Aliyah Sidqe, a mentee of the artist and activist Milton Bowens, uses her paintings to uplift the community. 

The Lincoln Potters play in historic McBean Stadium in downtown Lincoln, and the wood-bat California Collegiate League team averaged almost 1,000 fans per game during the 2019 season. This year, the Potters are just happy to be playing, even if fans aren’t allowed.

Laurelin Gilmore weaves zodiac and earthy elements to show the connectivity humans have to nature.

Angela Pratt was ready to close her gardening shop during the COVID-19 crisis until The Plant Foundry was deemed an essential business by state and county guidelines. Pratt turned a negative into a positive by changing business practices to better serve customers.

Last year was a strong one for the performing arts in the region, and 2020 was building on that success, which has led to hope from some local arts leaders that this progress will continue despite the unprecedented shutdown.

While the shelter-in-place measures have helped slow the spread of COVID-19, they have taken a huge economic toll and have been devastating for breweries, especially small breweries that once relied on sales for consumption in their taprooms.

Jessica Bryant, a former personal trainer who was raised on a cattle ranch, started Corn Poppy Produce in 2019 to promote healthier living in the Stockton community.

Crawford’s Books owner Sue Richards now offers curbside pickup at her store on Freeport Boulevard in the Hollywood Park neighborhood of Sacramento.

Lindsay Swearingen was introduced to needle and thread at 8 years old, when her mother taught her how to cross-stitch. She was young and didn’t stick with it, but “about eight years ago, I picked it back up around when there was a resurgence of embroidery and fiber art,” she says. 

In the Capital Region, a homegrown meal prep market has been thriving for years. There are more than a dozen meal prep services in the region, ranging from the home-based and dubiously legal to nationally distributed brands.