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Blog Posts

Local Artist Christine Brallier Exhibits Mosaics and Signs Newly Illustrated “The Night Before Christmas”

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book_coverMosaic artist Christine Brallier‘s first children’s book was recently released: the classic, The Night Before Christmas, newly illustrated with her stained glass mosaics.  Brallier spent four years creating the 15 mosaics for the book, which were made by hand cutting thousands of pieces of stained glass and fitting them together to form the images.
For the month of December, all 15 of her mosaics will be on exhibit at Granada Books,  1224 State St. The book is also available locally at Chaucer’s Books.
In addition, for the 1st Thursday event of December (Dec. 5), Brallier will be on hand at Granada Books where she will read and sign books, as well as share her mosaics.
For more information visit  www.cbmosaics.blogspot.com or www.cbmosaics.com.
—Leslie Dinaberg
Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on December 2, 2103.

Sullivan Goss Presents 100 GRAND, 2013

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100grand2013smallIn what has quickly become a favorite Santa Barbara holiday tradition, Sullivan Goss presents the fifth annual 100 GRAND exhibition, curated by Susan Bush and featuring 100 WORKS OF ART FOR $1,000 OR LESS. 

Opening on 1st Thursday (December 5) and running through February 2, this exhibition has become “an incubator of emerging talent, an entryway for beginning collectors, a holiday celebration in the art community and an ever timely reminder that everyone’s life is improved by the addition of original works of art.”

100 GRAND 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. Contemporary curator Susan Bush was able to secure work from many of last year’s best­selling artists, but there are also 17 artists who have never shown with Sullivan Goss before.

Featured artists include: Will Adler, Sean Anderson, Meredith Brooks Abbott, Erik Berg, Ken Bortolazzo, Liz Brady, Lisabette Brinkman, Phoebe Brunner, Chris Chapman, Carlyle Chaudruc, Connie Connally, Joann Dufau, Mehosh Dziadzio, Pamela Enticknap, Peggy Ferris, Priscilla Fossek, Nancy Gifford, Dane Goodman, Robin Gowen, James Taylor Gray, Ruthy Green, Jason Hadley, James Hapke, Holli Harmon, Tracey Sylvester Harris, Derek Harrison, Kristen Hawkes, Cynthia James, Scott Kahn, Masha Keating, Philip Koplin, Mary­Austin Klein, Dan Levin, Mark Lozano, Clare Little, Laurie Macmillan, Virginia McCracken, Susan McDonnell, David Molesky, Jennifer Moses, Amalia Mourad, Zoe Nathan, Hank Pitcher, Lisa Pedersen, Rafael Perea, Angela Perko, Kimberley Pratt­-Shiber, Ian Putnam, Paula Re, Erik Reel, Maria Rendon, Brad Reyes, Joan Rosenberg­-Dent, Jourdan Ross, Lindsey Ross, Caren Satterfield, Susan Savage, Susan Shapiro, Elena Siff, Leslie Lewis Sigler, Barry Spacks, Nicole Strasburg, Marlene Struss, Makeda Tekle­-Smith, James David Thomas, Susan Tibbles, Casey Underwood, Taj Vaccarella, Sarah Vedder, Deborah Veldkamp, Roe Ann White, Monica Wiesblott and Abigail Zimmerman.

Sullivan Goss—An American Gallery is located at 7 E. Anapamu St. For more information click here.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on November 29, 2103.

Lobero LIVE presents Dawes with special guest Blake Mills

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The wait is almost over: the Lobero Theatre will be re-opening in December 2013 after completion of Encore: Lobero preservation work! Kicking off the Lobero LIVE Encore Season is a performance by California-based roots rock band, Dawes, and special guest Blake Mills on December 11.

While the city of Los Angeles has been both an inspiration and a home to the four members of Dawes, they found themselves traveling East last fall to record their third album, Stories Don’t End, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with newly enlisted producer Jacquire King. Stories Don’t End spotlights the group’s maturing skills as arrangers, performers and interpreters who shape the raw material supplied by chief songwriter and lead vocalist Taylor Goldsmith into an artfully concise and increasingly soulful sound. Opener Blake Mills has already stacked up a career’s worth of gigs as a session and touring guitarist, playing with a diverse array of musicians that span from Lucinda Williams to Fiona Apple. His flawless technique, uncanny confidence, and unique interpretation of every piece of music he touches has turned Mills into one of the most in-demand players in the music business.

Tickets for Dawes with special guest Blake Mills are on sale now at Lobero.com.


—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on November 17, 2013.

Indie singer-songwriter Andrew Bird with The Handsome Family

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UCSB Arts & Lectures presents “distinctively original” indie singer-songwriter and violinist Andrew Bird, with show opener The Handsome Family, in concert Thurs., Nov. 21 at UCSB Campbell Hall.

Drawing on influences from American roots music to his classical training, the “relentlessly inventive” (NPR) Chicagoan creates lush, densely layered soundscapes on stage with his violin, a looping pedal, guitar and glockenspiel. His songs are driven by infectious, lilting melodies and clever lyrics that “spin existential doubts into elegant confections” (The New York Times).

The Handsome Family, the quirky alt-Americana duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks (whose songs Bird has covered in the past), will open for Bird.

Tickets are going fast. Don’t miss this intimate show with an artist who’s played everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Bonnaroo and the Mojave Desert!

For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at 805/893-3535 or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.


—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on November 18, 2013.

We’ve got a crush on Coveted Cakery

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Treats from Coveted Cakery,Kristine Cramer Photography

Treats from Coveted Cakery,Kristine Cramer Photography

When sweet lady Jessica Burton of Coveted Cakery contacted us and asked if we wanted to sample her fall flavors, we knew we were in for a treat! Awesome autumn flavors include Pumpkin Spice, Salted Carmel and Pistachio Honey, as well as the always-delicious Double Chocolate, Snickerdoodle and (my personal favorite) Chocolate Chip cupcakes with a Chocolate Chip cookie on top!

Whether you want something sweet for a small family gathering, an enormous wedding, or anything in between, Burton will bake up cupcakes to order, made fresh and customized just for you. She also makes beautiful customized cookies, like the ones with the fall issue of Santa Barbara SEASONS. As if we weren’t already putty in the hands of this delicious baking company, aren’t these cookies adorable?

You too can taste these yummy cupcakes this weekend at Taste of the Central Coast on Sunday (Oct. 27), hosted by the Family Care Network at the beautiful Bacara Resort & Spa (8301 Hollister Ave.).

More sweet treats from Coveted Cakery, photo by Leslie Dinaberg

More sweet treats from Coveted Cakery, photo by Leslie Dinaberg

Not only will your tastebuds get a treat, this event is a fundraiser to provide private funding to support the crucial needs of children, youth, and families affected by trauma. Click here to purchase tickets.

For more information all of the sweet treats Burton offers, visit www.covetedcakery.com.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on October 23, 2013.

One Radio Host, Two Dancers Features NPR’s Ira Glass

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Ira Glass and dancers, Photo by Ebru Yildiz

Ira Glass and dancers, Photo by Ebru Yildiz

Ira Glass with dancers?

That’s right, the always entertaining host of NPR’s This American Life has taken to the road with choreographer Monica Bill Barnes & Company for a quirky show combining two art forms that, as Glass puts it, “have no business being together – dance and radio.”

Coming to The Granada on Saturday, October 19 from UCSB Arts & Lectures, the resulting show is said to be “a hilarious, lively and very talky evening of dance and captivating stories that brought down the house in its test run at Carnegie Hall,” according to the organizers.

How did this surprising collaboration begin?

In May 2012, they collaborated on three short dances that were part of a This American Life variety show that was beamed into movie theaters nationwide. It was such a success that they decided to do a full show that combines stories and dance. Some are performed together on stage by Glass, Barnes and dancer Anna Bass. For a few, the dancers or the radio host take over for a while. The result? A funny and strangely wonderful evening exploring the life of the artist.

“This is the perfect show for anyone who has ever thought to themselves, ‘God, Ira Glass’ show is the most awesome radio show ever, except it’s missing modern dance,’ ” Glass says.

The show starts at 8 p.m. for more information or tickets call 805/893-3535, visit ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu or The Granada Theatre at 805/899-2222, granadasb.org.

 Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on October 18, 2013.

 

¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! welcomes Los Vega Son Jarocho

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Los-Vega.sm_This week ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! welcomes Los Vega Son Jarocho, fifth generation jarocho musicians from Veracruz, Mexico. Carrying on a longstanding family tradition, Los Vega brings a fresh pespective to this distinctive style, playing jaranas (small guitars), percussion, vocals and zapateado (footwork). 

According to the organizers, “for more than five generations the Vega family has contributed to traditional son jarocho, taking on the responsibility of keeping a musical expression alive through the generations. Son jarocho is a style of music with origins in music brought from Spain in the colonial period, melded with indiginous folk music, dynamic Afro-Caribbean beats and wise-cracking wordplay unique to the tropical Veracruz region on the Gulf of Mexico. It is music traditionally played on stringed instruments such as the jarana, a strummed guitar with eight to ten strings, three of which are double, and the requinto, a small four-stringed guitar, and is accompanied by intricate dance or zapateado, often performed on wooden platforms or tarimas.”

They will perform a free family concert at Isla Vista School at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 18 (6875 El Colegio Rd., Goleta, 805/893-5037). On Saturday, October 19, they travel to Guadalupe City Hall for a free family concert at 7:30 p.m. (918 Obispo St., Guadalupe, 805/343-2939), returning to Santa Barbara to perform a free family concert at the Marjorie Luke Theatre at Santa Barbara Jr. High on Sunday, October 20 at 7 p.m. (721 E. Cota St., 805/884-4087 x7).

In addition to these performances, on October 17, La Cumbre Jr. High and the Santa Barbara Westside Association co-host a unique opportunity to learn and practice with the musicians of Los Vega Son Jarocho in a free participatory workshop from 5:30–7 p.m. at La Cumbre Jr. High, 2255 Modoc Rd. Musicians and dancers of all levels are welcome to come play together. Please bring your own instrument —or be ready to sing and dance!

Based on a vision of accessible cultural offerings for Santa Barbara County’s Latino communities, ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! brings together diverse audiences at free famly events in neighborhood venues on five weekends each year. The program is a consortium of the Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts & Education Center, Isla Vista School, and UCSB Arts & Lectures, represented by co-ordinators Alíz Ruvalcaba, Graciela Parra and Catherine Boyer. Volunteers from PTAs, the California Youth Corps, UCSB sororities and fraternities, and many others, join together to host and staff the events.  

¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! is funded by The James Irvine Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from the SAGE, the Santa Barbara Foundation, Incredible Children’s Art Network, the UCSB Office of Education Partnerships, the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, The Marjorie Luke Theatre’s Dreier Family Rent Subsidy Fund, the Santa Barbara Independent, Santa Barbara Latino, the Santa Maria SUN, Univisión, the Sandman Inn, Best Western South Coast Inn and Ramada Limited. This project is funded in part by the Community Arts Grant Program using funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. Co-presented by the Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe Arts & Education Center and UCSB Arts & Lectures, in collaboration with the Isla Vista School After School Grant.

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on October 17, 2013.

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company at The Granada

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Founded as a multicultural dance company in 1982, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company was born of an 11-year artistic collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane. Today, the company is recognized as one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the modern dance world. UCSB Arts & Lectures presents this collaboration in an evening of movement and music on Wed., Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. at The Granada Theatre, 1214 State St.

According to the New York Times, “rarely has one seen a dance company throw itself onto the stage with such kinetic exaltation.” Hailed as “an irreplaceable dance treasure” by the Dance Heritage Coalition, Kennedy Center Honoree and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Bill T. Jones is a modern icon whose inventive choreography has shaped the evolution of contemporary dance, recently making its mark on Broadway in the hit show FELA!

For more information or to purchase tickets click here. Tickets are also available through The Granada Theatre at 805/ 899-2222 or granadasb.org.

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS.

New Season of “Met: Live” Metropolitan Opera Simulcasts in Hahn Hall

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The Music Academy of the West has begun its season of high-definition screenings from ten Metropolitan Opera productions screening simulcasts in Hahn Hall, with Eugene Onegin,  which will screen again at 2 pm on Sunday, October 27.

According to a release from the Music Academy, “since its Moscow premiere in 1879, Tchaikovsky’s fateful romance based on Alexander Pushkin’s verse novel of the same name has endeared itself to opera lovers the world over. Conducted by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev and directed by Fiona Shaw, Deborah Warner’s new production stars soprano standout Anna Netrebko—opening her third consecutive Met season—in her company role debut as Tatiana, the naïve, love-struck heroine. Mariusz Kwiecien portrays the imperious title character, in a much-admired interpretation he has sung in many of the world’s leading opera houses, and Piotr Beczala reprises his acclaimed performance as Onegin’s friend-turned-rival, Lenski. Set in the late 19th century and capturing the splendor and passion of Tchaikovsky’s lyric opera, Warner’s production moves episodically from farmhouse to ballroom, with a powerful snowstorm providing the dramatic setting for the finale.”


The 2013-14 season of “Met: Live in HD” screenings at Hahn Hall will continue with Shostakovich’s The Nose (October 26 and November 24), Puccini’s Tosca (November 23 and December 15), Verdi’s Falstaff (December 14 and February 9), Dvořák’s Rusalka (February 8 and March 2), Borodin’s Prince Igor (March 1 and 16), Massenet’s Werther (March 15 and April 6), Puccini’s La Bohème (April 5 and 27), Mozart’s Così fan tutte starring Music Academy alumnae Isabel Leonard (’05) and Susanna Phillips (’02 and ’03) – (April 26 and May 11), and Rossini’s La cenerentola – starring Academy alumnus Juan Diego Flórez (’95) – (May 10 and 18).
Unlike previous seasons, the Music Academy will screen encores on Sunday afternoons following each subsequent opera’s live Saturday simulcast. Complete “Live in HD” schedule information is available online at www.musicacademy.org.Single tickets may be ordered online at musicacademy.org or by calling 805/969-8787.  Free parking is available on the Music Academy campus.
Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS Magazine.

You Go Girls! Opening Tonight: The Project-Fine Art Zone

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Talk about girl power! Creative Director Tracy Smith Reed and I got a sneak peak at The Project-Fine Art Zone yesterday and came out wishing we could be a part of this powerhouse of talent.  You’ll definitely want to check out the opening during tonight’s First Thursday celebration in downtown Santa Barbara.

Nine very talented female artists have teamed together to create a collaborative non-profit art gallery. The artists–ERIKA CARTER, SUSAN TIBBLES, LIZ BRADY,  LISA PEDERSEN, VIRGINIA McCRACKEN, DONNA ASYCOUGH, ASHLEY DART, THERESA CARTER and LLOYD DALLETT–will own and operate the gallery themselves and donate 20 percent of all art sales to Girls Inc.

The work runs the gamut, from Erika’s colorful layered paintings invoking the spirit of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuanto, to Susan’s fascinating mixed media assemblage pieces, Liz’s organic and botanical form explorations, Lisa’s dreamy landscapes, Virginia’s miniature paper mache mouse house shadow boxes, Donna’s vibrant florals, Ashley’s whimsical ironic juxtapositions, Theresa’s stunning color combinations and Lloyd’s Asian-accented creations.

My on-the-fly photography doesn’t do the work justice–you’ll have to go see it.

In addition to a variety of work on sale from each artist, each of the women has created a unique 8 x 8″ collectible square piece on sale for the unbelievable price of $200 each. What a terrific way to start a local art collection, support local artists and Girls Inc. at the same time.

Speaking of support, the space–a gorgeous site at 740 State Street, Suite 1, overlooking De La Guerra Plaza–is being provided by Montesanto Group. Erika wanted to make sure to give a special thanks to Gene Montesanto and John Bennett for their generosity in providing the space and helping to get this fabulous project going.

After tonight’s grand opening, the gallery will be open Thursday through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays noon to 6 p.m. and by appointment. For more information contact Erika@ErikaCarter.com or call 805/452-6127.

–Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on June 2, 2011.

Lloyd Dallett

Lloyd Dallett

Theresa Carter

Theresa Carter

Ashley Dart

Ashley Dart

Works by all nine of The Project artists

Works by all nine of The Project artists