WALNUT CREEK

City's public art program meeting March 20

The City of Walnut Creek is in the process of updating its public art program and would like to hear from residents and others about topics including the role of murals in our downtown and whether more art should be integrated into public spaces downtown.

Share your opinions and ideas at a meeting Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. inside the Civic Park Community Center, 1375 Civic Drive (at Broadway). Input at this meeting will help guide the recommendations that will eventually be presented to City Council for approval.

The city's General Plan calls for public art to be provided on private and municipal property. Since the adoption of Walnut Creek's first public art ordinances in 2000, public art has become an integral part of the cultural fabric of Walnut Creek and the downtown, according to the city. The increase in planned downtown-area development is viewed as a good opportunity to update the Public Art Master Plan.

RSVP to hashimoto@walnut-creek.org or by calling 925-943-5848. For more information, contact Barry Gordon at bgordon@walnut-creek.org or 925-943-5850.

Songwriter showcase at Devil Mountain Coffeehouse

Five songwriters are set to perform Friday, March 15 at Walnut Creek's

Claudia Russell's eclectic folk music contains traces of all her musical loves -- blues, western swing, rock and count, drawing from original compositions, obscure gems, folk and pop classics and contributions from her many talented friends.

Steve Coyle, fingerstyle guitar star, cofounded The Waybacks, in 1999 and fronted that band through 2007. He has since gone solo.

Rachel Garlin is a singer-songwriter whose character-filled songs tell the stories she has collected in her life as a teacher and traveling troubadour. Her four records feature songs noted for vivid, lyrical imagery.

Teresa Tudury has a deep, sultry voice that magnetizes audiences, and a scathing comedic wit to match. She pours out her original songs with power, verve, passion, and disarming humor.

Steve Meckfessel's chord progressions, haunting melodies and unadorned lyrics have been described as "jazz inflected urban folk."

The show begins at 8 p.m. at Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane in Walnut Creek. Tickets are $15 general admission and $5 for kids 6 to 15, and are available at http://dmchsongwriters.brownpapertickets.com

'Animals, Real and Imagined' now on display at Bedford

"Peaceable Kingdom: Animals, Real and Imagined," a juried show devoted to investigating our storied and rich relationship with the animal world, will be on exhibit through May 19 at the Bedford Gallery inside the Lesher Center for the Arts.

"Peaceable Kingdom" invites prominent curators to assemble a collection of innovative and appealing works by national artists. This exhibition will explore the presence of animals in the visual arts, and how they appear as metaphors, totems, objects of fear and sources of emotional attachment and affection.

Contra Costa

See Shakespeare's 'Richard III' at DVC

Diablo Valley College Drama will stage its production of Shakespeare's "Richard III," directed by Beth McBrien, March 15-April 7 at 321 Golf Club Road in Pleasant Hill.

In "Richard III," Shakespeare paints a portrait of obsession, seduction and betrayal, and offers up one of the most diabolical and outrageous villains in all of literature.

Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 28 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 7 at 2:30 p.m. For tickets, call DVC's box office at 925-687-4445; for more information, go to www.dvcdrama.net.

Lamorinda

Audition sign-ups for 'Lamorinda Idol' in April

Lamorinda Idol (formerly known as "Orinda Idol") is taking sign-ups throughout April for May 16-18 audition dates.

Now in its eighth year, This singing competition is now open to young performers who either attend school or reside in Orinda, Moraga or Lafayette. The objective of Lamorinda Idol is to provide an avenue for young people to pursue their love for singing, to bring joy to the community and to have fun.

The finals are scheduled for Sept. 8, but there are various workshops, performances and othert activities from June through December. For more information, go to http://www.orindaartscouncil.org/lamorinda_idol_overview.php

Lafayette

Gallery members' work on display at chamber

Four members of the Lafayette Gallery currently have their art works on display a the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce in downtown Lafayette.

The artists are Susan Erickson (acrylics and mixed-media collages), Warren Rice (photographs), Debby Koonce (oil paintings) and Marsha Ramp (oil paintings).

The artwork is on display in the conference room at he the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, 100 Lafayette Circle, and is open to the public for viewing. This is just down Lafayette Circle from the Lafayette Gallery (50 Lafayette Circle).

For more information, call the chamber at 925-284-7404. This is an ongoing exhibit, and the artwork is updated on a regular basis.

Get some 'Dazzle' into your night March 16

The Golden Follies' "Dazzle," a high-energy Las Vegas-style revue featuring fabulous senior performers ages 60 to 86 and guest Chanteuse Darla Wiggington, takes place Saturday, March 16 at the Town hall Theatre in downtown Lafayette.

Lavish costumes and stylish choreography will highlight this evening, billed as a "wildly entertaining time reminiscent of those great variety shows."

Tickets are $22 to $25; to buy, go to http://www.townhalltheatre.com/special-events.

Orinda

Library hosting Visual Arts Competition 2013

Entries in the The 2013 High School Visual Arts Competition will be on display through March 27 at the Orinda LibraryArt Gallery.

This annual event showcases and acknowledges two- and three-dimensional art work by high school students who live in or attend school in Orinda, Lafayette or Moraga. The competition features cash awards, merit citations and the monthlong public exhibit of entries at the library gallery.

Sponsors include the Educational Foundation of Orinda, Lafayette Partners in Education, the Moraga Education Foundation and the Mechanics Bank.

Moraga

'Lightness of Seeing' photography show open

The Moraga Art Gallery's new show, "The Unbearable Lightness of Seeing," features the unique combination of Dave E. Dondero's hyper-realistic California landscapes and Erik Wilson's thought-provoking and often ironic urban scenes.

The two have been friends for 30 years, but this is the first time their work has been seen together in a show celebrating the "lightness" of the fleeting visual moments life brings us, whether the telling expression of a stranger or the play of clouds above a solitary oak.

The show, which opened Jan. 16, runs through March 23, and admission is free.