two reopened the store as Amatoria Fine Art Books in November 2020 and since then have worked to turn the store into a crucial hub for Sacramento’s artists to connect and share resources. Both women are artists, with Culp specializing in writing and editing, and Gilmore specializing in painting and mixed-media art.
Many of the art books provide inspiration or research material for Sacramento’s “commercial arts,” Culp says, such as the city’s architects, photographers and fashion designers. The majority of the collection is made up of used books, which Amatoria purchases from the public or acquires as donations from retiring designers who wish to share their books.
“We start at the cave paintings, and we cover all cultures,” Culp says.
The shelves are lined with deep dives into lesser seen universes. In one corner, visitors will see a full section on Mesoamerican art and another will feature locally-published art treasures, historic brochures from Sacramento’s art scene.
In her own art career, Culp has experimented with many of the mediums that the store specializes in, such as photography, acting and music. As a young adult, Culp was a Bay Area-based vocalist who sang with swing bands, jazz ensembles and a “bizarro 20-piece orchestra” that she describes as a cross between Frank Zappa and Mel Tormé with a maritime theme. Culp initially moved to the Sierra Nevada foothills after watching art scene friends get priced out of the Bay Area, and later moved to Sacramento 11 years ago as a fresh place to raise her daughter.
In more recent days, Culp is better known as a writer and editor. She’s written a book on the history of Citrus Heights as well as a collection of erotic short stories. Her current projects include a novel that provides a portrait of Sacramento, from the vantage point of the city’s underrepresented artists and unhoused individuals. (She also occasionally writes for Solving Sacramento.)
Culp knows the difficulty of self-publishing first hand, and hopes to help artists find inspiration and help with trivial production needs alike.
“One of the goals with Amatoria is for it to be a place where writers and artists can really congregate,” she says. “Where they can meet up, exchange information and find really concrete resources.”
The store has long had a home at 1831 F St. in Sacramento, and for nearly 40 years was under the ownership of Richard Press, who ran Richard L. Press Fine and Scholarly Books on the Arts. Press sold the business in early 2020, but as the pandemic struck the store’s future fell into a period of free fall.
Culp and her business partner, Laurelin Gilmore, knew if no one stood up, the store and its long history in Sacramento’s art community would be lost.
The two reopened the store as Amatoria Fine Art Books in November 2020 and since then have worked to turn the store into a crucial hub for Sacramento’s artists to connect and share resources. Both women are artists, with Culp specializing in writing and editing, and Gilmore specializing in painting and mixed-media art.
Many of the art books provide inspiration or research material for Sacramento’s “commercial arts,” Culp says, such as the city’s architects, photographers and fashion designers. The majority of the collection is made up of used books, which Amatoria purchases from the public or acquires as donations from retiring designers who wish to share their books.
“We start at the cave paintings, and we cover all cultures,” Culp says.
The shelves are lined with deep dives into lesser seen universes. In one corner, visitors will see a full section on Mesoamerican art and another will feature locally-published art treasures, historic brochures from Sacramento’s art scene.
In her own art career, Culp has experimented with many of the mediums that the store specializes in, such as photography, acting and music. As a young adult, Culp was a Bay Area-based vocalist who sang with swing bands, jazz ensembles and a “bizarro 20-piece orchestra” that she describes as a cross between Frank Zappa and Mel Tormé with a maritime theme. Culp initially moved to the Sierra Nevada foothills after watching art scene friends get priced out of the Bay Area, and later moved to Sacramento 11 years ago as a fresh place to raise her daughter.
In more recent days, Culp is better known as a writer and editor. She’s written a book on the history of Citrus Heights as well as a collection of erotic short stories. Her current projects include a novel that provides a portrait of Sacramento, from the vantage point of the city’s underrepresented artists and unhoused individuals. (She also occasionally writes for Solving Sacramento.)
Culp knows the difficulty of self-publishing first hand, and hopes to help artists find inspiration and help with trivial production needs alike.
“One of the goals with Amatoria is for it to be a place where writers and artists can really congregate,” she says. “Where they can meet up, exchange information and find really concrete resources.”