TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

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1. Days of color in Shafter

   BY CAMILLE GAVIN Contributing writer

   Wednesday, Feb 22 2012 04:37 PM

   Shafter is a small town with big ideas about how to encourage artistic expression. Starting today, you'll see what that means when the six-day city-wide "Colours: A Celebration of the Arts" gets under way.

   And it's going to be bigger and better than last year's two-day inaugural event. That's the word from Larry Starrh, one of the chief organizers, who's also a playwright and member of a long-time Shafter farming family.

   A major expansion is represented in the number of venues: 13, from only four or five in 2011.

   "We're using a lot of different facilities this year -- churches, the high school, all of the museums," he said. "The city of Shafter and the whole community are really embracing it, and that's good."

   Although it's an ambitious undertaking for a town of its size -- Shafter's population is slightly under 16,000 -- the festival seems to have struck a positive chord with people from many different walks of life in this pleasant, tree-shaded town that's just northwest of Bakersfield.

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2. Vandals strike, but gallery undaunted

   It's a rare occasion to both promote the news and become part of it, but The Foundry has had a busy week. Two events, starting Thursday, address the gallery's newsmaker role.

3. CAMILLE GAVIN: Bringing black history 'to life'

   The history of black people in this country is one of advancement, but there is no denying that progress has been punctuated with plenty of peaks and valleys along the way in the form of downright cruelty, unjust laws and harsh prejudice.
4. 

   Make Valentine's Day personal with unique jewelry

   Diamonds are a girl's best friend, but many women are looking for something a bit more creative for Valentine's Day. Gift seekers should buddy up to Diana Campbell-Rice, who is hosting a custom jewelry show Thursday at Metro Galleries.
5. 

   Nature via the photographer's eye

   Felix Adamo's photographic prints of flowers are truly inventive. With a sure hand and a keen eye, he shows their beauty and complexity in ways I've never seen before.
6. 

   CAMILLE GAVIN: Artist celebrates triumph over tragedy

   "Phoenix Arising," the title of Norma Neil's solo show of watercolors opening Friday at the Art Center, has a special meaning for the artist.
7. 

   Color us thrilled for art

   Shaking off the winter doldrums, downtown Bakersfield is the place to be tomorrow for a vibrant First Friday, with a full slate of eclectic art shows.
9. 

   A superhero's welcome at the museum

   We're still six months out from the world's biggest comic book convention, but the Bakersfield Museum of Art is turning its own pop culture page with two events tailored to comics fans and art lovers alike.

10. Art therapy: 'Healing from inside out'

    On some days when she was very young, Bakersfield native Lia Mendez's panic attacks kept her from attending school. Despite having supportive parents who took her to counselors and other therapists, she often was too scared to leave the safety of her home.
11. 

    'Lost and Foundry' must see show for First Friday

    Fresh into 2012, it's easy to embrace the motto of out with the old and in with the new. And what feels new is a First Friday celebration in January, a month that the event has previously skipped. And with the unseasonably warm weather Bakersfield has enjoyed recently, there's plenty of incentive to head downtown and enjoy the arts.