mid-June GVNC Culture Connection

Welcome to Culture Connection

Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District's newsletter,
featuring the events, stories, and people of our community

Listen to the Future!

Doors open at 6:30pm

Peace Lutheran Church

828 W Main St

Grass Valley, CA 95945

InConcert Sierra in collaboration with the Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra (CATS) is proud to present the Young Composers at their final concert of the 2023 Season as they share compositions inspired by Asian American history.

“These ambitious musicians have been hard at work creating their final compositions of the season. The finished works will be performed by accomplished local professional musicians at Peace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley.”

… Please stay for a reception following the concert …

Tickets available here: 2023 Composers Project Concert | InConcert Sierra

Congratulations Inn Town Campground!

Recently voted number one on USA Today Readers Choice 10 must-visit RV campgrounds for your next adventure, Inn Town Campground was voted best in the U.S. for great amenities, beautiful scenery and access to inspiring places. We recognize and appreciate the vision and perseverence Dan and Erin Thiem have put into bringing a vibrant camping experience for locals and visitors alike. “Inn Town Campground is a great way to make lasting memories with your family and friends.”

Inn Town Campground, Nevada City RV, Glamping and Camping

Presented by California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project and
The Center for the Arts

Building a Framework for Truth

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Doors: 3pm Show: 3:30pm

The Center for the Arts | 314 W. Main Street, Grass Valley, CA

Join members of CHIRP for an educational and musical event that is sure to inspire the way we look at the future of academia.

Featuring special guest lecturer, Benjamin Madley, researcher and author of the book "An American Genocide" and Associate Professor of history at UCLA. Joining Madley are Jordan Reznick, Getty/National Endowment for the Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow at the Getty Research Institute and Megan Renoir, PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge and freelance researcher.

To balance the evening we will feature offerings from musical artist Mariee Siou and the voice of Nikila Badua.

Drop by 'Uba Seo: Nisenan Arts and Culture in downtown Nevada City to pick up a copy of "An American Genocide" by Benjamin Madley. Mr. Madley will be available for a book signing after the event!

This is a fundraising event and will be both in person and live-streaming. CHIRP is a 501c3 non-profit organization and funds raised by this event go to support the campaign to restore Federal recognition for the Tribe as well as support their 13th annual Nisenan Heritage Day event on Nov. 5th. The Nisenan Tribal members of the Nevada City Rancheria are original, lineal descendants of the Nisenan, who were here before the gold rush and remain here in their ancestral homelands today.

Get Tickets

“Musical Mondays at the Library in Nevada City! What a fabulous audience. Perhaps my favorite moment was the baby that crawled right up on stage trying, it seemed, to crawl right inside the music. Thank you InConcert Sierra for this great free series and Friends of the Library. What an utter joy!” – Sands Hall

Mini-concerts for all ages at the Madelyn Helling Library in Nevada City

Musical Mondays is a popular series of free Monday morning concerts where kids can sing, squirm and dance, and adults can relax and enjoy (or sing and dance too!) The collaboration between the Nevada County Library and InConcert Sierra presents live music experiences with a fun educational twist at the Marian E. Gallaher, M.D. Amphitheater, adjacent to the Madelyn Helling Library at the Rood Center. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and be ready for an hour of engaging music performed by local and regional professional musicians.

This summer's lineup:

June 19, 11am - 12pm

Three Bridges String Trio

Helen Graham, violin • Zach Zumstein, viola • Alexandra Roedder, cello

June 26 , 11am - 12pm

River Winds

Shannon Devir, flute • Anne Shisko, oboe • Elizabeth McAllister, clarinet •

Dave Riddles, bassoon • Mike McAllister, horn

Sierra Harvest Presents

Farm Tours

Thursdays from 6pm-7:30pm

This local favorite allows community members to meet our local farmers and see first-hand how they grow the products they offer in our beautiful agricultural landscape here in the Sierra Foothills. Learn how you can purchase local products creating a stronger food system. Together we can make changes one plate at a time.

June 15 – Bluebird Farm
Located in Nevada City, CA, Bluebird Farm specializes in high quality, nutrient dense greens, culinary herbs and fresh seasonal flowers. They are dedicated to using sustainable growing methods to enhance the health of our land, build rich soil and provide the most delicious and beautiful food and flowers possible. Bring your own picnic!

“Who doesn't love Malaika? We're a bit partial ourselves, as she helped found Sierra Harvest and co-directed the organization for many years. She finally went on to start her own farm, where she grows delicious greens and beautiful flowers, and we'd love to let her show off her beautiful space to our community.”
– Sierra Harvest

Celebration of Trails

Hidden amongst the trees and on some of Bear Yuba Land Trust’s (BYLT) most beloved trails, is a stunning collaboration between art and nature. As part of the 2023 Celebraiton of Trails, BYLT presents Art in Nature. Artists have created temporary, site-specific installations along the Cascade Canal Trail and Hirschman Trail.

“Public art on trails can illustrate both the identity of the trail itself and the community that surrounds it. We believe that art can cultivate vision and inspire change in the surrounding community. Go out with friends or your family to take a look at this one-of-a-kind nature-inspired local art!”

Mekdela Maskal (b. 1991) is a multidisciplinary artist developing site and time-specific works in collaboration with clay, soils, plants, and other raw materials of the natural world. Steeped in reverence and belonging, her practice illuminates natural cycles and interdependent relationships.

The artwork Mekdela is creating for this year’s event will be an installation of naturally dyed celebration/prayer flags amongst the trees.

Prayer

…is a collaboration with the more than human world.

…will evolve with sun time, wind, and moisture, celebrating the elements and beings at work creating a balanced ecosystem.

…beckons us to pause in awe.

…is a mirror of the life that endlessly grows and dies, inviting us to reflect on our own transient nature and what we leave behind.

— Mekdela

"Bear Yuba Land Trust is honored to partner with local artists Mekdela Maskal and Andres Amador to bring their visions to life as party of BYLT's Celebration of Trails Art In Nature Installations. Being in nature can be a sacred experience and our hope is that this art deepens the connection and provides a true sense of place for us all. This was BYLT's first year piloting the Art in Nature installations and we're very excited to continue and expand the project in years to come. Mekdela and Andres' Art In Nature installations will be on view through the end of June along Cascade Canal Trail and Hirschman Trail respectively.”

— Bear Yuba Land Trust,
Executive Director Erin Tarr

Check out the Summer Star Challenge, throughout the month of June find hidden stars along the trails of Nevada County. Register through their website to get your treasure map and then be on your way with this family friendly and fun filled adventure.

Andres Amador creates art across the landscape using natural materials that will eventually fade back into the setting. He is best known for his massive raked artworks on beaches spanning thousands of square feet. His work is inspired by patterns found in nature and in the human-made world. Impermanence is a recurring theme in his work, highlighting the fact that life is in motion and is best experienced ‘in the moment’.

Andres has created “Still Here,” a mix of clay and paint designs on a rock outcropping, at Hirschman Trail. “Still Here” is a continuation of a collaboration between Andres and CHIRP’s Visibility Through Art Project, for whom he has created several clay paintings in natural settings of Nisenan basket patterns. A guiding theme in his collaborations is the recognition that the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan people are still present in our community despite the genocide they faced.

For more on Andres and the work he creates, follow him on Instagram @AndresAmadorArts and check out his website at AndresAmadorArts.com.

Join the Community of Writers for an unforgettable live-streamed evening of poetry from the California Sierra Nevada.

In person in Olympic Valley, and live online, the annual Benefit Poetry Reading will feature poems from their 2023 Poetry Staff & Special Guests.

They are proud to welcome eight beloved poets to Olympic Valley, including three winners of the Pulitzer Prize, a former U.S. Poet Laureate, a winner of the International Griffin Poetry Prize, multiple Guggenheim recipients, an Ohioana Book Award winner, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award winner.

Find out more and get your tickets here.

All proceeds benefit the 2024 Poetry Program scholarship fund.

The Unabridged Mrs. Vera's Daybook

Sunday, June 18, 7 pm

The Onyx Downtown
Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street, Nevada City

Join the Onyx Downtown, The Miners Foundry, and Nevada County Pride in celebrating Pride Month as they co- present a special evening at the Nevada Theatre.

The Unabridged Mrs. Vera's Daybook tells a story of activism through the work of David Faulk and Michael Johnstone, two San Francisco queer artists confronting AIDS with the survival tools of art, love, and creativity. Director Robert James expands his original film, Verasphere: A Love Story in Costume, to further describe the journey of these two individual artists and the choices they are making to celebrate each day of life.

“The film has something for everyone - a history of the AIDS epidemic and activism in SF, the SF queer arts community, and so much more. It’s a brilliant story that will make you laugh out loud, and cry”, says Rick Partridge, Board Chair of Nevada County Pride.

There will be a section of the AIDS Quilt on display, provided by Nevada County Pride. Come and participate in this rare opportunity with both the artists and director for a Q&A, immediately following the film. If you wish, enter for complementary door prizes before you are seated. The Miner’s Foundry will be offering wine, beer, and special Mrs. Vera Cocktails. Rainbow Cookies provided by Delish Bish with a portion of donations going to Nevada County Pride.

“It's an uplifting story that resonates for anyone, gay or straight, who has had to deal with a long-term illness in their family. Cancer, dementia, AIDS...who hasn't had their lives touched by something grim? Getting through it and keeping your spirits up is the hardest part. And for these two people ultimately finding a zany and creative way to celebrate life during adversity is the story here. We are very excited to present this film and bring these exceptional artists to Nevada County.”—David Lloyd, Miners Foundry

After the screening, there will be an on-stage conversation with the director and two artists. This event is a fundraiser for NC Pride, with support from Citizens for Choice and Sierra Foothill AIDS Foundation. This film is a celebration of life, diversity, and perseverance against what some might find overwhelming odds.

Costumes are welcome for this festive event.

Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to support a great cause and enjoy a fantastic film. Doors open at 6:30pm. Advance tickets are strongly suggested.

TICKETS: theonyxtheatre.com, $13 with $3 for each ticket going to Nevada County Pride

Earlier this week we had the pleasure of sitting down with California Bluegrass Association Chairman, Pete Ludé. As the annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival gears up for its 48th year at the Nevada County Fairgrounds he felt it was time to reach out to the community that holds so many memories and so much meaning for the history of the California Bluegrass Association.

The now semi-retired Mr. Ludé took over as Chairman a few years ago and has born witness as the organization transformed with the times. Over the past couple of years he has been keenly aware of the importance of being good neighbors and better friends. “We needed to be immediately different,” Ludé reflected on the start of 2020. “Before, it was small clubs and house concerts… we needed to have a major online platform. We started streaming, we had a 24hr live webstream fundraiser drawing audiences and performers from all over the world. We’re in a major point of change and CBA needed to grow up a little, now we’re a diverse group of individuals doing all sorts of things."

Along with this change to an online platform was a drawing close to communities in California that celebrated bluegrass music through their arts and cultural offerings. Seeing how wonderful this deepening of relationships was for all involved, Ludé realized something was missing. California Bluegrass Association lore holds that the first Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival included the founding members hopping the fairground fence and being chased off by the dogs. “This is perfect,” they said, and never looked back.

As the California Bluegrass Association set its sights on the Grass Valley Nevada City Cultural District to rekindle the yearly show, Ludé knew that something needed to change. “We want to be integral to the community, to develop close relationships with locals and businesses. I knew we needed something better.”

Business Spotlight:

Each month we shine a light on a business that exemplifies what makes our downtown areas unique. We celebrate the contributions of local establishments to our quality of life, adding to our cultural landscape and highlighting our diverse people and traditions.

We wanted to get to know our new neighbors at 101 Broad St, in Nevada City, so we stopped by Rainbow Rocket Vintage to chat with owner Amanda Chavez.

When asked what brought her to Nevada City and how it felt to have a storefront downtown she reminised on spending her punkrock youth at shows in Grass Vally Nevada City and surrounding areas. The lasting friendships from those days had left Chavez with a strong nostaliga for the region. A 20 year veteran of the Vintage Fashion retail scene, she says her new storefront is “where she belonged all along.”

Amanda Chavez is excited to be a part of the downtown community. Bringing her unique flair and desire to keep the wild and funky flavor of Nevada City alive, Chavez plans to hold family friendly and fun events at the store.

The first of these will be a Rainbow Rocket Vintage birthday bash on July 19th from 12pm-9pm with live music and a 7pm ribbon cutting.

“We want to be more than just a clothing shop. We want to be a safe and supportive place in the community,” Chavez remarked. Future plans include open mic nights, comedy events, music, art and more.

CEILIDH IN THE PARK: Sierra Folk Orchestra with Alasdair Fraser & Guests

Saturday, June 24
7:30pm-9pm

Pioneer Park
421 Nimrod Street Nevada City, CA 95959

A rollicking celebration of music, song and dance with the Sierra Folk Orchestra and world class soloists.

Alasdair Fraser’s Sierra Fiddle Camp will celebrate the joy of traditional music in Nevada City at beautiful Pioneer Park with their sixteenth annual “Ceilidh in the Park” picnic concert. Featuring this years world class music faculty on fiddle, cello, guitar, piano, dance and song.

This event is free, for more information visit here.

Nevada City Planning Commission

Thursday, June 15 at 1:30pm
Council Chambers

City Hall 317 Broad Street - Nevada City, CA 95959

The Nevada County Arts Council is happy to announce the planning commission is moving forward on the City’s adoption of a Public Art Policy. Upon review of the Agenda and proposed ordinance we have made a public comment on behalf of our constituents here in the Grass Valley Nevada City Cultural District that such distinction be recognized in the lanugage of the ordinance.

Through the City’s Community-Driven Strategic Planning Process a high number of participants indicated a desire for expanded public art offerings on both public and private property. In the City’s Adopted Strategic Plan 2022-2027 a Strategic Initiative of “Vibrancy: Arts, Culture, and Distinction” was created and goal #2 for the initiative is, “Develop a public art process including an enabling ordinance.” A City Council appointed Vibrancy Committee was tasked to develop and advance the ordinance.

The Ordinance as drafted provides a regulatory process that requires public art for specified new commercial development and has allowances for public art on existing non-residential properties. An Art Review Authority, currently the Vibrancy Committee, will be tasked with approving the actual art content. As written, the Planning Commission shall serve as the Design Review Authority which will review the design of the placement of the art in the same manner the commission would review the application if it were an architectural feature rather than a work of art as defined in the ordinance.

Here is the public comment we submitted:

"Nevada County Arts Council is pleased to support the adoption of an ordinance for public art in Nevada City, but requests that in the final version the ordinance includes reference of Nevada City’s special status as a state-designated California Cultural District. It is important that public documents acknowledge this special standing, and it allows us, as a partner with the City of Nevada City, to properly celebrate these decisive moments, and – importantly – report on them to the California Arts Council as evidence of our growing, developing District."

This ordinance will be put before the City Council July 13.

We encourage public comment in support of the public art ordinance, with a caveat to recommend recognition of our special status as a California Cultural District. Please address your public comment either in person or via zoom.

Agenda & Minutes (nevadacityca.gov)

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Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District
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