Sunday RoundUp: Persistence

Resist and Persist opens at SebArts, an A&M BBQ update, and mold isn't the only thing growing at the Sebastopol Library...

Jun 21, 2026

Left: "Every morning at 7:25 am" by Maia Palmer. Right: In Susan Bianchi’s “A More Perfect Union,” each state is represented by a square featuring its state flower, capital, a hopeful protest staatement, and on the back, a list of its flaws. The more flaws, the redder the state.

‘Resist and Persist’ opens at SebArts

Yesterday was the opening of “Resist and Persist: Social (in)Justice,” the newest exhibition at Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

“I conceived of this show probably 18 months ago, because I knew the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence was coming, and it had been quite a while since we’d done a theme that was just about social commentary,” said the show’s coordinator Kathryn Davy.

SebArts received 660 entries from the United States and a few other countries as well. The jurors were Alan Beckstead, a local art collector, curator, and painter, who’s also a member of the SebArts Board, and Beulah Vega, an activist and theater producer in Santa Rosa.

The walls that usually separate the gallery from the auditorium have been taken down and the exhibition fills the entire space.

“We have 80 pieces that were juried in, and about 15 or 16 pieces that were invited,” Davy said.

“When we decided on the final number, we listed them all by size, medium, and theme, because we thought, well, we don’t want to have everything be about one topic. Interestingly, the No. 1 topic for all of the entries that we got was immigration—and we think it’s very possibly because the call for entry went out in January and February, right when things were really hot…No. 2 was black culture, No. 3 was politics, and then, of course, LGBTQ and women’s rights.”

There is also a section dedicated to protest art by Analy students.

Asked what it was like to jury this show, Beckstead said, “It was emotionally draining. I truly appreciate that these artists made these pieces because they had something to say and they were driven to make them, and so there’s a lot of emotion…I laughed, I cried, I got angry— I mean, the whole gamut. So I appreciate what they went through to make these [pieces], and so it’s an emotional show.”

Just a heads up, if you are looking to actually celebrate (as in “Yay!”) the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—the document that birthed the United States—you may find this show disturbing. The artwork is exuberant, but it’s primarily critical of America as a nation (past and present)—though it does celebrate the freedom of expression. On the other hand, the Declaration of Independence was a protest against authoritarian government and threats to individual liberty, so maybe this is the perfect show for that.

It all depends on how you look at it.

Center: Idaho artist Tyler Ready’s “She had no papers,” which portrays the Statue of Liberty tortured and bound, is perhaps the most shocking piece in the show. Right: “Our Flag and Our House?” by Jean and Mark Weil. Far left: Executive Disorders by Illeana Soto. Center left: Sad Liberty by Cherie Gooler. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

Pieces from the AIDS quilt are displayed on the SebArts stage. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

At the exhibit. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

“In the Graveyard of Children Shot at American Schools,” by Abby Durden. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

Created by local artist Cheri Lippard, the Jizo Peace Project hosts monthly gatherings at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts where participants create Jizo, small clay statues from the Buddhist tradition, to memorialize the children lost to war in Israel and Gaza. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

Lorraine Bonner, “Grief.” (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

Amber Aguirre, “Supreme Dumpster.” (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

Maria Isabel Lopez. “Free Miradel Torres and Baby Karl”

Resist and Persist coordinator Kathryn Davy

Update on A&M BBQ: They’re baaaacckk

A&M’s big smokers are back. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

A&M’s two large smokers were back on site this week. Owner Kris Austin said the city of Sebastopol has temporarily halted its enforcement effort and given him six months to find a new location. Some of his neighbors were also back at the Sebastopol City Council meeting on Tuesday, complaining about the smoke. Doug Yule and Kim Keller repeated their request that the city do something about it, and both volunteered to contribute money to add some kind of filtration system to the smokers’ chimneys.

The food garden behind the Sebastopol Library

The food forest behind the library. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

The Sebastopol Library is still closed as the city investigates the cause and extent of the mold problem inside, but outside, things are coming up roses—or, actually, corn, squash and beans.

The quality of the landscaping around the library has ebbed and flowed over the years. But now, ironically, it’s having a good moment. Thanks to the Friends of the Library, Sebastopol Kiwanis Club and permaculture expert Oscar Lucario, there’s a small food forest growing behind the library, and new plantings along the walkway between the library and city hall.

The sign by the garden says: “We hope you join us each month to weed, water, plant, prune, and mulch our gardens. We could always use donated veggie starts or native plants to distribute through our communal garden area. We would love it if you want to water the food forest where our drip system is not connected. Eat the delicious food. These gardens were planted for our whole community. Please feel free to eat the ripe fruits and vegetables. Make sure you know what you are picking.”

Those monthly gatherings happen on the third Saturday of the month at 10 am.