Artifacts

ARTIFACTS DANA Adobe and Cultural Center showcases photos by John Craig

On Sunday, Jan. 22, the DANA Adobe and Cultural Center will host an opening reception for its new exhibition, Photography of My Diné (Navajo) Family and Images of the Southwestern Landscape, a solo showcase of photos by John Craig. Admission to the reception, which starts at 1 p.m., is free for DANA members, $8 for nonmembers, and $3 for children. Craig will lead a presentation on his photography during the event, which will also include appetizers for guests to enjoy. To find out more about the exhibit and other programs hosted by the DANA Adobe and Cultural Center, call (805) 929-5679 or visit danaadobe.org. The DANA Adobe and Cultural Center, regularly open Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is located at 671 S. Oakglen Ave., Nipomo. Tours of the Adobe are offered by appointment only. The Adobe is a registered historical site and is considered the oldest home in SLO County.

Art Center Morro Bay hosts drawing demo with Amelie Butkus

Writer and illustrator Amelie Butkus will lead a free drawing demonstration at Art Center Morro Bay on Monday, Jan. 23, from 3 to 5 p.m. Butkus will demonstrate her process in drawing full-body characters that express distinct emotions in both facial and body language. To find out more about the demo, visit artcentermorrobay.org. The venue is located at 835 Main St., Morro Bay.

Local theater group stages Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

By the Sea Productions presents its staged reading of The Crucible at St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in Morro Bay for one weekend only, starting on Friday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m., with additional performances on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. From prolific writer Arthur Miller, The Crucible is set during the 1692 Salem witch trials. The show’s synopsis in press materials describes the play as a riveting tale “where religion, personal grudges, and fear clash, with deadly results.’ Tickets to By the Sea Productions’ The Crucible are available online in advance at my805tix.com. General admission to the show is $15. Visit bytheseaproductions.org or call (805) 776-3287 for more info on the production, as well as details on future shows hosted by By The Sea Productions. St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church is located at 545 Shasta Ave., Morro Bay. ∆ —Caleb Wiseblood

BY ADRIAN VINCENT ROSAS Coffee community

Central Coast coffee company Nautical Bean collaborates with The Bunker on a renovated art space

Be in the know

While The Bunker is under construction, visit thebunkerslo.com to see more about the artists it features. Follow it on Instagram, @thebunkerslo, to keep up to date about when the renovated space at 810 Orcutt Road will open. For more info on Nautical Bean and its various locations throughout San Luis Obispo County, visit nbcentralcoast.com or drop in at 11560 Los Osos Valley Road, No. 150, or 2010 Parker St.

From the ’70s and ’80s pop culture-themed lunch boxes and skateboards that populate the walls to the retro couches and wooden tables, Nautical Bean co ee shops create a certain ambiance. Whether it’s the Parker Street or the Los Osos Valley Road location, Nautical Bean strives to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for anyone in their communities to kick back in, something owner Brett Jones has always maintained as his goal. “It’s a pop culture explosion,” he said with a laugh. “We have always done things our own way, and it bene ted us over the years.” So when the opportunity came to build a community-oriented co ee shop and gallery at the iconic Bunker art space on Orcutt Road in San Luis Obispo, e Bunker’s owner, Missy ReitnerCameron, immediately reached out to Jones to be a part of the new location. e Bunker plans to open up its co ee services in late winter with the goal of being an art-focused community gathering space for the expanding Broad Street area. Reitner-Cameron originally became connected to e Bunker when she rented the location 10 years ago while it served as a closed gathering space for artists. In 2018 she fully purchased the property and set out to renovate the space and open it to the public for both art and community gatherings. “Having arts involved in whatever I do has always been part of my passions,” she said. e idea to renovate the space was mainly motivated by the needs Reitner-Cameron saw in the nearby Broad Street community—something she and Jones experienced rsthand as members of the neighborhood. “I wanted to rethink what exactly e Bunker is, especially in regards to serving a growing community and how we can provide those services that this area lacks, one of those being a co ee shop,” she said. Jones said he feels that adding this new Nautical Bean location will not only provide for those community needs but combine them with an appreciation for the arts in San Luis Obispo as a whole. “We call it the ‘Low Bro’ (lower Broad Street); everyone who has been here knows about this sense of community we have,” Jones said. “With this new location we can expand that experience to not just everyone in the community, but those coming to visit.” Jones is no stranger to embracing the local communities where Nautical Bean cafes set up shop. e Parker Street neighborhood is a place Jones considers a large contributing factor to building up a sense of community in that part of SLO for both locals and college students. “ e Parker Street community really embraced our style and co ee, and with this new location [near Broad] our hope is that we do the same,” Jones said. e Bunker will largely be focused on the gallery aspect with the Nautical Bean only taking up a small part of the overall structure. But even in its corner, Jones will be able to decorate the space with his own pop culture stylings alongside local art. e space will also allow Jones to serve an entire gallery in addition to the small co ee shop space, something he said he wants to fully take advantage of to spread his unique brand of ca einated cheer. “Having upwards of 40 seats in addition to all the space we will have within the gallery itself plus the outdoor area is something I am very excited about,” he said, “to be able to enjoy not just Nautical Bean’s co ee in our own little space but enjoy it in the wonderful SLO weather alongside art.” With art being the primary focus of the revitalized Bunker project, Reitner-Cameron also wants to use the space as a means to bring outside art into the San Luis Obispo community. “ e local art here is so wonderful, and given the history e Bunker has in supporting that art, [local artists] are absolutely the rst on my list to bring into the renovated location,” she said. “As the project grows I would love to bring in outside art side by side to blend the styles together.” Ultimately both ReitnerCameron and Jones view e Bunker collaboration as a way to bring the local community forward. By combining two creative SLO establishments, they see the potential to bring the community together into the future. “Everyone needs their co ee rst,” ReitnerCameron said with a laugh, “that’s our priority in getting this done. Once we have that, everything else will follow naturally.” ∆

BUILDING THE BUNKER The Bunker on Orcutt Road in SLO has served as a long-term haven for artists, and with the new renovations it will also serve as a focal point for community art appreciation and coffee.

Showtime! Send gallery, stage, and cultrual festivities to arts@newtimesslo.com. Freelancer Adrian Vincent Rosas is sipping on a mint chip mocha from Nautical Bean. Reach him through the editor at clanham@newtimesslo.com.