There’s much to explore around Santa Cruz County this June First Friday, including a retrospective of work by painter Myra Eastman at downtown gallery Curated By the Sea.
City Life
At 76, Tom Brady (not that Tom Brady) finds demanding performance art ‘intensifies the joy’
As he puts his latest work on display at his Westside Santa Cruz art space this First Friday, Tom Brady says he’s in the moment in a career that once went dormant for two decades. “There’s a level of understanding and urgency about who I am as a person and about this work that I didn’t have 20 years ago,” he says.
Arias and IPAs: Santa Cruz Opera Project brings ‘La Bohème’ to an unusual stage
Three sold-out shows beginning Wednesday at Woodhouse Blending and Brewing underline the thirst for what Santa Cruz Opera Project is doing, in this case a production of Puccini’s “La Bohème.”
Santa Cruz Pride kicks off with a loaded weekend of festivities
From a drag story time Friday to the 48th annual parade Sunday on Pacific Avenue, the celebration of Santa Cruz’s LGBTQ+ community will be in full swing this weekend.
Midtown Friday Block Parties becomes a Santa Cruz trifecta
Great things come in threes. The original Star Wars trilogy. The pyramids of Giza. The number of peanut butter cups in a Canadian Reese’s package (yet another thing Americans are getting ripped off on). And now, Santa Cruz’s favorite Midtown Friday Summer Block Parties. Yes, the block parties are returning for their third year in […]
Doubly ‘Outstanding’: Land artist/al fresco pioneer Jim Denevan embraces the grand scale of outdoor places
Two June Santa Cruz events celebrate the work and life of local icon Jin Denevan. For First Friday, he’ll be on hand at the unveiling of a self-titled exhibit at Minnow Arts Gallery on Locust Street, focusing on his life’s work as an artist. Then on June 14, he’ll bring the Outstanding in the Field dinner to downtown.
Want to get close up with the Cabrillo Festival? Here’s how to bring it home
The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, set to run July 29 through Aug. 13, is a fixture on Santa Cruz County’s summer calendar — and if you’ve got an in-law unit or a spare room, you can host a performer or composer in town for the occasion.
‘Tis the season for free music outdoors, and Santa Cruz County is happy to oblige
From the wharf and Boardwalk in Santa Cruz to the Capitola Village beachfront — and all kinds of other spots — free concerts abound as spring turns to summer.
The downtown Santa Cruz development debate in art
Longtime local artist Russell Brutsche has some thoughts on the build-now mentality he sees powering the wave of construction in downtown Santa Cruz, and you can see those thoughts set to canvas in a First Friday exhibition.
Santa Cruz City Council backs proposed 50-year plan for West Cliff Drive
The Santa Cruz City Council directed staff to move forward with developing a vision for West Cliff Drive as it faces coastal erosion accelerated by this winter’s storms. By the end of the year, city staff will aim to draft a roadmap for the next three years, as well as a 50-year plan.

