Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "kevin santos-coy"

Second Saturday to welcome new gallery space

2009-10-09T05:06:25Z

Get ready Second Saturday, there’s a new gallery in town.

Bridge to Art, KLSC Studio and AIM HIGHER are coming together on Second Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of a 10,000-square-foot collaborative gallery, the “U20 Artist Studio Club”.

“With this particular location at U and 20 streets, you can truly have it all: great artworks in huge spaces, free parking, very good restaurants, easy freeway access and no mobbed congestion feeling. We call it a breathable fine art experience,” said Kevin Santos-Coy of KLSC Studio.

The daylong celebration will feature live music, art from children's group "KidzArt" and more than 200 original landscape, abstract, figurative and architecture paintings.

To raise money for breast cancer awareness, an artist will be creating a cast sculpture of a model that will later be donated. Glass, turned wood, and already-created body casts will also be on display.

The music will span the genres, with a lineup including Todd Morgan and The Emblems (Swing and Bebop), Luanne Trainor (harp), AIM Higher Jazz Ensemble, DJ Casper K and others.

AIM HIGHER, a service provider to adults with disabilities, offers fine arts classes by art professors. Works created by some of AIM’s clients will be displayed on Saturday.

The studio club is part of the larger “Expanding Sphere Project,” (ESP) which Santos-Coy describes as “ a concept designed to begin the process of identifying walkable microcosms outside the epicenter of Second Saturday art locations.”

Bridge to Art regularly partners with art-oriented individuals, groups and organizations to raise money for the arts, educate and help promote local artists.

When the owner of the building, which previously housed a dance studio, learned of Bridge to Art’s mission from Santos-Coy, she proposed collaborating on a project that’s art-oriented and benefits the community. From that collaboration, ESP and U20 were created.

Santos-Coy hopes to continue expanding the sphere of art beyond just Midtown with future ESP events.

One of the project’s goals is to encourage attendees to make more regional art tours beyond Midtown.

The project also will focus on developing the area around U20 as well as bridging relationships with the art community in the five blocks surrounding the space. This includes Verge Artist Collective, Gale Hart Studio, Mickey Abbey Stained Glass and others.

Two hundred to 300 people are expected to view the studio throughout the celebration.

“The most exciting part of opening exhibition night is seeing the community gather and sometimes overhearing the intelligent conversations that the arts evoke, often between people whom have never met before,” Santos-Coy said.

In addition to art and music, food and drinks will be provided by Jasmine Mediterranean Cafe.

The event is free but tips for the musicians and donations are encouraged. All donations will go to the artists and future exhibitions.

The grand opening celebration will be from 2 p.m. until 9.

U20 Artists Studio is at 1925 U St.

Alley is 'field of dreams' for Second Saturday artists

2009-07-10T03:12:56Z

If you're planning out your stops for the upcoming Second Saturday Art Walk, head for the alley in the center of 18th and 19th Streets and I and J.

From 6 -10 p.m., BridgetoArt.com, KLSC Studios and Doolittle Properties are packing a musical and art overload into the open space.

The idea for the festival was first conceived when longtime high school friends Kevin Santos-Coy of Bridge to Art and KLSC and Jeffrey Doolitte of Doolittle Properties met at Weatherstone Coffee about a year and a half ago. The conversation turned to the congestion of the streets and how nice it would be to have an open area for artists to perform.

Inspired, Doolittle immediately offered up his own back lot. After Doolittle reassured Santos-Coy that he knew what he was getting into, he went to work planning the first Alley Arts Festival, held in May 2008.

"After looking at it, and envisioning the 'field of dreams,' I realized that we could have it all.., a comfortable space for artists to self-represent themselves, some installation art, performance art, a live paint wall and live music stage," Santos-Coy said.

The first festival, held in May 2008, was a sort of practice run, and Santos-Coy kept it small due to permits and prohibitions.

Since then, musical artists from all genres and skill levels have rocked the alley. Santos-Coy has hosted Reggae group Double Lion Band, solo rock guitarist Ruben Lopez, folk rock singer Brian Ballentine and spoken-word group FuhShang! among many others.

Santos-Coy, who is also the music coordinator for Midtown's Jasmine Cafe, gives all artists a chance to voice their artistic messages through whichever medium they choose. One recent artist he invited is Ana Candioti, an Argentinean who has been hired by governments to document nomadic native people while living among them. Other past artists have included aerosol artist "Fondle" and the OD Brothers, who brought their 1960 army truck that's been converted into a large boom box and painted like a love bug.

Saturday's live-music guest of honor will be Sacramento's Stereo Earth, a group Santos-Coy likens to a marriage between Bob Marley and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Also performing will be Sonata Malay singing her "super sexy and sultry Motown-sounding" originals and guitarist Ruben Lopez.

While the musicians take the stage, art-lovers can peruse and purchase works from 12 different artists.

"By meeting the artist at Alley Art's 'pop mart,' collectors are able to meet, greet and deal directly with the artist. I believe this process, although unconventional, provides the highest level of empowerment to esteem and create confidence in the artist’s development in a casual, fun environment ," Santos-Coy explained.

If that's not enough art and music, The Sacramento Drum Circle will be putting on a free two-hour performance. If onlookers are inspired to join the beat themselves, the group gathers every Sunday at McKinley Park.

The Alley Arts Festival will be held monthly and continue until October, culminating with a final altar installation exhibition honoring ancestors.

The festival is free and all ages are welcome to attend.

Santos-Coy described his goal for Sacramento. "My charge is to have Sacramento compete with Paris, New York, L.A. and S.F. when it comes to the arts"

True Love coffeehouse shuts door, Jasmine Cafe opens them

2009-05-13T02:58:45Z

While strolling down K Street, some might have noticed a change to one of midtown’s favorite gathering spots. True Love coffeehouse has shut down and is now the Jasmine Café.

First opened in 2001 by music man Kevin Seconds and his wife Allyson, the former True Love coffeehouse opened up on J Street before moving to K Street in 2006, positioning itself with nearby bars and eateries such as Golden Bear and Rick’s Dessert Diner. The coffeehouse then moved upstairs to Sanad’s Mediterranean Deli and closed up shop along with the deli a few weeks ago.

There is much speculation about the reasons for the closure and the current owner believes it was mainly “paperwork” issues but others believe it was an ordinance imposed by the city that would not allow retail sales out of the upper units of buildings in the area. Instead of moving back downstairs to the coffeehouse’s former home, Seconds closed up shop and took off on a solo music tour.

True Love coffee lovers need not despair, though. Owner Mo Mahfouz plans on keeping the coffee drinks as well as the vegetarian selections the same for now. There will, however, be some minor kinks to the café’s live music scene but customers will be happy to know that Mahfouz has decided to keep that tradition alive.

Kevin Santos-Coy of KLSCstudio has been a major player in the Sacramento art scene for the past 15 years and may have perhaps single-handedly saved Jasmine’s live music scene.

On a visit to True Love, he met Mahfouz and shortly after proposed coordinating the café’s entertainment.

“I went over there…and saw some portable stages. I found out [Seconds] wasn’t around anymore and asked Mahfouz if I could borrow the stages. I’ve been building the relationship ever since,” said Santos-Coy.

While not exactly the same as Seconds’s mixture of the punk/indie/alternative rock genre, Santos-Coy is focused on offering a wide range for the audience’s listening pleasure. He has a different musical genre planned for each day of the week and is working on collaborating with the local music community, such as Brian Valentine from Valentine Records.

The café is permitted to host live music until 10 p.m. every night as long as they stay within city decibel requirements, which can't surpass 75 dBs at anytime according to the Sacramento County noise ordinance. As long as the neighbors are okay with the noise, they will continue to host music acts every night for the first couple of months to get the word out around town.

In addition to music, Santos-Coy will be working on Jasmine’s presence during the Second Saturday art walk. A part of Bridge to Arts and Alley Arts, he will be making sure that art lines the walls of Jasmine for the monthly art celebration.

Within the next month and a half owner Mahfouz has plans to expand the café’s previous menu, which has been known for featuring a wide range of noshing options from waffles to nachos and hummus. He is working on adding barbeque menu offerings as well as beer and wine. He is also working on setting up free wireless internet access, which was offered by True Love.

As part of the reggae-themed night, Jasmine will be hosting DoubleLion, a combo band made up of Xsample and Kinghopeton this Wednesday, May 13. Also taking the stage will be special guest Tony Moses, who was friends with and has jammed with the late Bob Marley. The show will begin at 7 p.m. on the front patio and donations of around $3-$5 are encouraged.

The tentative music schedule is as follows:

Mondays: Funk/Jazz
Tuesdays: Spoken word
Wednesdays: Reggae/World
Thursdays: Rockabilly
Fridays: Fiesta Fridays, Latin
Saturdays: TBD
Sundays: Alternation between Folk and Soul

Jasmine Café is located at 2315 K St. For more information about upcoming events, call 916-441-6900.