Humboldt’s bright cultural stars fill up your summer nights with sinuous words and your days with blazing artworks. From a simple verse to epics, poetry has been with us from the start. A Reason to Listen at Septentrio Tasting Room (650 Sixth St., Arcata; 707-672-2058; @humboldtpoetryslam; cover charge cash or Venmo), brings local poets straight to your ear. Joy, pain or puns, poetry is the voice of the people. Let their voices inspire you to take the stage yourself. Founded in 2004 by Therese FitzMaurice and Vanessa Vrtiak, A Reason to Listen is Humboldt’s longest-running live poetry event. Set your calendar alarm for the first Thursday of the month from 7 to 9 p.m. (sign up starts at 6:30 p.m.). You have plenty of time to sharpen that pencil and get scratching.
Credit: Humboldt Insider
Enchanting pottery creatures peer out the window of the Canvas & Clay (272 C St., Eureka; 707-443-1428), waiting for you to take them home. The front of the building houses the Cheri Blackerby Portfolio Gallery, with artworks of all media. Step inside (or call ahead) and ask about the tour. Your guide might be a charmer named Eric who will proudly show you his artworks as well as that of his fellow artists. The amount of creativity exploding off the walls is breathtaking. Canvas & Clay gives artists of varying abilities an inclusive, bright space to express themselves. Since its founding in 1997 as The Studio, dedicated staff and volunteers have nurtured the artists’ self-esteem and self-reliance while also spreading joy. You can support this amazing organization by donating art supplies, money or time, if you can teach a class or play music at Arts Alive events. Some of the artists are on hand to meet you so the painting you take home has even more meaning. Be sure to see the mixed media models the creators use in their own movies, available on their YouTube channel Canvas and Clay Video Workshop. Keep your eyes on their social media for special events.
Head to the Redwood Art Association Gallery (603 F St., Eureka; 707-268-0755) to see creations that demanded the artist get it all out on whatever media they have on hand. Stop in to see the exhibit North Coast Lens. Held in cooperation with the Redwood Camera Club, the exhibit showcases the artists who see the world through a viewfinder. Humboldt’s oldest arts organization was founded in 1956, so the talent on display spans generations. Check the online exhibit schedule to see what’s literally up (on the walls). Get ready for the upcoming eighth annual Humboldt Open Paint Out with a plein air painting class or pick up the pencils and join a life drawing session. Thank the RAA for giving you a gallery’s worth of art along the airport walls to look at as you wait to board your flight, too.
This article appears in Humboldt Insider Spring/Summer 2026.