Featured Writing Blog

Photo courtesy to Travis, Jones Jeff Cope, owner of the local nursery Home Grown Gardens, expressed his concerns with LBCC’s decision to suspend the horticulture program. “It was a decision without input from the community and input from the staff,” said Cope. Cope, originally from Santa Barbara, was on the advisory committee for Santa Barbara City College’s horticulture program for 12 years, and then taught classes in the program for eight years. Cope also has a degree in horticulture and a master’s in public administration. “The way to do it, if they're concerned about the performance of the program, is to make that an issue, and set goals for the level of enrollment. Let’s come up with a plan,” said Cope. Cope is not the only person who’s voiced their concerns. Local businesses who have hired LBCC students sent their concerns about the suspension; President of Peoria Gardens Inc. Ben Verhoeven; owner of Straub Landscape Dave Straub; owner of Spring Hill Organic Farm Jamie Ki...

Photo courtesy Alex Gaub Crowds buzzed around the halls of North Santiam Hall the evening of Wednesday, May 1 as people waited for the winners to be announced at the annual LBCC Juried Student Art Show. The one-hour long event was the end of the annual Juried Student Art Show. It was time for the awards and prizes to be given. So many student artists and visitors were gathered in the upstairs of the North Santiam Hall, that all of the seats were taken. People were filling every available spot as the time approached for the announcement of winners. “If I won I’d buy a burger and celebrate,” said J.J. Bolden, a student with artwork in the competition, as he relaxed in one of the seats. Many other young artists waited eagerly as Anne Magratten, the coordinator of the event, prepared for her award speech. Magratten seeming to come out of the blue when she appeared before the crowd. She gave a speech congratulating all the artists and recognizing the risks they took display...

Photo by Audric Macone A sense of community is important at LBCC. Strong communities involve people with different cultural, gender, or economic statuses accepting and celebrating one another. The first Brown Girls Pride reception, which was held May 22 from 5 to 6 p.m., is one such illustration. Hosted by art instructor Anne Magratten, the reception was a two-way celebration highlighting women and being Mexican. The reception featured two LBCC Mexican-American student artists, Yasmeen Gonzalez and Marta Nunez, as well as a table full of Mexican snacks and tastes. The art pieces were put on display near the president's office in neat order. Many of the pieces reflected the collective culture of Mexican families. “I believe they are powerful because they are drawing on the authentic love of our family and the recognition that certain kinds of sacrifices have been made to give that love,” said Magratten. All of the artwork was heavy in emotion and had significant me...

Gun$linger performing live at Bombs Away Cafe while Jaapur keeps the beats flowing from the dj booth.                      Photos Courtesy of Aaron Ojeda   Jasper Eckert preps his DJ equipment on stage. His partner, Zack Stevens, is connecting the sound equipment and making sure the sounds are loud and vivid. Eckert begins to play some beats off speakers that make the whole room shake. The bumpy noise is introduced to Stevens’ voice as he begins to rap. They are practicing for their performance at Bomb's Away Cafe. These aspiring musicians combine to make the duo ZAP. Stevens, known as Gun$linger, is the rapper/producer, and Eckert, known as Jaapur, is the engineer/DJ of the group. How did you get involved with music? Gun$linger: Through probably lyrical writing first, I was inspired by music from a very young age. Inspired by rock, blues and most of the music that my parents were listening to. I also got invo...

Jordan Peele’s new film “US” balances horror, thrills, comedy, and layers of meaning within that takes you on a ride you won’t expect. Since Peele put himself on the director map with his last film “Get Out,” expectations were high for “US.”. Although “US,” doesn’t come with the layered meaning of racism within society, it plays with psychology and other similar aspects within society. The movie’s opening credits start with a white rabbit caged in a lab. As the camera zooms away we see a whole room of caged rabbits. Rabbits are known to be symbols of prey or fertility, setting the tone for the movie right off the bat. Photo Courtesy to Wikimedia Commons In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes : Peele was asked about the rabbits: “Rabbits, you can tell in their eyes, they have the brain of like a sociopath. If you put a rabbit brain in a human body, you have Michael Myers, the killer. They have no empathy,” Peele said. Maybe Peele is just afraid of rabbits. Once the bunny...

Image courtesy of LBCC New Service Visitors making their way up the stairs in the North Santiam Hall pass a life-like painting of a woman singing. She catches their eyes immediately, depicting a tenacious female. She is a Colombian singer and songwriter named Kali Uchis. The creator, Yasmeen Gonzalez, made this piece after seeing Uchis perform live. “I went, and I was front row, mid-center, right there in front of her. And it was an original picture I took of her.” Gonzalez continued to elaborate: “The assignment was monochrome, so it’s just one color, that whole painting is of red color.” Gonzalez’s LBCC art instructor was impressed by the piece and encouraged her to submit it to the Student Art Show that is held at the beginning of every Spring term. The art show allows students at LBCC to enter a juried competition with the chance to show off their skills, receive feedback, and win awards. It also gives art students an opportunity to strengthen their resumes. The exhib...