Santa Cruz County Art, Culture & Media Digest

Aptos singer-songwriter Lea McIntosh has always lived with the pain of childhood trauma. She began working through her experiences, using music as an outlet. The result is her debut album, “Blood Cash,” which comes out on Aug. 20.

In a new book, cell phone inventor Martin Cooper lays out the little-known story of the cell phone as tale of technological vision that’s filled with insight, drama, and corporate intrigue.

There was a time when the Schneider brothers were glued to their Xbox 360. But in their teens they moved on to other activities. So they decided to give their games away—and to encourage others to do the same.

Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens in Watsonville has a fresh crop of artwork thanks to the 15th annual “Sculpture Is” exhibit. On view through October are sculptures by 42 artists, of various sizes and mediums, rooted in the nursery’s two-acre demonstration garden.

In a Q&A with local novelist Paul Skenazy, Good Times’ Christina Waters delves into his new novel, “Still Life.” Skenazy will read from his book July 16 on Zoom.

On July 20, Shakespeare Santa Cruz will resume live performances at Audrey Stanley Grove in DeLaveaga Park. Members of the troupe talk to Good Times’ Steve Palopoli about what’s changed.

After a year and a half, music will once again be heard at Kuumbwa Jazz Center when it reopens on Sept. 13. The club will operate at two-thirds capacity until Oct. 26, just in time for a visit from Branford Marsalis.

Carnival rides, arts and crafts, fried food, and all manner of agricultural achievement will be at the Santa Cruz County Fair, taking place Sept. 15-19.

The history of a quirky institution in the Santa Cruz Mountains is chronicled in the documentary “The Chateau Liberté,” which premieres July 10 at the Rio Theatre.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community say Santa Cruz is not always the inclusive hub it wants to be. But Frankie Farr says there’s a big difference between a place that’s friendly to you and a place where you belong. That’s what gave Farr the idea for The Neighbor’s Pub.

The theater company is returning after a year of shutdowns with a series of live performances in July at Cabrillo College’s outdoor amphitheater.

After watching San Lorenzo Valley residents endure the CZU Lightning Complex fire, MCT director Peter Gelblum began composing a vehicle for their stories to be shared. “This is an ambitious project, and different than anything I’ve done before,” said Gelblum.

From “Weird Al” Yankovic to Sarah Silverman to Bobcat Goldthwait to Tig Notaro, it seems to be a growing trend.

Eight years ago, Sara Isenberg began to follow and document the activities of Santa Cruz’s small but robust high-tech industry. Now she’s ready to follow a different path.

After 100 years as a neighborhood hub, members of the Felton Community Hall board of directors are looking for the community to help keep the hall open.

When Alicia Martinez became interim director for the Watsonville Public Library, bringing a poet laureate program to the city was one of her goals. Now the library has begun taking nominations for its first-ever poet laureate.

The pandemic sank many of the restaurants on Brion Sprinsock’s food and architecture tours, which he won’t be resuming until 2022. But he tells writer Wallace Baine that there are opportunities for those able to seize them.

A new series of murals are on view at Pinto Lake County Park, encouraging visitors to the park and showcasing local art.

In celebration of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History’s 25th anniversary, the RedBall Project, a global art installation, is coming to Santa Cruz County.

Efforts that began in 2013 to turn the empty space next to the Scotts Valley Library into a performing arts center are finally coming to fruition.

Watsonville Parks and Community Service Department Director Nick Calubaquib says the city is planning a “static” parade and a return of its Music in the Plaza summer concert series on Fourth of July weekend.

On April 9, the organization welcomed the public back with the start of its annual fundraising exhibit, “Take Aways: Art to Go!”

More than just the namesake of Brooks Road in Ben Lomond, this turn of the century retired high school principal helped lay the groundwork for civic improvements enjoyed by locals to this day.

Known as one of the more distinct and beautiful examples of architecture in the county, the Piedmont Court, located at the base of High Street in Santa Cruz, also has a fascinating history.

The story of the filming of the 1915 William Hart moving picture "The Primal Lure" in Felton.

The project to restore a local cultural treasure takes shape in the Watsonville High School cafeteria.

Santa Cruz resident Jami Cassady—daughter of former San Jose resident Neal Cassady, the man who inspired Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”—is carrying her dad’s legacy into the 21st century with a new book, “The Joan Anderson Letter.”

Learn about James King and Mary Carpenter, immigrants from Missouri and among the first settlers of the upper San Lorenzo Valley.

"2020 Hindsight" is a collaborative effort led by local photographer Shmuel Thaler, resulting in an 82 page book of gorgeous photos looking back at a tumultuous year.

A profile of three San Lorenzo Valley institutions and how they continue to serve the mountain community during COVID-19.