Creative writers find inspiration at Stonewall exhibit

English student Rachel Cruz tours the exhibition “Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall," inside the Phebe Conley Art Gallery at Fresno State.

Nine of Prof. Brynn Saito’s creative writing students enjoyed an impromptu afternoon of awe, history, and inspiration last week when they visited the acclaimed Stonewall Uprising art exhibit. Here is their reaction…

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CCA presents bilingual exhibition ‘News from the Kingdom of Yuppieland’

Rocío Caballero stands in front of her desk and a painting in her studio

In this dystopian world, the gray goblins “crush” on men of finance and power with pressed suits in absurd child-like situations. The men feed on the dreams they steal in blind obedience while controlling their subordinates through deception, sleight of hand, masquerades and spells. In creating these characters, Caballero evokes humor as she criticizes power structures.

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McClatchy Foundation grant brings renowned Stonewall art exhibit to Fresno State

“Run Little White Girl” by David Antonio Cruz

With the help of a $205,000 grant from The McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment of The James B. McClatchy Foundation, the Center for Creativity and the Arts will present the “Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall” exhibition, Aug. 19 through Oct. 31, 2021, at the Phebe Conley Art Gallery at Fresno State.

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‘Unveiling Supergroovalistic Funk’ celebrates funk, culture and artistry

Unveiling Supergroovalistic Funk

“Supergroovalistic Woman” is a ceramic female nude sculpture by visual artist Michael Chukes which has been acquired by the Center for Creativity and the Arts on behalf of Fresno State. The sculpture, along with other works by Chukes, will be on display from Thursday, Nov. 15 until Jan. 15 in the Pete P. Peters Ellipse […]

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Artist Jaime Ruiz Otis gives new life to maquiladoras waste products

Artist Jaime Ruiz Otis

“Jaime Ruiz Otis: Mined Matter” is a mix-media exhibition of collage paintings that incorporate engraving and printmaking. The works reflect Ruiz Otis’ life experience as a trained artist and former maquiladora (factory that provides inexpensive manufacturing and assembly for foreign products) worker. “This exhibition is the result of relationships the Center for Creativity and the […]

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Artists travel from India for an evening of Classical Hindustani music

Indian slide guitarist Pandit Debasis Chakroborty will be performing with special guest Dr. Lovely Sharma on sitar,  accompanied on the tabla by Pandit Shashanka Bakshi at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23 in the Wahlberg Recital Hall located in the Music Building at Fresno State. General admission tickets are $15 and will be available for purchase […]

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Explore the Fresno Art Scene with Libary After Hours

What happens after hours at the Henry Madden Library? Find out at this upcoming event which explores the local arts scene in Fresno. The event is from 5:30 – 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19 at the Henry Madden Library, Second Floor. The event and parking are free — however, you are asked to RSVP. […]

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This month in the Arts and Humanities — June’s Top 5

June's Top 5 Fresno State College of Arts and Humanities

We take a look back at the fantastic events of this month in the College of Arts and Humanities. Here are the top five stories from the month of June. FOOSA Festival 2018 happening June 10-24 The Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy (FOOSA) held its annual festival on the Fresno State campus this month. Find out […]

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Companion catalog created from ‘Insider Art’ exhibition

Cover of Insider Art

“Insider Art: Exploring the Arts Within Prison Environments, A Collection Work from Avenal State Prison” is the companion catalog to the exhibition, “Insider Art: Exploring the Arts Within Prison Environments” that was on display at M Street Graduate Studios in April.  The catalog is published by The Press at California State University, Fresno and was […]

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Levine lecture draws diverse crowd

Dr. Robert V. Levine gives a lecture on the "Voices in our Head."

~ By Lisa Maria Boyles, communications specialist for the College of Arts and Humanities The weather was stormy outside on an afternoon in March. But a crowd braved the rain to fill the Alice Peters Auditorium to hear Dr. Robert V. Levine’s lecture about “The Voices in our Heads.” “The more I talked about voices, […]

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Join us as the University Press celebrates its authors

University Press Author Reception

The Press at California State University, Fresno, will celebrate several of its recently published authors at a reception from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, in the Smittcamp Alumni House. Featured authors and publications will include: Armen Bacon, author of “My Name is Armen (Volume II), Outside the Lines.” This book is a follow-up to Bacon’s […]

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‘Exploring the Arts Within Prison’ exhibition opens downtown

~ By Lucero Benitez, communications specialist for the College of Social Sciences, reprinted from FresnoStateNews.com An exhibition of artwork by incarcerated men at Avenal State Prison will be on display at Fresno State’s Graduate Art Studios at the M Street Arts Complex in downtown Fresno from April 5 to 22. The exhibition, “Insider Art: Exploring the Arts within Prison […]

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Dr. Robert Levine to lecture on the ‘Voices in Our Heads’

Dr. Robert V. Levine will give lecture on "Voices in Our Head"

Social psychologist Dr. Robert V. Levine, author of “Stranger in the Mirror: The Scientific Search for the Self,” will give a lecture, titled “The Voices in our Heads,” as part of the spring programming for Fresno State’s Center for Creativity and the Arts. Levine’s latest book, which is the basis for his lecture, is published by The Press at California State University, Fresno. The lecture is scheduled for 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday, March 22, in the Alice Peters Auditorium.

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‘Eyes Forward: Creating Our Narratives’ exhibition opens

Flyer for "Eyes Forward" exhibition

“Eyes Forward: Creating our Narratives,” an art exhibition featuring four contemporary African American artists, will open as part of ArtHop at M Street Graduate Studios from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 1. The exhibition and will run through March 18. Artists Loren Holland and Michael Chukes will be part of an artist lecture and panel moderated by Dr. Keith Jordan from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 1, in Conley Art 101.

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The Press and CCA publish catalog ‘Unsung Heroes: Do You Know Who I Am?’

New publication, "Unsung Heroes," published by CCA and The Press

The Press at California State University, Fresno, and the Center for Creativity and the Arts announce the publication of a new catalog “Unsung Heroes — Do You Know Who I Am?” on Feb. 9. This pictorial work is a companion to the recent “Unsung Hereos” exhibition, which was on display in November at M Street Graduate Studios in downtown Fresno.

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New book, ‘Stranger in the Mirror,’ explores landscape of the self

Robert Levine's new book "Stranger in the Mirror"

In his latest book “Stranger in the Mirror,” Dr. Robert V. Levine offers a provocative, wide-ranging and entertaining tour of the most personal and consequential of all landscapes: the entity we call our self.  Who are we?  Where is the boundary between ourselves and everything else? Are we all multiple personalities? And how can we control who we become?

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‘Unsung Heroes’ exhibition honors African-American veterans

Unsung Heroes photo exhibitions honoring African-American military veterans

Highlighting the voices and contributions of African-American military veterans, the “Unsung Heroes: Do You Know Who I Am?” exhibition will run Nov. 1 through 18 at the M Street Graduate Studios in downtown Fresno.

The mixed-media interactive exhibition also will be open from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 2, as part of ArtHop, the open house of galleries and studios in downtown Fresno and the Tower District held on the first Thursday of each month. 

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Lecture-recital: ‘Voice and Silence: Women in Opera and Philosophy’

Voice and Silence featuring Drs. Maria Briggs and Tina Botts

“Voice and Silence: Women in Opera and Philosophy” is a lecture-recital scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, in the Fresno State Concert Hall. In this collaboration between the Department of Music and the Department of Philosophy, soprano Dr. Maria Briggs and philosopher Dr. Tina Botts will explore the role of women in operatic dramas and philosophy.

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‘The Other Eye on Afghanistan: Photographs by Farzana Wahidy’

Image for Other Eye on Afghanistan exhibition

The Department of Art and Design in collaboration with the Center for Creativity and the Arts, present, “The Other Eye on Afghanistan: Photographs by Farzana Wahidy,” opening on Oct. 9 and continuing through 26 in the Phebe Conley Art Gallery in the Conley Art Building. “The Other Eye on Afghanistan: Photographs by Farzana Wahidy” is […]

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Juan Felipe Herrera exhibition, catalog celebrates Laureate’s journey across America

Associate Dean Honora Chapman (right) toasts Juan Felipe Herrera

The Center for Creativity and the Arts and the Department of Art and Design paid tribute to Juan Felipe Herrera’s two-term tenure as poet laureate of the United States in an exhibition titled “Magnifying the People’s Voice: A Laureate’s Journey Across America” and with the publication of a companion catalog, documenting the work was on display in the exhibition

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Rebozo Fest revives Sept. 25-29

Flyer for Rebozo Revival Festival

The Rebozo Revival Festival, “El Renacimiento del Rebozo,” returns to Fresno for a week-long celebration with the opening ceremony and art exhibition 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 25, at Fres.co (1918 Fresno Street).

The festival, which is part of Fresno State’s Hispanic Heritage Month observance, is presented by the University and Lourdes Sevilla (founder and creator of the festival) in collaboration with several community partners for the Center for Creativity and the Arts 2017-18 lineup.

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Center for Creativity and the Arts presents its lineup for fall 2017

Woman weaving a rebozo

The Center for Creativity and the Arts 2017-18 theme will be “Voice and Silence: Expressions of the Human Spirit and Community.”

“’Voice and Silence’ will look at the various ways in which we communicate our ideas, points of views and concerns regarding current events,” said Cindy Urrutia, coordinator of the center.

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Global Music Series presents Dr. Tammy Kernodle Sept. 21-22

Global Music Lecture Series featuring Dr. Tammy Kernodle

Fresno State’s Department of Music and the Center for Creativity and the Arts present Dr. Tammy Kernodle, a musicologist and specialist on women in jazz. This lecture is part of the Global Music Series and part of the CCA’s 2017-18 theme “Voice and Silence: Expressions of Community, Advocacy and the Human Spirit.”

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Models, rebozos sought for fashion show, exhibit

Woman weaving a rebozo

The rebozo festival is returning to Fresno in September as the Rebozo Revival Festival. A rebozo is a long woven cloth garment from Mexico and Central America traditionally worn as a shawl, head covering, belt, baby sling or backpack. Rebozos are worn today for fashion and function throughout the Americas.

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New books are flying off The Press

Graphic showing the covers of six new books from The Press at California State University Fresno

Watch out for hot books! The Press at California State University, Fresno has published as many new volumes in the past year as it usually does in three and a half years.
Since last fall, The Press — a university press operated by the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State — has published six new books. Founded in 1982, The Press has published 56 volumes — in its history, an average of 1.7 per year.

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Cannupa Hanska Luger discussed his work in an artist lecture April 4

Artist Cannupa Hanska Luger and Charah Coleman

~ By Lisa Maria Boyles, communications specialist for the College of Arts and Humanities Charah Coleman works in Fresno State’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. But on a recent Monday afternoon, during her lunch break, she was an artist, working her hands in wet clay, adding her own touches to a cast of an […]

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Art Notes: Remaining spring art exhibitions

Flyer for Art exhibitions

The Department of Art and Design has three remaining exhibitions this semester at the Phebe Conley Gallery. Jamie Boley’s master of arts graduate exhibition, “Standing in the Gap of Here and In-Between,” large-scale oil-on-panels will be on display March 30 through April 7. A reception will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 30. Boley […]

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Artist, Standing Rock water protector Cannupa Hanska Luger coming to Fresno State

Cannupa Hanksa Luger

Cannupa Hanska Luger, a renowned Native American artist who made mirrored shields for water protectors at the protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock, will be at Fresno State from March 27 to April 7. The College of Arts and Humanities’ Center for Creativity and the Arts, in collaboration with the Department of […]

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Global Music Lecture Series presents Dr. Anthony Seeger

Tony Seeger

The Department of Music presents Dr. Anthony Seeger as this year’s Global Music Lecture Series featured speaker. Dr. Seeger is an ethnomusicologist, anthropologist, record producer, audiovisual archivist and musician. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ethnomusicology at UCLA and a current Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution. His research and applied activities have focused on […]

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Shawl Project will gather Native American histories, stories, culture

Shawl Project

The College of Arts and Humanities’ Center for Creativity and the Arts in collaboration with the Department of Theater Arts present “The Shawl Project: Winyan Omnicha – Gathering of the Women.” “The Shawl Project: Winyan Omnicha – Gathering of the Women” will bring women together over a six-week period. During this time, the women will […]

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High school students converged on Fresno State campus for Academic Decathlon

Academic Decathlon

About 420 teenagers, representing 25 high schools from all over Fresno County, converged on the Fresno State campus Saturday, Jan. 28, for the essay and speech competitions of this year’s Fresno County Academic Decathlon competition. The daylong events were the culmination of several months of special courses learning about this year’s topic – World War […]

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Artist and Standing Rock protester Merritt Johnson brings exhibition to Fresno State

Artist Merritt Johnson

The work of a collection of multimedia artists who positioned themselves as “water protectors” at Standing Rock, N.D., in opposition to the North Dakota Access Pipeline will be on display at Fresno State Jan. 17-27 in the Phebe Conley Art Gallery. “This is a Creation Story: Merritt Johnson and the Unnamed Collective” is a multimedia […]

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‘Native Communities: Tradition and Innovation’

Artist Cannupa Hanska Luger

The 2016-17 theme for the Center for Creativity and the Arts is “Native Communities: Tradition and Innovation.” This year’s theme celebrates the rich artistry of Native peoples of California and North America, as well as the indigenous Mexican diaspora of California’s Central Valley. In October, CCA presented “Elotes con Sangre, the Journey Home, Photographs and ‘Neirikas’ […]

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‘Zapantera Negra’ exhibition gives voice to disenfranchised

The College of Arts and Humanities’ Center for Creativity and the Arts and the Department of Art and Design present the exhibition “Zapantera Negra: Flower of the Word — Zapatista and Black Panther Visual Encounters of Collective Empowerment.” This exhibition will be on display from Nov. 3-19 at the Graduate Art Gallery at M Street. […]

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A life-changing photo exhibition 46 years in the making

A long time ago, while he was a 21-year-old social anthropology student at UCLA, Juan Felipe Herrera embarked on a journey to Mexico to meet his people. It would change his life. “My interests had to do with the question of identity, endangered indigenous cultures and social change,” Herrera said. “It was also part of my […]

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The road to Academic Decathlon 2016 begins today

High school students who will compete in this year’s Academic Decathlon begin their journey today at Fresno State as they learn about nuclear and atomic physics on the world stage during World War II, which is this year’s topic. A series of workshops on the Fresno State campus gives high school students background on the […]

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New exhibition shows poet laureate Herrera’s indigenous perspective

~ By Tom Urubes, Reprinted from FresnoStateNews.com (September 30, 2016) ̶ A new exhibition featuring U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera that celebrates Mexico’s indigenous diaspora in the Central Valley will launch from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the M Street Graduate Studios (1419 M St.) in downtown Fresno. Fresno State’s Center […]

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‘Native Communities: Tradition and Innovation’

The Center for Creativity and the Arts (CCA) at Fresno State invites the Central Valley community to attend events scheduled for the 2016-2017 arts programming theme, “Native Communities: Tradition and Innovation.” This year’s theme celebrates the rich artistry of Native peoples of California and North America, as well as the indigenous Mexican diaspora of California’s […]

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