Margaret Wander: Navigating the Waters of American Art
Of the eight recipients of the Luce/American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Dissertation Fellowship in American Art, seven focus their research and writing on the continental United States. Breaking the mold is UC Santa Cruz’s Margaret Wander. Wander is a sixth-year doctoral candidate in the...
Sesnon Gathers Underground Scholars to Share Their Goals, Stories, and Art
As MJ Hart was installing their mural at the Baskin Art Department on May 3, an observer called campus police to report what they thought was vandalism. While Hart, the UCSC Underground Scholars outreach coordinator described this as ironic, their story led the attendees and...
‘What is Your Story?’: Bayanihan Celebrates 30 Years of the Pilipino Cultural Celebration
Legacy has been at the forefront of Bayanihan for the last 30 years. To honor Pilipino excellence and culture, Bayanihan released its annual Pilipino Cultural Celebration (PCC) production and a special project focused on its alumni. Titled “PCC 30: Ano Ang Kwento Ko?,” the students...
Derby Skate Contest Raises Funds for Mental Health Awareness
The rapid spinning of wheels wasn’t the only thing rumbling the concrete of Derby Skate Park last Saturday. The noise of live heavy metal bands and the crackling of skateboards flooded the park on May 1. About 300 friends, neighbors, and family members watched local...
Skateworks: Family-Owned Since 1988
A wall of shiny, new skateboard decks sits behind the cash register at Skateworks Los Altos. One deck has “Blood Wizard” emblazoned in gothic font across a royal blue background. Packaged Spitfire wheels and Independent skateboard trucks are displayed beneath the glass checkout counter. On...
Interactive Documentary Exposes Prisons During COVID-19
Timothy Bazrowx was an inmate at the Wynne Unit in Huntsville, Texas, when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the nation and hit prisons hard. “I don’t like to think of dying, but we all have an expiration date. [In prison] sickness runs like a crazy...
The Rasquache Collective Builds a Time Machine
You wouldn’t believe it, but they’ve built a time machine. But this isn’t the kind of time machine you would see in “Back to The Future,” “Avengers: End Game,” or even “Meet The Robinsons.” This time machine is a kite. The Rasquache Collective –– Ann...
‘In Honor Of Our Sisters’ Commemorates Indigenous Women and Girls
Content warning: Discussion of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Wind is whistling through the trees surrounding a playground. Without children laughing and playing, there is nothing but a fierce, red dress. The red of this garment sits idle in the foreground of...
Mugwort and Bergamot: Solitary Garden’s Spring Plants Center Healing and Restoration
The concrete walls of San Quentin Prison in Marin County are a far cry from the Solitary Garden. The sculpture overlooks a panoramic view of Monterey Bay and is lined with soft green mugwort and delicately vivacious bergamot, sprouting with warm violet flower buds. These...
MAH Celebrates Qingming at Evergreen Cemetery
Shovel in hand, an Evergreen restoration team member wipes away a bead of sweat that emerges on his forehead. He and another committee member are replanting a headstone that had slowly fallen over due to rainfall. Volunteers are scattered across the cemetery, pulling weeds and...