CvvNews l February 2023
March 3-5, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. 1000 I St., Modesto, CA 95354 (209) 338-2100 Ten seasons ago, Sankofa Theatre Company got its start with this haunting and dramatic work in a co-production with the Gallo Center. Now Sankofa is bringing back The Piano Lesson, August Wilson’s second Pulitzer Prize-winning play, in celebration of its 10th anniversary as the region’s only African American theater company.
At the heart of the story stands the ornately carved upright piano that has been gathering dust in the parlor of Berniece Charles’ Pittsburg home. When Boy Willie, her exuberant brother, bursts into her life with his dream of buying the same Mississippi land that their family had worked as slaves, he plans to sell the antique piano for the cash needs to stake his future. Berniece refuses to sell, clinging to the piano as a reminder of the history that is their family legacy. “The Piano Lesson is stupendous…rich and resonant,” said The Washington Post.
Carnegie Art Showcase To Open In July
CVV News l June 24, 2022
From more than 200 entries, jurors have selected 88 works — including art from 10 Merced County artists — that will be on display in the annual Carnegie Art Showcase exhibition taking place this summer at the Carnegie Arts Center in Downtown Turlock.
The juried exhibition is a celebration of artistic excellence, awarding a total of $2,350 in prize money.
The show will be on view in the CAC’s Ferrari Gallery from July 5 through Sept. 3, and a free public reception will take place on Friday, July 8, from 6-8 p.m.
Works in all media were submitted by artists from Northern and Central California. The final group selected for exhibition includes works by 54 artists representing 21 different communities. They include Merced artists: Linda Abbott, Amy Bultena, Katherine Crossley, Jennifer Fosgate, Kate Jackson, Carole Kamerer, Loren Lukens, Eddie O. Rodriguez; Atwater artist Christopher Viney; and Snelling artist Roberta Gray.
The exhibition is open to entries in all media, which this year include paintings, watercolors, drawings, stained glass, ceramics, wood, photographs, fiber arts, collage, mixed media, and digital works.
CAC Director Lisa McDermott says that the exhibition “represents the wide range of creativity that we find in the visual arts of this region. We are reaching more artists every year and seeing an increasing variety in the works we get to feature.”
She points to the selection of many established local artists for the show, as well as a number of artists who are appearing in the CAC galleries for the first time. “This is what makes the show unique and exciting every year,” she said.
Judges for the 2022 Art Showcase are:
Lauren Baines, Interim Director, de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University
Richard Gomez, painter & faculty member in the Global Arts Studies Program, UC Merced
Jake Weigel, multi-disciplinary artist & sculptor, Art Department faculty member, CSU Stanislaus
The Carnegie Arts Center is located at 250 N. Broadway in Downtown Turlock. Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission: $7 general; $5 seniors/students; free for Carnegie members and children 12 & under. Website: carnegieartsturlock.org
