Epistolary Art

805 Living September 2020, Epistolary Art, story by Leslie Dinaberg.

805 Living September 2020, Epistolary Art, story by Leslie Dinaberg.

Spanish guitars, surf boards, beach balls, hula hoops, balloons, cascarones, and the fans of flamenco dancers are among the vibrant imagery found in Love Letters, a new public art collaboration between Ojai artist Cassandra C. Jones (cassandracjones.com), Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (mcasantabarbara.org), and Paseo Nuevo (paseonuevoshopping.com).

An eye-catching 600-tile mural inspired by Santa Barbara’s Talavera tiles and Jones’ experiences, the installation spans two walls in Paseo Nuevo’s lower north court entrance, combining classic tile designs with contemporary digital photography that nods to both the past and the present.

“From day one, I called the piece a ‘love letter,’ even before I thought of it as a title,” says Jones. “I like to say that the mural keeps on giving and that there is something new to discover every time one passes by the space.”

On view indefinitely, Love Letters is one of many public art initiatives planned for Paseo Nuevo’s current $20 million redevelopment project.

805 Living, September 2020.

805 Living, September 2020.

This story was originally published in the September 2020 issue of 805 Living. Click here to read it as it appeared in print.

 

Getting Schooled in Museum Education

student interns strike a pose. Courtesy UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum.

Art, Design & Architecture Museum student interns strike a pose. Courtesy UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum.

Interns at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum earn academic credit and valuable experience

By Leslie Dinaberg
Wednesday, August 28, 2019 – 06:00 Santa Barbara, CA

When this year’s cohort of interns take their place at UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum (AD&A Museum), they’ll have the opportunity not only to add valuable skills to their own resumes, but also serve to the University and the broader Santa Barbara community.

“We are contributing to the development of the museum field by fostering future professionals,” said Elyse Gonzales, AD&A Museum’s acting director. “I also see the internship program, and all of our efforts really, as a means of developing future museum visitors, members, and donors for our museum and all museums in general. Our goals for the undergraduate internship program at the AD&A Museum are quite ambitious.”

Internships for academic credit are offered in the curatorial, collections management, archival management, programs/events, education outreach and public relations departments of the AD&A Museum. The museum also offers collaborative internships with the University Library’s special collections department; the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, where interns serve as gallery guides for students in grades six through 12; and with online platform impactmania — in collaboration with the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Religious Studies and global partners — where interns work to deliver a suite of interviews, interactive presentations, and events related to the topic “Human Mind and Migration.”

“I approach all of our UCSB students — really all students — who come to the museum the same way, with a warm welcome, emphasizing that the museum is for them,” Gonzales said. “If we can get them to visit while they are at UCSB, give them a positive experience and help them understand that the museum is not an intimidating place — this is not a place that is about exclusion, it’s about inclusion — then you’ve hooked a museum-goer for the rest of their life.

The more we can reach out to and engage younger generations, the better we are going to be in the long run. And when I say ‘we’ I mean the AD&A Museum, but also museums in general.”

Gonzales credits much of the vision for the internship program to Bruce Robertson, the recently retired museum director. “Studies reveal that most museum professionals and others in the arts became interested in these fields because they had a pivotal moment with an object or a formative creative experience. Knowing that, and with education as the imperative of the entire university, we immediately understood that we could make a significant contribution to our field,” Gonzales said. “But, also the reality of our situation is that we have a lot of tasks, projects, and events that need to be executed and managed and loads of ambitions to do even more. Knowing this, it became clear that working with students would not only help them but help us achieve our goals and mission.”

Focused on professional development, the resulting program pairs students with employees at the museum.

“The students have been great to work with — they are excited to learn new things, go ‘behind the scenes’ at the museum, and are able to explore possible career paths,” said Architecture and Design Collection Reference Archivist Julia Larson. “The students are eager to come in for their intern shifts because they are working on concrete projects — putting materials in folders, organizing and labelling collections, assisting with cataloging which they can cite as examples of work projects for future jobs or grad school. They also ask a lot of good questions and force me to think through my work and how best to explain things.

“The students learn how to process archival collections,” she added, “which is very hands-on work.”

Said Susan Lucke, collections manager and registrar, “We rely on our interns so much. They’re just not doing entry-level work. They actually get to do work that I would do. We need the help, and they gain a lot of experience and that’s so useful when they start to look for a job.

“I think it’s helpful for kids to look at all their options in school and this is a really a good program,” Lucke continued. “It’s not like sitting in a classroom with 300 other kids. It’s more of an intimate experience, and students get a lot of one-on-one attention plus it enables them to look at another side of life.”

AD&A Museum interns have gone on to graduate school; the Peace Corps; and to careers at many different kinds of museums, including the Smithsonian, the Peterson Automotive Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara and the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, among others.

For-credit internships are open to undergraduates in all majors. “We find that many of our interns love art and architecture but also feel like they need to have a degree in something else, something they perceive as being more stable,” said Gonzales.

“The impetus behind this internship program is primarily to help give students professional experiences but also to help alleviate student and parental concerns about future career opportunities,” she added. “In addition, one of my goals is to help reflect the diversity of our campus and to create opportunities to diversify the field for future museum leadership.”

What she feels most proud about the internship program is that when students leave, they have concrete real- world experiences they can put on a resume and several individuals willing to give them a great reference. “A really smart and committed intern can do wonders,” Gonzales noted. “We should know, our museum wouldn’t function half so well without their terrific help.”

Originally published in The Current (UCSB) on August 28, 2019.

“Andy Coolquitt: …i need a hole in my head”

L-R: Andy Coolquitt, CAA CAA, 2017, Bathmat on canvas, 55 x 66 in., Courtesy the Artist, Photo: Adam Schreiber. Andy Coolquitt, Modern Hotel Abstraction #1, 2017, Fabric on canvas, 96 x 32 in., Courtesy the Artist, Photo: Adam Schreiber.

L-R: Andy Coolquitt, CAA CAA, 2017, Bathmat on canvas, 55 x 66 in., Courtesy the Artist, Photo: Adam Schreiber. Andy Coolquitt, Modern Hotel Abstraction #1, 2017, Fabric on canvas, 96 x 32 in., Courtesy the Artist, Photo: Adam Schreiber.

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, in partnership with Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara, presents Andy Coolquitt: …i need a hole in my head, an exhibition featuring a major commission of new works by Andy Coolquitt.

Based in Austin, TX, the artist has generated a body of work that includes paintings, sculptures and video, which he uses to form connections between some of the juxtapositional aspects of a place that is simultaneously private and public, homelike and commercial, an exhibition venue and a hotel.

According to the artist statement, Coolquitt uses the language of geometric abstraction to riff off of Hotel Indigo’s architectural and design elements, incorporating, for example, site-specific hard edge or gestural painting as a tactic to reimagine the lounge, stairwell, or skylight. Other works in the show consist of familiar domiciliary items such as bathmats, chairs, light bulbs, and nylon stockings. The artist elevates the significance of various undervalued ubiquitous objects that enhance our visceral response to interior environments, prompting viewers to consider the dimensions of our attraction to these basic yet undeniably essential things.

The public is invited to an Artist Talk on Wednesday, May 9, from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. at Santa Barbara City College, Administration Building Room A211, 721 Cliff Dr., Santa Barbara.

Andy Coolquitt: …i need a hole in my head is on view at MCASB Satellite @ Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara from May 18 through March 7, 2021. The Hotel Indigo is located at 121 State St., Santa Barbara. For more information about the exhibition, visit mcasantabarbara.org.

Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on May 8, 2018.

Hurry to Catch “Runaway” in Downtown Santa Barbara

Runaway, courtesy photo.

Runaway, created by Greg Corso and Molly Hunker, courtesy photo.

You’ve still got a few more days to catch “Runaway,” commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara and on loan to the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture, this exhibit is installed in the Historic Storke Placita (700 State St.), until September 30.

“Runaway” was created by Greg Corso and Molly Hunker of the award-winning design and architecture collaborative, SPORTS,  whose work is inspired by the line between everyday experiences and the unexpected with a lively dose of curiosity and playfulness.

Runaway, courtesy photo, was on view earlier at Stearns Wharf.

Runaway, created by Greg Corso and Molly Hunker, courtesy photo, was on view earlier this summer at Stearns Wharf.

The pop-up exhibit, which has been seen around town in various locations, responds to the vivid light and colorful skyscapes of Santa Barbara comprising three bright, building block parts configured in different orientations throughout the neighborhoods from which it is sited. The modular structure seeks to connect visitors to the natural landscape—and each other. By contributing bold, contemporary design to Santa Barbara, “Runaway” serves as an aesthetic catalyst and central meeting point for interactive contemporary art projects.

Leslie Dinaberg 

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 26, 2017.

Local Lowdown: Beyond Borders

Image from UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum "The Schoolhouse and the Bus: Mobility, Pedagogy and Engagement," the work of Suzanne Lacy & Pablo Helguera. Photo by Suzanne Lacy.

Image from UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum “The Schoolhouse and the Bus: Mobility, Pedagogy and Engagement,” the work of Suzanne Lacy & Pablo Helguera. Photo by Suzanne Lacy.

The Latin America-Southern California Connection: Pacific Standard Time

By Leslie Dinaberg

An ambitious artistic celebration of the vibrant cultural linkages between Southern California and Latin America takes place across the state this fall, from Santa Barbara to San Diego, Santa Monica, Palm Springs and beyond.

Backed by more than $16 million in grants from the Getty Foundation, the series of thematically linked exhibitions—Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA—spans more than 70 institutions, including local exhibitions at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Historical Museum and UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum.

“We’re proud that the Getty is once again making it possible for institutions across Southern California to do justice to a vast and complex subject, with this exploration of the vital traditions of Latin American and Latino art,” says Jim Cuno, president of J. Paul Getty Trust, referring to the 2011-2012 iteration of Pacific Standard Time, a Southern California collaboration that focused on art in Los Angeles from 1945-1980. He continues, “Working together, as we did in the first Pacific Standard Time initiative, can we begin to encompass the richness and dynamism of an art created in multiple countries and on two continents.”

Valeska Soares, Any Moment Now… (Spring), 2014, courtesy Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo, on view at Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Among the local Pacific Standard Time highlights is “Valeska Soares: Any Moment Now,” a survey of the New York-based Brazilian artist’s work comprised of unique environmental installations combining sculptures, photography, video, and performances at Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Sept. 17-Dec. 17).

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara breaks new ground with “Guatemala from 33,000 km: Contemporary Art from 1960-Present,” the first survey of modern and contemporary art from Guatemala, exploring a previously unexamined rich period of artistic production that began during the “long civil war” of the late 1950s and extends to the present day. The three-part exhibition is presented at MCASB’s galleries, Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop (SBCAW) and Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art at Westmont College (Sept. 17-Dec. 17).

Darío Escobar, Untitled, 1998, Cardboard, plastic, gold leaf, and pigments, 7.875 x 3.5in, Courtesy the Artist. On view as part of "Guatemala from 33,000 km: Contemporary Art, 1960 - Present" at MCA Santa Barbara.

Darío Escobar, Untitled, 1998, Cardboard, plastic, gold leaf, and pigments, 7.875
x 3.5in, Courtesy the Artist. On view as part of “Guatemala from 33,000 km: Contemporary Art, 1960 – Present” at MCA Santa Barbara.

Sacred Art in the Age of Contact at Santa Barbara Historical Museum brings together, for the first time, a diverse body of objects from Santa Barbara-area collections exploring the relationship between art and spirituality in both Chumash and Spanish traditions. Also presented at UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum, “Sacred Art” highlights the themes of sacred geography, language, materiality and resistance. It also investigates the mutually transformative interaction between these traditions, which have immediate implications on the ways in which the cultural dynamics of Santa Barbara County are understood today (Sept. 15-Jan. 14).

Also on view at UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum is “The Schoolhouse and the Bus: Mobility, Pedagogy and Engagement,” the work of Suzanne Lacy & Pablo Helguera. This exhibition pairs for the first time the work of two leading practitioners of the Social Practice Movement, an art medium that focuses on engagement through human interaction and social discourse. This exhibition juxtaposes key examples of the artists’ works and incorporates installations, photography, drawing and performance, alongside archival documentation that serves to highlight overlapping themes, including immigration, race and social organizing (Sept. 16-Dec. 8).

For more information and a complete list of events and exhibits visit pacificstandardtime.org.

Originally published in the Fall 2017 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.

Cocktail Corner: Santa Barbara’s Official Drink Contest

Visit Santa Barbara challenges mixologists to create a Santa Barbara-inspired cocktail. Photo by Blake Bronstad.

Visit Santa Barbara challenges mixologists to create a Santa Barbara-inspired cocktail. Photo by Blake Bronstad.

A Spirited Toast to All Things Alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg 

Mirror, mirror on the wall. What’s the most “Santa Barbara-like” cocktail of all? 

I’ve pondered this question myself on more than one occasion, so it excites me that we’ll get a definitive answer on January 26 at the “2017 Official Drink of Santa Barbara” Cocktail Contest,” held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (653 Paseo Nuevo). 

Hosted and conceived by Visit Santa Barbara, this creative contest invited local restaurants, bars, lounges, tasting rooms and breweries to develop a new, unique signature mixed drink that celebrates the distinctive attributes of our lovely town.

The creation must include a liquor from Cutler’s Artisan Spirits, and in addition, contestants are encouraged to use at least one local ingredient and take inspiration from Santa Barbara’s dramatic landscapes, architectural landmarks and culinary scene. 

Back Garden by Alberto Battaglini of SY Kitchen is one of the entries you can vote on for the "Official Drink of Santa Barbara Cocktail Contest." Courtesy photo.

Back Garden by Alberto Battaglini of SY Kitchen is one of the entries you can vote on for the “Official Drink of Santa Barbara Cocktail Contest.” Courtesy photo.

“Santa Barbara has so many talented mixologists and an abundance of culinary riches. We’re excited to see how they will creatively represent our incredible destination in one signature cocktail,” says Visit Santa Barbara President/CEO Kathy Janega-Dykes.

From January 14-19 , the public can view the entries posted, visit participating establishments to purchase drink submissions, and vote for their favorite entry on independent.com/officialdrinkofsb.

Then, the top five mixologists will get to compete in the live event on January 26, emceed by the always entertaining Gabe Saglie, television personality and senior editor for TravelZoo. The lucky panel of judges includes yours truly (it’s a tough job, I know), along with KEYT Meteorologist/Reporter Meredith Garofalo, Mixologist and Santa Barbara Independent Columnist Patrick Reynolds, Visit Santa Barbara outgoing Board Chair and Ganna Walska Lotusland Executive Director Gwen Stauffer, and local food and libations writer George Yatchisin

True North by Olio Crudo Bar is one of the entries you can vote on for the "Official Drink of Santa Barbara Cocktail Contest." Courtesy photo.

True North by Olio Crudo Bar is one of the entries you can vote on for the “Official Drink of Santa Barbara Cocktail Contest.” Courtesy photo.

Along with huge bragging rights and some prizes, the winner will have the exclusive rights to sell the “2017 Official Drink of Santa Barbara” at his/her place of business throughout the year. 

Speaking of bragging rights, don’t miss out on being able to say you had one of the first “Official Drinks of Santa Barbara.” Advance tickets are now on sale for $25, which includes two drink tickets, appetizers and a sample of the top five finalists’ entries (while supplies last). Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. and Santa Barbara Vintners also will be pouring drinks, and a cash bar will be available. Tickets are limited, and advance ticket purchase is required. Event-goers must be 21 or older to attend.  For more information, visit or to purchase tickets, go to http://www.sbindytickets.com/events/40449965/official-drink-of-santa-barbara-cocktail-competition.

The “2017 Official Drink of Santa Barbara” Cocktail Contest” takes place January 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.  at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (653 Paseo Nuevo).

Hope to see some of you there. Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

 Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on January 13, 2017.

 

 

Santa Barbara Poetry Series

“Though the drought continues through the winter, there is no drought of winter poetry,” writes organizer Paul Willis. The public is warmly invited to attend the winter reading of the Santa Barbara Poetry Series at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 21 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (653 Paseo Nuevo, Upper Arts Terrace).

The three presenting poets are Katie Shara, Jackson Wheeler and Zack Rogow.

Younger poet Katie Shara was born and raised in Santa Barbara and is a recent graduate of Westmont College.  She became interested in poetry while on a semester abroad in Orvieto, Italy.  She is currently working at a local preschool—teaching two-year-olds, writing curriculum, and settling into post-grad life.

Local poet and social worker Jackson Wheeler was born and raised on the eastern slopes of the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.  He is the author of two collections of poetry, Swimming Past Iceland (Millie Grazie Press, 1993) and A Near Country (SOLO Press, 1999), and also of a forthcoming collection, Was I Asleep: Poems 1980-2014.  Since 1989, he has hosted the Arcade Poetry Series, now part of the cultural offerings of the Oxnard Carnegie Art Museum.

Visiting poet Zack Rogow was born and raised in New York City and now lives in San Francisco. His poems have appeared in a variety of magazines, from American Poetry Review to Zyzzyva, and he is the author, editor, or translator of nineteen books or plays, including his seventh book of poems, My Mother and the Ceiling Dancers (Kattywompus Press, 2012), and an anthology of U.S. poetry, The Face of Poetry (University of California Press, 2005).  Currently he teaches in the low-residency MFA at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

The event is supported by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on February 13, 2015.

Editor’s Pick for Fall: On Edge Festival

Microscope Toy Theater, Still from A Real Elephant, 2010, Courtesy the Artist.

Microscope Toy Theater, Still from A Real Elephant, 2010, Courtesy the Artist.

Thanks to support from National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara‘s (MCASB) popular Forum Lounge celebrates its 10th anniversary evolution into On Edge Festival, a four-day extravaganza of performance art, artist-commissioned projects and ancillary educational activities that embrace the spirit of diversity, experimentation and inquiry in contemporary art. Internationally renowned performance artists present their new works in what promises to be a landmark cultural event that embraces the experimental and unconventional.

The Green Surround Teaser from Performance Space 122 on Vimeo.

“We’re thrilled to have the continued support of the NEA for Forum Lounge’s exciting transition into the On Edge Festival,” says Heather Jeno Silva, Forum Lounge and On Edge curator. “The festival is both a glimpse into the future of what MCASB will become and a nod to MCASB’s rich history of supporting cutting-edge performance art over the last 30 years. This will be an landmark cultural event that embraces the experimental and unconventional, rivaling programs from larger, like-minded venues in metropolitan areas.”

From puppetry to dance to animation and interactive works, this festival has something for everybody and, with the exception of a couple of ticketed events, all performances are FREE.

Participating artists for the 2014 premiere of On Edge Festival include: Annie Dorsen, Faye Driscoll, Sarah Elgart, Elizabeth Folk, Janie Geiser, Heather Kravas, Microscope Toy Theatre, Miwa Matreyek and Surabhi Saraf.

The On Edge Festival will be the first event of its kind on the Central Coast, bringing internationally renowned performance artists to Santa Barbara to present their new work over one weekend.

“With this crucial funding, MCASB will celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the successful Forum Lounge series by presenting four diverse days of emerging local and international performance artists,” says MCASB executive director Miki Garcia. “The On Edge Festival exemplifies MCASB’s commitment to providing world-class, accessible programming as a stalwart of cultural happenings in the Santa Barbara community.”

On the Edge Festival is Sept. 18–21, 653 Paseo Nuevo, 805/966-5373, mcasantabarbara.org.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 1, 2014.

Nonprofits Wow and Woo at Fast Pitch SB

(L-R) Chief Energy Officer Seth Streeter, Mayor Helene Schneider, Fast Pitch SB Winner Bethany Markee of Solvang Viking Kitchen, Jose Hutton of Hub 81, courtesy photo

(L-R) Chief Energy Officer Seth Streeter, Mayor Helene Schneider, Fast Pitch SB Winner Bethany Markee of Solvang Viking Kitchen, Jose Hutton of Hub 81, courtesy photo

Organizers from Social Venture Partners say inaugural event will become an annual opportunity for local nonprofits to gain exposure, refine messages and win money.

Thursday night’s inaugural Fast Pitch SB—a Shark Tank style competition for nonprofits to make three-minute pitches to a panel of judges and a live audience for cash awards was an exciting, successful event for all concerned, but Solvang Viking Cafe was the big winner of the night. Founder Bethany Markee—a former professional chef who took over the lunch program at the local elementary school cafeteria at Solvang School—now has an additional $26,000 in prizes to expand her program to feed more students.

Social Venture Partners Santa Barbara (SVPSB) chose the ten finalists out of  a field of more than 100 applications from nonprofits looking to receive personal coaching and communications training from experts in the field.

Enthusiastic Fast Pitch audience, courtesy photo

Enthusiastic Fast Pitch audience, courtesy photo

 

The award winners are:

$5,000 Mission Award: Angels Foster Care

$5,000 State Award: A Different Point of View

$10,000 Audience Award: Solvang Viking Café

$15,000 Grand Prix Award: Solvang Viking Café

Plus, each of the ten finalists received a $1,000 SVP Award:

A Different Point of View

AHA!

Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara

Talented teen Jamey Geston entertained the crowd. Photo by Leslie Dinaberg

Talented teen Jamey Geston entertained the crowd. Photo by Leslie Dinaberg

CASA of Santa Barbara County

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara

Santa Ynez Fruit and Vegetable Rescue (“Veggie Rescue”)

Sarah House Santa Barbara

Solvang Elementary School’s Viking Cafe

The Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens

Sanctuary Centers of Santa Barbara

For more information about the program click here.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on May 17, 2014.

April 1st Thursday – Ode to Poetry Month

Sullivan Goss April

Sullivan Goss – An American Gallery celebrates local poet and artist Barry Spacks.

The Downtown 1st Thursday April 3 event includes more than two dozen cultural art venues, standing by with poetry, art, music and more, for National Poetry Month. Here are some of the highlights:

Sullivan Goss – An American Gallery (7 & 11 E. Anapamu St.) will celebrate the life and work of Barry Spacks, Santa Barbara’s first Poet Laureate and beloved artist. The Spacks’ estate provided 108 works of art that will be offered at $108, a number that is sacred in the artist’s Buddhist religion. Special poetry readings will take place throughout a not-to-be-missed evening.

Salt (740 State St.) has “Poetry in the Cave,” for a fun-filled evening of words and community in their.pink Himalayan salt caves. For another spoken word experience, the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (653 Paseo Nuevo Terrace) is presenting a performance by Julia Landois and Erik Sanden, Live Ballast at 7 p.m.

Award-winning plein air artist Jason Sacran is conducting a painting demonstration at Waterhouse Gallery (1114 State St., #9) and over at The Book Den (15 E. Anapamu St.),  Eric Kelley is celebrating his 35th anniversary as the proprietor of California’s oldest used bookstore (founded in 1902).

SBHM April

Henry Chapman Ford etching, Mission Santa Barbara, a gift of Leona Thomas on display at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.

Santa Barbara Historical Museum (136 E. De la Guerra St.) opens a new exhibition, “Impressions in Ink: Etchings from the Collection,”featuring artist Henry Chapman Ford. Learn how the Santa Barbara Art Foundry makes unique bronze sculptures in a step-by- step process on Marshalls Patio (900 State St.).

Join the Lobero Theatre (33 E. Canon Perdido St.) from 7:30-9:30 p.m. for 1st Thursday: After Hours. Don’t miss une bonne soirée onstage: enjoy hors d’eouvres from Sojourner Cafe, wine from Roblar Winery and eclectic cabaret presented by Kerrilee Kaski.

For more information and a complete listing of the specific programming offered at each gallery, as well as all public performances and interactive exhibits, go to santabarbaradowntown.com/about/1st-thursday.

 

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on April 2, 2014.