Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

On October 11, 2006, the [tag]Vallejo arts[/tag] community celebrated The [tag]Ninth Annual Cultural Awards Night[/tag] at The Vallejo Historical Museum. Individuals chosen by the committee were gracefully acknowledged and awarded for their significant contributions to the arts in Vallejo. For this year’s celebration, Vallejo Commission on Culture and The Arts added a raffle to the awards night to support Vallejo’s youth in arts and raise money for student scholarships. What I find to be beyond cool is that Rick Mariani Photography generously offered to match all funds raised from the raffle for student scholarships. The first award in honor of Vallejo’s “Business of the Year,” went to The Evolving Arts Gallery. Unfortunately, the gallery has closed its doors and is no longer open in Vallejo. Helen Harwood, who once owned an art gallery and is on The Vallejo Commission on Culture and The Arts, spoke on behalf of Evolving Arts Gallery. She emphasized that as a community, we need to support the pioneers. With the city budget cuts, local businesses are suffering, and it is imperative that we support the “mom and pop” shops, unless of course, we desire to live in a complete corporate empire. In addition, art programs are vanishing out of our schools. When it comes down to it, we need to keep art alive and support those that make a living bringing it to our community. Kenneth Brooks, a Times Herald columnist and author of African Americans and other Myths, humbly accepted the Literary Arts award for his dedication to the art of language. Carlo Carlucci took home the Visual Arts award for his unique depiction of Vallejo’s Fire Fighters in the exhibit Forged in Fire. Jazz musician, performer, and funny man Raymond Victor took home the Special Achievement award for his commitment in creatively constructing and sharing his music for years throughout Vallejo. Instructor Diane Shaver and The Vallejo Ballet Company won the Performing Art award for their ballet performances. Shelia Ryan, vice president of the Vallejo Artists Guild, works endlessly behind the scenes at the Artists’ Guild. For all her hard work behind the scenes, Shelia happily accepted the Behind the Curtain award. For the Commitment to Excellence Award; In Memory of Ursula Morgan-Kane Judith Brown, a volunteer for thirty-one years at the Vallejo Music Theater gladly accepted the excellence award for her tireless devotion and contributions to the arts in Vallejo.

Between the award distributions, an array of unique local artists captivated the audience and essentially reinforced the reason why we gathered at the Vallejo Historical Museum. We were there to recognize and rejoice in the art, culture and diversity of our city.

The Vallejo Ballet Company proved why they won the Performing Arts award when the cutest little girls in tiny tutu’s glided across the stage singing songs, as the beautiful ballerinas gracefully united in dance. When the Vallejo Choral Society filled the entire stage, I was impressed with the enthusiasm, and it was fascinating to see a diverse crowd of men, women, and children of all ages singing their hearts out. A student of mine from Mare Island Technology Academy plays bass in the band Atlas Falls and members: Gio Ivan (bass), Sean Santos (guitar, vocals), Philip Carillo (vocals), Josh Canaman (guitar), and Virgil Narvaza (drums), rocked the stage with their unique mix of punk and modern rock. When the beautiful Michele Burns went on stage, she played the traditional ukulele quite non traditionally; inspired by R&B and Hip-hop, Michele integrated this style in her music. Her voice hypnotizes you, her lyrics keep you enchanted, and the pleasant sound of the ukulele sooths your soul. When the rock group This Canvas went on stage, I was delighted by the sight of more students I see everyday, yet never in such a light. It was almost as if I was seeing my kids from MIT for the first time. Sean Barnes (drums), Sean Smiley (piano), and Manny Loera (guitar), who introduced themselves as Johnny Cash, gave a rockin’ performance that kept my toes tapping. The passionate performers in This Canvas have original melodies, and unique harmonies. John Conrad, who is also a student at MIT, performed on the piano. What dazzled me at the award celebration is that John plays his own music and plays it with skill, yet he was never taught how to read or write music.

There is diversity, unity, and unbound artistic abilities in the city of Vallejo. We need to come together as a community and support the pioneers. We need to recognize, eulogize, and gratify those who bring originality, imagination and creativity to our consciousness. The Ninth Annual Cultural Awards Night at [tag]The Vallejo Historical Museum[/tag] was fabulous; oh, how I love this city.

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