A look back at the highs (and lows) of arts and culture in 2013.

Restart Button: Near the beginning of the year, the Weekly re-launches the Artifacts culture column.

Auld Acquaintance: In January, Monterey Museum of Art Executive Director Michael Whittington steps down.

Burning Man: On March 31, hip-hop legend KRS-One brings the boom-bap to Golden State Theatre. Until a burning and smoking flat monitor ends the show.

A New Deal: The-Contemporary, a new art gallery in Monterey, opens April 12. It has an online-only “gallery” component, too.

Hit a Homer: In May, Pacific Repertory Theatre puts on a one-man Homeric tale of war in An Iliad and it’s a scorcher.

Summer School: CSUMB’s Summer Arts program rolls into town with poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, underground film archivist Craig Baldwin, documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick and more.

MPC Loves Misery: Monterey Peninsula College stages a Broadway-big Les Misérables in July. It quickly sells out, leaving many out of luck (and miserable).

The Alisal: Cornerstone Theater Company comes up from L.A. to research and stage a play about the Alisal neighborhood.

Film Comment: Henry Miller Library’s Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series ends Sept. 1 on a grand finale at Golden State Theatre. Their recent Hitchcock film festival, not so much.

Luis on the Loose: In early September, Western Stage produces Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit at the same time the playwright unveils a new play, Valley of the Heart.

In Perfect Balance: Influential (and tall) art film director Godfrey Reggio screens his film Koyaanisqatsi at CSUMB’s Cinematic Arts studio Oct. 1, free for students and the public. It’s a model film/Q&A session.

Enns Justifies the Means: Green Chalk Contemporary art gallery opens Sept. 7 on Lighthouse in New Monterey, the same curatorial forces behind Joseph Campbell: The Artist’s Way at Carl Cherry.

The Art of Storytelling: On Oct. 13, the city of Seaside celebrates its 59th birthday with A People’s History of Seaside art exhibition, reception and stories.

Rambling Man: In October, longtime Weekly writer Stuart Thornton released his first book, Moon Coastal California.

Bomb the System: On Nov. 1, the National Steinbeck Center opens a big solo graffiti show by Liam Da Leo. At the same time, Monterey Museum of Art-La Mirada is host to a big solo show by graffiti-inspired muralist Andrew Schoultz.