Event highlights for the week of August 2, 2017
Green Fix
Wilderness Workshop & Mixer
Ever wanted to learn those special skills to combat the impending zombie apocalypse? Well, now you can: create tools for survival and learn the skills necessary to survive in the wilderness while mixing and mingling with fellow nature enthusiasts over beer, wine and snacks. Learn how to make insect repellent from native plants, how to tie knots for any given situations, create a paracord bracelet and more. Pre-registration is recommended.
Info: 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5. Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, 1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. santacruzmuseum.org. $10-$15.
Art Seen
‘African Elephant to Zebra Shark’ Reception
What’s the “monkiness” of a monkey? Or the “squirrelness” of a squirrel? That’s what Peter Koronakos seeks to explore with his exhibit “African Elephant to Zebra Shark: Alphabet of Oddball Animals 2017.” Each letter of the alphabet is represented, and this year’s show features new sculptures including a bobcat, orangutang, pony, and more, in addition to the returning title animals. Koronakos is a connoisseur of interesting junk, making an African elephant from an oil can, or a Tennessee Fainting Goat from a ping pong paddle. “The materials themselves speak to me and jostle for inclusion in the animal sculptures I make,” says Koronakos.
Info: 5-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, 1368 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. peterkoronakos.com.
Wednesday 8/2
37th Annual Dickens Universe “Middlemarch”
The Dickens Universe brings together scholars, teachers, students, and community members for a week of stimulating discussion and festive social activity on the UCSC campus, all focused on the late, great Charles Dickens. This year’s event will focus on George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch, in anticipation of the 2019 bicentenary of Eliot’s birth, for a week of total immersion in the world of Victorian fiction on the gorgeous UCSC campus. Building a community of readers, the Universe provides a college lifestyle with students living together, eating together and mingling, plus a range of activities with formal lectures, small discussion groups, films, teas, performances, and Victorian dancing.
Info: 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. UCSC Colleges Nine & Ten, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. dickens.ucsc.edu. Registration online.
Friday 8/4
Marie Sarni Exhibit
Marie Sarni is a painter from the San Francisco Beat Generation, and, at 86, moved in the circles of the most famous Bay Area beat painters. In 1972, Sarni was named “Outstanding Painter Living Outside of New York City” by Art News. Sarni, now retired, studied with Richard Diebenkorn, Nathan Oliveira, Elmer Bischoff and Wally Hedricka, and was close friends with Willem and Elaine de Kooning, who had Sarni’s paintings as part of their personal collection. Although Robert Azensky Fine Art doesn’t usually host exhibits, they made an exception for the incredible story of Sarni’s work, which opens on First Friday.
Info: 5-9 p.m., 3140 Porter St. #F, Soquel. Free.
Sunday 8/6
‘Nevertheless They Persistently Joked’
They’re funny, they’re lesbian, and they’re leading a movement—Vickie Shaw and Jennie McNulty have been making people laugh professionally for more than 20 years. They’re back on the stage this Sunday, Aug. 6, at Don Quixote’s International Music Hall to get people involved. It’s more than a comedy show, they’re creating a women’s network, social outreach opportunity, and a movement. Shaw is one of the best storytelling comics in the business, fighting for her the future of her three grandchildren. McNulty is known for quick wit and improvisational skills with a highly sarcastic edge.
Info: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s International Music Hall, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15-$20.
