Catch the display of works by award-winning professional watercolor artist Samantha McNally through June 24.
Walnut Creek’s Valley Art Gallery is hosting “Paint What You Love,” an exhibit through June 24 featuring Samantha McNally, an award-winning professional watercolor artist whose works are collected and appreciated across the country.
Known for her realism and delicacy in capturing floral and nature-inspired subjects, McNally is also a past president of the California Watercolor Association. In addition to the McNally exhibit, the gallery also has a full complement of works by gallery members on hand that comprise 250 newly juried works across a wide spectrum of media, motifs, formats, sizes and price points.
All 2-D work, as always, is available for sale or rent through the gallery’s exclusive “no regrets” rental program. Also on hand is the gallery’s regular display of unusual fine crafts and artist-designed gifts and gift cards. That display is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 1661 Botelho Drive, Suite 110. For more details, visit valleyartgallery.org online, email valleyartgallery@gmail.com or call 925-935-4311.
— Valley Art Gallery
The community is invited to come June 18 to City Hall for an afternoon of fun as Pleasant Hill celebrates Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the day that the last remaining enslaved Black people in the United States were freed on June 19, 1865.
The event will be held by the City Hall lake at 100 Gregory Lane and will run from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. It will feature an art display; music by the West African Highlife Band; a performance for the kids by Unique Derique; a visit from Princess Tiana of “The Princess and the Frog;” and the Sweet Mother Food Truck and the Guzzler Bar Truck.
It will be a day of celebration, and the community is invited to come and participate as the city’s Diversity Commission and the Friends of the Pleasant Hill Library host a fun afternoon of music, food, art, performances and family fun.
— city of Pleasant Hill
The Lamorinda Film and Enterntainment Foundation’s International Film Showcase will screen the Mongolian film “The Steed,” opening June 23 at the Orinda Theatre. The family film is set in the first part of the 20th century during the Russian Revolution.
This epic story is about family, love, devotion and kinship with one’s homeland, told through the experiences of a boy and horse with an extraordinary bond to each other and the land that gives them the courage to never give up the quest to find the other after being cruelly separated. For tickets and showtimes, go orindamovies.com.
— International Film Showcase
There’s still room for high school students to participate in a free 10-day intensive workshop at the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site. The master class in acting and playwriting is set for June 14-25 with a break June 19-20.
Transportation will be provided for the free class, which is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. For more information, email taohouse.eonf@gmail.com.
— Eugene O’Neill Foundation
Tickets are on sale for Lee Mueller’s “Death Near Dead Man’s Holler,” a mystery play and dinner set for June 17 at the Antioch museum, 1500 W. Fourth St. The Western-themed murder-mystery fundraiser will be presented by Caught in the Act Theater and will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Early bird pricing is $65, while general admission starting on June 5 is $75 each.
Attendees will gather at 5 p.m. in the museum’s Riverview Room dressed in their finest Western wear, ready for a barbecue at 6 p.m. followed by the play. A no-host bar will be in the Saloon Room, and prizes will be given for the best costumes and detectives. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com or mail a check to 1500 W. Fourth St., Antioch, CA 94509.
— Antioch Historical Society
Blues singer Marina Crouse will be featured at a Cabaret Series concert at 7:30 p.m. June 21 at El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St. The East Bay resident was classically trained, but she later learned to sing in Spanish, celebrating her love of the language.
Even so, her early classical training is reflected in her powerful and versatile vocal style that creates a genuine excitement in every performance. With an expressive voice, Crouse applies her distinctive talents to a wide range of material while delivering an emotional authenticity that consistently cuts deep.
“When I sing,” she says, “I feel like I break myself open and let a little piece of myself come out. I’m reaching out to people with hopes to connect on a personal level. And when we do, that to me is better than anything else.”
With a new Spanish album released last year called “Canto de mi Corazón,” she will perform with gifted guitarist Danny Caron. Tickets are $20 (chair seating) or $22 for a table. For tickets, go to elcampaniltheatre.com or call 925-757-9500.
— El Campanil Theatre
The Lynn House Gallery’s new “Landscapes of the Delta” exhibit features works from Nancy Roberts, Mark Roberts, Joel Summerhill, Joe Kick, Dwight Shackelford, Jaime Rinehart Smith, Kristen Ockert, Mary Young, Jody Mattison and Abraham Rodriguez.
At 809 W. First St., the gallery’s hours are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 925-978-4545 or go to lynnhousegallery.com.
— Lynn House Gallery
The Pittsburg Car Show is back for 2023 with live bands, great cars and lots of fun hosted by the city of Pittsburg.
From 6 to 8 p.m. in Old Town Pittsburg, the event continues twice monthly, with the next one scheduled for June 8 with The Konsept Party Band performing. Up next after that on June 22 is Bob Kinney & the Livin Daylites. For more information, go to PittsburgCA.gov or call 925-252-4842.
— city of Pittsburg
Tickets are on sale now for Pittsburg Theatre Company’s musical “It Shoulda Been You,” running June 17-25.
“It Shoulda Been You” features music by Barbara Anselmi based on a book and lyrics by Brian Hargrove. The play will take place at the California Theatre, 351 Railroad Ave. Tickets range from $22 to $30 each. For more information, visit pittsburgcommunitytheatre.org.
— Pittsburg Theatre Company
The Moraga Art Gallery will welcome a new exhibit, “Moments in Time,” featuring the work of two popular local artists: Judy Miller, a sculptor who captures figures at particular moments in their lives, both ordinary and unique; and acrylic painter Debby Koonce, whose forte is colorful and appealing images of outdoor places both near (Mt. Diablo) and far (other lands).
Also featured is a collection of woven art by guest artist Dinah McFarlane, whose abstract wall hangings consist of materials that have been painstakingly layered, woven, dyed, twisted, looped and shaped into strikingly colorful, eye-catching assemblages. The exhibit, which also includes the work of more that 20 other artists — photographers, ceramicists, jewelry-makers, painters, woodworkers, printmakers and more — will grace the gallery until Aug. 13.
A free reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. June 17. The public is invited to view the art, chat with the artists, enjoy wine, light snacks, tasteful music and the company of fellow art lovers. The gallery is at 432 Center St. in the Rheem Shopping Center. It is open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit moragaartgallery.com or call 925-376-5407.
— Moraga Art Gallery
Submit area arts-and-entertainment On Tap items to Judith Prieve at jprieve@bayareanewsgroup.com.
