And FUN, too! I mean, who these days couldn't use the illusion of a tiny behind all because of the addition of some keen shoulder pads? OK, maybe I'm speaking for myself. But we'll have our day in March of this year.

The Cultural Council is about to celebrate those great old days of the 1930's & '40's in a big way with its March 28, 2010 fundraiser benefitting the Arts & Arts Learning in our community. How are we doing that? With this year's Primavera! Here's a miniscule preview of what's in store:

• Club TropiCultural Cabana. A true-to-life (and swanky!) 1940's nightclub will be recreated for Primavera! at Chaminade Resort & Spa! You'll enter a very swingin' scene that will transport you back to the high life of the '30's and '40's.

• Sumptuous Food & Delectable Wines. Guests (this means you!) will enjoy tasty hors d'ovueres, excellent wines, and dinner and dessert to die for.

• Very Cool Entertainment. Guests will have their eardrums tickled by the swingin' sounds of Jazz by Five, and Latin Jazz by Flor de Cana.

• The Total Cat's Meow. The feature entertainment for the evening is none other than the Cultural Council's Executive Director. Didn't know she was a chanteuse, too? Don't know what a chanteuse is? Neither did I, but lucky for us, Michelle is one! She's a formally-trained performer, singer and musician and she's about to blow all our socks off with her performance of songs from the Great American Songbook. That will naturally include songs by Cole Porter and Ira Girshwin--and those are some of our favorites, yes?

• The Art. Lest we forget, there will be a very spiffy silent auction as well as an amazingly boisterous live auction of top notch fine art that will elicit a "Whoopee!" from each and every one of us.

• The Great Wine Heist. Make some whoopee yourself when you walk away with scores of fabulous wine--all for the price of a raffle ticket!

• The Contest. Come in your 1940's finery and you'll not only be very smooth but could win a prize!

And since this is just a mini-preview, it goes without sayging that there's a lot more swell stuff going on at Primavera! this year. So mark your calendar for:

Sunday, March 28th, 4:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Then click Primavera! to get more information and to purchase tickets--they're on sale now!

See you at Club TropiCultural Cabana!

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Happy 2010 to all of the absolutely wonderful supports of arts & culture in our Santa Cruz County community!

Though 2009 was a challenge, 2010 appears to be on the upswing, thanks to the diligence of our fabulously talented local artists and incredibly productive local arts organizations.

A group resolution to consider for this year:

How about each one of us making and taking the time to attend one local art function each of the 12 months of 2010. Purchase art if possible. Give art as gifts throughout the year. Most of all, enjoy and appreciate every performance or art exhibit you attend. The artists creating these special experiences for us are also validating the best humanity has to offer.

All the best to you in 2010!

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Now that Open Studios has ended--to much success and fond memories involving scads of fun--there's a fantastic way to keep the memories alive and to present to your nearest and dearest a spectacular (and hugely inexpensive) gift.

And just what might that gift be?

It's nothing less than the 2010 15-month Open Studios Calendar! Astounding in its quality and beauty and remarkable in its funtionality--and positively mind-boggling in its low, low price--you won't want to pass by this grand opportunity.

The 2010 Open Studios Calendar is chock-full of delicious images depicting the incredible art created by the artists who participated in the 2009 Open Studios Art Tour. It also contains contact information for each artist, so you can purchase fabulous art gifts directly from the sources.

And who, I ask you, doesn't need a calendar for the upcoming new year? It's a wonderful gift!  Maybe best of all is, your purchase of the 2010 Open Studios Calendar goes a long way toward supporting arts and culture in Santa Cruz County.

So to summarize: A marvelous 2010 Calendar + gorgeous images of art from local artists + the potential of giving an amazing and most appreciated gift to yourself and others + supporting arts and culture in Santa Cruz County = The Best Thing Ever!

And you won't believe the price for all this: just $10.00 (plus tax and s/h if ordered online)! Simply unbelievable!

Stop by the Cultural Council offices to secure your 2010 Open Studios Calendar, or click here to order online right now!

If the 2010 Open Studios Calendar is any indication, 2010 should be a very good year. Enjoy!

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The 2009 Open Studios Art Tour is winding down with its last weekend coming up - October 17th& 18th. It's known as "Encore Weekend" because studios from BOTH North and South County will once again open their doors wide to visitors from both in, and out, of our community. In fact, there will be 240 studios open! If you missed anything the first two weekends of this year's Open Studios, now is your last chance this year to pick up what might have been missed.

Even in a sluggish local economy with people understandably watching their budgets, Open Studios is something many have not been able to forego. The sheer number of highly talented local artists presenting quality artwork for viewing and purchase is so tempting, that art lovers have come out in great numbers this year. Artists have wisely offered a variety of exceptional pieces at both ends of the economic scale, and some truly outstanding work can be purchased for minimal investment.

The Cultural Council's Open Studios Art Tour is not only an extremely fun activity for friends and family--and you!--to enoy, it's a boon to the local economy. Three hundred artists attract 7,000 visitors, and bring in more than $1 million in annual art sales for the economy. Fun and profitable for our community!

It's not too early for holiday gift-shopping, and what could be better than finding an original treasure created by our outstanding local talent? All you need is an Open Studios Artist Guide/Calendar--for a mere $20--and you'll be able to plan the best Tour ever.

Go for it while there's still time! And ENJOY!

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October 2009 marks the Cultural Council's 24th year presenting the venerable, county-wide Open Studios Art Tour. 24 years--can you believe it? The phrase "Time flies when you're having fun" certain applies here!

Fun is the name of the game, too. The Open Studios Art Tour draws hundreds of visitors--maybe even thousands!--to Santa Cruz County. These are visitors who know the value of $20 and who also know the fabulous reputation of our local visual art talent. They also spend money in our community!

$20? Yes, a mere pittance in exchange for three extraordinary weekends in October. This year, the Artist Guide/Calendar clearly designates numerous artists who will be providing live demonstrations of their creative process in their studios. And, each Artist Guide/Calendar contains a Drawing Entry card giving you an opportunity to win $200 in Open Studios art! Wow!

How can you be part of the fun? Here are the steps:

1. Find $20.
2. Visit the Cultural Council website or call (831) 475-9600.
3. Use your $20 to purchase a 2009 Artist Guide/Calendar.
4. Use your Artist Guide/Calendar to select the Open Studios you want to visit.
5. Immerse yourself in the ultimate Santa Cruz County Art Adventure!

This year's Open Studios dates:

• October 3rd & 4th
• October 11th & 12th
• October 17th & 18th

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Free to be. And that's what celebrating Independence Day is all about in the U.S. Doesn't it sometimes seem, though, that we can get caught up in the party-with-fireworks mindset and don't consider the origins of this much-revered holiday?

In fact, why July 4th? It's a highly appropriate day to celebrate our collective independence from England: the very day the Continental Congress adpoted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Whenever we hear fireworks on July 4th, we can be reminded of "the rockets' red glare" that blasted through the sky during the Revolutionary War, and feel grateful that people cared--and continue to care--enough to risk their lives and even die on behalf of the freedom we enjoy--and sometimes take for granted--today.

Let's try something. Let's make a conscious effort to give each other a break on July 4th this year. Let's be more considerate of each other--on the road, in the market, at the coffee shop, in everything we're doing. Let's try to be people that those who fought and died for our freedom would be proud of. Even one day of mutual courtesy would be a blessing, wouldn't it?

Test how much you know about Independence Day by taking the following fun quiz:

Independence Day Quiz!

From the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, have a creatively Safe, Sane, Contemplative, and HAPPY 4th of July!

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Yes, it's all happening once again--that much-loved Art Tour enjoyed by thousands both inside and outside Santa Cruz County! Open Studios is occurring, as always, in October, yet preparations for another extraordinary presentation have been underway for months. Nearly 300 outstanding visual artists have been selected to open their studios to visitors. Be sure to mark your calendar for these weekends in October:

The 2009-10 Artist Guide/Calendar is currently in production and will be available at many locations around the county on September 1, 2009. If you prefer to avoid the rush, you can pre-purchase your 2009-10 Calendar and have it sent directly to you immediately upon availability. It's a bargain at just $20 (plus s/h)! Just follow this link:

Purchase a 2009-10 Open Studios Artist Guide/Calendar Now!

Your Calendar will be your guide to this brilliant October event!

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There's a new mini-venue in town for 2-D art! That would be the Cultural Council office located at 2400 Chanticleer Avenue, Santa Cruz. We've opened up our conference room as well as other office space for the display of work from some of our  community's wonderful artists.

The Featured Artist program began in February 2009 with a fabulous exhibit of exceptional photography by Tom Bullock. Our current Very Fine Exhibitor through August 2009 is Suchitra Fields.

Stop by our office sometime for a peek at what some locals are up to--artistically speaking, that is! To learn more about this program, follow this link:

CCSCC Featured Artist

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There's no question that this past winter and spring have presented us all with some challenges we'd just as soon have avoided where everyday Life is concerned. The impulse pushing us into summer may well be to continue to hunker down, nose to the grindstone, and just blast through these difficult times until the very end of the tunnel.

But we have options. We still need to get through, which may indeed require vast amounts of energy and effort. However, there's a trick of which we can avail ourselves to make the hunkering and blasting a little more bearable, and which can even add some enjoyment to our Herculean efforts.

The trick is: Take a Break. That's right. Simply lift your head every now and then--maybe every 30 minutes or so--sit in a rocking chair on the lawn (even a figurative one will do), drink some water and close your eyes. Go to your happy place--the one we all hear about and know is there but haven't ever taken a moment to visit. Maybe yours lands you in the middle of fabulous artistically creative ruminations...who knows?

This break need only last for a mere 5 minutes, and taking it every 30 minutes truly has the power to transform your mental and physical state. Employing this trick will get us painlessly through the tunnel, and summer in Santa Cruz  is the perfect time to begin.

And then soon...surprise! You'll lift your head and find that Life has become wonderful again. It's well worth a try, isn't it?

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According to Wikipedia:

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 25, in 2009). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil Way), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.

While many of us will enjoy a day off from work this Memorial Day, perhaps spending the day in fun, let's take a moment to reflect on those Americans who have served, and those currently serving in the military on our country's behalf. We send them a heartfelt Thank You.

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This weekend, May 16th & 17th, fun can be had by all at the Santa Cruz River Arts Festival located at San Lorenzo Park. This free, family event is really a showcase of some of the remarkable artists and their wares that allow our community boasting rights. The Festival is a fully enjoyable way to spend a day or two with family and friends as you support your favorite thing in all the world--Arts & Culture! Plentiful tasty food, too! For more information check out the following invitation--yes, YOU are invited! Don't forget to stop by the Cultural Council's information booth to enter a free drawing to win Admission for Two to the 2009 Open Studios Art Tour!

River Arts Festival 2009

You are invited to join in the festivities on Saturday &

Sunday, May 16 & 17,  11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

at the San Lorenzo Park in downtown Santa Cruz.

   Admission is free!

We’re featuring a wonderful collection of unique handcrafted

artworks by over 80 artists.

This year, we have added a Festival Wine Garden where you

can sample local wines, enjoy gourmet food.

Be entertained by performers on the Wine Garden Stage and

Duck Island Stage.

There are over 11 great Art Installations to behold.

Hands-On Art Activities all day long for young and old.

The Kinetic Art Cruz on Sunday at 10 a.m. starting on

Pacific Avenue.

Directions       Festival Map

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Here's something we can do to support the arts in Santa Cruz County: Let's make a point to regularly attend activities that help keep art and culture alive in our community!

Here are a few fun things you, your friends and family, can do in April. These are Cultural Council funded events, and these organizations would love to know you're out there. Show them you care by attending!

• April - August 2009: Museum of Art & History, "Notes from Santa Cruz: The County's Musical History and Compositions--Contemporary Artists. The MAH, Santa Cruz, (831) 429-1964 or www.santacruzmah.org.
• April 18: Santa Cruz Baroque Festival Season Concert, "Listening to Nature: Musique Plein Air, UCSC Music Center Recital Hall, Santa Cruz, (831) 457-9693 or www.scbaroque.org.
• April 25-26: Santa Cruz Chamber Orchestra, "Strings Attached: Strings, Guitars, and Flute," Santa Cruz, (831) 425-3149 or www.scchamberplayers.org.
• April 26: Poetry Santa Cruz, with featured reader Nancy Hofmann, Santa Cruz, (831) 464-8983 or www.poetrysantacruz.org.

An unrelated reminder: Don't forget to use www.GoodSearch.com and www.GoodShop.com for all your internet searching and shopping needs! When you select the Cultural Council as your preferred charity, for every search you conduct using GoodSearch, a penny from advertisers is donated to the Cultural Council! And every time you shop at more than 900 internet stores including eBay by going through the GoodShop site, a percentage from advertisers is donated to the Cultural Council. It's a very easy and completely painless way to support your favorite charity: The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County! Click below to get started!

www.GoodSearch.com

www.GoodShop.com

 ENJOY!

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In addition, do all of your shopping through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 900 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to the Cultural Council. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to the CC!

Here's the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com. You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

Help the Cultural Council support Arts & Culture through GoodSearch--it's painless!

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Spring is tippy-toeing in--behind those massive rain clouds it's about 72 degrees in the sunshine. Great conditions for uplifting thoughts and inspirational activities.

Sure, the economy is no great shakes. Yes, many of us are struggling financially. All we can do is do what we can to keep our noses above the water line so that when the smoke clears, we're still here and hitting the ground running. 

Louis M. Salerno, the owner of Questroyal Fine Art in New York City has some thoughts on the subject that we can all absorb and make our own:

"Through the Dark Ages, the great famines, the plagues, world wars and the Great Depression, art has been shown, sold, stolen, collected, criticized, condemned and cherished. In 2003, worldwide art sales were estimated at $5 billion. Nothing is certain but death, taxes, and art--the third certainty."

Gotta love that "third certainty!"

Don't forget--Primavera! is this Sunday, March 15, 4:30 p.m. at Chaminade Resort & Spa. Hope to see you there! Click here for details.

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The Cultural Council is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this month! The agency has traveled through a long history of wonderful interaction and experiences with art in Santa Cruz County, and will continue to do so in the years to come--in large part because of all your support.

If you can swing it, come celebrate with us on Sunday, March 15, 2009, at Chaminade Resort & Spa. It promises to be a wonderful gathering of supporters of art and culture in our community. You'll have an opportunity to eat a fabulous gourmet meal with excellent wine, bid on spectacular art and fun getaway packages in both silent and live auctions, and take your chances on some very remarkable raffle prizes. There remains just a few more days to purchase tickets. Click here for more information.

Please join us for the Cultural Council's 30th Anniversary Celebration!

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Consider this: You're visiting a dynamic little city, a coastal paradise sporting redwoods on the one hand and the wondrous blue Pacific on the other. Icing the cake is incredibly mild weather.

As you explore the area, you are struck by the diversity you see in the city and surrounding towns in this county--diversity in people, shops, activities, colors, sounds, and visual experiences.

You have a month to check out the area. You decide to enjoy some form of culture and art every single day, taking a couple of days to sit at the beach and reflect on your adventure. Each day you discover one of the following:

Ah, what a county! Absolutely gorgeous in its natural state, with an unbelievably rich, interesting, and fun cultural vibe. You decide you must visit the following year.

Your second trip a year later has you wondering if you took a wrong turn somewhere. You arrive at the very same destination as the first time around, trek to all the places you saw the previous year, yet no matter where you go you find this:

This scenario is potentially only slightly exaggerated. What can we do to protect our county?

Support the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County! Your donation in any denomination makes a monumental difference to arts and culture in our community!

Keep our county colorful! Send a "reality check" to CCSCC, 2400 Chanticleer Ave., Suite G, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, or follow the link below to donate today!

THANKS for your help!

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Here's a thought: What if schools hired artists to teach art to children, and to create opportunities to expose children to art. What if the teaching artists were paid for their services and this program continued successfully over a period of time. What if the artists had this regular income from teaching school children, and the artists used this income for their living expenses, thereby putting the money back into the economy. Wouldn't this help boost the economy?

This is what government's thought process was back in the '70s. Watch this video of award-winning actor Bill Irwin speaking about those times as a working artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flfXYBDWQv

Are we currently in a history-repeating-itself situation? If so, let's learn from the past--putting teaching artists to work in schools to help our children learn about arts and culture is a very positive and productive step toward economic recovery.

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A case has been made for the future of the arts in Santa Cruz County (read "An Open Letter to the Community"). Now that we're all on the same page and feeling the same pinch and needing the same soothing balm, here's a recap of what you can do to support the arts:

• Advocate for the arts at the local, state and federal levels (click here for government e-mail addresses, etc.);
• Attend performances by local art organizations (click here for a list of Winter '08-'09 Events);
• Buy a work of art (click here to purchase a Catalog/Calendar of Open Studios artists, complete with images representing their work and contact info so you can buy direct);
• Make a donation to your favorite art organizations (click here for a list of local organizations);
• Make a donation to the Cultural Council that will go to supporting community artists, arts organizations, and art in local schools - click here.

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The smoke is still stinging our eyes—hasn’t quite burned off yet so we can get a clear picture of the lay of the land, economically speaking. The signs do indicate, however, that we’re still in the slipping mode. Those signs are things like more lay-offs and reduced hours for employees at local companies, slower retail business as people try to hang on to their money a little longer, and the crazy-cold weather. Oh wait! That isn’t an economic sign—it’s just cold out there!

Even the Cultural Council is feeling the pain. The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County—the official county-designated organization representing arts and culture in our county—is tightening its belt like so many others, cutting expenses where we can while attempting to “maintain an even keel.” There is a sense here, though, that we absolutely will get through this temporary situation.

One thing we’re doing is to think creatively about how we can pull together as a community to help each other get through. You may have heard or read about the Friends of the Cultural Council program that helps bring individuals and local businesses together. And it helps the Cultural Council, too, when you make a donation to the organization in any denomination. Your donation results in a Friends membership card that you can show at all the participating businesses in the county. The program’s been going for only one month and so far boasts 300+ members and 28 participating businesses who offer these members discounts or other special considerations on goods and services. So everybody wins—community members, local business, and the Cultural Council. Click Friends, and scroll down the page to learn how to get your own membership card.

The Cultural Council is getting ready to celebrate its 30^th Anniversary serving arts and culture in our county—30 years, can you believe it?! Primavera, held on March 15, 2009 at Chaminade Resort & Spa, is going to be a fabulous fun party—and we’ll all be able to use some fun right about then, won’t we? We hope you’ll be able to attend! Click Primavera for more information.

Chin up, everyone! We’re all going to make it through and land on our feet…that’s a fact!

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We made it! We're basking in the (early) glory of 2009. And, yes, it WILL be glorious! Hard to believe, isn't it that just a few short years ago, we were basking in the glory that was 1969, worrying about a choice between which concert to see: the Grateful Dead or the Doors. Those were the good old days, eh?

Now we get to create some good NEW days--that's what a new year does for us. It presents us with that incredible optimism and anticipation of wondrous new things to come.

The Cultural Council already has some new tricks up its sleeve. We're in the thick of planning Primavera, our fabulous annual fundraiser coming in March (see our home page on this site for a ticket-buyer teaser). Invitations to this exclusive Spring event at Chaminade Resort & Spa will go out soon--and you can get a head start by ordering your tickets now, ahead of the crowds! Click here to order: http://www.ccscc.org --scroll down the page until you see the Primavera image and click on "Buy Now."

We've got some other fun ideas brewing, too--you'll see them on this website as they miraculously appear!

In the meantime, the Cultural Council wishes you and yours all the best of everything this year. May your creative juices positively flood!

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