30 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 9-15, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com ART According to poet and poetry educator Patrice Vecchione, being political is not separate from being human, or from being an artist. After the 2024 presidential election, Vecchione despaired, and became ill from a mix of disbelief and grief. “I was emotionally and spiritually sinking and needed to figure my way through,” she says. This is when the idea of The Guardians came, resulting in a series of large collages—almost human-size figures—that will be on view at Sweet Elena’s Bakery and Cafe in Sand City beginning on April 11. Among them is “The Falconer,” a figure of a woman—in Vecchione’s playful recreation—holding three owls. “Marian Anderson” is a figure of the groundbreaking African American opera singer wearing a skirt adorned with music sheets of her most famous songs. “Celandine Coral” depicts a trans woman made with a face borrowed from Piero della Francesca, holding bunches of flowers in her hands. They are all presented as angels, with halos not only around their heads, but around their entire bodies. In this parade of strong female figures, there’s an exception: a portrait of a bird couple titled “The Happy Family.” The male bird represents male support for female energy—loosely based on Vecchione’s own “wonderful husband,” she says—who carries a lizard which symbolizes the power of imagination. “He makes space for me to be who I am,” says Vecchione about her life partner, who, upon seeing six giant guardian figures being born in the house, only asked, “Where are we going to put them?” Except for “The Happy Family,” Vecchione is ready to part with The Guardians. They are for sale, even if they don’t come with a fixed price. It depends who is buying and if the person is in need of a guardian. “They [The Guardians] came to me out of a need to invoke various ways of understanding and knowing and faith that goes beyond the idea of them versus us and beyond rational ways of comprehending and trying to make sense of what’s going on,” the artist says. “We need an alternative way to rational problem solving.” This is the third time Vecchione is sharing her narrative art with the world. Her previous subject matter dealt with birds and migration. The Guardians by Patrice Vecchione is on display at Sweet Elena’s Bakery, 465D Olympia Ave., Sand City. Opening reception 3pm Saturday, April 11; poetry workshop 3pm on Saturday, April 25. patricevecchione.com. DANIEL DREIFUSS On Guard Local poet Patrice Vecchione continues to experiment with other forms of narrative art. By Agata Popęda Patrice Vecchione poses with a “guardian” inspired by opera singer Marian Anderson. The Guardians can be seen at Sweet Elena’s in Sand City. JAYCE OGREN, MUSIC DIRECTOR • SUNSET CENTER, CARMEL • MONTEREYSYMPHONY.ORG APRIL 18–19, 2026 BEETHOVEN / SYMPHONY NO. 3 ZAPPA • BOULOGNE WINE GLASS CLARINET CONCERTO
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