Merced Art Hop

ART HOP 501(C)3

JULY.2016

MERCEDARTHOP.ORG

BEYOND THE CAMPUS AT MERCED COLLEGE

MERCED COLLEGE ARTS STUDENTS // THE GARAGE // ePEKEL FASHION WITH KIM //MCAC SHOW // LIFE ON THE STAGE

MCAC SHOW

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WARFIGHTER

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THE MAP

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PUTTING THE ART IN BOB HART PAGE 12 THE GARAGE

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FASHION WITH KIM

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PUBLISHER Kevin Hammon EDITORIAL John Miller MARKETING Kevin Hammon DESIGN Kimberly Zamora Creative Director Chloe Peterson Graphic Designer PHOTOGRAPHY John Miller EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Kimberly Zamora PRESIDENT/CEO Kevin Hammon BOARD MEMBERS Jared Covert Robert Matsuo Kimberly Zamora Kevin Hammon

Dear Reader and Art Enthusiast, With the growing success of the Epekel Gallery, our expanded MAH Magazine, & the Merced Art Hop numbers at a high, the demand for arts in Merced has become increasingly apparent to many Mercedians. It’s not just our organization that’s noticing this new desire for arts either. With each passing month we are seeing bigger names on the Merced Theatre’s marquee, the Merced Arts Center’s new classes are filled with students, Playhouse Merced has new programs & shows in the works, Merced Shakespearefest has added a new performance this year, the Merced Symphony is gearing up for their 59th season, Merced Community College has developed new art-related degrees & public art projects are making a resurgence. While just a small sample of the many new additions to Merced’s art scene, the dividends from expanded access to the fine & performing arts has become quite clear. Throughout this issue, we take a closer look at those who are pushing Merced’s art scene towards a brighter future & the benefits to the community that have already begun to develop.

Kevin Hammon & Kimberly Zamora Art Hop Co-Founders

FIND US WEBSITE :MercedArtHop.org FACEBOOK : www.Facebook.com/DowntownMAH TWITTER : www.Twitter.com/MercedArtHop EMAIL : Kimberly@MercedArtHop.org ADVERTISING : 209-658-0661 ADDRESS : Post Office Box 3351 Merced, CA 95344

Notice of Copyright© All materials contained within the Merced Art Hop Quarterly publication are protected by copyright unless otherwise stated, or in the case of any provided materials, the owner of that content retains the copyright. You may not alter, reproduce, distribute, publish, transmit or broadcast any material contained within the Merced Art Hop Quarterly publication without prior consent from the Merced Art Hop Board or other copyright owner. Merced Art Hop Quarterly takes care to ensure that all information is correct at the time of printing; however the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for the accuracy of any information contained within the publication or advertisements. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or editorial staff.

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Merced College Students and Staff hit the Art Scene in Merced

With nearly a dozen artists coming together for one show, the current Merced College Faculty Art Show Exhibit on display at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center has brought together an incredibly diverse array of artists, ensuring that nearly all mediums are highlighted.

Featuring artwork from the Fine Art Departments of both the Merced and Los Banos College campuses, the annual show serves as a way to put their professor’s talents on display for the community to see, and provides students some insight into the work those that are teaching them have produced over the course of their career. Overall the show’s impressive display covers nearly the last four decades of art produced by the group of local instructors.

Curated by Ben Serpa, who serves as both Curator to the Merced Multicultural Arts Center’s and a Professor of Fine Art for Merced Community College, the show begins in the Arts Center’s Main Gallery before its more than two-dozen artworks 4

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wind their way up the stairwell to the second floor gallery space. Mediums featured in the show include aluminum prints, bronze sculpture, photography, acrylic on glass, oil paintings, water color paintings and more.

Subject matter for the art work ranges from realistic portraitures and landscapes to stylized and abstract pieces and everything in between.

The Merced College Faculty Exhibit is scheduled to remain on display throughout the month of August until September 17th.

Those interested in viewing the show in person can do so by stopping by the Merced Multicultural Arts Center at 645 West Main Street Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Merced College art students are following suit and making their way to downtown to show off their talents as well. From working with the Merced Multicultural Arts Center itself to furthering veteran’s organization, these artists are using their work to improve the community. We sat down with a group of Merced College students to discuss their art and how they are using it to better Merced.

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MCALLISTER

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Erik Mcallister can recall some of his earliest moments that he spent thinking about art. As a young child, he had a predilection towards artistic fields and a natural curiosity to fuel it. So while he didn't know it at the time, it was almost a given that he would become involved with the arts in a working capacity at some point in his life. It would just take a few twists and turns to get their first.

“I would always find myself drawing dragons and other stuff in grade school, but I grew out of it, but I would still think about it all the time,” Mcallister recalled. As he made his way out of high school, he soon found himself on a United States Navy vessel. Despite the new settings, art still hadn't quite left his mind, but there was much more on his plate now.

“There’s not exactly any room in the military for art,” Mcallister stated. “Everything is about precision, and so there no room for finesse. It has already been thought out.”

After finishing his stint in the Navy though, Mcallister found himself at a new chapter in his life. “I got out of the military and needed to figure out what I need to do with my life,” he noted. His first civilian job was with a pool company, and after making his way through that position he quickly found himself wanting more. He opened the doors to his own pool cleaning business and set to work again. “Then my buddy was going to move out of state but he needed to first make sure he had someone he trusted on hand to fill his position at the Merced Arts Center,” said Mcallister. “I quit my pool cleaning job and made the Arts Center my only source of income, and it turned out to be a god sent opportunity."

Mcallister immediately fell in love with his job at the Arts Center as a Facility Supervisorv.

After three years with the non-profit though, he quickly found himself taking on new responsibilities with the organization. The new opportunities served as a wake-up call for him and he quickly realized he needed to head back to school.

“I fell in love with the job and realized I wanted to be on the professional side of the arts,” said Mcallister. “I was taking classes at Merced College, and I switched my major to fine arts, and at the point it became very clear what it was that I wanted to do with my life and I began creating art again.”

Among the many new responsibilities that he is responsible for now, one of his most enjoyed is hanging M A H

artwork for each exhibit. It seems his time spent in the military, where attention to detail was critical to ensure everyone's safety, may have given him an advantage as well in the art world. Between taking everything from floor slants and shadows into account, this attention to the minutia helps ensure each piece looks its best when viewed either by itself or as part of a group. When asked about what he views as some of the most important factors in ensuring an exhibit flows well, Mcallister responded, “It's the aesthetics, it’s if the frame is light or dark, its taking the demographics into account when determining height, its ensuring that the right kind of light is on the piece.”

As of recent, Mcallister is taking steps to ensure that he can use the arts as a way to support a family lifestyle. In between hanging exhibits at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center, including the current Merced College Faculty Show, he continues to pursue higher education as a way to achieve his goal of eventually becoming one of the decision makers of a gallery, with his dream job cited as becoming the Executive Director of the Smithsonian Museum.

POLINO After giving a dozen years of his life to the United States Army, Juan Polino found himself returning stateside with several tours of Iraq and a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo under his belt. After struggling with the idea of what he considered home and a string of new civilian jobs, he soon realized that while he had stepped out of the warzone a new enemy was beginning to make itself known. A short year later, the new fight would begin to come to a head with a fullblown assault.

“On October 1st, 2012 I tried to commit suicide,” Polino recalled. “Shortly after my failed attempt, a friend told me about a music group that was out there for veterans with veteran issues.” Having come to terms with the growing presence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.) within his life, he began to look into the music group his friend had recommended, REDCON-1 Music Group. “I was inspired by what they were doing,” he said. “I would preach about the issues facing Warfighters (veterans) and show that suicide is not the way to go.”

While he had previously dabbled in everything from sculpture and graffiti to writing and drama, he would end up with a Canon camera in his hands as his weapon of choice to dissect the issues that returning veterans deal with.

To get going behind the camera, Polino turned to Merced College’s photography program to enroll in Professor Jeff Gwartney’s

"My main objective is to bring light to the darkness of our veterans in Merced County."

Black and White Film Photography. “To be honest it was one of those ‘Eh let’s see where this goes,’” he said. As he began learning the ropes, Polino was quickly noted as someone whose inherent skill behind the camera stood out, and his ability to weave a story with sets of photographs was certainly noteworthy as well.

“I fell in love with photography,” said Polino.

“With writing I do the same as photography, I like to paint a picture with words. But in

photography it's a picture, and a picture speaks a million words.”

With his natural tendency to tell stories through artistic works and a closely-held subject matter to work with, Polino set out to raise awareness about veteran suicide and the P.T.S.D. issues that returning veterans face. “My main objective is to bring light to the darkness of our veterans in Merced County,” he said. “I have helped with community outreach programs such as the RUN FOR THE FALLEN. This year will be their 4th or 5th year supporting veterans that have died in the Merced County area since 9/11.”

Currently, Polino is working with a clothing line that is dedicated to the veterans community, but is open to working with any organization or pursuing opportunities that come his way that are related to his cause. Polino went on to note that while he has worked hard to draw attention to the various issues that await returning soldiers, he feels that there is still much more to accomplish and will continue to work to that end, both for his own benefit and his fellow Warfighters who find they are facing the same battle.

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overton on both sides of the lens

With an accomplished background in theatre as a writer and an actor, Shawn Overton has always felt at home creating compelling stories through artistic means.

His most recent work in the performing arts was serving as a writer for Playhouse Merced for their melodrama “Deadwood Dick.” It’s also not uncommon to find him working alongside of Merced Shakespearefest, the Merced County Writers Group, or any number of theatre education or outreach programs throughout the Merced area. So when he took the opportunity to get behind the camera for a change of pace, it only seemed natural that he would find himself coming back to the stage to make use of his skills behind the lens.

His work with a camera began during a two-week trip to Yellowstone National Park where he began taking landscape and nature photographs. “The pictures I brought back were nice,” Overton recalled. “But they didn’t look nearly as good as I knew they could have been.” Never one to settle for less, his competitive personality kicked into gear and he began to educate himself on what he needed to do to produce better work.

“I started reading about photography, got myself a better camera, and began taking pictures of anything and everything,” he noted. Once he found himself in Merced, he enrolled at Merced College and headed to the Fine Arts Department to begin formally studying photography inside the classroom in addition to working with the camera on his own time. “Ultimately, though, the only way to get educated in photography is by taking a lot of pictures.”

As his formal education came to a close, Overton found himself returning to where he felt most comfortable to do just that. “I still do a bit of landscape and nature photography, but my interests evolved over time to people photography,” he explained. Working with local performing arts

organization, he began working himself into their production schedules to photograph live theatre performances and using his work to draw awareness to the many different facets of Merced’s art scene. As each new show neared it debut date, he would make his was to the stage with a plan and camera in hand for the current shoot, then quickly find himself planning for the next show.

“The pictures matter to the organization I’m shooting for and the people involved, but I rarely look back into my archives to even look at the pictures,” he said. “I’m always more interested in what’s happening next.”

For each new shoot, Overton finds himself trying to capture the essence of the subject matter in front of his lens. ”For me, photography is about telling a story. Whether I’m photographing a play or designing a concept for a creative portrait, I’m looking for an emotional connection to something beyond what’s contained in the image,” said Overton. “It’s the story outside the frame that I’m drawn to, with the photo as a doorway into that story.”

He went on to add that as a photographer, he loves learning about people’s personality, interests and sense of humor and strives to distill those traits down to a single image that expresses something both unexpected and familiar.

Currently Overton is working on a new series of images that consist of concept

For me, photography is about telling a story.

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photographs of local artists — everything from sculptors and dancers to musicians and novelists — as they express their creativity through their medium of choice. Using his camera to capture a sense of Merced’s artistic community, Overton hopes to spark interest in art and have others become involved. “Reading or hearing about what is happening in a community is important, but a good photograph captures the emotion,” he concluded. “The idea is to incorporate an aspect of their art into creative portraits that, when taken all together, will give an overall sense of what the Merced art community actually is.”

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Info Table B

Merced College Faculty Exhibition Art Shopping Ec & Friends Pop-Up Shop Eulalia Gamez + Sandee Smith + Christian Vaughn + Bethany Porta 3. Tigers and Daggers TBA 4. Red Sky Jonathan Vazquez 5. Manasseh Thrift Danny Loreto 6. All Pro Bail Bonds Ivan Zaragoza 7. Stone Bowl Wes Richards (Seattle) + Dawg House Glass (Modesto) 8. Arbor Walk Bob Smith + Elizabeth Toel 9. 500 B=L=O=C=K Andew Gray 10. MAH Epekel Gallery Feminine Say Exhibition 11. Tonia Hemme Fine Art Studio Tonia Hemme 12. At the Pier Dob Francise 13. Cold Stone Creamery Jennifer Dudley 14. Gottschalk Music Center Avenue 28 + Mr.Large + The Royal Silhouettes + Atlas Infinity 15. Coffee Bandits TBA 16. Cloud 9 Collections The Notalatuts 17. Strawberry Alarm Clock TBA 18. Merced Antique Mall Della Salas + Lynda Gates 19. 400 B=L=O=C=K Austin Castro 20. The Cue Spot Billiards Darlene Adams + Jonathan Mondragon 21. 510 Bistro Melissa Rocha 22. Bob Hart Square Mix Media Faces + Fort Art Activity + Tee Pee Art + Villege of Knowledge 23. Country Comfort CSU Stanislaus Art Club 24. Second Time Around Alyssa Flores 25. Brightdart Print and Design TBA 26. Arbor Walk South Twila Grace 27. 600 B=L=O=C=K DJ Punjabi 28. Vault Works Eulalia Gamez 10

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Businesses + Artists

1. MCAC 2. Enrichment Center

Canal St.

mercedarthop.org

M St.

MAH

More info 209.658.0661

K St.

THE MAP July 16, 2016 5|9pm

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Bob Hart Square

Bands + Performers Main Place

600 Block

Bob Hart Square

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DJ CMK

DJ Punjabi

105.7 The Bear

5:30

DJ CMK

DJ Punjabi

105.7 The Bear

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DJ CMK

DJ Punjabi

6:30

DJ CMK

DJ Punjabi

105.7 The Bear

7

Zumba

DJ Punjabi

105.7 The Bear

7:30

DJ CMK

DJ Punjabi

105.7 The Bear

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DJ CMK

DJ Punjabi

105.7 The Bear

Zumba

MLK Jr. Way

18th St.

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Gottschalks Music Center Avenue 28

Mr. Large

The Royal Silhouettes

Atlas Infinity

Exhibitions

Merced County Arts Council [Merced College Faculty Exhibit] 645 W Main St Enrichment Center [Art Shopping EC & Friends Pop-up Shop] 645 W Main St Bob Hart Square [Interactive Art Activities (see below)] MAH Epekel Gallery [Feminine Say Exhibition] 1733 Canal St Arbor Walkway North/South [Arbor Walk Artist + Twila Grace] Interactive Art Activities & Location: Squish Art Mondrian Art Trinket Tray Art

[600 Block] [500 Block] [400 Block]

Mix Media Face Art + Fort Art Activity Tee Pee Art Installation + Village of Kindness [Bob Hart Square]

Words on the side walk + Craft Designers + Information Tables: Location _Throughout Downtown

LGBTQ + SPCA + New Beginnings - for Merced County Animals Merced County Community Action Agency M A H

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Putting the Art in Bob Hart Local artist Monika Modest is hard at work again pursuing a new project that will bring people from all walks of life together with a common goal of beautifying the Bob Hart Square area. In the past, Modest has used her skill with tile mosaics to complete projects including the Tree of Life the currently standing in Bob Hart Square, the Faces of Merced project that adorns the underside of the G Street Underpass, and the Wings of Hope and

Monika

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Grace that completed a total of 1,000 clay butterflies and raised $10,000 for Valley Crisis Center. For the upcoming project, Modest will be inviting residents join her in creating the California Poppies and Lupines that are planned to be installed in a mosaic across the street-facing side of BobHart Square’s concrete enclosure, with the goal of the final mosaic wrapping around the entire enclosure.

To complete the public art project, Modest will work with students at Yosemite High, and clients of the Merced County Rescue Mission, the Well Café, Haven of Hope, and the Wellness Center to create the mosaic’s base components. Once completed, those base components will be available during various glazing workshops around town for members of the public to attend and take part in their design. Modest will be volunteering her time to lead each glazing workshop and fire the freshly glazed Poppy and Lupine tiles. To take part in the transformation of the Downtown Merced area, a $5.00 contribution is requested to help cover material fees, however this can be waived for those who are unable to pay. This type of setup has been common

among Modest’s public are projects, and helps ensure that the project remain privately funded and open to everyone, however there is another unique quality to the project that takes place inside of the people participating.

“I’ve always been really impressed with how engaged the groups become,” Modest noted.

“Art can go beyond the aesthetic and become a tool for communities to bring people together.”

She went on to explain that because each new glazing workshop serves as a sort of meeting place of sorts for everyone who is interested in taking part in the project, it’s common to have people such as the previous Chancellor of UC Merced sitting next to a resident from the D Street Shelter as they sit down and create their tiles and find common ground and shared experiences to speak about. “I don’t think there is anything else that can bring people that would’ve never crossed paths together quite like this,” said Modest. “The communal effort allows each individual to create and engage with something larger than you ever imagined.” Past projects have lived up to that claim as well, with some bringing together more than 1,300

A Merced College art student glazes a butterfly tile for the Wings of Hope and Grace project as part of a design course led by Cheryl Barnett.

residents to contribute to the public art piece.

Over the course of her artistic career, Modest has also noticed another happy side effect of public art projects, or a thriving art scene in general, that a city can expect to see with each new creative addition. “What I’ve found is that is that any community that has a lively arts scene can expect to

the steps to spend locally once they can see the benefits of doing so, or helping to improve specific aspects of their town that they are passionate about. In this sense, the creation of community art projects helps establish a strong sense of community within a city and helps instill a sense of pride for where they live.

As of now, the project has its base

“Art can go beyond the aesthetic and become a tool for communities to bring people together.” see dollars follow,” said Modest. “When it comes to economics, there are typically very clear delineations of groups of people, but with art it doesn’t do that.” With respect to Merced specifically, Modest has found that its residents have an enthusiastic desire to contribute, and once engaged can be relied upon to do what’s in their power to make a positive mark within their city, be it taking

materials needed for the Bob Hart Square mosaic complete, and will begin advertising and organizing glazing workshops once school resumes in August. Once enough tiles are produced by local residents the installation of the mosaic will begin, which is currently planned to take place by the end of October.

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452 W. Main St | 209.725.8587 playhousemerced.com

Life on the Stage For nearly a decade, Playhouse Merced has been working with some of Merced’s youngest aspiring actors and actresses as part of their all ages programming, morning workshops, and summer camps for performing artists.

Covering a wide age range, the program has drawn its students from across Merced County, many of which are still with the organization today teaching or working alongside of staff.

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Running everything between 45 minute classes to full-day camps and everywhere in-between to accommodate performers of all ages, Playhouse Merced’s education programs aim to teach the necessary skill set to create the best performing artists, whether they plan to make use of their skill on the stage or behind the curtain.

“Each student receives professional training and has full access to all of our resources,” explained Playhouse Merced’s Director of Education Noelle Chandler.

“This means they can make use of all of our costuming, all of our lighting, and all of our set props that they need.” Support offered through the programs covers everything from acting, singing, and voice projection to non-performance roles such as playwriting and stage makeup. While these are some of the many benefits that bring students into the door, many notice that there are some other inherent benefits to their involvement in theatre that are less obvious at first.

“When you're working in the performing arts you’re always working on beats and rhythm work, which involves critical thinking,” noted Chandler.

“Musicals will always make use of math skills.” Chandler went onto say that it's quite common to see students of theatre programs pick up or improve upon other transferable skills that they can make use of in other parts of their life, such as quickthinking, general confidence, and of course the ability to act. “The idea that you will

have to perform at some point in your life is not elective,” said Chandler, referring to life events such as a job interview or other presentation. “These other skills we teach will be used in a variety of different circumstances.”

And with mathematicians and scientists among their talent, it’s a very convincing argument. It isn’t much of a stretch to see how the skills and thinking patterns one would learn while involved in set design would transfer easily to a job in engineering.

Other seemingly acting based exercises that take place work to ensure that students new to the program are made to feel safe in releasing emotion during their time with Playhouse Merced. One instance of this comes with the Truth and Lies exercise, which is practiced with older students.

Students are asked to step forward when a statement is read if it's true, but key to the game is that they may all choose to lie at any point by either staying back or coming forward. This sets up a dynamic where young performing artists are able to see the similarities between themselves and their peers, with an easy out to ensure they feel comfortable. Chandler pointed out that the intention behind exercises such as this is to have students become trusting of those around them as they work out the emotions of their characters on-stage, which can help them work through difficult real-life situations they're

facing.

Overall, Chandler strives to have the theatre programs under her leadership produce well-rounded individuals.

One clear example of a particularly transformative theatre student was with a six-year-old who joined the program in 2010. "Her fear of putting herself out there was preventing her from acheiving her best," said Chandler of the student.

After working with her through the theatre programs, staff and mentors were able to help her establish a new confidence about her natural acting abilities that carried over to other aspects of her life, and worked on communication skills between the young performing artist and staff. "Now this young woman has recently performed in major roles. She played one of the step-sisters in Cinderella, and Alice in Alice in Wonderland." While the change happened slowly over time, once it happened the student began to trust that Playhouse Merced truly just wanted her to achieve her full potential. "Now she is able to fully shine as an actress."

Those interested in learning more about Playhouse Merced’s theatre education opportunities are encouraged to log on to PlayhouseMerced.com and click on their education tab. Enrollment in the Summer Youth Festival for the 2016 year is currently open, and year-round weekly courses will begin registering on August 1st.

"The idea that you will have to perform at some point in your life is not elective."

Keeping Merced Hopping For Another Century © 2016 License 0358327

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THE GARAGE The Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre on Main Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue has been around for decades.

With its grand re-opening in 2012, they have consistently grown into a live music and comedy venue in Merced worth checking out. I chatted with Artist Relations & Booking Manager Shirin Bamoradi about the Merced Theatre and what is has to offer the community of Merced. “I started working at The Merced Theatre approximately two years ago,” Bamoradi states, “One thing I immediately began to love about my job is the reaction from the audience when the artist comes up on stage - knowing you're a part of bringing an act in and making a large group of people happy is really just an overwhelming and awesome feeling.”

The Merced Theatre holds about 1,100 seats and ranges from live comedy, country, rock, pop touring acts, and even magicians, to acrobats and animal shows. The Merced Theatre has turned into a source for diverse entertainment in downtown Merced. Shirin explains, “It's our goal to help revitalize Merced and the downtown area, in part by bringing entertainment that people want to see. Right now, our most popular genre seems to be country. However, when booking, we don't restrict our scope to any particular genre.”

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showcase type of show coming to the Merced Theatre, Bamoradi responded, “We are open to this idea and are actually working on getting something like this going in the near future.” Encouraging news for local musicians!

As far as their involvement in the Merced Art Hop experience downtown, Bamoradi stated, “We would love to find ways to collaborate soon!” Readers may be wondering about the idea of season tickets; when asked about this, Bamoradi replied, “We don't have a season ticket option at this time, however you can become a Merced Theatre Member for as little as $40 a year. Members are the first to know about Merced Theatre Foundation Presented shows, and are given exclusive presale access.” They have some pretty impressive shows lined up for the 2016 season, according to Bamoradi “Some of our bigger shows this year include The 5th Dimension, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Aaron Lewis, Jake Shimabukuro, and The Charlie Daniels Band.

There are some other big shows in the works as well.” For more info on the Merced Theatre, please check out their website at www. mercedtheater.org or call their box office at 209-381-0500.

by Chris Moreno

fashion with kim

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January 16 | April 16 July 16 | October 15

MAH 2016