Arts & Culture

WATSONVILLE—Around 240 people attended an art reception and walk Sunday in downtown Watsonville to view the works of San Francisco artist Juan R. Fuentes.  The tour stemmed off a reception at PV Arts in the Porter Building, where the current exhibit features more than 50...

Hollywood actor Edward James Olmos poses with Michelle Rodriguez (right), Superintendent of Pajaro Valley Unified School District and Brenda Avila of the Watsonville Film Festival Friday in front of the Mello Center in Watsonville. Olmos, founder of the Latino Film Institute, made the special...

Since the County of Santa Cruz issued a shelter-in-place order March 17, local artists have faced uncertain futures. With venues and schools closed and events either canceled or postponed, individuals and organizations are now out of work and struggling to get by.  According to Arts Council...

WATSONVILLE—When Covid-19 shelter-in-place restrictions hit Santa Cruz County in March, the Eighth Annual Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) was one of the first large events to be shut down. Executive Director Consuelo Alba and her team were forced to cancel the multiple film screenings, activities and...

A weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like.

For the past decade, local author Joyce Oroz has steadily released volumes of her Josephine Stuart Mystery Series. And now the 12th book has joined the lineup. “Lost and Bound” follows the series’ titular character, Josephine Stuart, as she investigates the death of a woman...

WATSONVILLE—In 2020, Arts Council Santa Cruz County formed the Watsonville Stewardship Committee for the Arts to bring resources, build spaces and improve access to the arts for South County residents. That group of artists, teachers, political leaders and city of Watsonville staff spearheaded the creation...

The exhibition, “Pictures from the Field: The Caminata in the Summer of 1975,” is an offshoot of “Democracy in the Fields,” which debuted at the National Steinbeck Center in 2016.

WATSONVILLE—Author Lisa Algee says that she has always considered herself a logical, “left-brain” thinker. After growing up in Southern California, Algee moved up the coast, attending Cal Poly University to major in biology before landing in Santa Cruz. She eventually received a doctorate in science...

WATSONVILLE—A musical duo who also teaches in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District has been selected by an international competition to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Amalia Diaz and Camilo Ortiz have been playing together as “Camilo y Amalia” for...