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Sunday, September 19th
11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
WAC member and fellow non-profit Rattle magazine is hosting a special day of poetry in Wrightwood this September featuring workshops and readings by two prominent poets and an open mic to share your own poems.
Kathleen McClung, winner of the 2020 Rattle Chapbook Prize for her book A Juror Must Fold in on Herself will lead a workshop on “Witness as Meditation” in poetry. Meanwhile, James Wright Poetry Award winner Michael Meyerhofer will teach a work on “Radical Approaches to Revising Poems.” After a break for lunch, both poets will read from their own work and sign books.
Attend your choice of workshops for $20, with proceeds going to the Wrightwood Arts Center. Space is limited and is sure to sell out, so sign up soon! The reading and open mic at 2 p.m. is free and open to the public, and all locals are welcome to attend! For more information and to register, visit the Poetry Day webpage.
Shea Stevens is a local high school student with Classical Conversations, a Classical Christian homeschool program. As a culinary artist, she finds her joy in the kitchen. She focuses on not only the taste of her treats but also the health aspect of them. All of her recipes use organic ingredients, baked with love and care.
“Baking is both therapeutic and fun for me, I like to focus on creating healthier recipes equally as tasty as the original ones, so that I can enjoy sweets guilt free!” she states. With a rising number of individuals going gluten free and or vegan, Shea has also found successful substitutes for her recipes. An example of this includes applesauce in place of eggs, grain free flours such as almond and coconut, as well as coconut oil or vegan oil based dairy free butter instead of regular butter. She also often uses coconut sugar as a healthy alternative for regular cane sugar. With hopes to create her own bakery someday, experimenting has become her sole focus as she continues to bake to her heart’s content.
Shea’s passion for baking began from the moment she could hold a mixing spoon—she was 8 years old in the photo included here. She recalls the many mornings flipping pancakes and making blueberry muffins with her sister and mother. As she explains, “My mother has supported me my whole life, not just through baking but in every aspect. The smile that appears on her face when the house is filled with the comforting smell of my chocolate chip cookies brings me a sense of reassurance.” Shea’s favorite part of baking is the joy it brings to her family, friends, and anyone who takes a bite of her sweet treats.
When Shea is not baking she is researching new ways to improve her healthy habits, and expand her knowledge in psychology and business through podcasts, books, and articles. With these goals in mind and resources at hand she wishes to make the world a brighter place with her baking, each day bringing her works of art closer for the world to taste!
Esmé Stevens is a senior in the Kolbe Academy Homeschool Program.
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Note: The local artist spotlight is part of our monthly WAC newsletters. If you haven’t yet, please sign up so you don’t miss any!
A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
~ Paul Cézanne
Moving to the Rhythm Within: Nancy Kupka
Local Artist Profile by Esmé Stevens
Meet Nancy Kupka, Wrightwood Arts Center Membership Chair and forever dancer. From her earliest memories she was always on her toes, moving to the rhythm within. Nancy was born in Wahiawa, where her father was stationed in the Hawaiian islands. Growing up by the ocean heavily impacted her desire to become a lifelong dancer. “I appreciated the enormous power and strength of water. It taught me perseverance. It energized me. I used that power. One pirouette, two, three. … if I could connect to the spirit, the depth, the constancy, the majesty and strength of the ocean, I felt I could master anything,” she states. That spark quickly turned into a still-burning flame to pursue dance. She spent her earliest years dedicating time to dance classes, auditions, performances, and any opportunity which came toward the young ballerina. Nancy in particular recalls the time when she was recruited by the American Choreographic Company at Duke University in North Carolina, as well as spending three seasons performing with Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo.
After years of opportunity involving dance, Nancy went on to earn her BA in Dance Specialization from Cal State Los Angeles, and an MA in Dance Therapy from UCLA. Throughout her years spent in school she performed and taught for an NEA funded touring and modern dance company known as “The Moving Company.” With these degrees under her belt, Nancy continued her passion for dance in the classroom. She has taught for 40 years as a Professor of Dance at California State University of Los Angeles. Alongside developing new programs in jazz, ballet, and tap at the University, Nancy has had a number of her own curriculum-based literary works published.
In addition to dancing, Nancy has a deep love for her local community. She hopes to bring the people of Wrightwood closer together through the Arts Center. Keep an eye out for Nancy Kupka—her welcoming aura and free spirit will surely inspire you to join the Wrightwood Arts Center and discover new passions for the arts!
Esmé Stevens is a senior in the Kolbe Academy Homeschool Program.
A Letter From the Board
While the Wrightwood Arts Center (WAC) doors have been closed, WAC volunteers have spent the past year strengthening the organization’s foundation. With patience, deliberation, and optimism, we did the careful work of strategic planning, volunteer recruitment, planning a schedule of art classes, exhibits, poetry workshops and performances, and in 2022, the inaugural Wrightwood Arts & Wine Festival, slated for May 21. We also want to honor those WAC artists whose work was put on hold in 2020. With great joy we look forward to WAC exhibits from Patricia Farrell, Jean Gillingswators, and Mary Duman this fall. Please visit our calendar of events for further details wrightwoodarts.com/calendar. While there, add an arts event of your own!
People have created art, music, dance, theater, and more since the earliest days of humanity. As the pandemic wanes, we can gratefully return to sharing these artistic experiences. The Wrightwood Arts Center is thrilled to be a steward of these endeavors. Inspiring creativity in all of us, the arts and artists are second responders, helping us heal individually and as a community. In that spirit WAC has scheduled: an outdoor Wine & Watercolor class and membership drive in June; kids’ art classes in July; diverse arts exhibits & member gatherings in the Fall; and upcoming Arts Adventures! All activities will follow San Bernardino County COVID 19 guidelines. For details visit WrightwoodArts.com or Facebook at Facebook.com/WrightwoodArts.
Wrightwood Property Owners Association Ice Cream Social
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(Community Building / Vivan Null Park)
Learn about community organizations, service groups, and clubs, play games, bring friends, eat ice cream, and enjoy the village ambiance!
Wine & Watercolors with Gayle Dowling
1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
(Location Shared after Registration)
Come paint with us! Wine and Watercolors with Gayle Dowling is coming back live and outside! The theme will be spring tulips. Bring your own supplies if you have them. Cost of $30 for members / $35 for non-members includes wine, snacks, and supplemental materials. Location will be disclosed and photo will be sent upon registration. Please wear a mask and observe social distancing. Click here to register!
Children’s Art Class with Esme Stevens
Come join the Wrightwood Arts Center for a children’s art class taught by our very own intern, Esme Stevens! Classes will center around the elements of art with an art project to be finished by the end of every class. Classes will be Thursday afternoons beginning July 8th through July 29th, and held at the Wrightwood Arts Center on Park Dr. Ages 6-8 will be from 12:00-1:00 p.m., and ages 9-12, 1:30-2:30 p.m. The total cost is $60 for all four sessions. We hope bringing art to the younger community here in Wrightwood allows for children to explore their creative minds, as well as awaken the love for art in each individual. Please go here to register for classes. Last day to register will be July 6th. WAC will be following San Bernardino County Health Dept Covid guidelines during each class.
Open Clay Studio
Clay class with Mary Duman was a big hit. The current sessions for May and June have sold out, but keep an eye out for this opportunity in the future. Here are some examples of the fun that was had:
Poem of the Month
Michael Mark
A DAILY PRACTICE
After I write Temporary on each sticky note
and press them onto socks, silverware, bills,
my hair, I put one on each maple tree in the yard,
and notice I don’t think of them as eternal
as much. All it takes is a single written word
on red, yellow, green tags to remind me
the car isn’t mine. The house isn’t mine. Snow,
money, flowers do that just being themselves
but I stick one on fear and another on hate,
pushing with all my weight so they stay. Dogs
are born with the knowledge, so no need. But
old people, even shrinking in hospice beds, yes.
Somehow they transform Temporary into Still Here.
Babies are so hard, I almost can’t. When the pad
is empty, I wait for the glue to lose its grip and fight
the urge to blow or peel them off. Sometimes a wind
comes. And I stumble around, trying to catch them.
Michael Mark is the author of two books of stories, Toba and At the Hands of a Thief. Michael Mark lives with his wife Lois in San Diego. Visit his website here.
Shea Stevens is a local high school student with Classical Conversations, a Classical Christian homeschool program. As a culinary artist, she finds her joy in the kitchen. She focuses on not only the taste of her treats but also the health aspect of them. All of her recipes use organic ingredients, baked with love and care.
Meet Nancy Kupka, Wrightwood Arts Center Membership Chair and forever dancer. From her earliest memories she was always on her toes, moving to the rhythm within. Nancy was born in Wahiawa, where her father was stationed in the Hawaiian islands. Growing up by the ocean heavily impacted her desire to become a lifelong dancer. “I appreciated the enormous power and strength of water. It taught me perseverance. It energized me. I used that power. One pirouette, two, three. … if I could connect to the spirit, the depth, the constancy, the majesty and strength of the ocean, I felt I could master anything,” she states. That spark quickly turned into a still-burning flame to pursue dance. She spent her earliest years dedicating time to dance classes, auditions, performances, and any opportunity which came toward the young ballerina. Nancy in particular recalls the time when she was recruited by the American Choreographic Company at Duke University in North Carolina, as well as spending three seasons performing with Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo.
Come join the Wrightwood Arts Center for a children’s art class taught by our very own intern, Esme Stevens! Classes will center around the elements of art with an art project to be finished by the end of every class. Classes will be Thursday afternoons beginning July 8th through July 29th, and held at the Wrightwood Arts Center on Park Dr. Ages 6-8 will be from 12:00-1:00 p.m., and ages 9-12, 1:30-2:30 p.m. The total cost is $60 for all four sessions. We hope bringing art to the younger community here in Wrightwood allows for children to explore their creative minds, as well as awaken the love for art in each individual. Please 