Arts

"I am what I am, I don't want praise, I don't want pity I bang my own drum; some think it's noise, I think it's pretty And so what if I love each sparkle and each bangle Why not try to see things from a different angle Your life is a sham 'til you can shout out loud I am what I am" - Zaza, "La Cage aux Folles" * Thousands of sequins and countless yards of lamé are about to be rolled into Segerstrom Hall for the arrival...

"That man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man/If with his tongue he cannot win a woman. " - William Shakespeare, "Two Gentlemen of Verona" * Shakespeare by the Sea celebrates its 15th anniversary season this year, with two of the Bard's best: "Romeo and Juliet" and "Two Gentlemen of Verona. " Sponsored by the Newport Beach City Arts Commission, the two free performances at Bonita Canyon Sports Park will be held at 7 p.m. on July 7 and 8, with "Romeo and Juliet" onstage on Saturday night, followed by "Two Gentlemen of Verona" on Sunday.

COSTA MESA - Back when Guilherme and Rafael Mendes were growing up in Brazil, they weren't like most kids who fell in love with soccer. They found their passion in fighting, more specifically jiu jitsu. Guilherme, also known as Gui, the older brother, said their cousin introduced them to jiu jitsu. Soon enough, the boys, Gui, 12, and Rafa, 11, started to dream. They would dream about championships and someday of opening their own academy so they could teach others. That was back in 2001.

Not everything was upbeat and positive during the grand opening of the Mendes Bros. Art. of Jiu Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa on Sunday. While a celebration took place in the new studio, other fighters did their best to ignore that party and trained at Team Triunfo gym next door. A driveway separates the front doors of each studio. Team Triunfo, a gym for jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts with about 100 members, has been on the block in Costa Mesa for the past year. The new academy has moved in next door, making it hard to avoid any type of controversy.

Renaissance woman and Newport Beach resident Ruth Westphal, 80, is a self-titled, life-long "gallery hopper. " Though her professional trajectory placed her in a teaching career and at the helm of her own successful business, her passion for art has carved out a significant place in her life. The results of her artistic investment went on to enrich countless art history projects and helped raise the bar for chronicling artists and their work. Westphal compiled three books on California artists in the '80s and '90s that laid the groundwork for a comprehensive examination of early California Impressionism and scene painting.

The Orange County Museum of Art on Sunday will open the first U.S. retrospective exhibition of works by the Canadian-born mixed-media artist Jack Goldstein (1945-2003), who was a central figure of the 1970s and 80s Postmodern Art movement and Pictures Generation. OCMA's "Jack Goldstein X 10,000" exhibit will be a museum-wide show featuring more than 75 pieces, including a selection of 22 paintings, 20 films, 18 sound recordings and two large-scale installations, which the late Goldstein created during his influential yet enigmatic career.

It is the most sophisticated social event of the year in Orange County. Art of Dining 2012, the Orange County Museum of Art's annual fundraising gala, honored Los Angeles art dealer Irving Blum , a visionary collector and exhibitor of contemporary art. The debonair Blum, director and co-owner of the internationally recognized Ferus Gallery, was honored for a career that has spanned more than 50 years and championed the likes of American...

June is a month known for lots of formal gatherings: graduations, weddings, dances and award ceremonies.  To help students prepare for such events, UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake gave them step-by-step instructions on how to tie a bow tie, as seen in this YouTube video posted by  ucirvinenews . The video was shot by Steve Zylius and Daniel A. Anderson, strategic communications at UC Irvine. Do you know how to tie a bow tie? If not, take a look, and maybe you'll learn something.

An Irvine church has rescinded its offer to purchase the Santora building in downtown Santa Ana, an architecturally ornate structure that for years has served as the center of the city's artistic community. Tom Greer, the chief financial officer for Newsong, said that the church could not come to an agreement with seller Mike Harrah and decided to pull out of escrow. He declined to discuss specifics. Greer said if another property becomes available in Santa Ana, the church would be open to purchasing it. "Its been a very positive experience for us," he said.

The Orange County Museum of Art this weekend will honor Irving Blum, legendary director of the former Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles that launched the Pop Art movement's most famous names, for a lifetime of influence on the Southern California art scene. "The motivation for buying art should be rooted in the passion between you and the picture," Blum said in an interview. "If the picture becomes valuable, that's certainly a plus. But it shouldn't be your reason for wanting it. " Blum's thoughts on art appreciation stem from a unique professional palette.