Skip to main content

Style Magazine

the arts

Bronze Beauty

Jun 30, 2008 05:00PM ● By Super Admin

The hundreds of equestrian enthusiasts who spend their weekends atop saddles in shows across the state do so each weekend for the pleasure of horses and competition, but for Patricia Borum, attendance serves a different purpose.

Read More »
Explore and Grow

Jun 30, 2008 05:00PM ● By Super Admin

Funding is cut, money is tight, schedules are strained and school administrators are forced to make some hard choices. Unfortunately, music and art programs are usually the first to suffer from necessary cutbacks. It is as true today as it was nearly a half a century ago.“Music and art is important to round out the personality of every human being,” Clara Neilsen says. And she should know. As one of the original founders of Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp, she has seen success for more than 48 years. The camp started in 1959 as an answer to budget problems with the local schools when the county board of education decided to pull all arts and music education out of the curriculum. Sound familiar? To help continue this important part of the educational process, the camp was born. It started small, offering only music instruction one week a summer, hosting less than 30 kids. Today, two weeks of music, dance, photography, drama and more is available in a supportive and positive environment accommodating more than 400 students from El Dorado County, ages 10 to 17. Two, six-day camp gatherings are held near Pollock Pines each summer. The camp’s mission is to provide each camper with an affordable, exceptional and educational experience, while bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to promote understanding. The counselors, teachers and campers work together to provide a safe atmosphere free from peer pressure. It’s a place where everyone has the opportunity to take risks and grow. “We’re more concerned [about] the process, than the final product,” Nicoles “Big Dog” Ridout, the camp’s director says. “We want everyone to have fun and experience the things they don’t normally get to the rest of the year.” “Big Dog” has had fun at camp for nearly 45 years. He started as a camper, graduated to counselor, and is director of the entire camp. “For me,” Ridout says, “the work I do in these two weeks pales to the rest of my year.” Like Ridout, the majority of the counselors, teachers and staff are veteran campers. They proudly call themselves “Sugarloafers.” The camp does not turn anyone away because they cannot afford the registration fee. Scholarships amounting to $25,000 were awarded this year. The Sugarloaf Station Foundation oversees the camp and its finances and pays nearly 40 percent of the scholarship monies and private donors fund the remainder. “Kids are not judged at camp,” says Foundation president Paul Zappettini, “all that they do is supported in a safe haven usually not available in our current world.” The camp promotes values and provides experiences that kids will take into adulthood. “As kids progress through their lives, they can draw on the support they received here.” Zappettini says.The experience is best summed up in a letter written by a grateful camper when she learned of receiving scholarship money for the 2008 season: “Sugarloaf gives me the opportunity to be myself, and everybody is equal. Everyone loves and cares for each other.” To find out more about the Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp, visit <a href="http://www.sugarloafcamp.com" target="_blank">sugarloafcamp.com</a>. <br><br><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> or call 530-622-7130.

Read More »
Hot Summer Nights

May 31, 2008 05:00PM ● By Super Admin

The nights are getting warmer and the days longer, so what’s a family to do with these wonderful summer evenings? Performing Arts of Roseville (PAR) board president, Sarah Keesling, suggests packing a picnic and heading to Royer Park for the 18th annual concert series, Roseville Music in the Park. And we couldn’t agree more.“It’s a great opportunity for families and the community-at-large to just hang out and get together on a Sunday night,” says Keesling.On the fourth Sunday of each month through September, music lovers can enjoy free music from the area’s favorite bands. And new for this year’s event, local artists looking to break into the industry will kick off each concert as top-notch opening acts. “I love performing at outdoor venues – people are out in the sun enjoying themselves and it’s just an atmosphere that fits with my feel-good music,” says Sacramento singer Kate Gaffney of the Americana flavored tunes she and her band will be performing at Royer Park this summer. Gaffney’s guitarist, the young Ross Hammond, is a Sacramento native and favorite who’s been a fixture on the region’s jazz and rock scene for the past decade. His sound “adds a colorful flavor” to her works, says Gaffney. “Our goal is to bring different cultures together, so we’ve had jazz bands from Japan and Denmark; we’ve had Country-Western and Swing and Big Band; and this year we have mostly Pops,” says PAR Director, Bob Cooley. “People bring their blankets and enough fried chicken for me, and we’re all happy.”If packing another paper-bag meal is not on your list of things to do this summer, the Roseville Host Lions’ Club will have the barbeque lit and will be selling hotdogs, hamburgers and garden burgers to benefit PAR alongside local baristas from Mocha Motion, who will be pouring lemonades, iced teas and coffees. Headliners this year include Sacramento world beat favorite, Mumbo Gumbo, the costume-crazy 80z All Stars, and Hurricane Sam Rudin, a lightning-quick solo pianist who labels his sound as “boogy-blues and jazz.”“It’s blues-based music in a loose sense,” Rudin says. “It’s the music of the entire 20th century – from blues to bebop, from rag-time to rock-and-roll. And I’ve got a genuine old-fashioned acoustic piano – it’s more authentic than a plastic keyboard and the visual flavor is nicer.”And if you’ve never been to a Mumbo Gumbo concert, Cooley says that the event’s 15-year closing act shouldn’t be missed. “I don’t know how to describe what they do,” he says. “Maybe calypso or Louisiana swing, but its music you can dance to!”Performing Arts of Roseville is an all-volunteer, non-profit devoted to providing free music events in the Roseville area, and high-quality performing arts programs in local schools through grants and fundraising. For more information on Roseville Music in the Park or Performing Arts of Roseville, visit rosevillemusicinthepark.com. •ARTSBEAT:June 14-July 26 – Wonders of Water: Children's Art Contest. Young artists between the ages of five and 17 enter their work for a chance to win $750 in prizes. The event is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente Roseville and some entries may be chosen for permanent display in the new Women and Children's Center at Kaiser Permanente's Roseville Medical Center. For details, call 916-783-4117.Through July 27 – The Language of the Nude: Four Centuries of Drawing the Human Body. This exhibition brings nearly 60 rarely seen drawings to the Crocker Art Museum. For details on this exhibit or for more information, call 916-808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

Read More »
Leslie Anne Webb

May 31, 2008 05:00PM ● By Super Admin

“At the age of three, I painted the perfect rendition of the horse as I saw him: spiritual, majestic and vividly colorful,” says Leslie Anne Webb. And, she recounts, “horses had captured my heart with their beauty, their grace, and the language of their soul.” She knew even then that humans and animals had a strong emotional connection. By the age of 11, she had painted a mural of running horses framing her bedroom allowing her to feel their beauty surround her.Although college days may have led her astray from her core heart’s desire to focus on animals, after completing her Master’s in Psychology, Webb befriended a lady that introduced her to the United Pegasus Foundation. This drew her to meet rescued foals, and it was then that Webb knew she was going to invite horses back into her life and never let go again.Through spending time with the horses, Webb describes a strong human-animal connection that we can all experience if we just open our minds to the possibility. “All animals are teachers or healers,” she says.Webb has been an artist and painter her entire life, and now lives on a private ranch in Grass Valley with her three dogs, cat and five horses. Webb credits her mother, a current artist, and her grandmothers who were artists, for her creative and artistic abilities. Webb is working to become certified in equine guided education and looks to teacher and mentor Ariana Strozzi for inspiration. The equine guided educator strives to reconnect and heal people by utilizing the horse as the mediator. The Equine Guided Education Association (EGEA) supports the horse as a guide in human growth and development. Currently, Webb is practicing her equine work with her own horses as well as helping to build relationships with clients and their horses. Her focus is on the dynamics of developing a relationship between horse and human. Webb says that, “today, my work still reflects the deep connection I have for these majestic animals, and the vivid colors [in my paintings] portray the brightly energetic personalities they exude. Most of the horses I paint are those rescued by United Pegasus Foundation and other rescue organizations.”Webb believes that horses can bring us to the present moment, and she describes the power of accepting that gift from her subjects. She says, “it is through knowing these horses that I find my greatest inspiration, for to stand and hug a horse, encompassing the awe of their strength and gentle nature at the same moment, leaves one utterly breathless. It is in this moment that we tend to take a deeper breath than normal, finding our rhythm slowing down to match that of our furry companion. For it is in the presence of horses that we remember who we are.” Webb and one of her horses, Oscar, are going to be attending the Cal Expo Western State Horse Expo, June 6 through June 8. Webb revels at how well their personalities match. To see Webb’s collection and learn more about her, visit <a href="http://www.lawebb.com" target="_blank">lawebb.com</a>. For more information on equine guided education, check out <a href="http://www.equineguideeducation.org" target="_blank">equineguideeducation.org</a>. •

Read More »
Senior Funtime Band

May 31, 2008 05:00PM ● By Super Admin

About three years ago, community leader, Moni Gilmore, had an inspired idea – why not bring together a bunch of musically inclined local seniors and form a volunteer band? Turns out, Gilmore was no stranger to senior programs either. She held many positions in local government, including the fire department, and was instrumental in the process of converting the old fire station into the now, El Dorado Hills Senior Center. With that feat behind her, she decided to turn her attention to music. Sadly, Moni Gilmore passed away in April of this year, but her dream lives on in the Senior Funtime Band.After running a few articles in the local newspapers, the band began to take shape. Soon enough, the band was performing at local venues and events, entertaining mostly seniors with some of their favorite melodies. Toes were tappin’, hands were clappin’ and the band became an instant crowd favorite. The band consists of seven dedicated members, each with their own musical forte. The bandleader, Al Kolthoff, a retired software developer, plays guitar. Leading the band in vocals is Connie Backers, who spent half of her life in law enforcement and the other half as a nurse. According to Kolthoff, Bob Hoffman plays the same trumpet that he did in high school. “He is now 70 and has the nickname Hercules, because he can easily lift one of our speakers, one-handed at 70 pounds each,” boasts Kolthoff. About 20 years ago, Frank Larossi became paralyzed from the waist down from a spider bite, but that doesn’t stop him from playing a mean saxophone tune. Eric Phillips, a retired geologist, not only sings and plays the banjo, he also enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with other local seniors. Rounding out the band are Lori Hovestandt, a keyboardist who played the piano and organ all of her life, and Laura Iarossi, a sound mixer, who up until three years ago had no prior experience.When this gifted crew gets together and performs, it’s a nostalgic journey though jazz and big band songbooks of the 20s, 30s and 40s. Some of their favorite and most requested tunes include “Dream,” “Goody Goody,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Lazy River,” “Ain’t She Sweet,” “My Blue Heaven,” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” to name a few.The Senior Funtime Band performs a concert on the last Friday of each month at 1 p.m., at the El Dorado Senior Center. Their summer schedule includes a performance on June 4, at the El Dorado Hills Library (open to all ages), and a gig at the annual Seniors Fourth of July Celebration.“Our goals are to have fun playing music and to entertain seniors, and to do so on a volunteer basis,” says Kolthoff. Judging from the great chemistry that these band members have on stage, it’s safe to say this group is hitting all the right notes and having a ball doing it. •ARTSBEAT:Through July 11 – Shadows of the Past. Enjoy works from watercolor artist Kara Castro and photography by George and Jo Ann Aiello on exhibit at The Gallery at 48 Natoma. 916-355-7285.Through July 27 –The Language of the Nude: Four Centuries of Drawing the Human Body. This exhibition brings nearly 60 rarely seen drawings to the Crocker Art Museum. For details on this exhibit or for more information, call 916-808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

Read More »
Upcoming Events Near You

No Events in the next 21 days.

View All
Add Your Event
Style Media Group