SPANISH VERANDA BY DARLENE RIEL (CROPPED)

The 2^nd Friday ArtAbout is tomorrow, May 11, 2012. Our May 11^th event will focus on “Chickens, Barnyards Bicycles!” in honor of the Tour de Cluck: A Bicycle Chicken Coop Crawl, which will also have a Silent Art Auction as part of the event on May 26^th in Central Park. We hope you notice the agricultural and natural influence in the art – no matter what we hope you enjoy!

2^nd Friday ArtAbout is a monthly evening of art viewing and artists’ receptions at galleries and businesses in Downtown Davis and beyond. Coordinated by the Davis Downtown Business Association, all events are free and open to the public. Many include complimentary refreshments and opportunities to converse with featured artists. For more information about the Davis Downtown Business Association and ArtAbout, visit www.davisdowntown.com, or e-mail artabout@davisdowntown.com.

Live Music, Performances New Venues:

Brand new venues for the month include Helmus Optometry and Megan Wilkinson Photography. Also, Open Door Art Studios, a grass roots project that gives local artists a place to create and share their work, will have another open house. Be sure to visit and see these exciting new art creative hubs! Also – enjoy live music, DJ, and/or special event at Armadillo Music, Davis Developmental Pediatrics Group,DavisLaserCenter, Davis Odd Fellows Lodge, E Street Plaza, French Cuff Consignment, Helmus Optometry, International House, Megan Wilkinson Photography,NelsonGallery, The Paint Chip, Ray Johnston Photography Studio, UC Davis Store Downtown, The Wardrobe, and Yolo SPCA Thrift Store.

Art Receptions Viewings:

Armadillo Music, 205 F Street, (530) 758-8058

Reception, 6-9pm, “Seeing Song: The Alchemical Metamorphs,” Josiah Andrew, alchemized music, ink jet prints, through June 7. Live music starting at 7pm. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10am-10pm; Sunday, 11am-6pm

The Artery, 207 G Street, (530) 758-8330

Viewing, 6-9pm, “23rd Annual California Clay Competition Exhibit,” 40 works from 23 artists, ceramics, through May 25. Hours: Monday-Thursday Saturday, 10am-6pm; Friday, 10am-9pm; Sunday, 12-5pm

A Better Place to Bead, 132 E Street, Suite 150 (Mansion Square), (530) 759-8038

Reception, 6-8pm, Ann Teal, acrylics, through June 4.  Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11am-6pm

Cloud Forest Café, 222 D Street, Suite 10, (530) 753-2164

Reception, 6-9pm, “Local Davis Photography,” Juan Romero, photographs, through May 31. BBQ dinner. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 7:30am-7pm; Sunday, 9:30am-5pm

Cobalt Salon Gallery, 132 E Street,Suite 350 (Mansion Square), (916) 806-3141

Reception, 6-8pm, Felicia Belle, plaster and acrylic on canvas paintings and hand crafted jewelry, Lyn Brown, gourd work and beading, through May 31. Champagne at reception.  Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm for the gallery, and other times by appointment.

Crepeville, 330 3^rd Street, (530) 750-2400

Viewing 6-9pm, “More Offstreet Photographs – Black and White and Bits of Color,” Ben Tuason, photography, through April 30. Hours: Monday-Sunday, 7am-11pm

Davis Art Center, 1919 F Street, (530) 756-4100

Reception 7-9pm, “Eight from ACGA,” Michele Collier, Bill Geisinger, Amy Halko, Bill Heiderich, Lee Middleman, Bob Pool, Sara Post, and Carol Wedemeyer, clay, through May 25.  Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:30am-7pm; Friday, 9:30am-5pm

Davis Developmental Pediatrics Group,760 Fifth Street, (530) 758-3374

Reception, 6-9pm, Art show from “Art Sunday Art Group” by Lloyd Johnson, Tim Lang, and Friends. Art activities led by “FitKids” that focus on sensory integration, communication, and motor skills. Come and play to achieve goals! Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Davis Laser Center, 803 2^nd Street, Suite B (ChenBuilding), (530) 758-5492

Reception, 5-8pm, “From Myth to Modern: Figurative Ceramic Sculptures,” Marti Schoen, ceramics, through May 18.  Mika Raine (flautist) will play at reception. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm

First Street Real Estate, 423 1^st Street, (530) 204-5444

Reception, 6-9pm, Darlene Riel, photography, through June 5. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10am-2pm

French Cuff Consignment, 130 G Street, (530) 756-3724

Reception, 5-9pm, “Spring Show,” Fumie Reid, oil paintings, through June 4.  Music by DJ Rock Bottom at reception. Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10am-6pm

Helmus Optometry, 353 2nd Street, (530) 758-2122

Reception, 6-8pm, “Outdoor Visions,” Kevin Schelp and Steven Caccamo, photography. DJ music and outdoor patio seating at reception. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-5:45pm; Saturday, 9am-3pm

International House, 10 College Park, (530) 753-5007

Reception, 6-8pm, “International Markets,” Clyde Elmore, Rob Floerke, Marnie Donaldson, and Dean Donaldson, photography and painting, through June 5. Special talk by artists about places visited. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm

LYON Real Estate, 401 Second Street, (530) 758-0720

Reception, 6-8:30 pm, Doug Konovaloff, acrylic on Canvas, through June 29. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:30pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 10am-4pm

John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 First Street, (530) 756-3938

Reception, 7-10pm, “23rd annual 30 Ceramic Sculptors,” ceramics, through June 2. Hours: Wednesday-Thursday, 11am-5pm; Friday, 11am-10pm; Saturday-Sunday, 12pm-5pm

Megan Wilkinson Photography, 132 E Street,Suite 140 (Mansion Square), (530) 219-4058

Reception, 6-9pm, ” ESPRESSOISM,” the coffee art of Matthew Harral, one night only (May 11), live music and free coffee at the reception. Hours: by appointment

Nelson Gallery, Nelson Hall UC Davis, (530) 752-8500

Reception, 5-7pm, “Dreams of the Darkest Night,” Vanessa Marsh Sean McFarland, photography; “Bruce Guttin: Headwear Improvisations by a Sculptor,” mixed media, through May 27. “2012 Art History Stipend Lecture,” Sheena Campbell will talk about Rockwell Kent and the role of artwork as a force for social change starting at 5pm. Check website (nelsongallery.ucdavis.edu) for general hours.

nestware, 207 F Street, (530) 757-6400

Reception 6-9pm, “Alfredo Saenz at nestware,” large format photography on aluminum, through May 31. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm, Sunday, 12-5pm

Open Door Art Studios, 231 G Street (Court-N-Cedar)

Open House 5-8pm, “Open Door Art Studios Open House Tour and Informational Evening.” Applications and information on jury process will be available.

The Paint Chip, 217 F Street, (530) 753-5093

Reception, 6-8pm, “Down on the Farm – The Photography of Barnyard Theatre,” Barnyard Theatre, photography, through May 18. Enjoy live music at the reception. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9:30am-6pm; Sunday, 11am-5pm

Pence Gallery, 212 D Street, (530) 758-3370

Reception, 6-9pm, “UC Davis Ellen Hansen Memorial Exhibit,” celebrates female creativity in poetry, performance and visual art by UC Davis graduate and undergraduate students, through May 25; “Ceramics: Focus on the Figure,” nine California artists, ceramics and paintings that examine the human form in a very personal manner, through June 1. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30am-5pm

Ray Johnston Photography Studio, 803 2^nd Street, Suite 302 (ChenBuilding), (530) 756-0499

Reception, 6-9pm, “Caught in the Moment,” Nature, Wildlife Photography and Topic Discussion with Lisa Langell, one night only (May 11), DJ Lounge Beat at reception. Hours: Tuesday- Saturday, 10:30am-6pm

UC Davis Store Downtown,630 Second Street, (530) 297-4450

Reception, 5-8pm, Jonathon Zowalki, ink on paper, and Sarah Raphael, watercolor, through May 31. Live music by The Liquid Hotplates.  Hours: Monday-Friday, 10am-7pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 12-5pm

The Wardrobe, 206 E Street, (530) 756-1128

Reception, 4-9pm, “Facets of Earth,” Paloma Michelsen, jewelry, through May 25. Reception will feature music by the Sound of Fashion DJ. Hours: Monday-Friday, 11am-7pm; Saturday, 11am-6pm, Sunday, 12-5pm

The Work Shop, 213 E Street, Suite F (upstairs in the back)

Reception 4:30-7:30pm, Daniel Amoni, photography, through June 4. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Yolo SPCA Thrift Store, 920 Third Street, (530) 758-0544

Reception, 1-7pm, Jennica Mamadu, dogs best friend mobile grooming, mixed media. Bring your animal for a bath! Live music and food. Hours: Monday-Thursday Sunday, 10am-6pm; Friday-Saturday, 10am-7pm

Other Events during ArtAbout:

Davis Odd Fellows Lodge,415 Second Street

6-8pm, “Odd Poetry,” poetry reading and open mic night.

DHS Jazz Combo, EStreetPlaza from 7-8pm

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

(All images provided by artist)

“Spanish Veranda,” photograph by Darlene Riel showing at First Street Real Estate, 423 1^st Street, through June 5, reception, 6-9pm.

The 8th annual  “Artistic Sensations” will be held at the Willow Oak Fire District Hall in Woodland on Friday, May 11 from  6 pm – pm.  Event proceeds will be used to support YoloArts’ art education programs, including Artists in Schools, throughout Yolo County.

“Keeping art programs in schools is a huge challenge for schools and districts around the county,” said Mary Flohr Kaltenbach, chairperson of this year’s event, and a member of the YoloArts board of directors. “Last year, almost 2,000 students benefited from our art education programs and we are working hard to keep art in schools in Yolo County.”

The evening’s featured artist will be Tony Natsoulas, whose work includes functional pottery, sculpture, works cast in bronze, and a variety of landscape and public art installations.  His main interest has been in large scale humorous figurative ceramic sculpture and his work has been shown in galleries and museums around the world.

Dinner at Artistic Sensations will be served by Gourmet Solutionz catering, accompanied by local wines, beer from Woodland’s Black Dragon Brewery, a live acoustic blues performance by duo Jimmy Pailer and Lew Fratis, and a silent art auction will round out this very special evening.  Unique to this year’s event is a raffle for an original sculpture by Natsoulas.

Last year, YoloArts art education programs offered ceramics, dance, drawing and painting, and the Blues in the Schools program to 1,927 students around the county. This year, for the first time, the program is being offered at Dan Jacobs School (at the county’s juvenile hall) and Midtown Community School.  In addition, Yolo County artists teach art at Gibson and Beamer Elementary Schools in Woodland; Marguerite Montgomery Elementary School in Davis; Clarksburg Middle and Delta High Schools in Clarksburg and at Esparto K-8 and High Schools.

Tickets for Artistic Sensations are $50 and can be purchased online at yoloarts.org/box-office, or by calling YoloArts at 530-406-4844.  YoloArts actively fosters, develops and advocates support for the arts by working closely with artists, education, business and government.

Sometimes you just need to celebrate.  And sometimes when you just need to celebrate, you need to treat yourself (insert reference to Park’s and Recreation, for you fans of the NBC show out there).  While Christians may often treat Christmas as if its the “most wonderful time of the year,” in truth, Easter is our biggest celebration.  If Christians get the (admittedly often deserved) reputation of being killjoys, then Easter ought to be that time when Christians throw a good party and celebrate.  A good party needs a few things, not the least of which is good beer.  But a great party deserves great food and of course, great beer.  While you can get great beer a variety of places, when it comes time to celebrate, you want to be just as intentional where you plan to celebrate as to how.

When I was notified that Our House in Davis was finally getting a few taps of beer on top of their solid selection of bottles available, it was reason to celebrate itself.  I’ve been dining at Our House since they opened and would occasionally show off to guests by ordering bottles of beer I knew were under the counter but that weren’t necessarily on a beer list.  Yet I often wished they had something on tap, because sometimes, you just want the unparalleled freshness of tap beer.  So when a few weeks ago three taps were installed, I was thrilled.  Even though it was only three, I assumed that true to Our House form, all three would be good choices.  I was right.

Since this is the time of year to celebrate, it only makes sense for me to do so with what some have labeled “quite possibly the best IPA in America” – the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.  Thus just before Easter and then again just after, I found myself at the gorgeous wood plank bar ordering a truly exceptional beer.  The two go well together.

When it was first released in 2001 and pretty much ever sense, the 90 Minute IPA was labeled king of the double IPA’s.  And for good reason.  This beer takes over a month to brew with a continuous hop process and a thorough dry hop during conditioning, and because of all that, it’s a pricey beer.  A four pack of 90 Minute will cost more than your decent-to-real-good 6 pack of other beer, but when its on tap and you are celebrating, its a fine choice.

This is truly a gorgeous beer.  It pours a darker hew than other IPA’s, still smells delicious with pine and citrus but is much more nuanced with malts and alcohol up front.  One look and one whiff and you realize quickly this isn’t a smack in the mouth kind of beer, this is both full and balanced, intense and intricate all at the same time.  In short, there is a whole lot to explore in this beer.

Unlike other Imperial IPA’s, the 90 minute retains a solid malt base that tempers the pungent hops – this thing won’t crush you with bitterness.  Interestingly, this might be precisely why some might suggest the 90 Minute isn’t the lone king of the mountain it once was.  As other imperial’s come along with more hops and are intentionally less balanced, this beer from Dogfish Head may get passed over in those looking for something more intensely hoppy.  Still, this is a remarkable beer that is just right if you are looking for something special.

If you are looking to celebrate something: Easter, graduation, a Friday – you would be wise to consider the 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head.  And while it is lovely out of the bottle, this is one of those beers that begs to be had out of the tap.  Our House is perfectly suited to help you celebrate in style with great beer at a great place.

Cheers.

If you would like to blog for DLM, have a story idea or questions about advertising, please email Cary Arnold here.

If you would like to blog for DLM, have a story idea or questions about advertising, please email Cary Arnold here.

Vaclav Havel’s 1965 satirical farce The Memorandum will get a 21st-century upgrade for its UC Davis premiere in Wright Hall’s Lab A May 10 to 19. Directed by 2011 dramatic art and film studies graduate Alejandro Torres and presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance’s ITDP: Institute for Exploration in Theatre, Dance and Performance, the production is free of charge.

The Memorandum meditates on the blunders and headaches of bureaucracy and office culture. An artificial language called “Ptydepe” is introduced into the unnamed organization where the play’s action takes place. Though the language is meant to improve office communications and offer precision, it soon proves to only lead the organization into catastrophe and a valley of absurdity. The company’s managing director, Josef Gross, serves as the every-man protagonist of this satire as he journeys through the wonderland that becomes the company after the introduction of Ptydepe.

Written within the context of the communist era (Havel was elected President of Czechoslovakia in 1989 and the first President of the new Czech Republic in 1993), The Memorandum explores the themes of the instability of power, surveillance culture, and scarcity of resources that were all too common at the time.

Torres said he looks forward to tackling some of the key questions raised by the play, many of which are still relevant 47 years after the work’s debut.

“How powerful is the force of language in controlling others? What does it mean to feel alienation from others and from the self?” Torres said. “How do cycles and bureaucracy affect our daily lives and why do we persist in further pursuit of them?”

The production will integrate projections, live video, a multitude of wacky props, physical comedy, artificial words, and the festivities of a massive office party to bring Havel’s work to life.

Lead actors include UC Davis undergraduates John Malin as Josef Gross, Hannah Sharafian as Maria and Anna Chalmers as Ferdinand Pillar/Mr. Column.

ITDP: Institute for Exploration in Theatre, Dance and Performance

The UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance’s ITDP offers opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff from across the campus community to further research through practical exploration and application. The goal is to expand understanding of creative power, of different kinds of knowledge, especially the embodied, and of communication that offers insight into different cultures and peoples. ITDP encourages cutting edge research and production across fields of practice and in dialogue with the diverse community of Davis and beyond.

What: The Memorandum, written by Vaclav Havel and translated by Vera Blackwell. Directed by Alejandro Torres, presented by the UC Davis ITDP: Institute for Exploration in Theatre, Dance and Performance

When: Thursday-Friday, May 10-11 at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, May 17-19 at 8 p.m.

Where: Wright Hall, Lab A, UC Davis

Tickets: Free of charge

More information: theatredance.ucdavis.edu

Upcoming Events organized and benefiting the DHS Blue and White Foundation whose mission is to encourage, strengthen, and sustain the interaction between Davis Senior High School and its alumni and friends and to encourage philanthropic support for Davis High.

What:

8^th Annual Golf Tournament

When:

Friday, May 4^th registration starts at 11:30 am.

Where:

Wild Horse Golf Course, 2323 Rockwell Drive Davis

Cost:

$150.00

Log Onto:

http://www.golfdigestplanner.com/20428-2012BlueandWhiteGolf/

For more info contact Will Arnold 530.219.8918

 What:

4th Annual Concert on the Green

When:

Saturday, June 2nd-Doors open at 5 pm

Scheduled to Appear:

Headliner-Diego’s Umbrella
Also playing is Beso Negro

and Davis’ Own Custom Neon

Where:

Wild Horse Golf Course, 2323 Rockwell Drive Davis
Cost:
$15.00 for Adults
$10.00 for student (UCD/High School/Jr. High)
12 and under FREE
For tickets go to www.showcix.com

For more information contact Karen Mattis 530.400.3514

The proceeds from the Concert on the Green go specifically to the Student Activity Grant Program established 2011.  This program is to enhance the high school experience for any current DHS student.  Any DHS student may apply for funding to support curricular or extra-curricular activities during their sophomore, junior or senior year.  Examples of activities that may be considered for funding include academic conferences, sports training camps, fine art workshops, tutoring, extracurricular school essentials (i.e. costuming, sports equipment, musical instruments), etc.

The Pence Gallery will celebrate its 21^st annual Garden Tour on Sunday, May 6, from 12 – 5 PM, where visitors will enjoy a picturesque look into eight beautiful gardens in the central Davis area.

Several gardens will feature low-water designs that incorporate native plants and sustainable landscaping. Lawns, and even a pool, have been removed to accommodate this changing attitude and interest. The resulting gardens could be described as mini-farms (one is created by the author of “The Quarter Acre Farm”), right in the middle of Davis. Other owners have concentrated on creating systems for collecting and recycling rainwater through the garden. Another garden will feature twenty-six bonsai plants, ranging in age from one to forty years, all watered with Davis water!

Join local artists Andrew Dorn, Debbie Gualco, Deborah Hill, Milton Kalish, Michael Mikolon, Patris, Pete Scully, Marti Walker, and Beth Winfield as they capture the gardens in their plein air paintings during the tour. Weaver Natalie Mackenzie will also demonstrate how to spin and weave wool.

At the host garden at 631 Oak Avenue, visitors can choose to bid on restaurant certificates, services, and lovely gift items from 12-5:30 PM. Freshly baked cookies, lemonade, and other treats will be available for free to ticket holders at this garden. Street parking is available, but we encourage attendees to walk or ride their bikes for the event.

Tickets are $20 for Pence Members and $25 for non-Members ($28 day of event) and will be sold through the Pence, Redwood Barn, Newsbeat and Beyond the Garden Gate. Tickets are also available online at www.pencegallery.org. The Garden Tour is one of two important fundraising events that the Pence organizes every year to support its education exhibit programs.  Last year, we served over 15,000 visitors in the galleries, and over 1100 families and school children through our ArtSmart and KidsCreate programs.

Event Sponsors: Tandem Properties, Luke Design; Davis Ace Hardware, MAK Design + Build, Claudia Salquist, First Street Real Estate, Andy Gagnon Landscapes, Matt Dolcini, Realtor, Kim Eichorn, Lyon Real Estate, Beyond the Garden Gate, Blake’s Heating Air Conditioning, Garrett Landscape Construction, Morse Remodeling, Jay Cynthia Gerber, Wayne Schrader, Optometrist, First Northern Bank, Margot Anderson, Landscape Architect; Inside Out, Patt Illouli/House Portraits, and MBJ Concrete.

INKSPELL CONCERT TRANSFORMS POETRY THROUGH CHORAL MUSIC

The Vocal Art Ensemble presents

INKSPELL—

Choral Music Inspired by Masters of Poetry

 Friday, May 11, 7:30PM

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

2620 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento

Saturday, May 12, 7:30PM

United Methodist Church of Davis

1620 Anderson Road, Davis

Sunday, May 13, 4:00PM

Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis

27074 Patwin Road, Davis

Q: On whom do choral composers depend for inspiration, for meaning, for the very backbone of their composition?

A: Poets.

“I feel choral music is richer than many other types of music,” says Tracia Barbieri, director of The Vocal Art Ensemble (VAE), “because it has lyrics—which bring additional meaning and beauty to already beautiful music.”

Celebrating the fact that these lyrics are frequently famous poems, Barbieri has crafted the program “Inkspell: Choral Music Inspired by Masters of Poetry,” to be presented by the a capella chorus this May. The program will invite audiences to  “encounter choral wizards such as Debussy, Whitacre, and Vaughan Williams,” says Barbieri.

Barbieri has also engaged the assistance of local theatrical director and teacher Russell St Clair.  Collaborating with choir members who will lend their voices to the spoken word, Barbieri and St Clair are developing dramatic-poetic interludes to “conjure an alchemy of song and stage,” according to Barbieri.

Working with beginning actors is nothing new for St Clair, who has directed the teen casts of Winters Shakespeare Workshop for the past ten years and taught theater in community colleges up and down California. As Artistic Director of Daedalus Performance Company and lover of poetry, he has put together shows involving dramatic presentations of Shakespeare’s sonnets. “I’m happy to be back in the Central Valley,” says St Clair, who spent much of his award-winning career in the Los Angeles area.

Poetic and theatrical interests from within the auditioned ensemble of twenty-three are diverse.  The group includes English teachers, published and unpublished poets, a Mondavi scene tech, and multiple poetry enthusiasts.  “I like to see how people put their feelings into words,” says VAE alto Cheryl Covert. “If it’s fun poetry, I can let my inner child escape and play. Poetry can be therapy.”

“I hope to be present for all three shows!” enthuses Allegra Silberstein, poet laureate of Davis and self-proclaimed VAE fan.

Three performances will take place: Friday, May 11, 7:30PM at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Sacramento (2620 Capitol Avenue), Saturday, May 12, 7:30PM at United Methodist Church of Davis (1620 Anderson Road), and Sunday, May 13, 4:00PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis (27074 Patwin Road). A suggested donation of $6-20 will be collected at the door.

“I strive to create a multi-dimensional experience in my programming, combining varied musical flavors and textures that have a common theme,” adds director Barbieri. “This time, Frost, Rumi, and Shakespeare are some of our main ingredients. Through them, we hope to create magic!”

For more information, visit www.vae.trug.com or call (530) 757-2396.