Arts & Culture

Summer has just ended but its memories shall always remain. Yes, it was only three short months but it was three short months during which every day felt like a Saturday. I spent most of my days just listening to music, reading non-required books, and saturating my brain with the influx of movies released during the summer season.

Imagine 100 artists painting on the streets of downtown Davis - with each artist interpreting the city differently and influencing one another. This is what the Great California Paint Out will be like. It will be held this Saturday. The Great California Paint Out will be working in conjunction with the 10th Annual International Plein Air Painter Worldwide Paint Out.

Andrea Fourchy is a junior art studio major at UC Davis. Her work has been displayed in several group shows over the last few years - one being at John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis. This past summer she took part in an art-residency program for college juniors called Yale Norfolk. She was nominated by the UCD art department to apply and even received a fellowship to study in Connecticut. Aggie arts wrtier Paayal Zaveri sat down with Fourchy to talk about her artistic experience.

Take the modern and slatted-steel architecture of our current airport-looking ASUCD Coffee House and imagine a much more laid back but wild scene. Imagine blue drapery suspended on walls, a modest stage buried in sound equipment and 350 chairs jam-packed in the small room. Better yet, imagine the legendary Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, The Police and Rory Gallagher rocking out on stage inches from the audience, with their sweat and spit literally dripping down right on top of them. These were the glorious days of the CoHo which have vanquished to unspoken stories and memories trapped in time.

Sometimes the most passionate singers and musicians stem from their surroundings and various cultural influences. In the concert to come to Sophia's Thai Kitchen this Thursday, Mekilt Hadero will be bringing a unique soulful and R&B vibe to the stand.

On Aug. 1, the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts officially announced that the program has been awarded a three-year $580,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In the 10-year history of the Mondavi Center, the award marks the largest single foundation grant awarded to the project since construction.

2nd Friday ArtAbout is approaching quickly. The monthly event for Downtown Davis will take place this Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. -although times will vary among the different events. As always, this event is free and open to the public.

For those of you who are still on the grind and taking summer school, a novel might be the only vacation you'll be getting. There's nothing quite like immersing yourself fully into a great fiction or non-fiction novel. Here's a list of recommended books and novels to propel you into an alternate reality this summer:

Screenwriters have perfected the art of the great ending over the last 100 years or so.

Transracial adoption has become a widely contested and debated subject.

Described as an "intimate outdoor space that is a departure from your normal bar room stage" Sophia's Thai Kitchen hosts a variety of live events throughout the year.

With the huge popularity of Hollywood films and the major blockbuster culture, it's often easy to overlook the value of smaller budget films and productions.

Imagine if the iconic scene of Jack and Rose standing at the tip of the Titanic never happened.

Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites affect our everyday lives, such as tracking our every wall post to a friend, flirty chat with a new fling or picture from last weekend's party. But can such a technological medium influence art?

The formula for Speed of Darkness is a simple one: Celtic folk + punk rock = Flogging Molly. If you already knew this equation, you pretty much understand the experience of listening to the Los Angeles-based Irish rock band's latest album.