The Abridged version:
- Michael Sestak, 63, made a midlife move from commercial kitchens to innovative lighting design projects, both public and private, in the Sacramento area.
- One of his most recent designs has lit up K Street in downtown Sacramento.
- His McKinley Village underpass lights became an art attraction — and drew controversy.
Lights are not just a necessity for Michael Sestak. They are an artform and a strategy to connect people.
He signs his emails with the catch phrase, “Making everyday a little brighter!”
Yet when asked to describe what he does for a living, Sestak hesitated: “Oh, God! That’s a good question,” he offered, before launching into a thorough explanation.
“There are so many ways to describe (it),” he said. “First of all, I’m an electrician and a contractor. How I choose to use those is to provide lighting for residential clients, for commercial clients, mostly the hospitality industry — like nightclubs, restaurants, bars — that kind of thing where the ambience is all about the kind of light. And then I get into some really big projects, where they’re more public oriented.”
It’s easy to see that Sestak loves his work and the role he plays in the Sacramento community. He has created a niche as a lighting applications specialist.
“I consider myself kind of a hybrid. I wear different hats at different times, which keeps me on my toes and keeps me interested. I love the variety.”
There is a lot of variety. Among Sestak’s designs are the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park, The Barn, L Street Lofts, McKinley Village and Badlands Nightclub, plus a variety of private homes.
From the Fairmont kitchen to electrical contractor training
Sestak spent 20 years in a different form of artistry. He worked as a pastry chef in Sacramento and the Bay Area — including an apprenticeship at the famed Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.
That career, he said, taught skills he continues to use.
“It taught coordination, bringing a set of ingredients together to create a set dish or meal or produce a dinner,” he said. “And there are a lot of component parts in there of assembling and creating and presenting. And I have transferred those skills into lighting where I’m bringing together different materials.”
Eventually, Sestak lost his taste for pastry design, and he turned to a craft he had been exposed to as a child. His father had been an electrician in the Navy, “so I had physical and hands-on awareness.”
In 2000, he changed careers, going back to school to earn his electrical contractor’s license and to learn how to run a business.
His company, Sestak Lighting Design, is now in its 25th year.
‘Luminous Passage’ — when art becomes controversy
Every project has its origin story. The lights at McKinley Village are an example.
Several building projects were proposed for the 48-acre almond orchard off C Street near Elvas Avenue in East Sacramento before it was developed into what the website touts as “a 21st-century urban village” with more than 350 homes. The main entryway to the development is a curved tunnel underneath railroad tracks.
“This particular underpass is called Luminous Passage,” Sestak said. “As an artist, I’ve given it a name. This is over and beyond just applying light. This is thematic. This is entertainment. This is an attraction.”
It’s an attraction that caused some concern during the height of Covid.
“People in the summer were hanging out in the middle of the street on the columns. And that’s a safety issue.
“It was almost like an attractive nuisance,” Sestak said.
Neighbors complained. The City Council and police department got involved. While some people wanted to shut down the installation, others stood up for the value of the lighting as art, not nuisance.
Beth Hassett, CEO of the non-profit WEAVE, served on the McKinley Village homeowners association board from 2021 until this year. She liked Sestak’s work.
“The tunnel lights were already in place when we first looked at McKinley Village in early 2017,” she said. “They were one of the playful, artistic features that drew us to the neighborhood. During the pandemic and beyond, the tunnel was a huge selfie spot for teens and area influencers and it was fun to see people enjoying this art installation.”
K Street project promotes safety, community
Finding the right solution for his clients is what gives Sestak juice.
“They may come with a dream or an idea, and you’ve got to come in and say, ‘Well, let’s continue to think so that we can get to a viable solution.’”
Sestak worked with SMUD on the lighting of a downtown substation. He also created a design to give new life to Sutter’s Fort.
Hassett called that project “another example of his thoughtful creativity. Instead of that area being a dark and ominous space at night, the fort is beautifully uplit. The result is very tasteful and appropriate for a historical site.”
Sestak is also responsible for lighting on downtown Sacramento’s K Street. That installation, which debuted Tuesday night, stretches from the Downtown Commons entertainment complex to the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center.
“My project on the K Street Mall is unique and different from the rest in that all of the lighting is electrically powered within the city light pole, but it’s all wireless communication,” Sestak said.
It’s the first time Sestak has used such a system in Sacramento.
“I’m using it as a model that can be replicated anywhere.”
This is where Sestak the Artist makes way for Sestak the Electrician.
“Typically, we have to run (category) 5 cable from pole to pole, hardwire. That’s very, very expensive,” he said, adding “these are forward-thinking models and ideas that help the built space become a reality instead of, ‘Oh, darn! If only we had done it that way.’”
Customer teamwork requires thoughtful diplomacy
The “Oh, darn” mentality still comes up from time to time from project managers who ask Sestak to make adjustments after he has installed his lighting.
And that’s when Sestak the Electrician becomes Sestak the Diplomat.
“We’re all on the same team,” he said. “We’re going to work together. We’re going to find a way, and when you edify the folks that are around you, you get that response back.”
Diplomacy also comes into play when Sestak designs lighting features for high-end homes in the area.
“It’s a storyboarding,” he said. “It’s building the rapport. All those non-tangible feelings come into play when you’re talking about how to illuminate a space, especially in someone’s home.”
All of Sestak’s contracts, public and private, include a plan for ongoing maintenance.
“It is essential that maintenance is done, whether it’s implied that you do it or it’s contracted that I’ll do it. Let’s talk about that,” he said. “How much are you willing to do? How much will you guide your gardeners and landscape folks to do? Just go down the checklist. Who ultimately will be the one responsible?”
At age 63, Sestak might be looking at his personal maintenance, but he seems reluctant to retire.
“We talk around it occasionally,” he said.
Not “about” it. “Around” it.
He’s having too much fun to retire. And there are more projects on the horizon.
“I just want to be there where the action is and keep doing it,” he said. “Because when you do things for the public space, a whole lot more people get enjoyment from it, and there’s a legacy factor there.”
Donna Apidone is a regular contributor, writing Coming of Age for Abridged.