Back in May, Hillside Fine Art gallery owner Steve Harrison had a big decision to make. His gallery had been shut down since early March, and the prospects for returning to in-person shows looked dim.
With his husband John Ibson now retired from Cal State Fullerton, he considered whether perhaps it was just time to put that chapter of his life away and move on.
Art galleries in the Claremont Village and beyond will host opening exhibitions for local artists on Saturday, March 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. Check out our list of some of the participating galleries.
WOMEN IN POWER EMPOWER Claremont’s Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Ave., hosts a free discussion, “Women in Power Empower: A Storytime Celebration of the Centennial of the 19th Amendment,” from 2 to 4 p.m. This year marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which extended the right to vote to women in the United States and the public is invited to celebrate this milestone with Claremont’s female leaders. Scheduled to speak are Jennifer Stark, mayor pro tem; Karen Rosenthal, former mayor; Shelly Vander Veen, police chief; Tara Schultz, city manager, and Anne Turner, director of human services.
Bunny Gunner opens “Beaches, Bicycles and Skateboards,” by local Claremont artist Michael Ladner, Saturday, March 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. Mr. Ladner studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and New York’s School of Visual Art. He has previously exhibited his work in Park Slope and Red Hook, Brooklyn.
To hear him tell it, Taj Mahal simply has no choice in the matter. “If I hear it, I’ll go out and play it,” he said.
And it’s been that way as far back as his childhood, spent in Springfield, Massachusetts, where his mother was a gospel choir singer and his father was a jazz pianist and arranger Ella Fitzgerald once called “The Genius.”
FRIENDS VISIT THE DENISON The Friends of the Claremont Library host a free On the Same Page event at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 1, a visit to the Denison Library, 1090 Columbia Ave., Claremont, home to the papers of former Scripps professor and iconographer of the LA Public Library, Hartley Burr Alexander. Information is at www.claremontlibrary.org/join or via email to friendsofclaremontlibrary@gmail.com.
CHS THEATER DEBUTS NEW SHOW Claremont High School Theatre Department presents the 2012 Best Tony Drama Award winner, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Simon Stephens, Thursday, February 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the school’s Don F. Fruechte Theatre for the Performing Arts. The show repeats Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. For more information visit www.chstheatre.cusd.claremont.edu or call (909) 624-9053, extension 30463.
THE FAMILY THAT BIRDS TOGETHER: Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont, hosts the annual Family Bird Festival on Sunday, February 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event includes hands-on experiences, activities and educational opportunities for young beginners and bird enthusiasts alike. Take the Migration Challenge and find out why a bird’s life is not always carefree.
“The Art of Time: Japan and its Seasons,” opens Friday, February 21 at Pilgrim Place’s Petterson Museum of Intercultural Art, 730 Plymouth Rd., Claremont.
“In Japan, the experience of the seasons is embedded in language, celebrated in national festivals, and codified in art,” read the Petterson’s description of the show.
CELEBRATE AMOR WITH SENIOR GROUP Claremont senior social group Mingle and Munch celebrates “Be My Valentine” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with dinner music from harpist Robin Ring, followed singing group The Jammers at the Hughes Center, 1700 Danbury Rd. Admission is $15.
There are Claremont roots, and then there are Claremont roots. Take for instance Richard Martinez.
His father arrived here a century ago, and worked for Pomona College, first unloading heating oil from incoming train cars, then later as mason and gardener. He eventually planted some of the early trees on campus, many of which remain today.
Those are some deep roots.
SMART GARDENING: The Claremont Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Ave., hosts a free workshop Saturday, February 1, “Smart Gardening: Intro to Composting,” from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Join master gardeners with the LA County Department of Public Works and learn to use yard and food waste to build and replenish the soil, consume less water and grow beautiful gardens. The program teaches composting, organic and water-wise gardening and grasscycling. Attendees can purchase discounted backyard compost bins for $40.
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