Arts & Culture

WATSONVILLE—A week after Frida Kahlo’s birthday on July 6, Watsonville’s art community came together on July 16 for a festival to celebrate the artist’s life, work and legacy. “Frida Por Vida” Frida Kahlo Festival was organized by Arte del Corazon, an organization that has been...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) will host a one-day conference on July 9 centered around the figure Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Attendees will explore the historic and cultural impact of the figure through readings, discussions and workshops. Speakers include Seattle University professor Jeanette Rodriguez, who will discuss...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday meeting signed off on an agreement with Pajaro Valley Arts for the sale of the historic Porter Building in downtown Watsonville. In a deal some two years in the making, PV Arts will pay the city $1.15 million...

A new exhibit will soon open at Studio Judy G in downtown Watsonville, featuring artwork by gallery owner Judy Gittelsohn, her mother, and two of her friends from the late 1970s punk rock scene in San Francisco. “Three Punk Painters and My Mom” is, in...

In the fall of 2013, Cabrillo College celebrated the opening of a remodeled and expanded Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) center in Aptos. After years of being in various buildings across campus, the department now had a 5,000-square-foot hub that included free tutoring, faculty...

When local conservation pioneer and philanthropist Diane Porter Cooley died last March, members of Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) knew they wanted to pay tribute to her in some way. Cooley was a founding board member of PVA and instrumental in its success over the years....

A dance group, Ohtori Kinsen-Kai, prepare to perform a traditional dance from Okinawa Saturday at the 33rd annual Japanese Cultural Fair in Santa Cruz. The free event showcased live music, dance, martial arts, crafts, food and more.

A series of First Friday art shows will kick off in Seascape Village this summer thanks to Stable Life Services (SLS), a nonprofit aiming to support individuals with special needs and their caregivers. First Friday is a monthly art tour featuring local artists in venues...

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...

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...