8 newportbeachindy . com MAY 12 , 2023
LOCAL FOCUS Sherman Library & Gardens Hosts Spring Garden Art Faire May 20 and 21
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By Christopher Trela | NB Indy
Last month , Backhausdance presented a weekend of site-specific dance performances at Sherman Library & Gardens , with hundreds of attendees following groups of dancers throughout the Gardens .
This month , Sherman Library & Gardens is bringing back more site-specific artistry , thanks to Sherman ’ s Volunteer Association . The group is hosting a twoday
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Spring Garden Art Faire on Saturday and Sunday , May 20 and 21 , with local artists creating art in their respective mediums throughout the Gardens on both days .
Participating artists include ceramicist Agnes Noble , photographer Dennie Hahn , watercolorists Cathy Hull , Jai & Jane Kim , Kay Azuma , Keith Richardson , and Teressa Jackson , oil painter Ursula
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Olsson , glass artist Lynleigh Love , and quiller Jean Zhang .
After meeting the artists and admiring their artwork , the public is invited to participate in a community art project in the Central Garden . Sherman Horticulturist Tim Chadd , along with Sherman Volunteers , will demonstrate how to adhere natural materials such as leaves , seeds and bark to a 60 ” round of the Sherman logo . Throughout the course of the weekend , every inch of the design will be covered .
Sherman ’ s craftiest volunteers , The Sowers , will offer unique hand-made springtime items for sale , with proceeds benefiting Sherman Library and Gardens . At the craft table , children can color their very own wooden birdhouse to take home . Instructor-led art classes , featuring spring-themed projects , will also take place .
If you need a sweet treat while wandering the gardens , grab a Balboa Bar or
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Original Frozen Banana from Balboa Island ’ s the Original Frozen Banana shop . For every ice cream treat sold , Original Frozen Banana proprietors Courtney and Will Alovis will donate a dollar back to Sherman Library & Gardens .
“ The Arts are alive and well at Sherman Library & Gardens ,” said Scott LaFleur , Executive Director of Sherman Library & Gardens . “ Along with History and Horticulture , the Arts are one of our core values . I hope the public will come out and join us during our two-day Spring Garden Art Faire celebration . It will be fun for the whole family .”
The Spring Garden Art Faire is free with garden admission , which is $ 5 per person or free for members .
Sherman Library & Gardens is located at 2647 E . Coast Hwy . in Corona del Mar . For more information , and to register for weekend classes , visit www . thesherman . org .
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‘ avaaz ’ |
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Kay Azuma and Keith Richardson are two of the artists participating in the Spring Garden Art Faire
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It ’ s a crucial point , because it shifts the play ’ s emphasis from the ethnic and cultural identity and gender orientation of Shayan , that of a gay , Jewish Iranian-American , to the life , perspective and experiences of his mother .
Shayan ’ s skill at his craft can be seen in numerous ways , the most basic of which is the play ’ s structure , which eschews a simple , chronological then-to-now through-line in favor of random anecdotes and stories .
From these , we ’ re able to piece together a coherent picture of Roya ’ s life both in her native land , where the Islamic Revolution had sown change but also turbulence , and her new , adopted country .
Shayan is glib and at ease on stage , yet not overly slick , filtering his wry sense of humor through the Roya persona . His decision to forgo disguising himself as a woman is a wise one , as wigs , makeup , jewelry and a highpitched voice would only trivialize issues that deserve dignity .
With this show , Shayan can be defined as a writer who acts ( as opposed to an actor whose writing work is a sideline ), and in this case that ’ s a good thing – again because it focuses our attention on Roya .
Boosting Shayan ’ s script and performance is Beowulf Boritt ’ s set , the centerpiece of which is an eye-popping Nowruz feast – rows and rows of tempting treats , all tied in with Iranian history , culture and tradition , all lit with glittering chandeliers .
Late in “ avaaz ,” we see a dramatic series of flashbacks to Iran , as key moments in Roya ’ s life are compressed in a stunning jumble .
Shayan wisely doesn ’ t belabor these scenes , giving us just enough for us to gain insight into Roya as she describes the grueling ordeal of waiting to be cleared to come to the U . S .
An undeniably complex character , Roya can be forgiven for any sort of identity crisis . She deserves our empathy and , even more so , our admiration .
As she tells us late in the play , she turned her back on Iran , “ a country who turned her back on me .” She asks herself , and us , how she can be expected to love something “ which gave me so much pain .”
Yet she does still love her native land – its sights and sounds and the familiar scents of jasmine and spices and foods – to a degree that ’ s really not so unusual .
Just as understandable is what motivated her to push forward even after tearing herself away from home and starting over in a strange world , especially once she became a mother . As she tells us , she has done it all “ for my son .”
Shayan obviously knows this , or he couldn ’ t have – and wouldn ’ t have – written this play and shared it with the world , embodying all his mother represents and means to him .
His is a sensitive spirit using his eloquence to give voice to the often traumatic experiences of the woman who brought him into the world .
Segerstrom Stage , South Coast Repertory , 655 Town Center Drive , Costa Mesa . Through May 27 . Running time : One hour , 30 minutes ( no intermission ). Tickets : $ 27 to $ 98 . Purchase / information : 714-708- 5500 , www . scr . org .