Arts Devo

Let’s get weird All right, Chico. With the perversions of Halloween fresh on your twisted mind, time to put together an act for the Chico News & Review’s annual Keep Chico Weird talent show happening Jan. 28, 2017, at the El Rey Theatre. We are now accepting entries and Arts DEVO is counting on all of our beloved freaks to come through with something perverse, outrageous, shocking, challenging, gross, hilarious, confusing, bizarre, thrilling or just plain weird. Maybe you can juggle fishbowls filled with water and goldfish? Maybe you can burp “The Star-Spangled Banner”? Or, maybe you own a team of mini horses?! You wouldn’t even have to train them to do anything; just trot ’em around the stage and everyone would pee themselves with excitement. Whatever you can do, there will be a sold-out theater waiting to cheer you on. The deadline for submissions (for the talent show as well as the art show at 1078 Gallery) is Dec. 14. Visit www.facebook.com/keepchicoweird for guidelines and more details.

As we wait for the acts and art to roll in, let’s return to Chico’s regularly scheduled weirdness.

Dia de los Vapors Honor the dead around a steaming bowl of musical fruit. This Friday, Nov. 4, 5-7 p.m., Chico Art Center is kicking off its Day of the Dead exhibit with a reception and chili cook-off. In addition to the submissions of altars, artwork, poetry and music, there will be slow cookers full of chili provided by local chefs vying for the coveted “Hot Stuff” trophy created by local ceramicist Jana Lawton. Visitors are also encouraged to bring their own ofrendas—flowers, sweets, photos, tiny sculptures—and add them to the community altar.

Chico’s funky runway Get hip now, losers. Forget the mall and gap.com; if you want to dress unique and give the dopest gifts this holiday season, join the cool kids on the Boutique Crawl Friday (Nov. 4), 6:30-9:30 p.m. All the downtown resale shops are breaking out their best duds and deals: Bootleg, Three Sixty Ecotique, Red Umbrella and newcomers Rouse & Revolt (in the Garden Walk Mall). Fight evil, buy local and enjoy some treats.

Join the clubs Remember the 1day Song Club, the ridiculously awesome local songwriting/recording project spearheaded by musical madman Michael Bone? It’s still going strong, with album No. 39—seven tracks under the theme of “Drugs”—having just been released (featuring the amazing fuzzed-out electro-pop jam “am i high? (or is it just me?)” by Shabby Car).

Turns out there have been a couple more creative wellsprings born from that same artistic construct—wherein a one-word prompt is given every two weeks to creative types who then have 24 hours to complete a work matching the theme: the 1day Poetry Club and the 1day Art Club. The two new clubs have been around for about four months now, and you can enjoy the fruits of all three series (and sign up for prompts) at www.1dayclub.com—including Christine Connerly’s 1day Art Club photo for the “broken” theme and Theresa Ragudo’s 1day Poetry Club piece for “friction,” called “Selfish Caution”:

Selfish Caution

Within we fight against

a learned posture

Abrasive as we move

through friction

Trying to mimic the

smoothness and understanding

that our bodies know together