Downtown Stockton is the Place to be for Artists

Posted on November 5, 2018 by digitalgear

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By Andrew Rocha

Stockton is home to many talented artists who display their work throughout downtown, including the recent murals at the Deliberation Room.

The Deliberation Room is a restaurant and bar at 19 North California Street. It is perfect for anyone who wants to grab a bite to eat or drink with friends. Plus, by adding the murals, there is even stronger presence of artistic culture in the area! There are several amazing murals at the location. Each have a distinct style and tone, showcasing the gifted Stockton artists.

For more information on the Deliberation Room, check them out on Facebook.

1850 Collective

The owner of the building, Jacob Bengeruel, shared that the idea to have murals came to him while on a trip to New York City. “While there, I watched artists painting murals on Houston Street on our way to check out the Houston Bowery wall. Watching murals be painted was a unique experience that I really enjoyed. The Houston Bowery wall is an exhibit that rotates new murals every few months so that a new artists is showcased. I was so impressed by both that I wanted to bring the experience to Stockton.”

In order to bring the artistic experience to Stockton, Bengeruel contacted the 1850 Collective to put together a team of artists to create the murals at the Deliberation Room. The 1850 Collective is an organization made up of a variety of artists and creatives who are on a mission to promote the artistic side of Stockton! The murals are just one example of the talent that they help nurture. They are demonstrating how Downtown Stockton is a place that can inspire incredible beauty.

You can find more about the 1850 Collective on Facebook and Instagram.

Artists Spotlight

Two of the artists that have their work on display at the Deliberation Room are Jeremy Johnson and Derek Hough. Their piece is perfect for the spooky season of October. “I have always been drawn to incorporating nature or nature elements, into my work. I feel like Derek and I are fairly similar in that respect, which is why I think we were a good fit for the piece. For me personally, I get inspired by the use of color and illumination in a piece. Since one of our favorite times of year (October) was on its way, we thought we would go for a more eerie feel.” shared Johnson. “The idea behind our piece was to draw you in to the work, with some fun color choices but then give the viewer this uneasy feeling, with the creepy characters in the background and spooky trees making crazy faces in the foreground. Derek and I just wanted the viewers to wander into this piece and experience the mystery and oddity of this one moment in time and hopefully walk away feeling inspired by our wild imagination.”

To see more of their work, you can follow Jeremy Johnson on Facebook and Instagram, and Derek Hough can be found on Instagram.

Stockton’s Growing Art Scene

The murals are eye-catching with their vibrant colors and imaginative illustrations. One cannot help but stop and admire the time and the effort that was put in to creating such vivid works of art! They truly reflect the charm of Downtown Stockton and are a reminder that Stockton is a city with a growing artist community!

Promoting this talent, Stockton Arts Week is highlighting the art and culture that Stockton has fostered. Stockton Arts Week started last Friday, October 12th, and will continue until October 21st. Enjoy events like art walks, performances, workshops and more!

For more information on Stockton Arts Week, check out the Visit Stockton website at visitstockton.com

More of the Murals Below

Fun, Family-Friendly Summer Activities & Events in Downtown Stockton

Posted on May 21, 2018 by digitalgear

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By Jessica Nguyen

Soon, 90 degree temperatures will be heading our way, and you know what that means- summer is almost here! Luckily, there are plenty of family-friendly summer activities and events for you and your loved ones to enjoy in the Downtown Stockton area. Whether you want to cool off from the heat or stay out of the sun, these Downtown Stockton events and activities got you covered (no pun intended)!

Arts & Entertainment

To start off, the Weber Point Event Center is a family favorite! Throughout the year, the Event Center is home to festivals, concerts, and community celebrations as well as a colorful play area for children. In the summer, there is a free interactive water feature for all to enjoy (edit: unfortunately, the water feature will be closed this summer but will be re-opening next year). If getting wet is not for you, feel free to take a leisurely stroll along the water instead and enjoy the view or have a nice lunch in the nearby picnic site. Starting in June, the Event Center hosts Movies at the Point, where family-friendly films are projected onto the outdoor canopy in the evenings. These events are free to the public, so don’t hesitate to bring blankets, snacks, or even dinner to enjoy while watching movies under the summer night sky full of stars.

Speaking of films, don’t forget to stop by the Regal City Centre Stadium 16 & IMAX with the family to see highly anticipated summer movies such as Hotel Transylvania 3 and The Incredibles 2.

If live performances or conventions are more your style, come relax and enjoy bands and artists scheduled to perform at the Bob Hope Theatre such as The Monkees, Jake Shimabukuro, and Benise. Over at the Stockton Arena, the first ever Kidz Expo will take place on July 21st, and will include vendor booths, inflatable bounce houses, face painting, magicians, and much more – a great opportunity for you and your family to spend time together. Continue making memories with your loved ones at StocktonCon, an event that showcases talented artists in the San Joaquin Valley Area and promotes awareness of popular culture. Come dressed as your favorite movie, anime, video game, or comic book character!

Educational Activities

Downtown Stockton also offers entertaining, educational activities for youth. For example, at the Children’s Museum of Stockton, kids can enjoy over 40 interactive exhibits, including a Reptile Display, an Eye Exhibit, a Magnet Exhibit, and a fort with a slide. Admission is only $6, and children aged 2 and under are free!

Another option is a visit to the Cesar Chavez Central Library, which offers internet access, free classes, and workshops. Programs for children include: Preschool Playtime, Family Storytime, Family Game Time, and a LEGO Building Club.

Sports

And of course, we can’t forget about sports! Don’t forget to come cheer on our Stockton Ports baseball team at Banner Island Ballpark! In addition to spectating, kids can play with games, inflatable bouncers, and a giant slide located past the outfield along the seawall. There are also batting cages along the first base line for those who want to practice their swing.

Also, join us, the Downtown Stockton Alliance, for our free, trademark event, Full Moon Riders! Bring your family and bicycles for casual evening rides along the Downtown Stockton Waterfront. After the event, riders meet at participating downtown restaurants. The rides are scheduled on nights of the full moon, and the first one is coming up on May 29^th! The ride theme is Flower Child Pedal, so wear some flowers in your hair or on your wheels to celebrate the Full Flower Moon!

Each Full Moon Riders event has a different theme, so remember to gear up, decorate your bikes, and have fun!

To keep up on family-friendly summer activities happening in Downtown Stockton, check out our Events Calendar!

Book Lovers Paradise in Downtown Stockton

Posted on May 7, 2018 by digitalgear

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By Paula Sheil,
Tuleburg Press & The Write Place

Nestled in the center of Downtown Stockton is a welcoming book lover’s paradise. Inside are shelves bursting with poetry and art books, vintage printing presses and book binding equipment, polished and brought back to life, and floor-to-ceiling murals depicting Stockton’s lush natural habitats. This book lover’s oasis – The Write Place – is a legacy project of Tuleburg Press.

The mission of Tuleburg Press is to foster literacy in our diverse community by identifying, publishing, and/or mentoring emerging, talented, local writers, especially those who write about life in the Central Valley. The Write Place is where we make that happen.

Located at 343 E. Main Street, The Write Place is a studio workshop that offers classes in book binding, letter press printing, and so much more. During the week, book arts and creative writing classes take place, while on the weekends the center hosts authors and artists who showcase their work.

*Artist Saul Serna works on a linoleum block print in a Delta-inspired environment realized by muralist Armando Perez*.

From cover to cover, Tuleburg Press is all about the book. But more than a book publisher, we host classes where students can create their own books from making the paper, to assembling the book structure, sewing up the book, and filling its pages with creativity!

*Instructor Angie Maxson helps Paige and (mom) Sabrina Wold make junk journals.*

Poets can work under the tutelage of Stockton’s poet laureate Tama Brisbane on Tuesdays. Writers in other genres meet the second and fourth Mondays of the month at our Writers Exchange, where they explore prompts and share their work.

We hold a multitude of different book arts classes throughout the month. Review our schedule and enroll for the classes on our website.

In addition to our regular classes, we often host special events for schools, businesses, and individuals. Schools make hour-long field trips to tour the facility and engage in book arts activities, including book making and creative writing. Businesses have used our services as a company team building retreat, where employees can attend a private workshop in which they learn to make paper, make journals, or learn to bind books. We are always happy to hold birthday parties for bibliophiles; all of our offered classes can become a private party.

To discuss setting up a special event at The Write Place, please contact us via email at [email protected] or via phone 209-949-2233.

We hope to see you soon!

Downtown Murals Create Awareness

Posted on April 3, 2018 by digitalgear

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By Sylwia Lipiec-Qualls, DSA’s Communications Manger

“We have a thing about doing murals in partnership with human rights and non-profit organizations,” started his story Andrew Laubie, the founder of Street Art Anarchy. SAA curates and produces high impact public art projects in such cities as New York, London, and Hong Kong. Now they have come to Downtown Stockton, CA.

Art by Astro; Location @ California St. & Miner Ave., Stockton

Laubie reached out to the Economic Security Project last year to suggest creating murals to illustrate the program and to inspire more awareness. ESP supports and funds projects that explore and champion unconditional cash for Americans.

“ESP loved the idea and understood right away the power of reaching people through urban art and gave us complete creative control of the project.”

Soon after, ESP announced at the CASH conference in San Francisco that it would be introducing the program in Stockton, CA. In due time, Stockton’s Mayor, Michael Tubbs, rolled out SEED, Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration. This experimental program aims to provide a group of low income residents of Stockton a guaranteed basic income to help offset the cost of their basic needs.

Art by Brandan Odums; Location @ American St. & Main St., Stockton

“I was particularly inspired by the story of Stockton and the Avant Garde projects of mayor Tubbs. I went to scout Stockton to evaluate the possibility of doing the mural project there, where I met several people,” continued Laubie.

One of the people he met was Matthew Amen, the director of Huddle Co-work, who helped SAA to secure walls for the murals on downtown buildings belonging to Ten Space Development.

Three murals were created over the span of three weekends in Downtown Stockton. Through their creative symbolism each image ties into the philosophy of Economic Security Project and furthers the awareness of SEED in Stockton.

Art by Kia; Location @ Channel St. & California St.

Laubie is excited about the impact SAA’s art has already had on the local community, “Stockton has a lot of potential to host mural projects, and there are already many good works around town. It reminds me a lot of Brooklyn and Wynwood before they became artistic hot spots, and with such a strong artistic culture and innovative leadership I have a feeling that it may be going in the same trajectory.“

Historic Downtown Tours

Posted on March 23, 2018 by digitalgear

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By Manuel Laguna, DSA Resident Historian Ambassador, CTA

Since 2006 I have presented the history of Downtown Stockton through various tours I gave to visitors from senior groups, schools, and even Stockton Sister Cities. We have had groups from throughout California, from the Bay Area to Southern California visitors. In general, they have always seemed to have a positive attitude towards Stockton which they saw as a beautiful city with its many waterways and interesting historic buildings. I have never had a tour where at least one person wouldn’t say, “I didn’t know that!”

In October of 2016, I partnered with Kelly Howard for the very first Ghost Tour of Downtown Stockton. A total of 65 people joined us to explore the Hotel Stockton, B & M Building, and finally the Bob Hope Theater. The tour was well received by everyone, except one young lady who became so frightened, she had to leave early. We are looking forward to organizing a ghost tour again in 2018. Call me at 209-888-8636 to be added to the downtown tours contact list.

Every October I am joined by dozens of third grade students from the Stockton Collegiate Schools as we visit the Bob Hope Theater and the San Joaquin County Administration Building. Other local schools bring their students to downtown too. At the end of 2017, we had over 200 students from Kohl Open School join me for a series of brief public art tours! We looked at various street murals as well as one of the Music To Our Ears community pianos affectionately called “Jules” as it reminds people of a time machine from a Jules Verne’s novel. Our tours ended at the Mexican Heritage Center where the students viewed ofrendas, or altars, made for the Dia De Los Muertos celebration.

The Bob Hope Theater was clearly the most requested place to visit last year. Certainly, one of the most fun tours was with former Stocktonian Karl Scott and his photographers. Karl came here to write an article on his memories growing up in Stockton and going to the movies. He even recreated a promo done in the past at the Bob Hope for a Vincent Price movie! During the movie projection, a skeleton was lowered over the side of the balcony to scare theater goers. Karl said that teenagers would throw popcorn at the plastic skeleton as the audience laughed. As we took pictures during the tour, one of Karl’s photographers lowered a skeleton off the balcony.

I also fondly remember the group from Stockton Institute for Continued Learning who came to the DSA office for a talk and tour last year. I dressed in a costume as a fictional Charles Weber employee and after the talk I took over 30 participants on a tour of the B & M Building, Hotel Stockton, and Bob Hope Theater. Later that month, I led “A Walk Through Time” tour of the Stockton Rural Cemetery where I told the stories of the many colorful characters buried there, both heroic and tragic figures of Stockton’s past.

I have several new ideas for history events and tours in 2018. I’m happy to notice that there is a growing interest in local history and historic places in our community. If you want to stay in touch for the upcoming tours, contact me at 209-888-8636 or email.