Local Lowdown: Class-y Gifting

Posted on December 29, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

In a season chock-full of stuff, the notion of learning a new skill, or improving upon an old one, through taking a class is a great way to give someone a gift that keeps on giving—providing memorable experiences and perhaps even spurring lasting new interests. Here are some class-y gift suggestions for everyone on your list.

Courtesy Eat This, Shoot That!

Eat This, Shoot That!

One glance at Instagram is all it takes to know that food shots are all the rage. Learn how to take fantastic food and travel photos while tasting delicious food and drinks in and around Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone with this unique tour. (800/979-3370, 805/699-6719, eatthisshootthat.com) Eat This, Shoot That! owner Tara Jones and her crew take you to taste and shoot at Deep Sea Winery, Santa Barbara Shellfish Co., Lucky Penny, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Cutler’s Artisan Spirits, Riverbench Winery, Koval Confections and Seven Bar + Kitchen. In addition to photography tips and nibbles and tipples, the tour also offers tidbits of Santa Barbara history.

Polo Play

Learn the fast-paced game of polo at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, where John Westley’s world-renowned polo school has taught players of all skill levels for more than 20 years (805/729-2812, sbpoloschool.com). The club offers a variety of options to learn to play polo for beginners and to fine tune polo skills for more advanced players.

Make Music

Studies have shown that learning music enhances brain power, improves memory and boosts performance. What a great gift to give to someone at any age! Learn to sing or play an instrument at Santa Barbara School of Music (805/699-5594, schoolofmusicsb.com), where the goal is to make learning to sing or play an instrument a fun, rewarding and positive experience.

Santa Barbara Centre for Aerial Arts, courtesy photo

Up in the Air

Has the same old, same old exercise routine gotten stale? Santa Barbara Rock Gym’s skilled staff teaches aspiring rock hounds of all ages everything from beginner climber safety and climbing techniques to advanced bouldering skills (805/770-3225, sbrockgym.com). For a completely different type of high flying fun, check out Cloud 10 Jump Club (805/617-3900, cloud10jumpclub.com); with almost 19,000 square feet of trampolines to play on, the club is also home to the C10 “Air Academy” training center for trampoline and tumbling classes, camps and flipping clinics. Also up in the air for fun and fitness are classes at Santa Barbara Centre for Aerial Arts (805/284-8785, sbaerial.com), including intensive stretching and conditioning, static trapeze, aerial sling, the art of balance and more.

Dance Fever

Dance to your heart’s content at Santa Barbara Dance Center (805/899-2901, santabarbaradancecenter.com), where lessons are offered in Brazilian dancing, Bollywood fusion, world dance, salsa, Argentine tango and more. Arthur Murray Dance Center (805/963-6658, arthurmurraysantabarbara.com) gets students out on the floor for a wide variety of Latin, country Western and ballroom dances, including the waltz, jitterbug, fox trot, cha cha, Texas two-step, swing, Polka, merengue, quickstep and more.

Adventure Awaits

Yearning to get out on the water? Santa Barbara Adventure Company (805/884-9283, sbadventureco.com) offers standup paddling lessons, surf lessons, paragliding and kayaking. Santa Barbara Sailing Center (800/350-9090, sbsail.com) has more than 40 charter boats in its program and a large staff of instructors to accommodate sailors of all levels. In addition to one-on-one lessons, it also offers plenty of live-aboard instructional vacation options to choose from, as well as regularly scheduled group classes.

The WOODS Art Studio offers creative mixed-media classes, date nights, art parties and more. Photo courtesy The Woods Art Studio.

Grow Artsy

Get out a paintbrush and get back to nature at the same time at The WOODS Art Studio, a fun sunlit outdoor studio in the Santa Barbara foothills, where LeAnne Iverson offers both private and small group classes in mixed media painting, collage, Photoshop techniques, acrylics, art journaling, mosaics, found object construction and art parties (including bachelorette gatherings, date nights and singles nights) for children/teens and adults (646/369-7277, facebook.com/thewoodsartstudio). For a more traditional approach, Santa Barbara Museum of Art (805/884-6457, sbmuseart.org) offers a wide variety of studio art classes at Ridley-Tree Education Center, including instruction in watercolor and acrylic painting.

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine, Winter 2014/15.

AGORAPHOBIA: PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN INTERIORS at Sullivan Goss Gallery

Posted on December 4, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Painting by Patssi Valdez, courtesy Sullivan Goss

Sullivan Goss presents AGORAPHOBIA: Portraits of American Interiors. One of four new exhibitions scheduled to open this month, AGORAPHOBIA examines the idea of interior architectural space as portraiture, featuring paintings, photographs, and sculpture by a variety of mostly contemporary artists.

Artists included in this exhibition are: Anders Aldrin, Patricia Chidlaw, Pamela Enticknap, Robert Frame, Kimberly Hahn, Mark Lozano, Zack Paul, Richard Ross, Julius Shulman, Patssi Valdez and Mark Christian Wethli.

This will be the Sullivan Goss Gallery debut for Valdez, Ross and Hahn.

The exhibit opens on December 4 (1st Thursday) and runs through March 1, 2015. Sullivan Goss is located at 7 E. Anapamu St. in downtown Santa Barbara.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on December 2, 2014.

100 GRAND, 2014: (100 WORKS FOR $1,000 OR LESS)

Posted on December 4, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Sullivan Goss 100 Grand It’s that time of the year again: the sixth annual 100 GRAND exhibition at Sullivan Goss.Featuring 100 quality works of art for $1,000 or less, the exhibition has become an incubator of emerging talent, an entryway for beginning collectors and a holiday celebration in the art community.

Last year, almost a thousand people attended over the course of the evening. December’s 1st Thursday at Sullivan Goss has become one of the area’s must-attend events of the year- a chance for artists and collectors to get together, network, and celebrate the accomplishments of another year in art.

The exhibition runs from December 4 to February 1, 2015, and features paintings, drawings, photographs, assemblage and sculpture by emerging and established artists that are priced to sell and sized (for the most part) to fit into smaller spaces. For this year’s exhibition, Contemporary Curator Susan Bush was able to secure work from many of last year’s best-selling artists, but there are also more than 20 new artists who have never before shown with Sullivan Goss.

Since its first come first serve, buyers are encouraged to arrive early and to act fast.

ARTISTS INCLUDED: Meredith Brooks Abbott, Benjamin Anderson, Scott Anderson, Ken Bortolazzo, Aron Bothman, Liz Brady, Lisabette Brinkman, Phoebe Brunner, Pat Calonne, Chris Chapman, Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, Connie Connally, Jeanne Dentzel, Mehosh Dziadzio, Naneki Elliott, Kathleen Elsey, Pamela Enticknap, Peggy Ferris, Kee Flynn, Jon Francis, Valori Fussell, Nancy Gifford, Dane Goodman, Robin Gowen, Amanda Grandfield, James Taylor Gray, Ruthy Green, Bay Hallowell, Holli Harmon, Tracey Sylvester Harris, Derrek Harrison, Wyllis Heaton, Cynthia James, Jow, Scott Kahn, Philip Koplin, Mary-Austin Klein, Marilee Krause, Elizabeth Ladacki, Dan Levin, Mark Lozano, Laurie Macmillan, Larry Mcadams, Virginia McCracken, Susan McDonnell, Svetlana Meritt, David Molesky, Zoe Nathan, Lisa Pederson, Angela Perko, Chris Peters, Hank Pitcher, Ian Putnam, Erik Reel, Maria Rendon, Brad Reyes, Joan Rosenberg-Dent, Blakeney Sanford, Caren Satterfield, Susan Savage, Marie Schoeff, Susan Shapiro, Lanny Sherwin, Elena Siff, Leslie Lewis Sigler, David Skinner, Nicole Strasburg, James David Thomas, Susan Tibbles, Dug Uyesaka, Taj Vaccarella, Sarah Vedder, Deborah Veldkamp, Tom de Walt, Nina Warner, Vani Winick, Roe Ann White, Monica Wiesblott, Abigail Zimmerman and Michele Zuzalek.

The opening artist reception is 1st Thursday, December 4 from 5 – 8 p.m. at Sullivan Goss Gallery, 7 E. Anapamu St. in downtown Santa Barbara. To see a video about the exhibition click here.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on December 2, 2014.

Small Images 2014 at SBCC’s Atkinson Gallery

Posted on September 30, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

The Atkinson Gallery hosts the 30th annual Small Images exhibition juried by Tif Sigfrids of Tif Sigfrids Gallery in Los Angeles. A juried competition featuring regional artists working in all media, the exhibition’s only constraint is size—all works must be 18” or smaller in every dimension. The diminutive scale of the works necessitates both intimacy and concision resulting in a dynamic exhibit that invites viewers to “take a closer look.”

The Atkinson Gallery was tremendously pleased with the enthusiastic response to Small Images from artists this year. The exhibition gathered an unprecedented amount of attention even before opening, with 372 pieces by 177 different local artists submitted for consideration. This was a significant increase in participation from the 246 pieces by 121 artists received in 2013. From these submissions, Sigfrids selected 39 works from 29 artists including Esther Alinejad, Adrienne Allebe, Penny Arntz, Pamela Benham, Kit Boise-Cossart, Linda Branch, Phoebe Brunner, Lynn Coleman, Ralph Corners, Rob Decker, Rick Doehring, Benjamin Eckert, Elizabeth Flanagan, Diane Handloser, Holli Harmon, Marilyn Kandus, Fredda Leiter, Sara Lytle, Laurie MacMillan, Patrick McGinnis, George Sanders, Nicole Strasburg, Iben Vestergaard, Tio Vivo, Stephanie Washburn, Dorene White, Bill Woolway, Samah Yasin, and Pamela Zwehl-Burke for display.

Awards, including a $1,000 first prize, will be announced at 5:30 p.m. during the opening reception. This year’s exhibit is made possible with generous support from the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation.

Opening reception in October 3, from 5-7 p.m.

Exhibition will be on view from October 3–31.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 28, 2014.

New Website Focuses on Local Artists

Posted on September 18, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Santa Barbara Artist Directory, courtesy photo

“People need to know where to buy and find local art,” says Peter Otte, a Santa Barbara-based web developer who recently launched a new online directory to do just that.

The SB Artist Directory was specifically designed to help artists based in Santa Barbara County reach a wider audience by creating a simple profile and create artist portfolios, Otte explains.

“Santa Barbara has a lot of really talented artists working in the shadows. Our goal is to help artists build a better online presence,” he says.

Web Developer Peter Otte, courtesy photo

For a mere $26 annual membership fee, artists may include a short profile, links to their social media pages and may upload as many images as they wish. The site is not juried. The only requirement is that the artist resides within Santa Barbara County lines.

Paintings, drawings, photography, and sculpture are all acceptable art forms. Otte says his intent is not to evaluate the work but simply to put it out there to provide greater exposure for the artists. Among the first group of artists to sign on for the site are several well known creatives, including Nancy Gifford, David J. Diamant and Kerrie Kilpatrick Weinberg.

“Having many artists friends in the community, we became aware of the need to help artists promote themselves on the web. Artists’ minds are made for creating, not so much for promoting themselves, especially online. We decided to create an online directory where any artist from Santa Barbara County can be featured at a very low cost,” Otte says.

In addition, the site also posts local art-related news and events free of charge. For more information visit http://www.sbartistdirectory.com/.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 17, 2014.

Don’t Miss MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery’s Big Art Party

Posted on September 12, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Untitled, by Dug Uyesaka, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

Brad Nack, one of the key figures in the Funk Zone art scene, is moving on from his position as curator at MichaelKate Interiors and Art Gallery to become Executive Director of The Santa Barbara Arts Fund, right across the street. In typical Nack fashion, he’s going out with a splash.

Ian Putnam, “The reconstruction,” courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

The gallery is throwing a big art party this Friday night, September 12, from 5-8 p.m., featuring DJ Zac Pike and moderator Ted Mills, along with an impressive line-up of artists whose work the gallery has shown during Nack’s tenure.

The event is free and the artists include:

“BARCELONA,” by Christine Lyones, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

Carly Andrews

Christine Lyons

“Bird on a Field of Mixed Greens” by Philip Koplin, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

Brad Nack

Tony Askew

Dan Levin

Monika Molnar-Metzenthin

Wayne Hoffman and more!

MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery is located at 132 Santa Barbara St., 805/963-1411.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 11, 2014.

Maxine Helfman at Wall Space Gallery

Posted on September 12, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Maxine Helfman at Wall Space Gallery

Wall Space Gallery features the first solo exhibition of artist Maxine Helfman this week, including two special events: an Artist Reception on Friday September 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. and an Artist Talk – During the Funk Zone Art Walk Saturday September 13, from 2 to 3.30 p.m. The show is titled “Confounding Expectation.”

“In today’s climate of changing cultural and societal shifts, expected norms and ideals are all turned on their head with this extensive body of work challenging us to expand our boundaries of understanding,” says gallery owner Crista Dix. “Maxine Helfman’s work reinterprets classic portraiture, traditional ideas of esthetics and substance. In a collision of the unexpected, these images require the viewer to linger a little longer, to contemplate the ideas behind the work more deeply and question our sensibilities and presumptions of beauty, of our convictions and assumptions of gender, race and class.”

The exhibit, on view through October 26, showcases four unique series:

–Fabrication discusses gender roles and identity. Boys between the ages of 8-12 wearing dresses, in an open display of their unique connection to the frock of their choice.

–Historical Correction takes classic Flemish Portraits and connects us to race, class and gender.

–Geisha talks of expectation, of subservience, where assumptions are made, questioned and left for us to answer.

-The newest series, Summertime, reminds us of the lush southern landscape through incorporated object, yet her portraits engage us in the power and grace inherent of the women who are comfortable in their skin.

Helfman is self-taught, late bloomer. After spending years as a stylist and art director, Helfman realized her vision by getting behind the camera. She has since been shooting commercially for advertising and editorial clients, while pursuing personal projects. Her work has been recognized in PX3, IPA, Foto DC, Flash Forward Boston, Critical Mass, British Journal of Photography, Photo News, as well as the permanent collection of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Art Houston.

Wall Space Gallery is located at 116 E. Yananoli St. upstairs above AVA Winery.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 11, 2014.

Editor’s Pick for Fall: On Edge Festival

Posted on September 4, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

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.

Sullivan Goss Celebrates 30 Years of Art

Posted on September 4, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Painting by Meredith Brooks Abbott

Congratulations to Sullivan Goss. The iconic gallery is about to turn 30 and is celebrating with a special exhibition Sept. 4-Nov. 30.

To celebrate, the gallery will present an exhibition of each of the gallery’s currently represented artists. Signature examples by each of these artists will be on view with stories of the gallery’s history. In addition, the gallery will exhibit photographs of many of its greatest patrons by local photographer Stacey Byers.

“Foothill Images,” Nicole Strasburg, 2013. Oil on birch panel.

Artists included in this exhibition are Meredith Brooks Abbott, Anders Aldrin, Ken Bortolazzo, Colin Campbell Cooper, Leon Dabo, Lockwood de Forest, Edgar Ewing, Anya Fisher, Jon Francis, Don Freeman, Sidney Gordin, Robin Gowen, Richard Haines, Lyla Harcoff, Betty Lane, Dan Lutz, Nell Brooker Mayhew, Ben Messick, John Nava, Hank Pitcher, Frederick Remahl, Nicole Strasburg, Jean Swiggett, Sarah Vedder, Grace Vollmer and Howard Warshaw.

Sullivan Goss is located at 7 E. Anapamu St. in downtown Santa Barbara.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 3, 2014.

THE LARK UNVEILS NEW ART INSTALLATION BY ARTIST KEVIN EDDY

Posted on August 22, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Image by Kevin Eddy

The Lark has unveiled a new installation by Kevin Eddy, a local fine art photographer specializing in landscapes and architecture using color for a personalized expression of his subject.

Raised in Tucson, Eddy discovered his father’s camera at the age of four, beginning his exploration in the art of photography. His education eventually brought him to the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. His new work showcased at The Lark is created with a Nikon Digital SLR and includes over a dozen stunning images.

Eddy recently won a national award from The Stone Crop Gallery in Maine. The gallery’s 3^rd annual exhibition featured cell phone photography and recognized Eddy for his broad range of color and versatility in landscapes.

The installation is featured along the front hallway of The Lark. Other public art includes the outdoor murals at Lucky Penny and five rotating murals on the front building’s doors on Yanonali Street by other local artists.

The Lark is located at 131 Anacapa St., 805/284-0370. For further information on The Lark, visit thelarksb.com.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Image by Kevin Eddy

Photo by Kevin Eddy, courtesy The Lark

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on August 20 2014.

LeslieDinaberg.com

Leslie Dinaberg Editor & Writer

Category Archives: Art

AGORAPHOBIA: PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN INTERIORS at Sullivan Goss Gallery

100 GRAND, 2014: (100 WORKS FOR $1,000 OR LESS)

Small Images 2014 at SBCC’s Atkinson Gallery

New Website Focuses on Local Artists

Don’t Miss MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery’s Big Art Party

Maxine Helfman at Wall Space Gallery

Editor’s Pick for Fall: On Edge Festival

Sullivan Goss Celebrates 30 Years of Art

THE LARK UNVEILS NEW ART INSTALLATION BY ARTIST KEVIN EDDY

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