Happy New Year! ¡Feliz año! This little newsletter contains just one event announcement, plus a story about one of our protest banners, and an invitation to practice more art-making in 2026. Please read on!
Events at the Fábrica:
First Friday Art Show:
“Whispers of the Woods”
Avalon Stout
Friday, January 2, 2026
6 pm – 9pm
@ The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Avalon Stout is a 19-year-old photographer from Santa Cruz, currently studying at Cal Poly Humboldt. Her work explores the interaction between shadow and light, emphasizing texture and contrast. Shot on 35mm film, her photographs showcase the natural beauty of the redwood forest and campus. @avalon.stout.photography
Read the full description on our Events page.
The Workshop is Open!
Open Hours:
Saturdays 2pm – 5pm
Sundays 3pm – 6pm
Mondays 12pm – 3pm
CLOSED 12/23/25 through 1/2/26 for Winter Holidays.
Please check the Hours/Calendar page for the most current information.
Fun-A-Day
The idea is simple: make some art everyday in January. Or, just work on some art every day, you don’t need a finished product. Just make a practice of it. Give something new a try or recommit to something familiar.
The first Fun-A-Day happened in Philadelphia in the early 2000s. A group of friends shared their work at a house show the following month. Nick Lally brought the concept to Santa Cruz some years later. FAD mayhem ensued for many years thereafter, including over a hundred participants, some of whom showed their work at the Tannery, Caffe Pergolesi (RIP), and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.
This year we invite you to give it a try. Do some art for the next 31 days. Invite your friends! Consider hosting some sort of show and tell when the month is done. Or keep it to yourself! Either way, please, have fun!
Protest Banner Lending Library
“Black Liberation Ev’rywhere”
Here’s a little snapshot of a banner we made right around the time we officially launched the lending library.
It was a tumultuous time! The summer of 2020, in the midst of an anti-racist uprising in the United States. And yet, it was also a time when many people were isolated and life was slowed down by the restrictions put in place to protect our communities from a still-mysterious COVID-19 pandemic.
This banner was designed by our friend Alírio, with assistance from Fábrica Collective member Elaina. It was sewn and finished by The People at a small, masked gathering in the courtyard outside our workshop at The Hub.
The statement demanding Black Liberation might seem self explanatory, but what about that apostrophe? Why is it “ev’rywhere” instead of “everywhere”? Alírio, who came to Santa Cruz for graduate school and now works as a professor of Black Studies at a university in the UK, chose the spelling in reference to a line in a very important song. Lift Every Voice and Sing is a hymn written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 (with music by J. Rosamond Johnson) and is known as the “Black National Anthem.” While you will see plenty of versions of the lyrics written with the standard English spelling, numerous versions—from hymnal books to this version by Beyoncé—use the word “ev’ry” in it’s non-standard form. In our case, we must admit, the motivation for spelling it this way on the banner was initially motivated by the width of the cloth (leaving out a letter makes the word fit better). However, Alírio chose this spelling with intention and with inspiration from the long history of struggles for Black liberation.
We are grateful for Alírio’s time, wisdom, thoughtfulness, and creativity.
Support The Fábrica !
Are you interested in volunteering with The Fábrica? There are lots of ways you can help out around the shop or at events. If you have some free time you’d like to spend with us, fill out the volunteer interest form.
Making a recurring donation of $5 or more helps us a lot! Thank you for your support!
Miscellanea:
- Our lovely neighbors Subrosa are a small arts venue and meeting space that hosts concerts and classes almost daily.
- Our other neighbors The Bike Church are like the Fábrica for bikes! If you’re new to bike maintenance, check out their monthly “Intro to Bikes” workshop.
- Check out the Free Skool Calendar.
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