Arts DEVO

The king has left the building Things are always ending and beginning in this college town’s ever-shifting arts scene, but this change is a defining moment for Chico: At the end of December, Dan DeWayne will retire from his job as director of University Public Events at Chico State. For the past 13 years, DeWayne has been responsible for booking more than 1,100 shows for UPE’s Chico Performances series, and this past Friday, Dec. 7, before the Sweet Honey in the Rock a capella show, he made his last introduction from the Laxson Auditorium stage.

There is no arguing that DeWayne curated the most impressive and varied lineups of live performances in all of Chico during his tenure. There were so many that any list of highlights would be terribly incomplete: American icons (Willie Nelson, B.B. King), world-class music (as well has hidden gems) from around the globe (Buena Vista Social Club, Habib Koité, Ladysmith Black Mambazo), Americana greats (Gillian Welch, Steve Martin), virtuosos (Tommy Emmanuel, Branford Marsalis), speakers (David Sedaris, Garrison Keillor), plus dancers, Broadway plays and much more.

“It’s been a pretty wonderful run,” DeWayne shared, adding that he has always appreciated how much the community and the university supported Chico Performances over the years.

DeWayne’s involvement in event production goes way back to his days as the founder of the Strawberry Music Festival in 1982. He first made his mark in Chico in the early ’90s, starting both the Shakespeare in the Park and Chico World Music Festival in 1993, followed by the creation (with his wife, Christine Myers) of California WorldFest in Grass Valley in 1997 around the time he started working for UPE (he took over the director job in 2000). Come summertime, you’ll still be able to enjoy DeWayne and his wife’s handiwork—Cal WorldFest isn’t going anywhere. In fact, you can visit www.worldfest.net and get holiday-priced tix for the July 11-14 fest right now.

Weston Works Chico ex-pat and artist/badass Weston Thomson’s website at www.westonworks.blogspot.com is all kinds of awesome. Thomson is making art in Omaha, Neb., now, and his blog/site features his latest creations and experiments—much of it put together for his recent one-man show, Future Artifacts, at the Kent Bellows Studio in Omaha. Weston has been augmenting his trippy paintings with trippy sculptures created via digital 3D drawings that are “printed” as 3D models and transformed into sculptures like this impressive Chinese guardian mask (pictured). Stop by, check out homeboy’s impressive work, and leave a comment.

Krampus on my wish list Oh, Etsy, you have made my holiday. There is SO MUCH rad hand-made Krampus merch for sale at the online craft shop (search “krampus”): Krampus ornaments, Krampus cards, stuffed Krampuses, a leathery-looking Krampus doll (“He stayed up all night drinking Mulberry Schnapps and eating naughty children”) and best, best, BEST of all: “The Krampus Hunter,” a super pen-and-ink drawing by Oakland artist Jon Carling of a knife-wielding bunny absconding with a severed Krampus head. Awwww, cute. For only $20, you can order an 8x10 print from www.etsy.com/shop/joncarling and deliver it to Arts DEVO in time for Krampusnacht!