Jazz, opera, dance, sculpture, 3-D art, literary readings, Latin American songs, and Shakespearean theater will emanate from the tranquil gardens of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum on Sunday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's all part of "Art in the Arboretum," the annual spring celebration of creativity held on the university campus. Admission is free.
Renowned choreographer and artist Mel Wong will lead dancers from the UCSC Theater Arts Department in a performance of excerpts from his work Swan Pond. Voces, the Latin American music ensemble directed by Diana Nieves, will perform a variety of compositions, accompanied by such instruments as the "zamponas" and "golpe." Shakespeare To Go will also offer a 50-minute abridged version of Hamlet.
The public is invited to wander among the 3-D art and sculpture by UCSC visual arts students, which will be exhibited indoors and around the grounds . And for those gastronomically inclined, local favorite "India Joze" Schultz will demonstrate his culinary skill in the garden.
In addition, UCSC literature and writing faculty members Charles Atkinson, Sesshu Foster, Roxanne Hamilton, K. Silem Mohammad, and Rob Wilson will read from their works in the Arboretum amphitheater. Rebecca Hope Stuhlbarg, conductor of the UCSC Madrigal Singers, will sing opera arias. And "Jed the Beetle God" Ford and Friends will welcome visitors with a bit of morning jazz.
The Arboretum is located on Empire Grade halfway between the main and west entrances to the UCSC campus. Parking will be available in the eucalyptus grove, and a free shuttle will operate between the parking lot and the Arboretum.
For more information, contact Steve McCabe at (831) 427-2998.
