A Press Democrat Blog

Arts

Dan Taylor on the fine arts scene.

Poet Dana Gioia to speak in Sebastopol

Wednesday, at 7:00 by

The WordTemple Poetry Series will present Swedish poet, novelist and literary historian Kjell Espmark, and Dana Gioia, Sonoma County poet and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, in a reading Saturday, April 13, in Sebastopol. The program starts at 7 p.m. at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. A former professor in comparative literature at University of Stockholm, Espmark has published 13 volumes of poetry. Goia, who has published four poetry collections,… Read More »

Sebastopol Center for the Arts moving to new site

Tuesday, at 8:42 by

The Sebastopol Center for the Arts is on the move, and that is not meant metaphorically. The center, housed for years at 6790 Depot Street, is moving to the Sebastopol Veterans Memorial Building, 282 High St., next to Ives Park. “We agreed to a 30-year lease on the building,” said Linda Galletta, executive director of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. “We have a remodeling budget of $800,000. We are remodeling the auditorium to create a gallery space in the… Read More »

Poets speak up for the parks

Wednesday, at 10:00 by

The new poetry collection, “What Redwoods Know — Poems from California State Parks,” has two things going for it. First, it contains 43 pages of poems written by 14 poets, most of them from Sonoma County. Second, 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the California State Parks Foundation. The book costs $10. The book, published by Katherine Hastings’ WordTemple Press, was prompted the impending closure of nearly one-fourth of California’s 270 state parks by September 2012. And that,… Read More »

Ketchum plays Cassatt in one-woman show

Sunday, at 10:00 by

Katie Ketchum will present her musical one-woman show, “Impressions of Mary Cassatt; American Painter,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 15 and 16, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 6780 Depot St. Ketchum, composer, playwright, pianist and singer, was born in California and studied composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada. She toured nationally with her show about 19th-century artist Marie Cassatt as early as the 1980s. Her other one-person plays, “Clara Schumann: 19th-Century Pianist” and… Read More »

Artists talk, and expert speaks, in Sebastopol

Monday, at 10:00 by

The Sebastopol Center for the Arts will present two art talks this month. Jeremy Morgan, juror for the center’s current “Abstract” exhibit, and associate professor at the San Francisco Art Institute, will speak at 7 p.m. Friday April 22. Five artists — Maurice Blaug, Brooke Holve, Chiyomi Longo, Al Longo and Karina Nishi Marcus — will discuss abstract art at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 26. Admission: $7 for each event. Address: 6780 Depot St., Sebastopol. Information: (707) 829-4797, www.sebarts.org.

Word Temple Poetry Series in Sebastopol

Friday, at 11:37 by

In the quieter corners of Sonoma County culture, you’ll find unsuspected gems almost anywhere you look. One of those treasures is the Word Temple Poetry Series, organized and launched by Katherine Hastings five years ago. The series kicks off 2011 with ‘Translation Night,’ dedicated to the artful translation of poetry, from the Bible to French literature, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 6780 Depot St., Sebastopol. Poet and former Sebastopol city councilman Larry… Read More »

Musical storyteller plays in Sebastopol

Thursday, at 6:39 by

Ray Bierl, a singer, guitarist and fiddler with a passion for musical storytelling and a broad musical range, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. His repertoire includes cowboy ballads, Appalachian fiddle tunes, vintage rock and roll hits, Tin Pan Alley songs and country classics. Tickets: $15 in advance at the Last Record Store in Santa Rosa; $20 at the door. Address: 6780 Depot St., Sebastopol. Information: (707) 824-1858, krussellmft@aol.com.

The art of H2O in Sebastopol

Friday, at 10:00 by

Water, water, everywhere. But you won’t need a swimming suit. The main gallery at Sebastopol Center for the Arts opens “H2O,”  an exhibition featuring 60 artworks in a variety of media that consider water in all its forms, with a reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 29. The show was juried by Patricia Watts, former chief curator at Sonoma County Museum in Santa Rosa, and founder and West Coast curator since 1999 of ecoartspace, a nonprofit for artists… Read More »

Motorcycle art exhibit in Sebastopol

Wednesday, at 10:00 by

Do you think of motorcycles as an art form? If not, the Sebastopol Center for the Arts would like you to think again. “Art in Iron,” a two-day motorcycle exhibition,  runs Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25, at the center, 6780 Depot St. The event includes bikes an invitational gallery exhibit, an outdoor exhibit, a motorcycle ride and gala party. The weekend kicks off  Saturday with a motorcycle ride through Sonoma County, ending with a party at the center to open… Read More »

Katie Ketchum’s one-woman show

Thursday, at 3:00 by

Katie Ketchum, who teaches voice and piano in Sebastopol, also has an interesting history as a performer. She created and performed a one-woman musical about the American painter Mary Cassatt, and her musical about Mary Magdalene played to good response in Sacramento and San Francisco. She’ll perform her new show, “An Evening with Clara Schumann; 19th Century Pianist and Composer,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 18, at the the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 6780 Depot St., Sebastopol.  Admission: $10-$20.… Read More »