Apr 27 Saturday
Learn about historic and contemporary uses of collage as a medium to raise awareness and express issues. Artist, professor and curator Jazzminh Moore will lead a collage workshop, sharing the fine arts and social justice heritage of collage. Materials provided, however feel free to bring images, magazines, etc. to share.
Willits Mendo ArtsStravaganza: Free Workshops and Zine and Print Fest April 27, 2024 and Free printmaking workshop April 6 and 13 at Willits Center for the Arts.
On April 6th and 13th Willits Center for the Arts will host free a workshop: Liberation Print Making and Zines with Mariangela Le Than. Participants of all ages (even children with an accompanying adult) will dive into the world of zines and inspire each other to create their own mini zine from start to finish. Finally on April 27th the Willits Center for the Arts will host their very first Willits zines and prints market from 11 am to 5 pm in which local artists will be selling their work on paper. Work from the previous workshops will also be displayed and available for purchase.In addition, there will be other free opportunities to make art during the Zine and Print Fest:Social Justice Collage workshop with Jazzminh MoorePour Your Heart into Art: Acrylic Pouring with Eli LaughtonMariangela Le Thanh “Thao” (they/them) is a Vietnamese artist Mendocino resident who was chosen by the Upstate Creative Corps (through the California Arts Council) as a Willits Center for the Arts as a WCA Atrs Stravaganza/Mendocino Creative Corps grant recipient in 2023. Thao believes that love holds both truths and practical solutions and that the role of art in society is to help us peek over the walls of our own fear, shame, ignorance to show that something beautiful, and possible, lives beyond it. The goal is not to create a separate, individual piece of artwork but to stir our imagination: a powerful source inside all of us that is the first prerequisite for believing and then creating. Thao’s life and artistic practice are an ongoing reflection on how our human experiences are interconnected and it requires never-ending learning and unlearning. They wish to share their skills and reflections with the Mendocino community through 2 upcoming FREE classes through the Willits Center for the Arts: Prints for Collective Liberation on April 6th and Intro to Zinemaking on April 13th. In these classes Thao invites other citizens of Earth to join them with the aim of collectively creating a safe space for grief, action and imagination. On April 6th they will demo multi color block printing, a medium that has long been used to create work in the name of justice and resistance to oppression everywhere. We will reflect on how all our freedoms are tied together and how change can only be achieved if we are willing to be vulnerable, look inward and act outward. Jazzminh Moore received her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and MFA from California State University, Long Beach, both in Drawing and Painting. She has had solo exhibitions in NYC, LA, SF, Paris and elsewhere. Her work has been featured in various publications including New York Magazine, Whitewall, New American Paintings, Huffington Post, ArtVoices and Interview Magazine. Jazzminh is currently adjunct faculty in the Art Department at Mendocino College.A native of San Francisco, Elias Laughton found himself a resident of Mendocino County in the early 1980's, where he still joyfully resides. “Having no formal training in the Arts, I feel unbound by convention, and my creative process is liberated from expectations of a certain aesthetic outcome...I was fortunate to discover an Acrylic Pouring workshop being offered by local artist Rossi Jensen in August of 2018, and I've been painting ever since."Elias describes his art as "experimental abstract" and tries to explore the relationship between the seen, and the Unseen. "As an abstract artist, I chose to limit my own personal influence upon my audience, and instead, allow the paints and mediums to create the composition..." Elias also proudly donates 10% of his total sales to the Anderson Valley Animal Rescue society.These free events are made possible by the Upstate California Creative Corps grant. See https://www.upstatecreativecorps.org/ . Willits Center for the Arts is pleased to be able to make these events free of charge including materials. WCA is located at 71 East Commercial Street, Willits, CA. See more on our website https://www.willitscenterforthearts.org/ .For more information, contact Sasha Thomas at manager@willitscenterforthearts.org
Make your own acrylic pourNo registration . Just show up ready to get messy!
Apr 29 Monday
The program goal is to create a pipeline for underserved food operators through teaching valuable business skills, nurturing peer awareness and mentorship opportunities, providing additional workforce development and skill building for individuals with high barriers to employment, and offering diverse avenues to access and providing quality food and produce from local producers.In this 5 part series, participants will:
- Develop their business story and mission - Understand the region-specific regulations and licensing requirements- Review budgeting & accounting principles for budget creation- Learn how the mission and business story tie directly into the best marketing and branding- Learn the ingredients needed to for growth while maintaining the business
$150.00 stipends available to the first 20 Mendocino and Lake County Residents. These sessions are being offered in ENGLISH and will be capped at 20 people.
Apr 30 Tuesday
About the class: In this 15-week course we’ll use readings, craft lectures, and in-class writing exercises to build our writer’s toolbox. We'll also discuss our work in an encouraging and supportive environment. Topics we’ll cover in detail over the semester: ~ How to Establish a Writing Practice~The Elements of a Good Story –This section comprises the bulk of the class lectures, as we’ll go into detail about the elements of narrative, i.e. plot, character, setting, voice, subtext, etc. ~How to Refine & Revise ~How to Get PublishedAlthough this is a non-credit class, the class work will be substantial and designed for aspiring writers of all levels who want to hone their chops. Adults of all ages are welcome.
About the teacher Melinda Misuraca:I’m a writer, editor and teacher who has published poetry, fiction, reportage, memoir, travel writing, reviews, profiles, science-based articles, and longform essays. I also like to cook, make my own clothes, grow plants, collect old photographs, travel and read books (remember those?) I’ve spent the past several years living half-time in Portugal, and currently live in Healdsburg in a leafy little hideout of sorts.
To register:The course number is ENG 503-0783. If you are familiar with the Mendocino College registration system, you can register for the class at www.mendocino.edu. New students, and those who haven’t taken a class at Mendocino College in the past two years, will need to apply to the college before signing up for any class. Email adultschool@avpanthers.org for instructions on how to apply. For more info: Call the AV Adult School at 895-2953Email us at adultschool@avpanthers.org
May 02 Thursday
Avenues to Wellness (A Program of the Frank R. Howard Foundation), presents a Bereavement Support Group. This facilitated 8-week group provides and opportunity to learn the symptoms of grief, as well as to recognize the individual nature of its expression and duration. With a fuller understanding of the grief process and effective ways to cope, we can find meaning and move forward. This is group is limited to 8 participants. Please call Suzanne to register: (707) 456-9676
Lines & Spines Book ClubThursday, May 2, 2024First Thursdays of each month6-7 PM on Zoom
Join us for monthly discussions on thought-provoking books at our Lines & Spines Book Club! Meetings will take place on the first Thursday of the month at 6pm on Zoom. The May 2nd book club book will be "The Measure" by Nikki Erlick.
Please email Melissa Carr at carrm@mendocinocounty.org or call 707-234-2862 to sign up. All registrants will receive an email invite to participate via Zoom.
May 04 Saturday
Quilts in Bloom 2024 marks the return of Grapevine Quilters Guild of Mendocino County's annual show. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 4 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 5. The show will include hundreds of quilts on display, vendors, demonstrations, silent auction and a Country Store featuring quilting and sewing related items for sale.
May 05 Sunday
Victory Gardens for Peace GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Mini-Farm in Mendocino, CA will be holding a garden tour and talk on Saturday, May 6, 2023. This is the only tour we will have this Spring.
Included is an introduction session, a discussion of the overall world challenges in the areas of soil, food, and nutrition, and a discussion of practical things we can all do to make a difference. Plus a refreshing tour of the garden and learning about several crops that every backyard farmer should know about. We will also be holding 30-minute mini-classes on double-digging, composting, seed propagation, and sustainable home garden crops.
The registration fee is $25 per person.
For more info and to register, please visit www.victorygardensforpeace.com/schedule
Hope to see you there!