Arts Devo

Sunlight chaser One of the happiest days in Arts DEVO’s year is the day the clocks spring forward. I know there are ongoing efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time in California, but right now, as I anticipate the coming instant gratification of gaining an entire hour of sunlight all at once (this year’s recalibration happens this Sunday, March 12, at 2 a.m.), I am not at all convinced that we need to change a goddamn thing.

Long summer nights are everything to me. Every year of my California life has revolved around them and the prolonged opportunities for freedom and wildness they’ve provided—hot nights filled with friends, drinking beers around chicken-splattered grills, long walks, bicycle adventures, garden-watching, chilling in the grass with Honey the poodle (pictured). All the good stuff. The bottom line is that if we switched to standard time we’d no longer have those glorious late June/early July evenings that stretch the sunshine past 8:30 p.m. Most of Arizona doesn’t change its clocks and the latest sunset of the year there will be 7:42 p.m. WTF?! That would seriously hurt my Nor-Cal heart. I need this.

Hey, we did a thing As Editor Melissa Daugherty mentioned in last week’s paper, the Chico News & Review has upgraded the calendar on its website, and after a few tweaks and a little cleanup during the first week, things are looking pretty sweet. Your friendly arts editor couldn’t be happier. The new format is clean and simple, a breeze to navigate and very user-friendly for promoters and artists to post their events. So please, visit www.newsreview.com/chico/calendar and submit your rad happenings, and bookmark us on your computers and smartphones to stay on top of the Chico scene.

Rest in peace I didn’t find out until after deadline last week that longtime local artist and retired Chico State art professor James Alan Kuiper died on Feb. 27. He was 71 years old. Born in Chicago, Kuiper was a prolific artist and arts advocate who showed his work all over the world and served on the boards of many nonprofit arts organizations. He taught at Chico State from 1989 until 2016, and had a great impact on generations of artists who came through his classes. The Museum of Northern California Art (MONCA), which will feature artwork by Kuiper in its permanent collection, is accepting donations in his name (and will be presenting a memorial exhibit in the fall). Visit www.monca.org/donate or mail to: MONCA, 900 Esplanade, Chico, CA, 95926.

DEVOtions

• Poetry live: Chico State’s Writer’s Voice series welcomes visiting poet Camille T. Dungy, author of four collections of poetry—most recently Trophic Cascade (2017)—tonight, March 9, 7:30 p.m., at Zingg Recital Hall

• CD-release party: Local singer/songwriter Hugh Hammond releases his new album, Rebel Compass, Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m., at Naked Lounge. Kyle Williams and Hannah Jane Kile open.

• Memorial show: Nor-Cal punks are coming out in force to pay homage to a beloved member of the local punk scene at Kylee Athena’s Memorial Show. Eight bands, Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m., at Monstros Pizza.