Rainbow Theater Created
An unsuspecting, diverse set of eyes peer out beneath baseball caps as nails tap loudly on desks in Oakes Classroom 105. “Who are you, what’s your purpose, what’s your drive, what’s your goal? How do you make things change?” Don Williams asks the room. Apart...
Free Love
It was the first time they could be themselves. Over 120 people from around the Bay Area arrived at Cowell College on Dec. 4, 1971 for the first ever homosexuality conference hosted by UC Santa Cruz. The conference, “Homosexuality: Exploring an Alternative in Sexual Expression,”...
Fit for a Queen
It was hard to miss. Three feet long and covered in sequins, the “disco dick” turned heads as Brent Farmer walked onstage at Drag Ball on April 15. Under the stage name Bryce Plow, Farmer pelvic thrusted and helicopter swung the disco dick to “Get...
Hip-Hop, Women, Earth? Word.
By Gabrielle Garcia and Marwa Safi The worlds of feminism, hip-hop and environmental justice will dance together April 29 at the Merrill Cultural Center. Hosted by the Romero Institute and the Conscious Flow Collective (CFC), “Word to Our Mother” will bring out local and international...
We Need to Talk… About Art
A dozen Ducati motorcycles, an angry baby head sculpture and gallery attendees riding around on Onewheels in an old warehouse seem strange. But all of this was found on the way to the R. Blitzer Gallery, where the second half of the art show “In...
Feelin’ Peckish
When long-time friends Justin Williams, 28, and Danny Mendoza, 25, moved to Santa Cruz from the San Fernando Valley, they noticed a shortage of late-night food beyond Domino’s delivery. Initially, they considered serving open-face bao, a Chinese steamed bun, and calling themselves “Bomb Ass Buns”...
Selling you the Science of Street Rap
In between spitting grit and rawness about the harsh realities of drugs, death and a hard life, humility poured through the mic as Freddie Gibbs performed to about 150 lucky, loyal — and mostly male — fans. The intimate show transpired at The Atrium on...
The Sound of Sorrow
You can fall in love with a person, a place or a food, but sometimes it’s an album that captures you. Sometimes, you play the album over and over, framing your life’s moments. For local band Boostive, these moments rush through beats in their latest...
Reimagining the Speculative
During a trip to Shenzhen, China to research his new novel, Chang-Rae Lee toured a factory. In one of the dormitories, he observed neatly hung clothes, a shared hotplate and potted plant — objects that struck his attention. Undercover as a potential investor, Lee witnessed...
A Glimpse Into the Blind Spot
This year, graduating UC Santa Cruz Digital Arts and New Media Exhibition (DANM) MFA students will continue the tradition of putting experimental twist on conventional art forms, lifting the veil on what tends to go unnoticed. Last year, “New Alchemy” was DANM’s theme and drew...