This Week in OC Arts - February 10, 2023

February 10, 2023

Each week, Arts Orange County and Voice of OC are excited to deliver to you this look at the stories and events happening in our arts and cultural community.

♦ Marquee ♦

The Blind Boys of Alabama

The inimitable legends of gospel music bring their close harmonies and uplifting song repertoire to the Irvine Barclay Theatre MORE

♦ Culture ♦

A Look at the 43rd Annual OC Black History Parade & Unity Festival

Orange County kicked off Black History Month on Feb. 4 at the 43rd Annual OC Black History Parade and Unity Festival, where thousands gathered to celebrate Black heritage and culture.

The OC Black History Parade and Unity Festival was founded by Helen M. Shipp, and originally took place in Santa Ana. Anaheim has hosted the parade and festival since 2011.

Out of a population of over 3.1 million, only 2.2% of Orange County identifies as Black. In Anaheim, 9,707 out of 345,940 residents identify as Black, according to 2022 U.S. Census data.

Those numbers didn’t seem to matter, as Black families filled downtown Anaheim with song and dance before, during and after the parade on Feb. 4.

♦ Arts & Culture ♦

National Endowment for the Arts Chair Talks in O.C.

Maria Rosario Jackson is the first NEA Chair to visit Orange County in more than three decades

♦ Music ♦

Jeremy Denk Brings His Insatiable Musical Curiosity to Laguna Beach Music Festival

♦ Food ♦

Panoringan: Places to Love in OC (The Anti-Valentine's Edition)

Each week, we recommend a variety of events and experiences from the listings at SparkOC.com, our free website for Orange County's arts and cultural community. We always suggest you be mindful of the most recent health and safety guidelines in California, Orange County, and the venue for the listing.

♦ Local Spotlight ♦

Mr. Soul – The Sam Cooke Story

A one-person cabaret celebrating the life and music of the groundbreaking soul musician is the latest entry in the Wayward Artist's "Solo, Duo, Trio" series spotlighting BIPOC performers MORE

♦ Wallet Friendly ♦

Hùng Viet Nguyen

Casa Romantica celebrates this Vietnamese-American artist who uses their remarkable facility with oil paint to pay homage to a wide variety of traditional art forms MORE

♦ For the Family ♦

Family Art Class: Valentine

Leaves, flowers, and clay can be your raw materials for making a unique Valentine's Day art piece in this all-ages workshop at Sherman Library and Gardens MORE

♦ Wildcard ♦

Trashy Love: A Valentine Concert with Attitude

Laguna Beach's No Square Theatre prefers to celebrate Valentine's Day by spotlighting the awkward, the awful, and the hilariously inappropriate aspects of romance MORE

"Orange County is home to a burgeoning movement of art that serves a diverse community. The value of these artists and organizations is clearly understood and supported by Arts Orange County."

— Marlene Peña-Marin, Artistic Director,

Relámpago del Cielo Grupo Folklorico

Make a Gift to Support ArtsOC's Mission

Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom with a mission to consistently deliver fair, focused and thorough journalism on critical quality of life and local issues for Orange County communities.

voiceofoc.org

Arts Orange County builds appreciation of, participation in and support for the arts and arts education throughout Orange County. Event information provided by SparkOC, an ArtsOC program.

sparkoc.com