Joe Payne

Dance is the poetry of movement; no words necessary, no instrument required. Expressing deep, abstract ideas and emotions only using your body may seem like a scary prospect for someone with two left feet, but for a trained dancer, it’s a chance to exist fully in the moment as art embodied. Allan Hancock College has […]

Keeping a car running could be considered a fine art—especially if it’s an auto that’s been on the road for nearly a century. The Los Padres Artist Guild is presenting its annual Spring Art Show and, as has been tradition for the last several years, is inviting Santa Maria Model A Ford Club members and […]

Out of all of our four-legged companions, horses enjoy a special place in history. Before the advent of the automobile, they were the predominant form of transport, leading the charge of westward expansion and helping tame the landscape we now call home. The Lompoc Museum is presenting a show that highlights local equines through the […]

Poets weave words into tapestries of emotion and color, which truly come to life with the often passionate and somewhat musical spontaneity of live recitation. The National Endowment for the Arts supports the art of recitative poetry with an annual recitation contest called “Poetry Out Loud,” open to high-school-aged competitors. One such local student, Eduardo […]

A cornerstone in any child’s education is arts and crafts time. Drawing, painting, and sculpting are all ways a young mind can discover and communicate with the world, while creating a little piece of it. People who pursue their skills into their adolescence and early adulthood often find a rewarding outlet for self-expression. “What kid […]

The Academy Awards represent the top of the film industry: Once you’re in, you’re in for good. Many big-name films and their crews vie for the spotlight, with directors, actors, producers, and more hoping to take center stage to accept the coveted statue. One winner and one nominee this year can track experiences and roots […]

Powerful forces are building at the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts, swirling together into a potent hail of visual, aural, and emotional might. In the chaos of the storm that is William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a light breaks, illuminating the truth of matters as deep as the ocean itself, truths that are further examined […]