March Into the Arts
By Jim Christiansen
March is here already, and we have survived Godzilla vs Modesto in February at the State Theatre, and hoping for a repeat. February 18, Hocus Manriquez and crew, Leon Henry, Zsanise, and Zspirit unveiled Mural 3 for Stanislaus Arts Council Heartland Grant at Hocus Ink in Ceres. The previous two murals in the series were at Johnny’s Market on 4th Street, Modesto, and Modesto Livestock Auction and Flea Market on 7th Street.
Student and Kid’s Art, classes young and old see the theme this month. Young @ Art opens at Mistlin Gallery. Dragonfly Art for Life has been redoing its layout to accommodate pre-K kids. Classes for students young and old are offered at Mistlin, Dragonfly, Chartreuse Muse, Peer Recovery Art Project, and Hidden Beauty up at 103 Modesto Avenue, next to the Painted Ape Gallery and Tattoo. Murals on the Painted Ape walls and parking lot will show you in the right place.
In Oakdale, the Valley Art Association is holding an Art Exhibition and Silent Auction on March 9 and 10 starting at 10 AM both days. The show will be up at 110 South 2nd Street, Oakdale. All proceeds will go to the Valley Art Association Scholarship Fund. For full prospectus: ValleyArtAssociation@gmail.com
Judith Cochran will be the featured artist at the Kruse Lucas Art Gallery, in March, April, and May at 535 Tully Road. Judith is a self-taught artist whose enjoyment of color was the warmth that kindled her creative spirit. The gallery is open Monday to Friday 9 to 5. While in the area, drop in the MJC Art Gallery across the street, peruse The Silos parking lot, and the murals at Contentment Brewing.
Carnegie Arts Center has a Call for Artists out for the annual Farms and Fields Show. Entries open through March 30. For more information on events and classes, see http://CarnegieArtsTurlock.org An event I plan to attend on March 29 or 30 is the Artistic Repertoire Theatre Collaboration presentation of “One Voice Matters. This performance is a journey of friends through mental wellness challenges in a collaboration of music, dance, singing, and visual arts, where there is no seating, but encouragement to wander the gallery through the performance. A.R.T. CO-Lab also does a First Friday event from March to November.
Expect some changes and expansion of the Downtown Modesto Third Thursday Art Walk this month, as partners DoMo, D.I.D., and Tourism Bureau add on to enhance the Art Walk experience for patrons and artists alike. Usual venues will be on the map. This past month, Stacy Penland and her artist family opened State Theatre’s Intermission as a first-time stop for Art Walk. DoMo Market First Friday event opens again in April
Stanislaus Artist Open Studio weekend is April 13 and 14. Look for the printed maps this month from participating artists and the local galleries. Admission is for all ages, and FREE, with an online map and directions available. See http://stanislausaos.com for the map link.
