First Street comes alive on Saturday after the sun goes down. Start spreadin’ the news. Took a late walk and was delighted at the transformation. A gathering of high schoolers, dressed to the nines, were congregating at the Marina — lots of little black dresses, bare arms, and skimpy pants. A young couple, she in skin tight leather pants and stiletto boots entered the Raven for a night of cocktails and music. A loud hum punctuated by bursts of laughter emanated from Izakaya Japanese restaurant where a crowd spilled out of the dining room and crowded the deck. It was twilight when I encountered 12 bagpipers on the corner of Military and First dressed to the kilts, all men and one woman standing in two neat rows, bagpipes hoisted and ready to March to Veteran’s Hall for a performance. People dressed in Hawaiian shirts and wearing leis were socializing out front. Was it a wake or a wedding? I have no idea and tried to imagine what a ukulele sounds like accompanied by bagpipes. This town is diverse. Across the street more teens in their finery gathered around the Gazebo. The tree lights were twinkling when I ran into friends dining outside at Elviritas. By the time we finished talking it was pitch black outside and I could barely see through my prescription sunglasses. Thanks to the light of the buttery yellow moon which fortunately was full, I made it to my door.
With the season winding down, the Benicia Farmer’s Market was a shadow of itself on Thursday. Will miss the juicy stone fruits from the Central Valley and the sugar sweet strawberries from Watsonville. Somehow the root vegetable season isn’t as sensuous. The market is a family affair — little fashionistas, some in tutus and tights and others sporting stylish hats were transported in carriages, strollers, and wagons. Kevin Frazier’s alto sax wailed as he played Paul Desmond’s solo in Dave Brubeck’s Take Five. (PHOTO HERE — “Dashing shopper at Farmer’s Market”)
Ranier Garcia and friend, representing Benicia Water Department, talked to shoppers about water conservation. They told me how to save water while waiting for it to get hot and it doesn’t include plastic buckets. They gave me a beautiful bag with a shower timer, and a water-saving hose nozzle. Tried the shower timer and was able to take a comfortable shower before time ran out. To track your water usage and see where to save, type in your address at the Water Smart-Water Insight Benicia website. Residences with master meters are not tracked on this portal.
Couldn’t resist walking into Fox and Fawn Bakehouse for some of my favorite vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. The owner was scraping out dough from the huge stainless steel mixer. I flashed to the old days when Mom would let me lick the bowl when she baked toll house cookies from the recipe on back of the yellow chocolate chip package. “Who gets to lick the bowl,” I asked the young woman at the counter. “Nobody. We just wash it out.” Next time I’m taking my rubber scraper.
How do women fare in the Benicia art scene? Listened to Katy Hessel, author of “The Story of Art Without Men,” speak about her new book which tracks woman artists from the Renaissance to the 1980s. Back in the day our go-to art history text was the voluminous “History of Art” by Jansen, a five pound, 600-page tome covering cave paintings to modern times. Not a single woman was mentioned, except as muse or model. Hessel’s new book contains a provocative photo from the 1950s — 12 male members of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism, the likes of Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko, and Clifford Still, posed around a lone woman. Hedda Stern is in the back row, slighted elevated above the rest – literally on a pedestal. Another photo depicts NYC gallery owner extraordinaire Leo Castelli surrounded by 19 male artists and one woman at the gallery’s 25th anniversary celebration. Mia Westerlund Roosen, hardly a household name, holds her own among the likes of Richard Serra, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg.
How does Benicia fare in the male/female ratio? Just for fun did a quick on-line survey which revealed that Gallery 621 has 11 women and 8 male artists, HQ Gallery has 13 women and 3 men, and Gallery Plein Air has 9 women and 3 men. All three galleries were founded by women. From the very beginning, Benicia has nurtured women who make art. Dona Benicia, a supporter of women’s right, would be proud.
Sarah Beserra is an artist, collector, Dharma practitioner and former lobbyist.
Letters From Benicia 