It's been more than 30 years since Grace Slick and Jerry Garcia appeared together in Monterey. Back in 1967, it was the Monterey Pop Festival, and performances by Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead that brought Slick and Garcia to town.

Now both former musicians will be making an appearance of sorts as the DoubleTree Hotel hosts a weekend exhibition of artwork by the former rock legends.

The late Garcia's interest in art actually predates his work with the Grateful Dead, having attended what is now called the San Francisco Art Institute in the late '50s. Garcia's colorful and often whimsical landscapes and cityscapes reflect his interest in expressionism and the work of such artists as Paul Klee and Picasso. It wasn't until 1991 that Garcia had his first exhibition, and with his passing in 1995, his work has been much sought after by collectors.

Unlike Garcia, it is only within the past few years that Slick has embraced the world of fine art. Her intimate and adept series of portraits of rock legends like Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison have garnered accolades in recent exhibitions throughout the country. Slick works primarily with what she refers to as "oil pencils" as the basis for her drawings.

Works by both artists will be exhibited and for sale from May 5-7.

Find more information at www.areaarts.com.

First Call, First Night

First Night Monterey, the annual New Year's Eve arts celebration in downtown Monterey has begun the application process for interested musicians, dancers, cultural groups, and performance and visual artists. All artists selected to participate in First Night will be paid for their efforts.

To request an application form, call the First Night Monterey office at 831-373-4778 or check out their Web site at www.firstnightmonterey.org. The deadline for priority consideration is June 1.

Art Scholars

The Carmel Art Association has awarded scholarships to two Monterey County students who participated in a recent sculpture competition.

Monterey High School student Anna Gonzales, who will begin classes this fall at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles received $3,000 in scholarship funds, while Everett Alvarez High School student Christian Lozada, who plans to attend the Arts Institute in San Francisco, won a $500 scholarship.

The awards money was provided by a $2,500 grant from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Youth Fund, and $1,000 from the Carmel Art Association Memorial Fund.

Dancing Poets

The seventh annual Dancing Poetry Festival sponsored by Artists Embassy International is seeking dance companies, dance soloists and poets to participate in this year's festival, to be held at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco Sept. 30.

The festival is designed to showcase dancing and poetry as a unified art form. Artists with a background in classical, world, ethnic, or folk dance have until May 15 to submit their proposals. Participants will be chosen on the basis of proposal submissions and notified of acceptance by July 10.

Written proposals and/or video integrating poetry with dance should be sent to Dancing Poetry Festival, 714 Steiner St., San Francisco, Ca. 94117. Applicants are asked to include a text of the poetry, and indicate style of performance and exact timing of work.

For more information contact Natica Angilly at 415-681-0618, or check out the festival Web site at www.dancingpoetry.org.

--Richard Pitnick