Past Stories
Slightly Subversive
Now in its fourth year, this annual exhibition of pop surrealist, lowbrow culture jamming art curated by Bob Self at the Riverside Art Museum is intended to showcase the underground artistry that has served to both inspire and ...
“Don’t Interrupt, Rude!”
“In the beginning, it was rough being a girl,” Anjelah Johnson describes her beginnings in stand-up. “If you’re not funny looking or overweight, then they don’t think you’re going to be funny.”
Johnson isn’t you...
Jewell of Denial
Ever since you were able to understand language, those were two words that inflamed you the most. They meant denial. They were a barrier to what you wanted. They were frustrating, too. And, perhaps unbeknownst to the speaker, t...
Red Hot Raku
Internationally known as one of the fathers of American raku, former Scripps professor of ceramics Paul Soldner passed away earlier this year—but his legacy lives on. In a tribute exhibition to his work, “Serendipity: Paul ...
Trash Hit
The Great American Trailer Park Musical (yes, it is a real musical!) makes an Inland Valley premiere at the Esplanade Art Center in San Jacinto, Sept. 29 through Oct. 9.
“This show is joyful and unashamedly vulgar,” Inland...
Breaking the Mould
It all started with “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
It continued with a spider, the ABCs and being a little teapot. From there, you embraced what your older siblings listened to until you developed your own musical tastes....
Unleash the Revolution
Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported that Pasadena Art Center College of Design graduate Alex Shaefer was questioned by police both on the sidewalk where he paints and in his home because his latest en plein air oil was&...
Brown Collar Comedy
Steve Trevino is a stand-up comic from Texas who infuses his blue-collar humor with a Mexican American cultural perspective. His comedy veers away from the predictable ethnic references, instead focusing on observational humor ...
Shades of Gray
Debuting the work of young artist can be a tricky road for any art gallery. Often times, the focus on youth and trying to snag an up-and-comer can color aesthetic decisions, and I’ve seen many an established artist overlooked...
Recipe For Success
Though the 17th-century French upper classes objected to the production, The Miser is not nearly as offensive as Moliere’s earlier religious comedy Tartuffe. Today’s audience will find all of the character’s in The Miser ...
You’ve Been Warned
Friday mornings were the Heather McDonald Show. There were no cameras, no script, and McDonald never received a paycheck—but there was no doubt who the star was.
During the comedian’s USC sorority years, Friday morning gabf...
Hit Them with Your Best Shot
When I heard that Angela Beloian was exhibiting at the Riverside Art Museum this summer, I had two thoughts: A) I was excited to see her new work after being introduced to her incredible mobile sculpture made from recycled pape...
From East to West
Though best known as a mop-haired hipster comedian, Demetri Martin has the air (and résumé) of an ultra-intelligent man who could turn his hand to many things.
For starters, Martin’s stand-up act includes not only wry and ...
Summer SmorgARTSbord!
During the hotter months—particularly during June and July—many art venues and publications take some time off from their bustling bee bonnets to sit back and sip the Citrus Mistress (vodka, lemonade and a dash of grenadine...
Viral Art
YouTube is one of the world’s most treasured advents as an apparent place to find videos of your favorite animals acting cute, outright silly and petty clips that have made common people famous, music videos, political messag...
Bow-Wow!
Keys? Check.
You wouldn’t think to leave the house without them. Your wallet is always along, too, as are several other necessities, without which you’d feel almost naked. You grab these things on your way out the door, pa...
Let the River Run
Artist and educator Sant Khalsa has lived near the Santa Ana River since 1975—in fact, she lives in one of its watersheds. Her connection to the river is strong—it flows both around her and through the plumbing in her house...
The Final Countdown?
Just this week, I wrote an art review about the wave of environmentally-themed exhibits I’ve seen crop up recently. In most of it, I opined that we humans seem to be accepting the fact that we’ve completely screwed up the&h...
In Focus
One of the things that often enhances the understanding of art is knowing a bit about the artist’s process. In fact, it’s probably why I own the book, Why I Write by George Orwell, and not because I have hopes…
Brilliantly Funny
Director Todd Paul Brown could not be happier directing for Redlands Footlighters again. On top of that, he was able to direct one of the funniest scripts he has read in a long time.
Leading Ladies follows two down-on-their-lu...
Woman Warrior
I admit that Maxine Hong Kingston’s newest memoir touched a nerve or two, and perhaps not in the kindest of ways. Kingston turning 60 has transformed herself into the know-it-all matriarch and grand dame of flower child polit...
Up Up and Away!
Usually, when a gallery has an open call, they still have to cherry pick through all of the submissions and reject a few pits. Under the inspiration of Juan Thorp, however, the SCA Project Gallery opted to take the title…
True Romance
Mia Mercado-Bennett has been performing on stage for over 20 years, but only recently came into directing.
Mercado-Bennett has been seen at the Redlands Footlighters, Redlands Shakespeare Festival, Grove Theatre, Redlands Thea...
What a Bunch of Characters
Looking at the title of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, one might think, “What could be entertaining about a spelling bee?” Stop wondering; the show is beyond hilarious and Chino Community Theatre’s production...
Making the Scene
While we only officially say “thank you” (or perhaps, “we’re sorry”) to Mother Earth once a year, keeping an eye on the green scene and how we’re progressing to right our wrongs and not repeat the same mistakes is a...
The Final Frontier
Last week, Google celebrated the anniversary of the first human space flight—an achievement considered so spectacular by the peoples of the Earth in 1961 that it didn’t even matter it was the evil Soviet Union who had achie...
Acting Out
If all the world’s a stage . . . consider Chino Community Theatre a player—a big player. The nonprofit community theater is scheduled to host the State and Region VIII Theatre Festivals for the American Association of Commu...
Theatrical Transcendence
International and independent cinemas are, generally speaking, underrepresented in the diet of most American filmgoers. With uncertain and often unconventional distribution methods, they have a hard time reaching markets outsid...
