By Mintimer Avila |Staff Writer|
While most schools have been hit with budget cuts and have had to cut their art programs, the city of Fontana has reached out to the younger generation in hopes of giving children and local residents the art they might be missing out on.
Fontana hosted its Jazz ‘n Art celebration in front of the Lewis Library on Feb. 22, where performers got together for an afternoon of smooth jazz and unique art.
There was a variety of local artists that were showcasing and selling their art to the public.
Artist Jared Tumbarello drew the crowd in with his interesting use of spray paint.
Tumbarello used quick bursts of spray paint, occasionally using a brush to carefully create works of art.
The audience was amazed at how he created mountain scenery inside a dream catcher right in front of their eyes.
Everyone couldn’t help but clap as he lay the finishing touches and presented his piece to everyone.
Artist Tom Fontanes, a Vietnam Veteran, also showcased his work but it had a twist.
His art consisted of various smaller pieces within the grand design creating a collage that can tell a story just by looking at it.
The event also featured a community chalk mural that anyone could contribute to.
Children enjoyed doodling on the concrete mural and creating their own art alongside the artists.
While everyone was enjoying the local art or grabbing a bite to eat, jazz music from various groups could be heard on stage.
Summit High School, Kaiser High School and The Amanda Castro Band all performed on stage.
The Amanda Castro Band’s lead singer, Amanda Castro, specializes in songs from the ’20s and ’30s and adds a mix of Latin, New Orleans Soul, and blues to her songs.
The band was last to perform but they certainly weren’t the least as Castro’s vocals brought the songs to life and attracted everyone to the stage.
The event was not limited to music and art as the Steel Workers Auditorium, located in the Lewis Library, hosted its own dance performances.
The David Martinez dance group was the first to take the stage and present their wide variety of dance styles.
Martinez and his partner danced to a number of tunes that had both of them gracefully whisk each other back and forth.
Their best performance came when they danced to the tunes of Latin music.
Martinez and his partner threw out all of the stops as they matched their rhythm and swung to the beat of the song.
The main performance of the afternoon was by the Valverde School of Performing Arts.
VSPA opened up with a big cast of children who took turns dancing to the front of the stage, singing to the audience when they reached the mike.
In their third performance, a student sang a solo toDisney’s “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?” from the movie “Frozen.”
The audience could not believe that one of the youngest performers could sing so well.
“The performance was great! I was especially impressed with their take on Frozen. It sounded like it came straight from the film’s soundtrack,” said Fontana Resident James Corona.
They ended their performance by bringing everyone from the school on the stage to sing “Life’s A Happy Song,” from the film “The Muppets.”
The Jazz ‘n Art Celebration was a great way to experience local talent and meet the artists or performers behind such hard work.
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