Arts & Culture

APTOS—Local artist and Pajaro Valley Arts exhibit coordinator Hedwig Heerschop recently raised $1,000 during the Open Studios Art Tour for children in Ukraine. Heerschop, a fine art photographer and printmaker, raffled off one of her photograph etchings, depicting a blue and yellow sunflower. She sold...

By Christina Waters Not since my last trip to Italy three years ago have I tasted such inspired pizza. It was from Mentone, the new Aptos restaurant created by David Kinch of the three-star Michelin Manresa. Mentone’s menu is Italian-French spun through Kinch’s own California...

APTOS—Cardboard is a material that nearly everyone has at their disposal. Often used in packaging and shipping, it is usually broken down to recycle or saved to reuse. But cardboard can also be full of possibilities for artists. This is apparent at “Extraordinary Ordinary,” Cabrillo...

WATSONVILLE—A new book has hit the shelves, “Fruit of the Devil,” by retired Pajaro Valley Unified School District teacher Mary Flodin.  The novel unfolds between the exclusive golf courses of Pebble Beach to the world-famous surf breaks of Santa Cruz and the fertile lands of...

WATSONVILLE—As lunchtime drew to a close Wednesday, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Starlight Elementary School began to gradually filter into the classroom of art teacher Meredith Branan Freeman. They were there to learn about stop-motion animation and create their own movies. Some students worked individually,...

APTOS—A collection of 207 art pieces will be on display at the Cabrillo Gallery in Aptos on Monday as part of the college’s annual “12x12: An Open Invitational” fundraising exhibit. The art ranges from traditional oil and acrylic paintings to pieces created with found objects,...

WATSONVILLE—Wherever he is touring in the world, Santana lead singer Andy Vargas makes sure to let everyone know about his hometown of Watsonville. “I’ve always been proud to be from Watsonville,” Vargas said.  “I tell people that they’ve probably ate our berries or drank our...

In South America, you would recognize this dish, Pastel de Choclo, as a popular family casserole. To me, it resembles the classic 1950’s American Tamale Pie that appeared at least monthly on the Ringler family dinner table when we lived in Bakersfield. Both are...

WATSONVILLE—Meri Henriques Vahl vividly remembers her first major exposure to the world of art quilts.  Vahl was born in New York in 1945, and years later, during a visit to the Frick Museum in the Upper East Side of Manhattan with a friend, she viewed...

For decades, Watsonville-based Mexican folklórico group Esperanza del Valle (EDV) has been learning from master dance instructors from Mexico.  One of these teachers, Daniel del Valle Hernandez, will join Esperanza for its upcoming show, “Homenaje a Veracruz,” which is scheduled for Nov. 12 and 13...