Connect the Bay

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Connect the Bay

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NorCal Public Media’s series of short videos Connect the Bay is your gateway to all things arts, culture, science, and environment around the Bay Area. From the fine arts and dynamic performers, to changemakers embracing belonging and sustainability, we are sharing the stories of some of the amazing and talented people from our communities whose creativity and imagination make our home shine like none other. And because we all are living in this epicenter of technology, self-expression, and cultural pride, there is no shortage of material to include.

These 2-minute segments are broadcast on television and posted on social media to reach the widest audience possible. Posts often include links for the curious to learn more. We hope audiences are as engaged and inspired as we are with the sheer awesomeness of our neighbors, and in this way, we hope to help to Connect the Bay!

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Connect the Bay: Chopsticks Alley Art

Chopsticks Alley Art promotes Southeast Asian cultural heritage through the arts. Based at Open San Jose, they celebrate the cultural diversity of Southeast Asian contemporary art to foster greater understanding and connect communities with exhibits, events and classes. For more information visit: h...

Connect the Bay: Open San Jose Black History Month Film Screenings

At our new shared space in the South Bay – Open San Jose – NorCal Public Media was proud to host a community screening of two films in honor of Black History Month: “Becoming Frederick Douglass” and “Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom.” Between the films, attendees shared what they learned about the...

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Connect the Bay: San Jose Museum of Art

The San Jose Museum of Art is home to both the cutting edge art of today as well as artifacts of the Santa Clara Valley’s long history of innovation. Facilities manager Randy Bricco takes us through public galleries and then behind-the-scenes for a glimpse at the historic wing’s iconic clock tower w...

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Connect the Bay: Mental Health – San Mateo County

In light of recent occurrences of gun violence in California, Ziomara Ochoa-Rodriguez, Deputy Director of San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, has important advice for those in need of assistance. She urges those seeking help to call their local county mental health offices. For...

Connect the Bay: Mental Health – Prof. Shortell

In light of recent occurrences of gun violence in California, Professor Emeritus Stephen Shortell of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health has important advice for those in need of assistance. His message: There are resources available, and many people who want to help. Free crisis counseling and...

Connect the Bay: Harpist Destiny Muhammad

A self-described "Harpist from the Hood," Destiny Muhammad is a recording and performing artist, composer and producer. Her genre is Celtic to Coltrane—cool and eclectic—with a feel of Jazz and storytelling to round out the sonic experience. For more info: https://destinymuhammad.net Destiny Muhamma...

Connect the Bay: Cellist Daniela Gonzales Siu

San Francisco Conservatory of Music cellist Daniela Gonzales Siu shares with Connect the Bay that "being in a quartet is one of the things that I love doing." Traveling from the Peruvian Andes to attend one of the top music schools in the U.S., she is a firm believer in art as a way to reach people....

Connect the Bay: Found Wood Sculpture

Bennett Ewing is an artist known as Eyevan Tumbleweed, a found wood sculptor. He creates amazing sculptures assembled from a variety of wood found on weekly excursions into natural areas. He works meticulously, using the natural colors, patterns, and directions of wood fragments to create his art. N...

Connect the Bay: San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

The vision of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is to preserve, celebrate, and promote knowledge about quilts and textiles, their creation, their beauty, and their relationship to human culture and expression. Director Camille Ann Brewer takes us on a tour for a closer look. For more informat...

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Connect the Bay: Kelp Artist

San Francisco photographer and author Josie Iselin helps audiences look at seaweed in a whole new light. Her art focusing on kelp and other marine algae puts her at the forefront of ocean activism. She educates the public and works with scientists and environmental groups who seek to preserve the ke...

Connect the Bay: Painter Lucy Liew

Lucy Liew paints vibrant compositions of California flora and fauna because she is inspired by the beauty in nature that is often overlooked. Through her work she attempts to evoke a sense of intimacy and childlike wonder featuring close-up detail. Wildflowers are a powerful inspiration, she says, b...

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Connect the Bay: Waging Peace Exhibit

Warning: some graphic content. The "Waging Peace in Vietnam" exhibit is at the War Memorial Veterans Building in San Francisco through August 14, 2022. It shows how the GI movement unfolded, from the numerous anti-war coffeehouses springing up outside military bases, to the hundreds of GI newspapers...

Connect the Bay: Los Altos Youth Theatre

The mission of Los Altos Youth Theatre is to provide an opportunity for young artists to collaborate with professional artists in rehearsing both plays and musicals. Education Director Gary Ferguson is passionate about taking things a step further and embraces diversity as a core objective. The popu...

Connect the Bay: Ensamble Folclórico Colibrí

Ensamble Folclórico Colibrí is a Mexican folklore dance group with a mission to promote the pride of identifying as an LGBTQ+ Latinx through the art of Mexican Folklórico dance. "Connect the Bay" attends some lively and colorful performances to share an inspiring message of pride and inclusion. Lear...

Connect the Bay: Hydroponics Bruce Gee

In his Palo Alto backyard, Bruce Gee has what he calls extensive "adventures" in hydroponics. His goal is to experiment growing food with an economy of space and water, and to help others see that creating their own hydroponic garden can be done inexpensively and with relative ease. For more informa...

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Connect the Bay: Needle Felting Stephanie Metz

Non-traditional sculptor Stephanie Metz has her studio at San Jose's Alameda Artworks collective, and fills it with her fantastic, fun, and sometimes downright weird creations. Working primarily in wool and industrial felt, she states "My artwork grows out of a sense of curiosity, play, and the desi...

Connect the Bay: Martin Yan’s Chinatown by the Numbers

Come take a tour of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Celebrity chef Martin Yan gives us a short history lesson of the 24 blocks that make up the most densely populated neighborhood west of Manhattan.

Connect the Bay: Luther Burbank Home & Gardens

At the intersection of two busy downtown Santa Rosa streets, Luther Burbank Home and Gardens is a park containing the former home, greenhouse, and gardens of the noted American horticulturist. Garden Curator Rachel Spaeth wrangles dedicated student and community volunteers to keep this historic land...

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Connect the Bay: Cuong Ta Ceramics

Since 1998 Cuong Ta has been following his passion for ceramic art. A math teacher by trade, after taking a pottery class he discovered a true calling: making beautiful objects out of clay. We visit his amazing Emeryville studio and find out about some of his fascinating process. For more informatio...

Connect the Bay: San Jose History Park

Original and reproduced historic buildings make up San Jose's History Park, revealing a fascinating glimpse of Santa Clara Valley’s past. Complete with paved streets, running trolleys, and an old-fashioned ice cream shop, this 14-acre site offers the charm and ambiance of times gone by. Nonprofit Hi...

Connect The Bay: The Crucible

Young artists Tobias and Sharay are part of the Fuego Youth Leadership Program at The Crucible in Oakland. After being mentored by adult artists, Fuego youth leaders instruct their peers in industrial arts like welding and glass flameworking. With an emphasis on creativity, self-expression and safet...

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Connect The Bay: SWEA Christmas Fair

The San Francisco Chapter of the Swedish Women's Educational Association holds a festive Christmas Fair every year, this season in Palo Alto. It is the place to find all things Swedish: from crafts, to decorations, to food and music. A highpoint is the traditional Sankta Lucia procession of youth in...

Connect The Bay: Sonoma TrainTown Railroad

A Bay Area treasure since the Sixties, TrainTown brings the art of model railroading to a new level. Passengers on this scaled-down train take a 30-minute journey through tunnels and across bridges to visit a miniature town. All have been carefully designed to delight the senses and spark the imagin...

Connect The Bay: Parangal Dance Company

With a name that means "Tribute," Parangal Dance Company’s mission is to honor Philippine heritage by preserving and promoting ethnic attire, music, and dance through research, workshops, and performances. They serve as a bridge connecting Filipino Americans to their roots to give them a sense of pr...

On Television

June 07, 2023

Prepare Yourself! Episode 1 Earthquakes

On this episode of Prepare Yourself! we will explore the ways to prepare before an earthquake, as well as what to do to stay safe when an earthquake happens. We'll also see how earthquakes can lead to tsunamis in high-risk areas along the coast, how to prepare, and what to do if one occurs. Tune in…

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