It’s not often that First Friday and Second Saturday celebrations fall within the same weekend. When they do, downtown Bakersfield activates with a flurry of fun events.
Bakersfield Art Association
The local arts organization has new shows at its Art Center (1607 19th St.) and the satellite location at Dagny’s Coffee Co. (1600 20th St.).
At the center, students from Jeanette Schumacher’s art class will display in the group show “The Empowerment of Art.”
For the last eight years, Schumacher has volunteered at the Arvin Community Center engaging the Latina women in art.
The instructor aims to create a safe space for the women “to process and deconstruct cultural and immigration upbringings, which teaches women to suppress emotions and hardship quietly,” according to a BAA news release.
“Learning to paint and work with ceramics and sewing gives them permission to be the center of focus,” she said in the release. “This shift occurs from solemnity to play. Laughter and humor frequently emerge as they share stories of their youth or cultural heritage.”
Schumacher said she is profoundly proud of the incredible education and vision that the women have poured into their canvases, reflecting a lifetime of personal stories, resilience and generational traditions celebrating traditional Hispanic arts.
“I am absolutely blown away by the stunning work of these talented women. I could not be more proud of the passion, creativity and hard work they have put into these paintings and one-of-a-kind hand-painted tote bags.”
A reception will be held for the show from 6 to 8 tonight at the Bakersfield Art Center. Refreshments will be served.
On Saturday, the center will host a free watercolor art session celebrating the vibrant colors of summer.
Participants will be able to “explore the beauty of fresh, seasonal produce on paper.”
The session, running from 1 to 3 p.m., is open to artists of all skill levels as well as first-timers.
At Dagny’s Coffee Co. (1600 20th St.), California native Jim Bates will display his paintings.
Most of his work is done at his home studio using photos that he has taken or that have been given to him as reference.
He is inspired by the coast around Morro Bay, Cayucos and Cambria as well as locations around Kern County.
Bakersfield Museum of Art
1930 R St.
For First Friday, the museum will offer free admission from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Exhibitions currently on display are:
• “Second Nature,” work by Annette Goodfriend, Ruth Tabancay and Esther Traugot that examines the natural world “through a lens of both wonder and warning”;
• “Becoming: Selections from the Students in the BMoA ArtWorks Program,” highlighting the work of 15 Kern County high school juniors and seniors exploring “the space between who they were, who they are, and who they are still growing into”;
• “Unspoken Ordinary: Works from BMoA’s Collection,” artwork from the museum’s permanent collection by LGBTQ+ artists that “examines identity, visibility and lived experience;
• “Ann Diener: The Invented Land,” an immersive exploration of transformation in the San Joaquin Valley, “where land, water, and human ambition are inseparably linked”; and
• “Seventy Years of Inspiration: The Story of the Bakersfield Museum of Art,” which highlights the museum’s rich cultural impact on the community.
On Saturday, programming will include a docent-led tour, offering insight into the processes, themes, materials and inspiration behind the Summer Exhibitions, from 1 to 2 p.m. The tour is included with admission but reservations are recommended. Visit bmoa.org/familyday to RSVP.
Guests can also take part in a free lantern art project that will be offered all day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The project is inspired by Malorie Rose Thorn’s “Staring at You” artwork from the “Becoming” exhibition.
Admission on Saturday is $12, $10 for students and seniors (62 and older), free for members and children 5 and younger.
BMoA is a Blue Star Museum, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and participating museums across America.
From now through Sept. 7, current service members and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, can enjoy free admission to these museums. Visit arts.gov/initiatives/blue-star-museums for a full list of museums.
Through the Museums for All initiative, those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits) can receive free admission along with their guests (up to three).
Present your SNAP EBT card for free admission for up to four people (including the card holder).
Bank of America, Merrill, and Bank of America Private Bank credit or debit cardholders can also receive free admission to the museum on the first Saturday and Sunday of every month. They must show their eligible credit or debit card with valid photo ID to redeem.Visit bmoa.org for more information.
Historic Woolworth’s
1400 19th St.
Kern County Vintage Flea has teamed with Woolworth’s for a Back to School Night Market on Saturday.
This end-of summer market, running from 5 to 10 p.m., will feature vendors with vintage and Y2K-era clothing and accessories, trinkets, handmade goods and more.
Vendors will be set up on the third floor of the building and the Moneywise parking lot on K Street.
The Luncheonette will have a pared-down menu for late-night bites.
Also on tap Saturday is Buck Owens’ Birthday Bash, taking place downstairs at The Basement at Woolworth’s.
Celebrating the country singer’s legacy will be his son Johnny, with his band the Bakersfield Sound, Monty Byrom, Kim McAbee, Jennifer Keel, Rudy Parris, Ryan Coulter from Truxton Mile, Vince Galindo and Jean Coyote.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday for this Birthday Bash, which is set to run from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
Admission is $22. Visit prekindle.com to purchase tickets.
Other venues downtown
On Saturday, In Your Wildest Dreams Consignment and Antiques (2819 F St.) will have sales, specialty coffee and more.
Sweet Peas Bakery will have a new mobile bakery cart with gluten-free goodies.
The selection will include cake slices, dot cakes, fresh focaccia bread, cookie packs and variety boxes.
This cart will be self-serve, requiring customers to scan the QR code to pay and show your proof of purchase at the front counter before you leave.
Also inside the store is Jittery Geeks, which will have a special Summerween menu.
Options will include themed pastries such as Ghost Face and zombie Hello Kitty conchas, Summerween Oreo pops, spell book brownies and tombstone cupcakes.
Drinks will include a Vampyre Blood Latte (with raspberry, strawberry and vanilla), Spooky Island Matcha (pina colada with a strawberry drizzle) and Witches Potion (apple lemonade topped with blue pea tea).
In the parking lot, the F Street Farmers Market will offer fresh local produce from 7:45 a.m. to noon.
Junk-Atique Outlet Thrift Store (212 21st St.) has a lot going on this Saturday.
In advance of Book Lovers Day (on Sunday), it will have books and hard media out for sale inside the store.
Outside from 7 to 11 a.m, it will host a lot sale offering deals on electronics, outdoor and hardware goods with items priced no higher than $20.
And all August long, the store’s Back to School clothing sale includes kids clothing sized 2T to 16Y that is 80% off and all other clothing at 50% off
The store will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with additional deals.
Follow @jatobakersfield on Instagram to stay up to date.
Oleander + Palm (902 18th St.) will have lots of vintage, furniture and curated home goods, including silverplate hair combs from China sourced by shop owner Jeran McConnel during a recent family trip.
The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Saturday.
The Buena Vista Museum of Natural History and Science (2018 Chester Ave.) will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with its cool science displays.
Admission is $10, $8 for students age 12 and older, $6 for children age 3 to 11, $2 for seniors (for Senior Day), free for members and children age 2 and younger.
For more information, call 661-324-6350 or visit @buenavistamuseum on Facebook.
On Saturday, the Nile Theater (1721 19th St.) will host Strangelove, the tribute act to Depeche Mode, starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32.48 (includes fee), available at bakersfieldlive.com.
The Well Comedy Club (1517 18th St.) will host the City of Bakersfield Comedy Show today at 7 p.m. and comedian Michael Yo on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Admission today ranges from $20.50 to $37.50 while Saturday’s show ranges from $31.50 to $49.50.On Saturday, Beale Memorial Library (701 Truxtun Ave.) will host a talk with Ruth Leon Barba, author of the Images of America book “Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch,” starting at 11 a.m.
Bakersfield Racquet Club (1660 Pine St.) will offer the ninth annual Try Scuba in a Pool, presented by Aqua-Nut Divers. The daylong session runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The cost is $35, which includes a $50-off voucher for enrollment in an Open Water Scuba dive course. Email Eric at info@aqua-nut.com to enroll.
All weekend, Bakersfield Collector-Con at Dignity Health Theater (1001 Truxtun Ave.) will host vendors, artists and special celebrity guests.
The convention is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $15 for Saturday, $10 for Sunday at the door. Children age 8 and younger are admitted for free with a paid adult.
Visit @BakersfieldCollectorCon on Facebook for more details.