On a sunny day in early March, Wildlife sophomores Olie Espinoza and Dee Naranjo played guitar and conga drums in a hidden alcove near the Art Quad. The sound of the impromptu music could be heard from several feet away.
Photo by Abraham Navarro | Dee Naranjo Plays the Conga drum he uses for for class near the art quad on March 7.
Espinoza (@itsolie_909 on Instagram) just started learning how to play guitar last year and has been playing it ever since.
“I picked it up in maybe June of last year,” Espinoza said. “It’s definitely something that I always wanted to do and I never got a chance to do it.”
Espinoza and Naranjo met in the dorms during their freshman year and jam together whenever they get a chance. Naranjo (@deedeedeedeedeedeedeeeeeee on Instagram) didn’t play any drums prior to learning how to play the congas in a class that they took to fulfill a General Education requirement.
“I just took it as a GE class for the credits, for the art section of GE,” Naranjo said. “I saw it, it sounded cool. I’ve only been taking it for a month so far, so I don’t know much but it’s been really fun.”
An early reflection of the second annual Eureka Street Art Festival
Artists from around the world swarmed Eureka with colorful supplies on hand ready to paint vibrant and diverse murals.
The Second Annual Eureka Street Art Festival kicked off July 27 and ended August 3. Artists were sponsored by local businesses and the Headwaters Reserve Fund. Last year, organizers brought several artists to paint murals on many of Eureka’s downtown buildings with the intent to beautify the area.
Eureka local and artist Lucas Thornton specs out his mural on the side of the Redwood Art Association Gallery. | Photo by Deija Zavala
Shipping container design by Bay Area artist Benjamin Goulart (the Mural-Man) across from Humboldt Bay Fire in Eureka. | Photo by Deija Zavala
Sponsored by the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, Miami-based artist Eric Karbeling’s mural sits in the parking lot on the corner of 6th and G in Eureka. | Photo by Deija Zavala
Mural sponsored by the Local Cider Bar on the Picky Picky Picky Store 6th Street wall. | Photo by Deija Zavala
Mural by Seattle-based artist Genevieve St. Charles-Monet (@goldsuit) at 6th and E Neighborhood Eatery. | Photo by Deija Zavala
Southern California artists Dave Van Patten and James Carey collaborated on this piece at 6th and F Streets in Eureka. | Photo by Deija Zavala
Humboldt resident Sonny Wong’s mural sits on the corner of 6th and G Streets in Eureka. | Photo by Deija Zavala
Mural for Humboldt Bay Fire by Miami-based artist Eric Karbeling. | Photo by Deija Zavala
Argentinian artist Mabel Vicentef’s mural in the parking lot of Picky Picky Picky Store. The mural was originally planned for the second-level 6th Street wall of the Eureka Theatre. | Photo by Deija Zavala
The murals painted were put up to benefit the community. It’s been less than a month since the street festival and the official unveiling of these pieces, but an early reflection was in order to highlight the impact of the pieces.
“I think it’s great and it’s not costing the taxpayers anything,” said Margaret Gibson, a Eureka local when asked about her thoughts on the benefit of having these murals.
Nathan Mathers, who has resided in different parts of Humboldt County for the last 20 years, wishes that the funds that pay the artists for these projects would be used in helping other parts of the community.
“There’s no reason these businesses can’t donate to help the homeless or fix the roads instead of paying people to paint the buildings,” Mathers said.
While the majority of the projects have focused on areas closer to Eureka Old Town, Humboldt natives like Jessica Warren hopes that in years to come they’ll see murals throughout the entirety of Eureka.
“Why stop at Old Town? If we want these murals to benefit the community they need to be seen everywhere,” Warren said.
Another local by the name of Sheri Jacobs said that she believes these murals will have several positive effects on the community.
“Some people might drive through Eureka and think it’s rundown, but how can they say that with all these vibrant murals hanging around,” Jacobs said. “It might make people want to stop and do their business here but if not, at least we all have something pretty to look at.”
Susan Connors knew no matter what her daughter Gabby decided to pursue, she would never give up.
“A lot of people don’t follow their dreams, they say I can’t do it or I can’t make it. She’s not like that,” Susan Connors said. “She tries her hardest to make sure it happens. She has a strong sense of self and a strong character.”
Gabby Connors, a 19-year-old dance major at Humboldt State University, is set to teach advanced ballet at North Coast Dance next fall.
Gabby Connors has spent 13 years of her life dancing, a talent she inherited from her grandmother.
While reflecting on her journey, the young dance major said dance is a never-ending journey.
“You have to keep working no matter what,” Gabby Connors said. “You can only advance so much in one day and then the next day you’re just off.”
Gabby began dancing when she was in the second grade after her best friend’s mother opened a dance studio.
“Dance is a very vulnerable artform,” Connors said. “You are asking your body to do crazy stuff, and you are asking your mind to let you release yourself and show those emotions and be vulnerable in front of strangers.”
Gabby said that in spite of compliments from others and all the years she has put into dancing, she does not always recognize her talent.
“I perceive it more as hard work than I do natural talent,” Connors said.
Susan never danced growing up and was surprised by Gabby’s ability to pick up dance so effortlessly.
Gabby has been dancing from the age of six, but said her path was never simple.
“It hasn’t always been easy choosing dance as what I want for my life,” Connors said. “It’s really difficult when the one thing that brings you the most fulfillment and peace is also the root of a lot of your self-doubt and criticism.”
It can be very difficult to manage the stress that comes with participating at such a high level in dance.
Susan said that while she does not know much about HSU, she does know that Gabby is trustworthy when it comes to making the right decisions for herself.
“Gabby is very independent so we didn’t have much of an input into where she would go,” Susan Connors said. “She was accepted into UC Irvine’s dance program, but they focused on pointe and she wanted to go with contemporary. I think Humboldt is a good fit for her.”
Regardless of where Gabby chose to attend college, Susan said that she knew she would thrive wherever she went.
“As long as she stays healthy, I think she could go very, very far,” Susan Conners said. “I am proud of her and glad that she followed her dreams.”
Gabby transferred to HSU with over two and a half years completed in credits because of her advanced placement classes, and is already expected to graduate in the fall of 2019. She felt that she had gotten everything she could out of her high school experience, and that it was time for her to move on and grow.
Connors said she moved from Washington to study dance at Humboldt State, not only because she loves the ocean and the trees, but also because of the smaller learning environment.
“One of the many perks about the dance program here is that we are a smaller school so it’s a smaller program, which means you get a lot more individual attention.” Connors said “[It] is important for any major, but is very important for dance.”
HSU Dance Program Lead, Linda Maxwell, is one of Gabby’s professors. Maxwell has been teaching at HSU for 12 years. Out of those 12 years, she said Gabby Connors stands out.
“Gabby is probably the most talented student that I’ve ever had at Humboldt State University in the 12 years that I have been here,” Maxwell said. “She never talks during class. She does everything full out, and she is very supportive for students that are not of her level.”
Maxwell said she remembers when a guest dance company traveled to HSU and taught a master class on HSU’s campus.
“She picked up every detail. A lot of students were struggling and she was able to do it full out,” Maxwell said. “She has that ability to pick up anything.”
For Gabby, dancing comes down to her ability to manage and transgress her emotions on the stage.
“Having danced so long, I have gotten very comfortable wearing all of my emotions very openly on my face at all times,” Connors said. “I am a very emotional person so dancing is very comfortable for me.”
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