Arts & Culture

WATSONVILLE—The second round of voting for the next large installation of “Watsonville Brillante” has opened. A project from accomplished local artist Kathleen Crocetti, “Watsonville Brillante” is a 12,000-square-foot tile mosaic that will cover the outside of the six-story Watsonville Civic Plaza parking garage at the...

"Try This" is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. • Todd Guild Miyuki Restaurant I went to Miyuki Restaurant in Watsonville for my son’s 9th birthday. This elegant and unpretentious eatery is a mainstay for us when...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) on March 11 announced that it was canceling its eighth annual festival, which was scheduled to begin the next day, due to growing concerns of COVID-19. The decision came less than a week before the county and state issued shelter-in-place...

WATSONVILLE—Cafe Ella owners Erika Conrad and Jennifer DeVault say they are hopeful that their business will persevere through the COVID-19 crisis. The twin sisters, who took over the small cafe on East Lake Avenue from Ella’s at the Airport owner Ella King last year, said...

The annual “Mi Casa es Tu Casa” exhibit, centered around Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a traditional holiday in Mexico, has opened at Pajaro Valley Arts in Watsonville. “Mi Casa es Tu Casa: Honoring Our Ancestors” features a range of participants, including...

For the past 16 years, Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) has partnered with Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens for an annual art exhibit. Artists install sculptures throughout Sierra Azul’s two-acre demonstration garden, creating an open-air gallery surrounded by native trees and plants. For this year’s Sculpture...

The community is invited to the Obon Festival at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple (423 Bridge St.) Sunday, July 16 from noon to 5pm. Watsonville Taiko will perform at 3pm. The event is free and open to the public.  We spoke with Ikuyo Conant, Sensei and...

Watsonville Brillante, the massive, 10-phase outdoor mosaic project in Watsonville, has just been named Best in Show in the Mosaic and Glass Arts International 2023 exhibition series in Buffalo, New York.  Lead artist Kathleen Crocetti of Watsonville learned of the prestigious announcement Wednesday. “When I first...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville High School community last year was shaken when a beloved three-decades old mural on the wall of the school’s cafeteria was painted over during a construction project. The move, directed by site administration and the district facilities department, outraged the artists involved in...

APTOS—Jon Scoville has always been eager to open his mind to new music. Growing up as a minister’s son in Connecticut, Scoville learned the craft by singing in church choirs and around his family’s home piano. But in secret he was also listening to genres...