Steinbeck Elementary hosts annual art show

Like they're been doing for 18 years, teachers and students at Steinbeck Elementary in Salinas held their annual art show on Wednesday, a chance for parents to see their children's creations displayed gallery-style.

"We're one of the first schools with a full-time arts teacher," said Marissa Miranda, art instructor for six years.

All students starting in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade take an hour of art every other week. At the end of the year, they pick two of their favorite pieces, which is on display for the art show. Since the school has nearly 700 students, nearly 1,400 are on display.

"Our whole cafeteria is almost wall-to-wall," Miranda said.

Soledad performance of "The Woman who Outshone the Sun" not to be missed!

Don't miss the last performance of "The Woman who Outshone the Sun," a cautionary tale of Zapotec origins adapted to the stage by Luis Xago Juarez of Baktun 12 and set it in the Pinnacles region near Soledad.

The play captures the spirit of the original cautionary tale and celebrates caring for the land and creatures of this unique environment, and it's performed by Soledad students from the 4th, 5th and 6th grades.

Two hundred twenty students from five after-school sites in Soledad worked with a special Arts Council for Monterey County interdisciplinary teaching artist team for several months to create the original musical. They also created backdrops and costumes as part of the program. Many will participate in the final show presented at Frank Ledesma Elementary School on Thursday at 7 pm.

“This has been such a great year - thanks to all of our partners. Now that we are ready to showcase their talents, we are so excited that all these elements have come together so well!” said in a statement Ellen Berrahmoun, arts education director of the Arts Council. Team teaching artists include Emily Morales (theater), Carlos Cortez (theater), Jose Ortiz (visual arts), Orlando Castro (music) and Christy Sandoval (dance).

The performance takes place at 7 pm. on Thursday, May 26, at Frank Ledesma Elementary School: 973 Vista De Soledad, Soledad. Not to be missed!

Teens express their views on social justice -- through art

Carmel High students were prompted to react artistically to the racially motivated killings in Charleston, North Carolina when nine churchgoers were killed by a white supremacist last summer.

The result will be on display at 2 p.m. Sunday, during the opening of the "Teens, Art and Social Justice"  exhibit at the Monterey Peninsula Justice Center, 1364 Fremont Blvd.

Art and graphic design classes were inspired to react to the tragic event and other issues such as Black Lives Matter, bullying, the environment, LGBTQ rights, and mental health, which are important to teens. Students created art pieces expressing their ideas about social justice, using various mediums, including digital graphic art and oil painting

The works displayed are from the classes of art teacher, Steven Russell and graphic design teacher, Holly Lederle.

The MPJC Art Gallery is open 1 – 5:30 Wednesday and Friday. The exhibit may also be viewed during events at the Monterey Peace and Justice Center, 1364 Fremont Blvd., Seaside.

The exhibit will be on display through June. 

Congressional art winners include Everett Alvarez senior

Makayla Magdaleno, a sophomore at San Benito High School, is the winner of the 2016 Congressional Art Competition: An Artistic Discovery. Her winning piece, “Red Sova”, will be displayed in the halls of the Capitol along with other students’ works from across the country.

“This was my last year hosting the Congressional Art Competition and I continue to be amazed by the works by our local students,” said Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel. “The arts are an important part of the Central Coast’s identity and it is great to see so many young artists add their passion and talent to that rich tradition.”

Magdaleno will travel to Washington, D.C. to be honored at a Congressional reception in June. She also received a $3,000 renewable scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Julia Ramos, a senior at Aptos High School, was named the 2nd place winner with her piece “Seeds.” Her artwork will be prominently displayed in the congressman’s Washington office. Alvarez High School senior Jesus Gil was named the third place winner, with “Blue”. His piece will be displayed in the congressman’s Salinas office.

Maya Yokoyama, Aptos High School; Oscar Gonzalez, North Salinas High School; Isabella Arreola, San Benito High School; Meghan Brandt, Georgiana Bruce Kirby and Trinity Esola, Georgiana Bruce Kirby were all selected as Honorable Mentions.

The annual Congressional Art Competition is open to all local high school students in the 20th congressional district. A total of 21 entries were submitted from seven different Central Coast high schools. The entries were judged by Melissa Pickford, Director of the Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery.

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

Monterey Arts Council showcases Everett Alvarez High artists

Meet the great young artists from Everett Alvarez High School at the Third Annual High School Art Exhibition presented by the Arts Council for Monterey County. The event takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 24. The Arts Council Gallery is at Sunset Center, Carmel, Room 5. Guests will meet the young artists and have the opportunity to purchase their work.

This is the third high school exhibition and organizers are always impressed with the talent the young artists demonstrate. They also find moving the way that experienced artists and gallery owners come by to meet the young artists and encourage them to continue their work. Many pieces were sold last year – including three to Community Hospital.

The Arts Council previously featured King City High School and Monterey High School.

Admission is free but RSVP is required: klara@arts4mc.org
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Congressional art contest is back! High school students, here's your chance!

The Congressional Art Competition, a yearly contest open to all local high school students in the country, is back again. If you have a two-dimensional work of art worthy of being displayed in the U.S. Capitol,along with other students’ works from across the country, here's your chance.

Each school can submit up to three works of art that display the best of what their students have to offer. Students are allowed to submit various styles and types of art, ranging from paintings and drawings to photography and mixed media pieces up to 28 inches in size. Sculptures and other three dimensional pieces will not be considered. The winners will be determined using criteria based on originality, skill of execution, excellence in use of materials and conceptual strength of the project. All pieces of artwork must be accompanied by a student release form signed by an instructor and submitted by no later than Tuesday, April 28.

Entries can be submitted to Congressman Sam Farr's offices: in Salinas, 100 W. Alisal Street Salinas, CA 93901, or Santa Cruz, 701 Ocean Street, Room 318C, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

A reception announcing the winners will be held on Monday, May 4 at the Salinas Police Activities League Youth Center. The first place winner will travel to Washington, D.C. to be honored at a Congressional reception along with other first place winners from across the nation. The art will then hang on display in the halls of the Capitol.

The second place winner’s artwork will be displayed in the congressman’s Washington office. The artist that earns the third place prize will have their piece displayed in the congressman’s Salinas office.

Last year, Robert Louis Stevenson sophomore Jung Hoon Ki, was awarded first place for his entry “Differing Perception of Covered Eyes.”

For more information click here. refer to

"Thinking Out Loud" students art exhibit opens March

Thinking Out Loud, an exhibit of artwork by Monterey County High School artists opens Saturday, March 7th at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts.

The artists will have a reception from 3 to 5 on Saturday, March 7. The exhibit is free and open to the public and can be seen Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Student art-work in a wide-range of media--from painting, drawing, ink-relief, sculpture, photography and collage--by students from throughout Monterey County will be on display through April 3rd.

The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts visits Mary Chapa in Greenfield

Mary Chapa Academy in Greenfield  received a special visit on Friday, October 24, from Jacques Rodrigue and a team from the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

The foundation was formed in 2009 by the famed Louisiana artist better known for his images of the Blue Dog.

After a tour of the school, Rodrigue presented students with an overview of works of George Rodrigue and led them through a morning of creativity. Students painted their Blue Dog in any setting in the world that they could possibly imagine.

On Saturday, the foundation sponsored a Family Day at the Rodrigue Gallery in Carmel, where a team led students and their parents in creating Blue Dog ornaments, masks, face painting and a tour of the gallery.

The visit concluded Monday with a field-trip for all fifth grade students to Carmel, where they were led through arts integrated science projects.

In May, El Camino Real Academy in the Greenfield Union School District was selected as one of 10 schools in California for the Turnaround Arts program, a signature of the Obama administration that uses arts to helps narrow the achievement gap.

El Camino Real, which was originally split from Mary Chapa in 2011 as part of reforms aimed at increasing test score, was merged again with Mary Chapa this summer. Mary Chapa gets to keep the turnaround arts designation, principal Sonia Aramburo said.  

As part of the program, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will "adopt" Mary Chapa to engage with the students and motivate them to learn. One of these days he'll come visit. We can hardly wait...

Monterey County students invited to enter annual Congressional Art Contest

Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, is seeking submissions to the 2014 Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery. All local high school students in the 20th Congressional District are invited to participate by submitting up to three pieces of original student artwork.

Entries must be submitted to Rep. Farr's Salinas or Santa Cruz District offices, by May 8t. Submitted entries will be judged at a reception on May 15, 2014 beginning at 5pm at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039.

The first place winner will receive two roundtrip tickets to Washington, D.C. from Southwest Airlines, and will join students from across the country to be honored at a reception in Washington, D.C. in mid-June. The winning student's artwork will also be displayed in the Capitol for a year.

Artwork must be original, two-dimensional and when framed cannot be larger than 28 inches x 28 inches x 4 inches. Categories for competition include paintings, drawings, collage, prints, mixed media, computer generated art and photography.

The Artistic Discovery competition encourages and recognizes the rich artistic talents of young Americans. Students are allowed to submit various styles and types of art, ranging from paintings and drawings to photography and mixed media pieces. The winners will be determined using criteria based on originality, skill of execution, excellence in use of materials and conceptual strength of the project.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nation-wide competition.

For further questions and full details, please contact Bertha Munoz in Rep. Farr's office at (831) 424-2229. All submissions are due by May 8.

Pacific Grove students show off their talents during Fall Arts Expo

The public is invited to celebrate the creativity of Pacific Grove High School students during the Fall Arts Expo. Students will show off their talents through their works on digital media students, fine art, photography, poetry, culinary arts, theater and music.

The Fall Arts Expo will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5 at Pacific Grove High School library. 615 Sunset Dr., Pacific Grove.

The Mayor of Pacific Grove and local business leaders will be present to judge the students work. There will also be music and food at the event.

Also on Dec. 5, the school will celebrate the opening night of the school play starting at 7:00 pm at the Pacific Grove High School Pagoda Theatre. Tickets to the play will be raffled off at the Expo.

At the Festival of Lights in downtown the Pacific Grove High School band will be playing starting at 6:30 pm.

Salinas Valley Memorial hospital hosts free art therapy workshop for children

Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System is teaming up with certified art and music therapist Jack Cheney to help children heal through art and music. Children ages six through 16 can participate in this multi-media experience for free.

The Art for Healing Workshop will allow children and teenagers to use art and music as tools to discover hidden strengths and insights. Cheney has been a part of the Salinas Valley Memorial System art and music therapy program for years and is passionate about the healing powers of drawing, collage, painting and musical instruments.

“Children facing grief, illness and even ordinary social pressures can find healing through art,” says Jack Cheney, certified art and music therapist. “It’s a joy to help people explore their creative talents and in the process feel better about themselves and overcome challenges.”

The workshop will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 20. All of the art and music supplies will be provided. Registration is required by calling 831-759-1951 or emailing cschur@svmh.com.

ACT Young Conservatory to offer classes at the Steinbeck Center

The National Steinbeck Center will be hosting ACT Young Conservatory classes at One Main Street in Salinas starting February 26 through April 23, 2013.

ACT is an award-winning conservatory, where students ages 8 to 19 develop their talents and gain the confidence to succeed, all in a creative, fun, and encouraging environment. The teachers are all ACT graduates and theater professionals who understand and have a passion for working with young people.

This is an opportunity for local youth to participate in a program that has only been available in San Francisco. ACT's Young Conservatory alumni include, Darren Criss (Glee), Milo Ventimiglia, Winona Ryder, and Nicolas Cage.

First Session: Acting Techniques
Tuesdays from February 26 through April 23
From 4 to 5:30 p.m. and from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Cost: $200 per student; future sessions will cost $250.

For more information, click here or call (831)775-4728.

Grant allows Greenfield students to visit Monterey Peninsula museums

Fourth graders from Oak Avenue Elementary School visited Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History on Wednesday as part of a grant the district earned to give the students access to Monterey Peninsula museums.

The $5,000 grant will allow students from the Greenfield Union School District to visit the Monterey Museum of Art and the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. For many of the district’s students, this will be their first time visiting an art museum.

“Introducing our students to the vast opportunities that exist outside of Greenfield can have a profound impact on their learning experience, and we have to thank our generous partners at the museums who are giving us this chance,” said Superintendent Trevor McDonald.

Greenfield Union has not been immune to the budget cuts that have affected most schools in California. McDonald is trying to forge partnership with community organizations to restore some of the services that budget cuts eliminated.

These kids are soooo cute! Don't they look like they're having tons of fun?

Boys & Girls art featured at the Museum of Monterey

The art of over 30 children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County will be featured at the Museum of Monterey on Friday, January 4, 2013 from 6-8pm. The exhibit honors these youth for their achievement in the arts, and this name has been renamed in honor of Marti Mulford and her support for youth arts. 

I can imagine it must be a thrill for these young artists to see their work up on a museum wall, so if you have a chance, check it out!

Monterey High art teacher Cat Melone

has been chosen by the California Art Education Association to receive the Exemplary Program Award for 2012. The California Art Education Association recognizes people and programs within their membership who contribute to the teaching of visual arts in an exemplary way.

Here's a video Ms. Melone made for the school's video catalog, explaining requirements for her class, but most importantly, displaying some of her students artwork. Pretty impressive. Check it out!

And congratulatios, Ms. Melone!



Update: I spoke with Ms. Melone Monday, and here's my mini-interview with her:

Melone first began teaching at Monterey High in 2005, so this is her 8th year at the school – including the first one as a temporary teacher. She told me she tried to connect with the community and be as environmentally friendly as possible in her work.
“We make sketchbooks out of old binders, old pairs of jeans,” she said. “I’m always learning new things from other teachers, always looking for professional development in and outside of the art field.”

Does she get discouraged, in this era of budget cuts, that arts don’t seem to be as appreciated as other subjects?

“It’s hard to run an arts program with zero budgeting, we get everything donated. It’s discouraging but this is the reality, we’re not going to let that push us down. I’m always reaching out to the community for donations, we recycle for them, we have a great community. And our staff is incredibly generous.”

Children of East Salinas participate at Teatro Alisal

It's been weeks of drama for about two dozen children and youth at Alisal, who participated in Teatro Alisal, a project of Building Healthy Communities, El Teatro Campesino, and the children of live in East Salinas. It's an uplifting, inspired story of how the children making the best of their lives in Alisal, and how much fun they have doing it.

Here's Kinan Valdez, director of the play, talking about the project



And here's the play itself -- filmed by Baktun 12



Enjoy!

Turning trash into art

Come by Ord Terrace Elementary in Seaside to see the "Marine Debris Gallery Art Installation," pieces that students under the guidance of local artist Sue Ann Hillyer have been able to create.

The opening reception takes place from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 28 at the school. Come check out creativity that opens minds!