Dialogic Jake J. Thomas

I sat down with Miguel Reyna to talk about his production of The Thin Place at the Actors' Theater in Santa Cruz.


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Juneteenth, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Solstice, and more!

This may be my best solo podcast yet.

I discuss the Juneteenth event organized in Santa Cruz by Thairie Ritchie. I delve into the issues surrounding the Black Lives Matter mural that was defaced in front of the City Hall and Abi Mustapha's search for meaningful reconciliation.

I talk about my visit to Santa Cruz Shakespeare and the great interviews that I was lucky enough to do there with Charles Pasternak, Mike Ryan, and Paul Whitworth.

I delve into what Summer means to me.


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In this podcast, I discuss the power of supporting local businesses, artists, and media. If we want to build a bright and hopeful future, we must start at home by supporting the efforts of those within our own communities.


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The Little Mermaid’s remake as a live action movie improves upon the original in several important respects. The racial diversity of the movie not only helps to invite more people into the fantasy, but it also makes it a more interesting story and one that is truer to life. The ocean scenes are rendered more realistically, are sure to please ocean lovers, and might even entice some people to care more about the seas. The brilliant acting also takes this film to another level and allows viewers to empathize with all the characters and to respond emotionally to the narrative arc of the story. All in all, this version of one of Disney’s beloved classics has blown its predecessor out of the water in a big way.

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SJSU’s MFA program held an opening for their exhibition “Liftoff” at Radius Gallery on Thursday and will participate in First Friday Santa Cruz on June 2nd 5-8:00pm with Artist Talks scheduled for Sunday the 4th at 3:30pm. 13 recently graduated artists are showing some of their work at one of the most compelling contemporary art galleries in Santa Cruz. With a wide variety of media, concepts, and artistic styles on display,this show is a great opportunity to experience some of the new energy in the South Bay art world. Discover a favorite emerging artist, explore a cutting-edge gallery, and feast your eyes and mind on artistic content at Radius Gallery’s events this weekend.

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MAKING THE UNCONSCIOUS VISIBLE

The Radius Gallery at the Tannery in Santa Cruz recently hosted a group show entitled “What’s Home” organized by Andrew Purchin. This important and elegant exhibition sought to generate a conversation about one of the biggest problems in Santa Cruz County and beyond: housing. The inspiration for the show came from a painting Purchin did of the homeless encampment in Santa Cruz during the pandemic that went by the name “The Benchlands.” Purchin invited a selection of contemporary artists to create work along this theme.


TAKE COVER: LINDA COVER’S INSTALLATION

I had the pleasure to visit the exhibition twice while it was open, and on my second visit I was able to speak with one of the installation artists, Linda Cover. The center of her installation was a series of prints made by artists answering the question: What does home mean to you? The prints featured nature, people, and things they loved. She displayed this elegant collection like freshly laundered garments hanging to dry on a clothes line. She also had a small garden of plants in pots, and a stack of sand bags. This minimalist display elegantly reminded us of the challenges faced by people when they lack one of the basic elements of survival: a home.


CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION

The exhibition is down, but the dialogue continues. Purchin told me that he is submitting one of the films made during the course of the show to a series of festivals, and you can check out the ongoing efforts to keep the discourse vital on the website, what’s home.org



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