French badass in Monterey, 25th anniversary open home tour and more.

• French artist Jules Tavernier (1844-1889) was a badass—a great adventurer and one of the American West’s pioneering talents. The Monterey Museum of Art’s current exhibition of his career completely blew me away. The exhibition includes transcontinental illustrations he did for Harper’s Weekly, paintings of Native American subjects and scenes of the San Francisco Bay area and the Monterey Peninsula, where he founded the local art colony in 1875. Tavernier’s Monterey period yielded some of the most audacious work of his career—the dude is an important part of our collective artistic history and I had no idea who he was until a few days ago. Now through Oct. 20. For more, www.montereyart.org.

• This year is the 25th Anniversary of the Monterey County Artists Studio Tour. The deadline to apply is June 30 so you’d best get on it. Be prepared to open your studio to the public for two days, Sept. 27-28. Obviously, you must be present to discuss, demonstrate and sell your artwork. Be a part of one of Monterey County’s richest artistic traditions. www.montereystudiotour.com.

• Lux Aeterna is a stripped-down circus theater show with a distinctly urban vibe. It’s b-boy. It’s adagio partner work, hand balancing and aerial acts—think Burning Man with a hip-hop vibe. Check them out on June 30 as part of CSUMB’s Summer Arts Program. Show starts at 7pm and costs $20. (See story, this page.)

• Much respect to local artist Jung Hoon Ki. A sophomore at Stevenson School, Ki was named the winner of the 2014 Congressional Art Competition last month. His piece, “Differing Perception of Covered Eyes,” will be displayed in the halls of the Capitol along with other student works from across the country. Ki will also travel to Washington, D.C. to be honored at a Congressional reception and will receive a $1,500 renewable scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Way to represent, kid.

• A great original jazz album is about as rare as an albino whale. Aporia’s self-titled 2011 album is a legitimately great recording. This local combo currently boasts Billy Jones, Stu Reynolds, Scotty Wright and Heath Proskin. The album also features Julie Capili on vocals. It deserves a listen—even if you’re not a jazz fan. Yes, I contributed some lyrics and play with Proskin in The Suborbitals, but that’s not why I’m writing this. My contributions were minimal. Hell, I don’t even like jazz much, but this is a pretty special bit of composition and performance. Check it at www.aporiajazz.com.