19: An Episodic Documentary

“19” is a time capsule documentary of Fall 2020, exposing all aspects of living in this moment of the pandemic as artists and students. These stories fully embrace the life of college students, which impacts their ability to be in school and infuses life and art as they blend to become a story of self-discovery.

Episodes were filmed August-November 2020. Premiere dates are as follows:

Episode 1, Nov. 13, 7:00pm
Episode 2, Nov. 14, 7:00pm 
Episode 3, Nov. 20, 7:00pm
Episode 4, Nov. 27, 7:00pm
Episode 5, Dec. 4, 7:00pm

Tickets: Eventbrite

To watch or re-watch after premiere dates, please visit our playlist for 19 on YouTube. 

Find us on Facebook: 19@wehavevoices

Body and Soul

The FCC Dance Department's Fall Dance Concert will spotlight our talented dancers and student choreographers in an online format.  This visual treat will include work developed and performed by FCC dance students. The concert will spotlight various forms of dance included Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Post Modern and Hip Hop.  

Premiering November 20, 2020

Tickets: Eventbrite

Plague Diaries

Plague Diaries, Short Films of Life in the Pandemic. Inspired by Daniel Defoe’s, A Journal of the Plague Year, a vivid, first-person account of the last plague to hit London, Plague Diaries, tell stories of Fresno during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing, essential workers, economic ruin, but also kindness and generosity, are as relevant today as the day Defoe (Robinson Crusoe) set down his account in 1722. Plague Diaries is presented by the FCC Theatre and Film Departments.

Plague Diaries will premiere on-line on January 15, 2020 at 7pm.

Tickets: Eventbrite

The Line: Waging War against COVID-19

The Fresno City College Theatre Department presents THE LINE to virtual audiences this Spring. The Line is a new play by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen created in the award-winning documentary style that brought you The Exonerated, Aftermath, and Coal Country. At a time in which our own local hospitals feel the insurmountable weight of the pandemic, with cases on the rise and ICU’s reaching 0% capacities, The Line offers a visceral lens into the realities of frontline healthcare workers in New York as COVID-19 bludgeons communities and hospitals within the city.

Showtimes (online):

March 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 at 7:30pm and March 7 at 2:00pm.

Run time is approximately 60 mins.

Tickets (begin Feb.1) are donation based and can be reserved here: Eventbrite

Audience members will be invited to a virtual talk back with the director and cast on Sunday, March 14 at 2pm. A link will be sent out to all ticketholders.

Vertigo

Vertigo spotlights individual works choreographed by our students and faculty in an online format. The pieces express each choreographer's experience during this past year of the pandemic. The concert will feature various dance styles, including: Modern, Ballet, Contemporary, and ethnic dance. We hope to showcase the diversity of City Dance Program.

Premiering April 16, 2021 at 7:00pm

Tickets: Eventbrite

An Evening of 10-Minute Plays

May 14, 15 & 16 at 7:00pm

An evening of 10-minute, student written and directed plays. The plays are being produced as modified Zoom plays, meaning that they are partly staged and not simply readings. Please join us online to view the work of our students.

Plays:
The Boyfriend by Anjali Davis, Directed by Khadija Ahmed
Godspeed by Megan Hernandez, Directed by Ricardo Temores
Tis the Seasoning by Caitlin Unruh, Directed by William MacDonald
A Dark Discovery by Ananda Shaffer, Directed by Sean Stoll
The Writer by Matthew Juarez, Directed by Ananda Shaffer
Zafira Pig Slayer by David Gomez, Directed by Debra Erven

Online Music Faculty Recital

September 19, 2020 at 3pm

Your favorite FCC music teachers in concert! Facebook Watch Party: Music at City

Donations accepted for student scholarships.

For more info contact department chair: Kevin Cooper

FCC Fall Festival

October 27-29, 2020

We will host singers in a vocal workshop and clinic with our faculty and guests. A Department wide festival via Zoom. 

Intermediate Advanced Voice Recital

November 29, 2020

A virtual recital of our Intermediate and Advanced Voice students.

Please view the voice recital at your leisure.

Rams Jams 2020 Online

Premieres Thursday, November 19, 7:30PM

FCC students join Mexican virtuoso Pablo Garibay in a virtual concert of solo and ensemble guitar music! 

To watch: Music at City

For more information: Kevin Cooper

A Performance Teaser

November 25, 2020 at 7:30pm

Featuring performances from the FCC Opera Production of "The Magic Flute," the Intermediate/Advanced Voice Class, and the City Singers & Symphonic Choir.

An evening of "teasers" from their upcoming performances.

Directed by Julie Dana, Hanna York and Melissa Wolfmann

Songs of Hope and Love

December 4, 2020 at 7:30pm

Featuring the FCC Choral Ensembles with special guests: Benton Middle School Intermediate Choir from La Mirada, CA directed by Naomi Gamez, FCC alumni and others.

Join us in a virtual concert of hope and encouragement! The Fresno City Singers and Symphonic Choir will present a culminating virtual concert celebrating music in this time of uncertainty.  The ensembles will prepare their repertoire in a variety of mediums and collaborate with choral ensembles from out of the area for a wonderful evening of music! 

Jazz Event

December 2020

Magic Flute Highlights (Mozart)

December 21, 2020 at 7:30pm

This December, in a browser near you, Fresno City College Opera Workshop presents a virtual pre-recorded greenscreen production of Mozart's The Magic Flute.  A fairy tale about growing up and finding your way in the world.  Join Prince Tamino on his magical journey to rescue the beautiful Pamina.

Viewing of The Magic Flute will only be available through December 23, 2020.

A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

February 26, 2021 at 7:30pm

A virtual concert featuring the choirs of Fresno State and Fresno City College.

View on live on YouTube

St. Patrick's Day Show

March 17, 2021 at 7:30pm

We miss being together in a traditional manner, but invite you to join us online in viewing our beautiful and sentimental performances.

A Week of World Music Concerts

During the week of March 22 the Choral Ensembles directed by Julie Dana present "A Week Around the World." The event includes five days of concerts at 7:30pm each evening, featuring student documentaries celebrating: Arabic, Brazilian, Puerto Rican, and Thai Music. Each day the FCC choral students will present a short documentary type performance of a song taught to them by teachers from each country or part of the world!

The week will wrap up with a premiere performance of "If Not for Music" by Dr. Ron Kean in collaboration with the CSU Bakersfield Choir under the direction of Dr. Angel Vazquez-Ramos. Please join us on our Division YouTube to view this week of beautiful music from around the world.

Daily Features:

Monday - Brazil

Tuesday - Puerto Rico

Wednesday - Thailand

Thursday - Arabic Music

Friday - Premiere Performance, "If Not for Music"

ROAR! (Rams Online Artist Recitals)

Debuting the week of April 12.

A series of weekly videos displaying the hard work of FCC Music students. Look for new releases at Music at City. Tune in for the second season of the FCC Music web series, R.O.A.R (Rams Online Artist Recitals). Students from all disciplines including voice, piano, percussion, and more display their hard work and musicianship. New episodes released weekly. The short videos are perfect for at-work and on-the-go viewing!

Master Class and Recital

April 26, 5:00-7:00pm

Master class with Intermediate/Advanced piano students, followed by the virtual premiere recital of Samuele Amidei from a palace in San Giovanni Valdarno, Tuscany, Italy.

Music Honors Recital

May 5, 2021 at 7:30pm

Outstanding students from Music share their best virtual performances! Celebrate their impressive achievements including scholarships, degrees, certificates, and university acceptance announcements.

Watch live on Facebook

Six-String Showcase featuring Gaëlle Solal

May 6, 2021 at 7:30pm

FCC students join the incomparable French virtuosa Gaëlle Solal in an evening of virtual guitar solos and ensembles.

Composition Virtual Recital

May 13, 20121 at 7:30pm

Twelve emerging student composers, students in Mike Dana's MUS 9 Composition class, will present a concert of new original music. These new works cover a wide range of styles, influences, and instruments. We hope you'll join us for these world premieres and support these talented young composers.

Choir Concert

May 19, 2021 at 7:30pm

This special YouTube presentation will feature a wonderful arrangement of Troy D. Robertson's song "In Meeting We Are Blessed" orchestrated by graduating music major Nicolas Vargas and the College Choir.

Also featured will be the premiere of "My Voice" by Mike Dana. This beautiful composition was written in memory of FCC Voice Professor Rebecca Sarkisian by Mike Dana. The text was created using messages written by Becky's students at the time of her passing. The song features the City Singers, FCC voice alumni, professor Elisha Wells on Horn and Aarne Kela on piano.

Inspirations will close with a song dear to many of us as we celebrate our final virtual project joined by the choirs of Benton Middle School, Fresno State and California State Bakersfield. The FCC choirs collaborated with these ensembles during the year and wanted to sing once more in celebration of a successful close our school year!

Cabaret Gala Series

May 18, 19 & 20, 2021 at 7:00pm

View each evening of the series with members of the Opera Workshop.

Caleb Duarte: ChuChería

Caleb Duarte: Chuchería
Exhibition dates: March 9 - 15 2020 (early closure due to COVID-19)
To watch: Chucheria 

A series of 4 short videos about Chuchería, a solo installation by FCC Sculpture professor Caleb Duarte. Including discussion of the artist’s use of materials to create meaning, questioning the gallery space, and the artist’s background and practice. 

Caleb Duarte’s work encompasses public sculpture, community performance, and painting. He uses ordinary construction materials to create structures that suggest vernacular architecture and temporary shelter; these objects and structures often serve as sites for public performances. His practice often includes direct political action and working with communities in movement, most recently working with unaccompanied minors seeking asylum.

For more information about the artist: Caleb Duarte

if the kit fox had hands

Art Space Gallery at Fresno City College presents if the kit fox had hands, a series of interviews, recordings, and studio visits featuring artists and cultural producers connected to Fresno and the Central Valley. Recorded starting August 2020 and continuing over the semester, episodes will be released via the FPCA YouTube channel, with simultaneous releases on CMAC.

Participants include: Bruise Violet Collective, Stan Bitters, Teresa Flores, Kezia Harrell, Janaki Jagannath, Shana Moulton, Dr. Leece Lee-Oliver (Wyandot/ Blackfeet/ Cherokee/ Choctaw), Adrianna Alejo Sorondo, Carly Tex (Western Mono), Christian Vargas, Marla Sweitzer, Kathy Wosika, with additional participants announced as the season progresses.

Shana Moulton

Episode 1 looks back on a performance and poetry reading at Art Space Gallery from February 2020 by Fresno-born artist Shana Moulton -- what would be the last gathering of its kind for the foreseeable future. Moulton (in the role of Cynthia, her filmic alter-ego), performs a poem written by her uncle. Other readers that night were Mike Cole, Ronald Dzerigian, Chuck Hanzlicek, Le Matthews, and Dixie Salazar.

Watch if the kit fox had hands: Episode 1

Learn more about the artist and view her long running project Whispering Pines

Stan Bitters: Attitude

In this episode, Art Space Gallery curator Elena Harvey Collins discusses the importance of Stan Bitters' ceramic sculptures, murals, and installations to the landscape and public spaces of Fresno. Then, we visit the studio and workshop of the artist for a brief interview.

Stan Bitters' career in ceramics has spanned six decades. His large scale works include ceramic wall murals, sculptures, fountains, and garden pathways. These installations have been featured, and can still be experienced in public spaces, banks, hotels, schools, churches, industrial complexes, and private residences. His influence has been present in the language of California architecture since the 1960's.

Watch if the kit fox had hands: Episode 2

For more information about the artist: Stan Bitters

Teresa Flores: Our Bodies are Tied to the Land 

In this episode, Elena Harvey Collins interviews interdisciplinary artist and FCC alumna Teresa Flores. Teresa’s work includes public performance, food, video, sculpture, and critical landscape practices. In this episode, we discuss how growing up in Fresno informs her work; carving out a space for herself in the wellness world as someone diagnosed with endometriosis; and how the pandemic has shifted her recent projects.

Watch if the kit fox had hands: Episode 3

This episode also features student work by FCC Printmaking instructor Nicholas Spohrer’s class.

You can see some of Teresa’s latest work in the online exhibition Home, organized by Acogedor Gallery.

Marla Sweitzer and Christian Vargas: Elements of a Vessel

A visit to the shared home and studio of artists Marla Sweitzer and Christian Vargas, who also run a gallery space, Invernadero, out of their spare room. In this episode, the artists discuss their different approaches to working in clay, and the ways in which they influence each other.

Watch if the kit fox had hands: Episode 4

You can arrange to visit Invernadero’s current exhibition, Ziba Rajabi: thing with feathers, until November 6. More info here: Invernadero Gallery

Janaki Jagannath: Doing the Flowers Bidding

A visit to the marigold/cempoalxochitl/ghenda phul field with Janaki Jagannath as she harvested flowers for garlands and dye on a recent hot and windy Friday afternoon. In this episode, Janaki discusses how she was drawn to her work at the intersection of food, farm worker, and environmental justice; and how, through her work with the Marigold Society, the plant offers such a rich opportunity for subverting legacies of colonialism within botany.

Watch if the kit fox had hands: Episode 5

Kathy Wosika: Plants are Portals

A visit to the studio of Kathy Wosika, artist and former FCC Crafts instructor. Kathy is an expert paper maker, constantly experimenting and making new fibers and pulps from plants she finds in the environment around her. Her love for learning and continued exploration is inspiring. In this episode, Kathy talks about some of her recent paper and photography projects, and talks about the effect of the pandemic on her work.

Watch if the kit fox had hands: Episode 6

Bruise Violet Collective: Beautiful Motion

Interviews with 5 members of Bruise Violet Collective about their individual and collective endeavors; how growing up in Fresno has shaped how they think about and make art; and the sound of the city. 

Bruise Violet Collective is composed of artists, activists, musicians, photographers and filmmakers from the San Joaquin Valley in California. BVC came together in 2019 and have been collaborating with various artists to uplift their communities.

Participating members are: Amber Williams, Amber Fargano, Vishinna Turner, Abigail Janzen, and Audrey Johnson.

Watch if the kit fox had hands: Episode 7

Bruce Violet Collective

This new short video, made for this series by Bruise Violet Collective, features new music, stop motion animation, and a redux of some of their projects and events since their founding in 2019.

Watch if the kit fox had hands: Episode 8

Marla Sweitzer and Christian Vargas

January 28 - February 25, 2021

Mutual Drift is an anchor back to physical space for those drifting in the virtual. It comprises two solo exhibitions installed in several sites across the usually lively Fresno City College campus, which since March of last year has been quiet and still. Separate in concept, the works are linked by material (clay) and proximity; artists Marla Sweitzer and Christian Vargas share a home and studio, providing mutual, critical support to one another during the pandemic.

The Fresno City College campus remains closed to visitors, so viewers will experience this exhibition online. The website will be updated with installation images, video tours, and writing about the show

A Little Night Music

Three evenings of music featuring the cast of New Wrinkles.

New Wrinkles will share the gift of music one song at a time. They hope to bring some joy to everyone’s home the week of Thanksgiving.

Performance Dates: 
(click to watch)

Monday, November 23

Tuesday, November 24

Wednesday, November 25

Home for the Holidays

A beautiful presentation of holiday music from the cast of New Wrinkles.

Set to premiere the week before Christmas and will be available to view anytime after also.

• Night 1: December 21, 2020 
  Premiere at 7pm
• Night 2: December 22, 2020 
  Premiere at 7pm
• Night 3: December 23, 2020
  Premiere at 7pm

Love Will Keep Us Together

The New Wrinkles cast present Valentines week shows of all your favorite love songs. Love found, love lost, strange love, and the kind of love that keeps us together.

3 Different Virtual Shows:

Friday, February 12 at 7:00pm

Saturday, February 13 at 7:00pm

Sunday, February 14 at 7:00pm

Watch New Wrinkles on YouTube

Reimagined

We are going virtual this year! Please join us Thursday, December 3 at 7:30pm for a virtual event featuring a variety of entertainment from FCC students and faculty. Donations are greatly appreciated, as we continue to support our students during this unpredictable time.

Please enjoy Toasting the Arts 2020 at your convenience and consider making a donation to F.O.T.A.!