Five Blocks Square -- History of Poverty Ridge

Five Blocks Square – Andres Duany, architect, and proponent of livable cities, says that the average person won’t walk more than five blocks before getting in their car to go shopping, drop by a café for coffee, or go to the grocery store. Writer Rebecca Solnit, author of San Francisco, Infinite City, has shown that even small five blocks can hold tremendous allure – history, culture, botanical delights, art, food, comedy, tragedy, even murder. She’s invited other cities to chart their imagination and create maps of their own communities.  We picked up the challenge.  

Four artists will chart not just space, but place, people and time in four imaginative maps of their neighborhood, just five blocks square.  The individual maps, photographs, and stories by collaborating writers, will be on display at ArtFox Gallery in midtown. An ArtTalk by the artists and their collaborators will be held at the California Stage.

Eventually, the maps will be recreated as a floor installation at a local coffee house. Anyone coming in for coffee or tea can walk on it, talk about it and pick up supplies to create their own 5 Block Square map of their neighborhood.  We hope to eventually map the entire city and create a 5 Block² guide to Sacramento.

This is just a teaser -- we've been working on a lot of new living history programs in partnership with the California Stage, the Sacramento County Historical Society and local libraries and will update you soon.

For more information: matrixarts@me.com

FoodTalk@Cafe Bernardo June 4 to June 25, 2011

Are you an aspiring food writer? Want to write a cookbook, memoir, restaurant reviews, or start a food or wine blog? Or, just want to talk food and improve the stories you tell around the kitchen table? Join us at FOODTALK@CAFE BERNARDO, Saturday mornings from 10 - 1 pm June 4 - June 25, 2011. Cafe Bernardo is located at 28th and Capitol Avenue in Midtown Sacramento. 

FoodTalk@Cafe Bernardo Midtown June 4, 11, 18, 25, 2011

$15 per session. $50 for the series. 10 am - 1 pm (includes conversation, tastings and beverage)

Blind Tasting -- Maryellen Burns & Lynn Gowdy 

It’s said we eat with our eyes first, but what if we took away one of our senses? Taste an array of Cafe Bernardo’s iconic menu items, stretch your palate, and create a new vocabulary for talking or writing about food and drink. June 4, 2011

Hunt, Gather, Cook -- Hank Shaw in conversation with Elaine Corn 

Hank Shaw, author of Hunt, Gather, Cook -- Finding the Forgotten Feast, will share his experiences in the field, in the kitchen and on the pages of his award winning blog Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook. Join in the conversation with journalist/cookbook writer Elaine Corn. Books available for purchase. June 11, 2011

Kitchen Diaries -- Joy Gee & Janice Kelley

All those recipes, and stories gathering in your head or garnered from cookbooks, blogs, food magazines and memory should be gathered for posterity. Artist Joy Gee and writer Janice Kelley will guide you through the creation of a hand-made book filled with original stories, recipes, illustrations, collage, clip art or photographs. June 18, 2011

Cookbook Sale and Swap

Meet Ann Rolke, Elaine Corn and other Northern California cookbook writers, plus choose from hundreds of new, used, and rare cookbooks, food essay, food history, gardening and wine books. Bring books to swap, too. June 25, 2011

Location

Cafe Bernardo Midtown 28th and Capitol Sacramento, CA 95818

Tickets available by emailing: foodtalk@me.com, 916-768-6077

More information:

 talkfood.tumblr.com  foodtalksacramento.blogspot.com matrixarts.blogspot.com

Reservations recommended. Contact: Maryellen Burns, 916-768-6077 for more information. Tickets also available on brownpapertickets.com

Proceeds benefit Friends Around the Table, MatrixArts Kids in the Kitchen and FoodTalk@the Library.

Sponsored by MatrixArts, a 501 (c3) non- profit that bridges the visual, literary, performing and culinary arts.

MatrixArts is Alive and Well and Living in Midtown

It was really hard to get back in gear after The Gift of Art, our annual holiday art show. Plus, we decided that the trek out to Fair Oaks was just to much for most of us and moved operations back to R25 in Midtown.  We will still partner with the Allied Ceramic Arts Institute and encourage our members to exhibit in their wonderful gallery, but our energies will remain focused on providing high quality visual, performing, literary and culinary art education programs for kids, teens and adults.  Wonderful programs like:

ArtWorks@the Library
FoodTalk@Cafe Bernardo
MatrixArts KidsLit 
DIY Publishing


For now, we're concentrating on getting our blogs together, creating a new newsletter that will be distributed through vertical response, planning for a ton of summer programs, and otherwise getting our #@*%  together. 


Keep in touch by contacting us at our new email: matrixarts@me.com  or call at 916-768-6077.  Our calendar will be up in just a few days.  

Open house in Fair Oaks on Saturday October 30, 2010

MatrixArts, ACAI Studios and Gallery and Norcal Actors Workshop invite you to sample a little taste of what our three organizations have to offer on Saturday, October 30th, from 10 am to 4 m .

The day features a closing reception for papier mache artist Deborah Smith, painter Michael Smith and ceramic sculptors Aiyanna Pearson, Rosalie Roth and Lisa Johnson.  Deborah’s masks will be on sale just in time for Halloween.

Doesn’t cost a thing for you to come by and enjoy the art show, meet the artists and take a look at this exciting new art center, but we’ll also have an array of great hands-on art for you to try for a $10 per person donation.

Make clay masks, try your hand at paper-making, paint your own face, create one-of-a-kind watercolor or collage greeting cards, and even play make-believe with our great collection of costumes.

We’re located at 7425 Winding Way, Fair Oaks, California (near the corner of San Juan and Winding Way), in what looks like a converted house.

Bring friends and family and make a day of it.  The space is open most days of the week for classes, workshops, open studio, artist studios, art exhibits and art, writing and theater programs.

For more information contact Joy Gee or Maryellen Burns at matrixarts@comcast.net or 916-45-4988 

Leftovers -- Artist Reception and Members Meeting

Join us Saturday August 28, from noon to 4 pm, for a closing reception for Leftovers, the MatrixArts members show at the Pop-Up Gallery@R25, 1719 25th Street.

Enjoy papier mache masks and animals by Deborah Smith, paintings by Michael Smith and Genelle Chaconas and prints by Stephanie Skalisky and others. 

At 3:00 we'll hold a members and informational meeting about the exciting new direction MatrixArts is taking.  We'll be hosting new workshops, a resource library and gallery space at ACAI (Allied Ceramic Arts Institute) in Fair Oaks plus classes, talks, forums, displays, and performances @R25, Sacramento public libraries, Fairytale Town,  SOCA Home Tour, and other venues around town.

Contact: matrixarts@comcast.net or 916-768-6077 for more details.

Leftovers -- MatrixArts White Elephant Sale Saturday August 7 and 8th from 9 am to 3 pm

August 21 9 am to 2 pm

August 22 9 am to 4 pm

Fabulous art, art supplies, art for wearing, antiques, books, collectibles, collage materials, screen printing supplies, ceramic glazes, bisque ware, photographs, frames, estate jewelry, handmade jewelry, sculptures, Asian art, artifacts, photography, fabric – and everything else that has been lying around our studios and houses for years, will be for sale at Leftovers on Saturday and Sunday August 7^th and 8^th. Sale will be held from 9 am to 3 pm, inside and out of the heat.

Proceeds will benefit MatrixArts KidsLit and other free programs in libraries.  Event will be held at our space in Midtown, 1719 25th Street, between Q and R Street, behind the new fence.  Call 916-768-6077 for more information or matrixarts@comcast.net

Discover. Learn. Create. Connect. Share. Events at MatrixArts

June 10th, from 7 to 9 pm, Maryellen Burns will present Funding Your Dream -the first in a series of workshops for individuals and organizations on how to find money, materials and other support for creative work. Whatever field you’re in – writing, music, theater, dance, television, radio, film or new media – you’ll learn techniques for planning a successful project, identifying potential funders and investors, developing wining proposals, budgets, and marketing plans plus how to shamelessly promote yourself and your ideas. Ms. Burns has raised more than 15 million dollars for museums, libraries, universities, school districts, theaters, literary & art festivals, documentaries, and individuals. $15/10 MA members.

June 11, 18, 25 11:00 to 3:00 pm Unfinished Business Joy Gee, Maryellen Burns -- bring whatever creative work you haven’t finished --a painting, drawing, altered book, assemblage, memoir, article, book, poem or play and we’ll work with you to get it done. $15/$10 MatrixArts members.

June 17, 24, 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

Emerging Artists and Writers

Designed to give one-on-one guidance to writers and artists just starting out or facing creative block. For teens and adults $15/$10 MatrixArts members

Programs held at MatrixArts@R25, 1719 25th Street, @R25, Crossroads for Arts and Culture between Q and R Street.

Locke Lost

The Lesson of the Italians -- a new play in primary colors -- by Robert Locke

June 8 through 13, 2010 T-F Sunday 2 pm Friday Saturday 8 pm California Stage

2509 25th Street Entrance on 25th Street $10, students $5 916-451-5822 Theater Party with MatrixArts Sunday June 13th at 2 pm

There is only one actor, Bob Locke, who plays both Bob the Playwright, and Bob the Character. Don’t go expecting more. Bob is also the Director and the Costume Designer. Program designed, by guess who, Bob Locke.

First hearing Ruth Draper’s The Italian Lesson on a pirated cassette recording, Bob was immediately overwhelmed by her artistry. But, it wasn’t until this year that he found a way to incorporate Ruth Draper’s piece into a piece of is own.

First performed before a small group of MatrixArts writers, Bob thought this would be his one and only performance. But response was so overwhelmingly supportive, he decided to re-write the piece, and through the generous auspices of the California Stage, is able to offer it this June.

Ruth Draper was the undisputed queen of the one-woman theater in the 20th century. Throughout her nearly forty years as a professional performer, from her official debut in 1920 until the night she died in 1956, Draper filled theaters all over the world with her unique ability to transform herself into a vast array of characters. From New York society matrons and New England crones to British schoolgirls and Continental divas, the portraits she created were as authentic as they were mesmerizing.

The show lasts about an hour and 15 minutes. The audience is invited to remain, after an intermission of ten minutes, to share with Bob a few letters written to Ruth Draper by Lauro de Bossis, an Italian poet and aviator, also selections written by Ruth Draper about Lauro.

“ It is a fabulous romance, folks”, Bob tells us, “and the heart wrenches for these two”.

During this second segment audience members are invited to discuss the writing process of Locke Lost -- Lessons of the Italians.

Bob Locke is a local playwright, actor and author -- AKA Clayton Bess.He has written and produced the acclaimed plays Dolly, Murder and Edna Redrum, Premiere, On Daddy’s Birthday, Howling Twain, and Love, Bob. As Clayton Bess, he has written books for young adults and children, including; Tracks, Story for a Black Night, Suddenly the Cat, and the Truth About the Moon.

Later this year Bob will also participate in our Emerging Writers and Artists Program and KidsLit, talking about how to break into the world of children’s literature and playwrighting.