A California Online Magazine with Local Focus and Global Appeal
As the pandemic-induced shutdown closed businesses across the nation last March, the Fresno Art Museum (FAM) shuttered itself to the public for the first time in 72 years. But behind those closed doors, the museum is alive and well, preparing for a show-stopping reopening later in the fall. Kings River Life spoke with FAM’s Executive Director, Michele Ellis Pracy, to discover what’s been happening behind the scenes at the Fresno Art Museum.
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Nature and photography go hand in hand for award-winning Fresno photographer and musician Larry W. Cusick, whose love of birds makes the avian species one of his favorite muses. But variety is the spice of life, and Cusick has also made a name for himself as a maker of music, playing the fiddle, Irish flute, and uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes).
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When it comes to the imagination, the sky’s the limit for Gail Daley. With three science fiction and fantasy series underway, the Central Valley author feels as much at home exploring distant galaxies as she does creating memorable characters who leap off the page. Kings River Life spoke with Daley about inspiration, genre bending, and writing’s biggest rewards.
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It was like being struck by lightning—the sudden and electrifying urge to pick up a pen. And that was the moment that inspired Sierra Nevada fine artist Vicki Thomas to add “author” to her career title. Kings River Life spoke with Thomas about her remarkable journey as a young adult fantasy writer, as well as the adventures that await her young protagonist Ivan Kimble.
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As the days shorten and the air turns cold and crisp, thoughts turn to the holidays and all of the chaos that they conjure. ‘Tis the season of mad dashes on Black Friday, packed parking lots, a veritable flood of Christmas parties and gift exchanges, and the scramble of last-minute everything.
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The Central Valley, known for its agricultural riches, is also home to a thriving art community, thanks in no small part to the Alliance of California Artists, an organization that has been dedicated to fostering education in the arts in the Valley for almost two decades.
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As the air grows crisp and the dying leaves descend like fallen flames, October ushers in a spooky season of Halloween parties, scary movie marathons, and pumpkin spice everything. Thoughts drift like ghosts to seasonal festivities like pumpkin carving, trick or treating, and finding just the right costume.
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Fresno’s game scene is ever-evolving, but the Fresno Board Gamers have remained a bedrock within the swiftly-moving stream of gaming culture, gathering weekly for over ten years. Kings River Life caught up with group co-organizer John Bowling to talk about the group’s origin, its evolution, and the enduring appeal of tabletop gaming.
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Debi Ruud thinks of it as a love story—a musical career encompassing nearly four decades of song, and from founding the Fresno Music Academy & Arts, community choir Hearts on Fire, and R&B soul band The Lost Souls, to releasing her second CD, All that Matters, her musical journey is only just beginning…
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By definition, a mixtape is “a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium,” and acts as a fitting metaphor for the work of Visalia artist Zachary Bland, both literally and figuratively. His work often involves a marriage of multiple mediums, much like a mixtape, and traces its origins from the object itself. Kings River Life spoke with Bland about mixed media, the vibrant Visalia art scene, and how art is a love letter.
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As spring takes flight in a dazzling display of blossoms and greenery, the Fresno Audubon Society is gearing up with binoculars and cameras for spring birding season. And as Earth Day approaches, preparations are underway for the Society’s participation in this year’s Earth Day Fresno event.
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Springtime descends upon the Valley in a storm of pink and white petals as March showers gives way to the legendary Blossom Trail. And Sanger’s Kings River Winery is gearing up for wine-tasting season as the weather warms and memories of winter are shaken off like dripping umbrellas.
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It all began with a dream—Ginny Burdick had always wanted to open a fine art gallery, and even though she came from the corporate world, she had always been an artist. Seven years ago, she made that dream come true when she opened A Sense of Place in Fresno. Here the artist and gallery owner share the origin story of A Sense of Place.
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A magic trick consists of three parts–the pledge (the set-up), the turn (the trick), and the prestige (the magic, where the unbelievable becomes believable)–but there’s also a certain nostalgia involved, for a time when anything seems possible. The same can be said of the Central Valley’s Prestige, a band that conjures the real magic that a stage magician’s trick can only imitate.
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Matilda is a friendly, feisty furry ninja who loves to play and who is brimming with energy and personality who is 1 year old! She was found at the intersection of a busy road and the freeway and was scooped up by a Good Samaritan! She greets you with cute little meows and she loves to cuddle once she’d finished playing. She’s been fostered with other cats and she like to be the center of attention. Matilda is available from the Cat House on the Kings.
