Outstretched Arms
Art. It’s cloistered away in personal collections, confined to frames and kept in stuffy institutions. Or is it? Las Vegas artist Justin Favela’s latest installation, “Regeneración,” celebrates murals and their capacity to challenge conventional art. Inspired by the work of former UC Santa Cruz professor…
Vanished Histories, Spectres of Loss
Tessa Hulls was haunted by a phrase, “guided by ghosts, the ones we held along the way.” The phrase became the name of her exhibition at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH). In “Guided by Ghosts: The Ones We Held Along the…
Idolos (Icons)
It’s not often that you see a luchadore with long, luscious lashes, sparkling blue eyeliner and popping pink lips. But that’s exactly the sight awaiting visitors in the current stairwell installation at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH). UC Santa Cruz…
40 Years of Chautauqua New Works Festival
Loving yourself means being scared, screaming and being true to your emotions. The Chautauqua New Works Festival’s acts encapsulate the human experience through emotionally moving performances. UC Santa Cruz’s Barnstorm Theater presented its first weekend of Chautauqua New Works Festival, now in its 40th year,…
Todavía se Puede
César Chávez’s spirit continues in today’s activism. With inspiration from their ancestors and elders, a new generation of Latinx activists are fighting for liberation. The Chicanx and Latinx Resource Center (El Centro) invited panel speakers Judy de los Santos and Elias Gonzalez for the 16th…
40 Years of Multicultural Festival
Every year, students from ethnic identity organizations at UC Santa Cruz stage the largest collaborative event on campus. For half a day, the Multicultural Festival (MCF) will turn the Porter Dining Hall into a space of cultural discovery and exchange through food, music and performance. This…
Return of the Bling
You won’t find condom crowns, two stripteases and a pack of undead beasts in the pages of J.R.R. Tolkien. But at the Queer Fashion Show (QFS) — themed “fantasy” this year — limbs and lyrics collided in a celebration of all things provocative and bizarre. …
Raising Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Content warning: This article contains references to graphic violence. 5,712 — this is the number of cases of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) reported in 2016 in the U.S. According to many reports, this statistic is an underestimation of the actual number of MMIW. …
The Universal Language of Dance
Dance is a transmutation of energy. It’s a release of pain and anxiety through the catharsis of movement. UC Santa Cruz hip-hop dance troupe Haluan presented “En Route Showcase,” providing dancers space to demonstrate the vulnerability of humanity while celebrating the beauty of art and…
The Authorship of Receivership
How do you name an art show featuring multimedia works from 13 different artists, each with their own theme and message? I found the answer at the Digital Arts and New Media (DANM) program’s most recent exhibition. “Receivership” is the Master of Fine Arts exhibition…