Joe Payne

Culture, at any one moment or place, is like a chrysalis of the predominating ideas, actions, and feelings of the collective group. Filmmaking is an art form especially adept at capturing the visual and aural nuances that portray a time and a place accurately. The Allan Hancock College International Film Series is a prime example […]

After a decade of companionship, camaraderie, and annual art shows, the Brush and Palette Art Group is meeting again with its annual Show and Sale. The group, as its name implies, is a coalition of skilled local painters who enjoy a variety of subjects. The group is comprised of seven members, including president Marilyn Dover […]

The cliché of the starving artist may be exaggerated at times, but it’s not always far off the mark. While aspiring artists may have a healthy food budget, they may be starved for many of the resources they need to continue and explore their craft. The Santa Maria Arts Council has been meeting the needs […]

Many great works of music have been inspired by the natural world, from the expanses of the cosmos to stretches of countryside. Inspiration is a powerful force, as powerful as the gravity that heaves our planet around the sun each year, allowing the engine of human creativity to thrive. Dr. Marcus Engelmann, music instructor at […]

Nothing can compare to the intimacy of a romantic relationship. The passion, the pain, the growth, and the comfort are all spun about in a blizzard of interaction. The Pioneer Valley High School Drama Department’s production of Almost, Maine is a theatrical study of relationships in all their glory, difficulty, and hilarity. The relatively new […]

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre has been providing quality live theater to the valley for more than half a century now, and the institution hasn’t suffered from any figurative dustiness despite its age. There are four productions each season; the current show, Busybody, is the third of this season, and is an example of the […]

We are all students of life, learning something new every day, and who we are is the result of what we’ve learned. Art is a learning process on several levels: You must learn technique, you must learn your craft, but mostly you must learn who you are. The Allan Hancock College Fine Arts Student Art […]

The Santa Maria Valley has been woefully lacking in terms of privately owned art galleries for several years. Most places to show art are on government land, such as the Santa Maria Public Library’s Shepard Hall or Allan Hancock College’s Ann Foxworthy Gallery. But one private gallery has stayed strong due to its realistic and […]

Culture is an amorphous phenomenon, constantly expanding and changing, leaving behind a wake of art, influence, and history. A collaboration among three local groups has led to an exhibition of such cultural art and artifacts in celebration of Black History Month, showing in Lompoc. The Lompoc Museum—which cooperates every year with Club Arcturus, a Lompoc-based […]