by Winter Music

  It’s back to school at Froth with Arcata’s resident rebellious drag troupe, Renegade Revue! On Sat. 19 at 8 p.m. jocks, nerds, teachers and cheerleaders, or people dressed like them, assembled to create an 80s school burlesque fantasy. The sold-out show featured eight drag kings and queens, each with their own take on the school tropes we’ve all seen in movies. Nostalgia, mixed with hot and heavy burlesque, meant dollars and praise were thrown after each move made and each piece of clothing stripped.

So, what makes people go on stage with more makeup than clothes? Burlesque performer Alora Devora, a sixth year psychology and interdisciplinary dance studies major, took to the stage in her school girl costume. 

“The reason I do drag and burlesque is because it brings me back into my body,” Devora said. “It gives me confidence and I believe it also gives other people confidence seeing people do what is scary.”

The desire to inspire people in the audience was shared by many of the night’s performers, but that wasn’t the only reason people felt the need to put themselves out there. 

Cocky Muffington is a drag king and host of the King of Drag watch parties at The Summit. Depicting the classic jock with too much of daddy’s money — complete with a cigar and smoking jacket — he’s found what keeps bringing him back to the stage.

“I do drag for the gender euphoria. I didn’t really experience gender dysphoria before I started drag,” Cocky said. “Once I did drag, I never wanted to get out of the makeup right? I never wanted to take off the packer. I’m like, oh, this feels really good — like really it’s been missing from my life.”

 Renegade Revue seeks to provide performers and viewers alike with a safe space to express themselves and build confidence. While performers express their femininity, masculinity and sexuality as a whole without fear of judgment, viewers are encouraged to take inspiration and live their lives to the fullest.

“The most important thing you can do in your lifetime is become yourself,” Master of Ceremonies, Olivia Gambino, a Cal Poly Humboldt anthropology alumni and local burlesque queen said. 

As the night came to a close, performers and audience members reflected on the nature of what was just experienced. The radical nature of satirizing gender roles, embracing camp, thinking about the effort that those here and before us have put in to preserve this art and keep sharing it.

“Oh, we’re glamorous little cockroaches. We’ll just show up in any little corner. Sweetie, we would be jumping off of washing machines and dryers, doing the splits, doing a death drop at the Eastside Laundromat if we could,” Gambino said. “If you wanna get into it but you don’t know how, we’ll have you kitting, we’ll have you stage manage, we’ll put you somewhere. You belong with us. If you feel like you belong with us, you belong”

So don’t be scared, go out to that drag event, throw some cash when they dance, maybe even get involved. These spaces exist as a safe place to explore self expression, so try that new thing, wear that weird outfit; just do it with love, kindness and respect.

Winter is an English major and copy editor with an interest in covering local community events mostly focusing on music and art.

By Tatiana Moore

The further north you go along the coast, the quieter California gets. The pace of life is slow beneath the redwoods, and yet Humboldt has a habit of producing people who refuse to sit still. Enter Arcane Artists, home to a whole spectrum of performers. Pole, go-go and fire dancing, aerial silks, DJing and live painting are just some of the acts that bring Humboldt nightlife to life. 

Founded in 2021, in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns, Arcane Artists Director Joey Constini set out to create a home for creatives across Humboldt County.

“What I saw in the community, more than anything, was depression and isolation,” Costini said. “I was watching so many young creatives having to leave this area.”

Unlike larger cities in California such as Los Angeles or San Francisco, Arcata is not an entertainment hub. There are no streets lined with clubs, no huge concert venues and no major touring circuits. 

Lana Gallinat, stage name Lacy Mar, graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH) with a degree in psychology and a minor in dance last May. Gallinat discovered Arcane through people she met on campus.

“They were like, ‘We’re dancing with this group and you’d be perfect. Let’s go audition.’” Gallinat said.

Gallinat is a dance lead with Arcane Artists as a go-go dancer, but Humboldt wasn’t the first place she tried to build a life as a dancer. Before coming north, Gallinat lived in Los Angeles. where she studied dance and pursued performing professionally.

Gallinat said her time in Los Angeles eventually changed her relationship with dance.

“It became something that was really stressful and it was no longer a passion or outlet for me,” Gallinat said. “In Humboldt and with Arcane, I’m just surrounded by a bunch of people who just love what they do, who want to pursue their passions, who are also working and doing other things to get their bag. But then, like, this is what they choose to fill their free time with.” 

Performers in Humboldt can be students, environmentalists, welders, therapists or teachers. In a place where entertainment opportunities are hard to come by, CPH students Luke Schulke and Wysdem Singleton are making a scene. 

Schulke, also known as Dewdrop, is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in environmental and community programming, and an aerialist specializing in aerial silks. For her, performing is less about entertainment and more about pushing back against the limitations placed on her body.

“Performing to me means kind of everything,” Schulke said. “I have a few different disabilities and that can prevent me from using my body in the way that I want to, but when I can perform in this way, in this death-defying act, I kind of just defy what somebody might perceive my abilities to be, or what I might perceive my own abilities to be. And it just brings me out of that and puts me into a different mindset —a different world.”

Singleton, an accounting major at CPH, has had a lifelong entanglement with dance. With Arcane Artists giving her a space to experiment without having to fit neatly into one category she’s been able to branch out.

“I did praise dancing, I did ballet, I’ve done hip-hop, and then I took a couple dancing classes at Cal Poly, but I’ve always loved the art of dance,” Singleton said. “And so here I just do a lot of improv, a lot of go-go dancing, and I just get to love on dance.” 

In a larger entertainment market, that kind of variety can mean constantly trying to prove where you belong. In Humboldt, that seems to be a part of the appeal. There is ample room to try something new, get on stage and figure it out as you go. 

Humboldt may never have the neon lights of Vegas, and that’s exactly what makes the scene so different. The performers of Arcane Artists aren’t waiting for Humboldt to become the next entertainment capital; they’re not bound by the common industry expectations; they’re building something of their own. 

Tatiana is a reporter. Contact her at thm18@humboldt.edu

By Sadie Shields

  Vibrant colors, natural fibers and the chatter of people catching up like old friends brought the Arcata Community Center to life at the 36th Natural Fiber Fair from Sept. 12-13.

After walking through the packed parking lot toward the venue, visitors were greeted at the door by three of Blackberry Fields Alpaca Farms alpacas. The space was filled with booths featuring crafts of all kinds and fiber artists putting their hands to the spindle. If you choose to venture close enough to watch the process, you can smell lavender from custom pouches and alpaca wool.

For some of the crafty crafters, beginning a new fiber art piece comes with mixed emotions of excitement and frustration, ending in sweet satisfaction of seeing their finished project come together. 

“Starting a project is usually equal parts exciting and intimidating,” Clair Voigtlander, the Redwood Empire Quilters Guild Opportunity Quilt Chairperson said. “Then towards the end I’m like, well , that did not turn out the way I wanted, but next time it will be better and I learned a lot along the way.” 

Walking through the corridors to such a creative space, learning about new crafts and speaking to vendors and artists gives a sense of creativity and yearn to learn yourself.While fiber arts does take some time to master, the basics can be learned quickly. Knitting and crocheting were recommended by Voigtlander as beginner friendly options, especially for college students who may have limited space or equipment. 

Jo Kuzelka ran the used equipment booth during the fair and does fiber art herself in her free time.  According to Kuzelka, repetitive movements can help some people with focus, like a sort of fidget, while also fabricating a handmade project they can wear with pride. The biggest challenge for beginners is often time and coordination. 

“Knitting or crocheting [is] kind of your starter … it’s a gateway craft, ” Kuzelka said.

Sustainability is one of the main reasons why attendees and artists choose natural fibers. Cotton, hemp, linen and wool were among some of the materials that people used for their spinning, felting, needling and knitting crafts at the fair. With so much natural fiber that can be found around you, crafting with natural fibers allows you to avoid some of the environmental concerns associated with synthetic fibers. 

“If I can do it myself, I would like to do it myself,” Voigtlander said. 

Molly Quinones, one of the owners of the Blackberry Fields Alpaca Farm based in Eureka said natural materials are part of the artistic experience. Aside from that, Quinones said that using natural fibers is beneficial in other ways. 

“With the alpacas we have no carbon footprint. It’s all usable,” Quinones said. “All of the fiber is for something. It’s better for the earth, it’s better for the skin and the animals get a good life.”

Also present at the fair was the Humboldt Handweavers and Spinners Guild, the main sponsor of the fair. The guild provides prospective fiber artists a space to begin their spooling journey into the craft. Beginners can attend meetings, learn from experienced artists and borrow equipment before purchasing their own.

The fair presented fiber arts as accessible to anyone willing to try something new, and fostered an environment for experienced fiber artists to connect with each other through a shared love for handmade fibers. Quinones believes creativity doesn’t have to come naturally for someone to become involved in crafting.

“Everybody’s crafty,” Quinones said. “All you have to do is like something that you see, and you can do it.”

Sadie is a reporter with an interest in covering and taking photos for sports and science. Reach her at sls331@humboldt.edu.