APRIL 20, 2022 • VOL. 9, NO. 11
Creative Studies Student works return to Cabrillo Gallery BY JOHANNA MILLER
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couple of weeks ago, I visited a museum for the first time since the pandemic began. I brought my daughter, who endured the absurdity of “distance learning” for almost a year and a half. Grade-school kids trying to learn real-world concepts outside of a real-world environment is perhaps the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) example of the virtual world’s limitations. She could have seen those museum exhibits on a screen, and thought the were interesting. She probably could have passed her eyes over an entire room’s worth of images in less than a minute. On a computer screen, their flat, dimensionless surfaces would have nothing to unlock. But in the actual museum, she was immersed. She looked the pieces over from all sides, she read the descriptions out loud to me. She played with the interactive features. She experienced something real. Now, I don’t blame museums for going digital during the pandemic, of course—what else could they do? Cabrillo Gallery is one of the thousands that had to go virtualonly, and so their last two annual exhibitions of student work were only available to view online. But as Johanna Miller explains in her cover story for this issue, the 2022 exhibit—which opens this week— is in-person again. I think you can get a sense from the cover photo and the images in her story of how different it will be to actually be able to examine the craft in these works up close. And how different for the students, too, who will get the satisfaction (some of them for the first time) of knowing that their art is truly being seen. — Steve Palopoli | Editor
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Cover Story
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Local Scene
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Word from a Friend
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History Corner
10 Financial Advice CEO & Executive Editor
Dan Pulcrano Vice President
Lee May Publisher
Jeanie Johnson Editor
Steve Palopoli Contributing writers
John Hibble Zach Friend Johanna Miller Soren E. Croxall Hugh McCormick Adam Joseph Photography
Tarmo Hannula Cover photo
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Aptos Life is published monthly. All rights reserved, material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. Aptos Life made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. Aptos Life is a division of the Pajaronian. Publishing in Santa Cruz County since 1868.
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APRIL 20, 2022 | APTOS LIFE
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Expression of
Joy
Cabrillo students find escape and voice in exhibition’s works
APRIL 20, 2022 | APTOS LIFE
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PERFECT PLACE Cabrillo Johanna Miller
APRIL 20, 2022
By JOHANNA MILLER
Gallery director Beverly Rayner installs pieces for the 2022 Student Exhibition.
decided to offer this during the reception instead. There’s a lot of excitement around that. It’s a great opportunity for students.” Masks are required for entry to the reception, and gallery occupancy will be carefully monitored for safe physical distancing. Parking will be free in the campus A and B lots during the event time only. Cabrillo Gallery is located at Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos in the Library building, room #1002. Hours are MondayFriday, 9am-4 pm with extended hours on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 pm. Admission is free, and the gallery is accessible to all. Free parking is available on public streets surrounding the campus. For more information, visit cabrillo.edu/cabrillo-gallery or follow Cabrillo Gallery on Instagram and Facebook.
Courtesy Cabrillo Gallery
“It's so fascinating to me,” she said. “You’ll have seen one piece that a student had in a show, then they take a different class and they create something new but with a similar style, approach. Added Rayner: “Some of them will finally find what is their passion, and you see that they just dive into it full force. And suddenly that medium is where they’re headed.” Next year, Cabrillo Gallery will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The space was first opened in 1973 by a group of faculty instructors, who created the gallery on their own time (and without pay). Gradually, it has transformed into an educational and professional space where artists of all levels have been able to show their work. “It’s interesting to see how it has grown organically over the years,” Rayner said. “It’s great to have student work, faculty work, and samples from artists all over the country and sometimes even other countries, right here on our campus in Aptos.” Student Exhibition 2022 opened for viewing on April 18 and will run through May 13. “This show has such joy to it,” Rayner said. “Students get so excited, their families and friends come to support them. It’s really sweet.” A free opening reception will be held on April 23, 3-5pm, along with a student art sale selling paintings, printmaking, photography, digital fabrication and more. The majority of the art sale’s proceeds will go to the student artists, and 20% to support the gallery. The gallery is currently fundraising to pay for a large lighting replacement project, which was partially funded by a grant they applied for in 2020. “Typically we would have an art sale during the Horticulture Department’s Spring Plant Sale, but that’s not happening this year,” Rayner explained. “So we
APRIL 20, 2022 | APTOS LIFE
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very spring, Cabrillo College’s on-campus art gallery marks the end of the school year by celebrating the accomplishments of its students. The 2022 Student Exhibition, which opens this week, highlights works by students from all disciplines within the school’s Art Studio and Art Photography departments. The show includes painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, smallscale metals and jewelry,
digital fabrication, typography, mixed media, traditional and digital photography, and video. This is the first time the exhibit will be held inside the physical gallery since 2019. Due to the pandemic, all gallery shows in 2020 and most in 2021 were held virtually via the gallery’s website and social media accounts. While they did open temporarily last October, they had returned to online early in the Spring 2022 semester due to the Omicron surge. “It feels exciting to finally be back,” said Cabrillo Gallery’s program coordinator Victoria May. “We are so proud of our art department, and it’s just so nice to see all of this in person again.” Three pieces from each Cabrillo art class are chosen to be part of the Student Exhibit, either by a popular vote by peers in class or by an instructor’s recommendation. This makes the show different from most juried exhibits that are held at the gallery. May and Gallery Director Beverly Rayner said they were surprised by the diversity of the works that showed up to the gallery this year, and the lack of pieces having to do with Covid19 or other current events. “Maybe it’s that the artists are using this as a comfort, an escape,” Rayner guessed. “Being lost in your own creativity can be helpful to your own psyche, especially during such an unsettled time as this. In that respect, we hope the gallery itself can be a refuge for people when they come to visit.” The Student Exhibition has been a tradition at Cabrillo for many years. In the early days, Rayner said, back before Cabrillo had a formal gallery, the school would mainly display guest artists. But gradually it became a space for students, faculty and others to show off their talents. “It’s also a good tool to help people decide what classes to take,” Rayner said. “They can look around at the pieces, see what might be interesting for them to try out next.” May said that she often recognizes student artists who had entered other pieces in previous semesters, when they were taking different courses.
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WORD FROM A FRIEND
Intro to Blockchain
T
he Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors recently approved a pilot program on an item I brought forward to explore and increase the usage of blockchain technology within county government. Specifically, the county approved a pilot program that included, at no-cost, the infrastructure for a digital wallet from HUMBL, which provides custom blockchain solutions for companies and governments.
What is blockchain?
What is a digital wallet? A digital wallet is a secure system that stores an individual’s payment and other information such as credentials and documentation in a digital interface that can be accessed from a mobile phone or other Internetconnected device. Digital wallets can use blockchain technology to ensure the information contained
Helping you plan today so you can have confidence for tomorrow
By Zach Friend Santa Cruz County Supervisor
within a wallet is secure, verifiable, and self-sovereign (the information or documentation is owned by the individual). Blockchain wallets can be used for documentation, financial payments and any other instance of verifying a transaction that a citizen may need for government services.
Why could this be helpful? The goal of the Santa Cruz County wallet pilot program is to increase the equity, quality, accessibility, and transparency of services provided to constituents by the County. Use cases may include wallet credentials such as marriage licenses, birth certificates, library cards, and other county (or other government) documents that are traditionally registered on centralized technology systems by the county. Over time, this could reduce cost, improve access and security of these documents for county residents. Digital wallets would also provide the necessary infrastructure for virtual currency use at the county level. While this would require state legislative clarity, should some of the current proposals at the state level pass, local governments would have a path for considering virtual currencies as a form of payment. For example, some recent state legislation proposed eliminating the volatility risk associated with virtual currencies by providing for immediate conversion into fiat at point of transaction for businesses and local governments. As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this (or any other County issue). I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook. com/supervisorfriend, and you can always call me at 454-2200.
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Blockchain technology has existed since the 1990s, but the functionality and capabilities have widely expanded in recent years. While many associate blockchain exclusively with crypto or virtual currencies, its applications range far beyond that. Blockchain technology, at its core, is an immutable (unchangeable), decentralized digital ledger that allows for verification and tracking of data between separate parties. When used appropriately, blockchain can bring increased trust, transparency, and efficiency into systems. This could potentially have positive implications for many government services, such as permitting processes, digital identity, and other government documentation such as licenses and certificates.
Soren E. Croxall, CFA, CFP
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HISTORY CORNER
Photo: Courtesy of Aptos History Museum
HISTORY BOOKING The Hotel Don Rafael de Castro, forerunner of the Rio Del Mar Country Club, in 1930.
The Country Club
APRIL 20, 2022 | APTOS LIFE
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io Del Mar Country Club was a grand resort born during the heyday of the Roaring ’20s, but where was the actual clubhouse located? Originally, prospective property owners were hosted in the former Spreckels mansion or the Golf Lodge. Ultimately, the centerpiece of the resort was an elegant hotel located at the crest of Rio Del Mar Boulevard on the bluffs overlooking the Monterey Bay, the esplanade and the beach below. Originally named the Hotel Don Rafael de Castro, it was a first-class hotel of Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture with 22 rooms. The hotel was designed by San Francisco architect Benjamin D. McDougal. It was built in just seven months, at a cost of $100,000, and opened on May 1, 1929. The entry Foyer was decorated with
and Rio Del Mar developments items from the estate of the actor, Rudolph Valentino. were caught up in the fallout. During prohibition, Rio Del In 1931, the name of the hotel Mar beach was a notorious was changed to the Rio Del main entry point for booze from Mar Country Club Inn. Canada. The hotel was just up the After Prohibition was repealed road from the landing at the end of 1933, plans points and hotel staff were made to expand could readily pick up hotel the hotel. Benjamin supplies from the beach. Schreyer of San Francisco Local resident Sally Van was hired to design an Kaathoven said that the additional 9,000 square inside and outside walls of feet of space including 18 the hotel were far enough new bedrooms, a dining apart to walk between so room and ballroom that that bootleg liquor could By John Hibble could accommodate 500 be stored out of sight. Aptos History Museum people with 120 feet of The stock market windows overlooking had been on a ninethe bay, a cocktail lounge year run that saw the and a detached casino. The Dow Jones Industrial Average new additions were dedicated increase in value tenfold, peaking on New Year’s Eve, 1936. in September 1929 and then Big bands played at the hotel crashing—causing the Great and were broadcast nationally Depression, which lasted for making Rio Del Mar famous. ten years. Both of the Seacliff This was the hotel’s high point.
World War II caused the hotel to close in the fall of 1942. A group of local investors leased the hotel in 1946 and renamed it the “Rio Del Mar Hotel,” but it went bankrupt in 1949 and was closed. The hotel sold again in 1955 and reopened as the “Aptos Beach Inn” in 1957, but closed again in 1961. In October 1962, the hotel was leased for 5 years and renamed the Aptos Beach Inn & Racquet Club; it reopened that November. Four months later, on St. Patrick’s Day of 1963, a large party was being held for Coast Counties Gas, a forerunner of PG&E. Shortly before midnight, cooks had spotted smoke seeping from the kitchen ceiling around light fixtures, accompanied by “a crackling in the walls.” The fire broke out in the kitchen and spread rapidly. Remember that the walls were hollow to hold ➝ 10
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HISTORY CORNER
FINANCIAL ADVICE
Managing Market Volatility Soren E. Croxall
T
he first quarter of 2022 was a reminder that market volatility can and certainly does rear its ugly head on a regular basis. Since the market drop experienced at the start of the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020, market volatility overall has been fairly subdued. However, as the first quarter of 2022 has shown us, it’s not a matter of if, but when— and for how long—market volatility returns.
APRIL 20, 2022 | APTOS LIFE
It’s not a matter of if, but when— and for how long—market volatility returns.
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Right now, there is a confluence of factors affecting the market that all lead to one thing markets and investors hate, which is uncertainty. During the pandemic, the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates and pumped money into the economy by buying bonds. The government also responded by pumping money into the economy through stimulus programs and forgivable loans to businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program. While these policies were necessary to help stave off the worst of the
Financial Advice
economic turmoil caused by the pandemic, we are now seeing some of its aftereffects, namely high inflation that is looking stickier— and less and less transitory— than previously expected. Adding to the mix is global uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine, gas prices, and upcoming midterm elections in November. Needless to say, a lot is going on.
What You Can Do Markets are going to go up and down. You can’t control it, so instead focus on one thing you can control. While hard to do at times, controlling emotions is key. The headlines that flash across your screen during times of market volatility can certainly be unnerving. However, rash decisions made in response can potentially be even more costly than the market movements themselves. Trying to time the market by jumping in and out likely isn’t going to pay off in the long run. You must be right not once but twice—when to get out, and when to get back in. Good luck guessing that. If you have created an investment plan, stay disciplined. For example, if you invest monthly through payroll deductions to your company’s workplace retirement plan, keep at it even if markets are choppy. Tune out the noise and instead focus on evaluating and re-evaluate your individual goals. Is your portfolio invested in a way that is aligned with your personal goals? If you are unsure or find yourself losing sleep at night due to the recent market volatility, consider talking with a financial professional. They can help evaluate your portfolio relative to your risk tolerance,
goals, and objectives, and help you determine if any adjustments should be considered. They can also help explain potential tax implications of making changes within your portfolio depending on the type of accounts your own. Lastly, a financial professional can help you identify and mitigate certain behavioral biases you may not even know you are exhibiting. If you have both short and long term goals, consider the “buckets” approach for your investments. Short term goals, like saving for a down payment on a home or building up an emergency fund, should be conservatively invested. Longer-term goals like retirement (depending on your age) can afford you a potential longer term time horizon, which may allow you to ride out the short term ups and downs we have recently seen in the markets. Although it is never comfortable when the financial markets retreat, it is important to at least try to keep things in perspective. Market pullbacks happen on a regular basis. I encourage everyone to keep a clear focus on their personal objectives and not to overreact. Seek out professional guidance if you are in doubt or would like a second opinion. Soren Croxall, CFA, CFP® is a registered representative of LPL. Financial Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor. LPL Financial and Croxall Capital Planning do not provide tax or legal advice. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
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bootleg liquor. The alarm was given. Three hundred guests were evacuated safely. I am told by knowledgeable sources that the manager went from table to table and asked the guests to take their drinks outside temporarily, and that the problem would be fixed shortly. After the guests realized that would not be the case, many of them walked down the hill to the Sea Breeze tavern and ordered additional sustenance. Two firemen suffered serious burns during the desperate fight by eight fire departments in the face of a totally inadequate water supply. All firefighting had to be done from the street side because of the closeness of the rear of the hotel to the edge of the cliff. The famous inn was destroyed. The damage was estimated at $450,000. The east wing was a total loss, but the west wing was saved. However, the next day people not only sifted through the debris, but some also went into the west wing and liberated everything that was not tied down. At the Aptos History Museum, we have had donations of a wrought iron lamp from the hotel exterior and a decorative iron grate that was in the entry foyer. I have also seen the fire-damaged entry doors and pictures of the office safe which are in private hands. The remains of the hotel were torn down and ultimately replaced by the Shore Del Mar condominiums at 260 Rio Del Mar Boulevard. Amazingly, the former Casino still exists as a private home. It was separate from the hotel. Although slot machines were legal in private clubs, it is likely that other forms of gambling also took place. The casino’s wrought iron entry screen doors have cutouts of clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. By being separate from the hotel it was possible to avoid the prying eyes of the government agents. Much of this article was based directly on the research of the late Allen Collins. The museum needs your support. If you enjoy these stories and pictures, please consider joining the Aptos History Museum at aptoshistory.org or 831-688-1467. The museum is a public service of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce.
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