Monthly Archive for July, 2012

Inner-City Youths Visit UCSB for a College Experience They’ll Never Forget

Published on July 31, 2012 in Web Exclusives.

One hundred and fifty middle school students from deserving communities in LA were given the chance to experience college this week through After-School All-Stars Los Angeles, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s charity aiding inner-city youths. These lucky 150 are spending the week on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus through the charity’s third annual “CampUs” initiative, a weeklong camp focused on encouraging children to apply themselves and further their education after high school.

During CampUs (July 30-August 3), the students will participate in exercises aimed at promoting and preparing them for a future in college. They will receive information regarding making college possible through scholarships, learn how the university application process works, participate in career panels and be exposed to a college atmosphere. Through these efforts, After-School All-Stars hopes that these children will find a passion for learning and furthering their lives and careers with a college degree, and, in doing so, counter the dropout statistics of today’s youths.

After-School All-Stars helps to bring enrichment programs to schoolchildren of all ages. These programs are aimed at issues currently plaguing today’s youth, such as reducing drug use, crime and violence, and increasing safety in after-school hours.

For more information on the efforts of After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles, please visit the website here.

-Taylor Micaela Davis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Restoration Grant Keeps the ‘Jewel of the Gaviota Coast’ Sparkling

Published on July 26, 2012 in Web Exclusives.

Environmentally conscious as we Santa Barbarans are, it always brings a smile to our faces to know that our community is helping preserve the extensive wildlife that makes Santa Barbara so beautiful and unique. The Goleta Valley Land Trust has made efforts to do just that, with a grant to help restore the Gaviota Coast and Arroyo Hondo Preserve.

A recent $39, 680 grant awarded by the Goleta Valley Land Trust (GVLT) will finance a restoration project on the Gaviota Coast, helping the area to continue flourishing through what is called “riparian habitat restoration” and providing invaluable experience for interns and volunteers working at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, known as the “Jewel of the Gaviota Coast”.

Through this grant, volunteers, interns and trained professionals will remove invasive species and reintroduce native plants to the stream corridor over the next three years. The Arroyo Hondo creek is an important, pristine watershed and acts as an invaluable resource to students, scientists, hikers and animals, making its preservation important for the Santa Barbara community.

Thanks to the GVLT grant and the help of over 100 volunteers, the beautiful Arroyo Hondo Preserve will continue to be open to the public on the first and third weekends of each month, and its future is looking very bright.

Want to volunteer? Call the Arroyo Hondo Preserve at 805/567-1115 or contact via email at arroyohondo@sblandtrust.org, and help restore this “jewel” with your own hands.

-Taylor Micaela Davis

Deviating from the Norm: A Temporary Art Gallery Pops Up in Paseo Nuevo

Published on July 26, 2012 in Galleries and Web Exclusives.

Pop-up restaurants have been all-the-rage in recent times, but a different sort of pop-up venue is coming to Santa Barbara. A 4,000 square foot store front will become a temporary Santa Barbara gallery this August 2-8, with different mediums being represented during the day and evening, and special events occurring each night.

The gallery, entitled “Standard Deviation”, will include everything from interactive sculptures and music performances to video work and projections, with paintings, photographs and multi-media works thrown into the mix. Viewers will immerse themselves in the gallery, finding that their presence is what makes the art.

The temporary gallery is curated by film maker, writer and artist Ted Mills and media artists Marco Pinter, and the temporal nature of the art is very important to its feel. Pinter states, “The show is focused on work involving motion and change over time.” What this means for viewers is that no two people will have the same experience in the gallery, especially with different events occurring each night. With so many different mediums to explore, each experience is unique.

Featuring dance performances, DJs, abstract and alternative video screenings and music performances, the evening events will bring contemporary and abstract artistic expression to the center of Fiesta (although the gallery is not associated with the festival).

Along with Mills and Pinter, several other artists and performers (many of them Santa Barbara locals) will be at the gallery, including Nebula Dance Company, Alan Macy, Jonathan Smith, Morgan DeLucia, Ethan Turpin, Davor Magdic, Angus Forbes, Nik Blaskovich, Meighann Athena Helene and Masha Keating.

August’s First Thursday celebration, complete with performances by Nebula Dance Lab, is the perfect time to experience this revolutionary exhibit, and the sooner you can make your way to the Paseo Nuevo-facing store front, the better: the gallery will only be open for a week.

“Standard Deviation” will be open every day from noon-6 p.m., except Thursday when the exhibit hosts its opening reception from 5:30 p.m. -9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday when evening events will run until 9 p.m. For more information on the Standard Deviation art gallery, please click here.

-Taylor Micaela Davis

Opa! Greek Festival This Weekend at Oak Park

Published on July 25, 2012 in Cultural Calendar and Web Exclusives.

Photograph by Cheri Rae

There’s no better time to be Greek for the weekend than the Santa Barbara Greek Festival, and it’s this Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Oak Park.

Enjoy live music, authentic food, traditional folk dancing, homemade pastries and much more.

Read our summer feature story by Cheri Rae to find out all about the history of this unique, local event.

 

 

Experience the Coast Like Never Before at Marcia Burtt Studio

Published on July 25, 2012 in Galleries and Web Exclusives.

Artists in Santa Barbara love to celebrate the beauty and majesty of our coastline, and Marcia Burtt Studio’s newest exhibition, Coast, does just that.

“East Beach” by Marcia Burtt

Eight artists come together to capture  the magnificence of the California coastline, particularly the idyllic movement of waves and tides, the delicate yet strong nature of its cliffs and rocks and the wide spectrum of colors that change each day at the beach.

Some highlights of the exhibit include Marcia Burtt’s depictions of East Beach and Butterfly Beach, the vivid array of colors in Anne Ward’s beach holidays and the sublime Northern Coast depicted by Michael Ferguson. Other artists included in the exhibition are Marilee Krause, Patricia Doyle, Ann Lofquist, Ian Roberts and photographs by Bill Dewey, all renowned landscape artists.

Coast will be on exhibit from July 27-September 9, Thursdays through Sundays.

Even with the Pacific Coast as our back (or front) yard, perceiving the waves and locally known features of our beaches (and those further up the coast) through the eyes of these artists is an experience you won’t want to miss.

“Flat Wave Set” by Michael Ferguson

For more information on the upcoming Coast, visit Marcia Burtt Studio website here, and be sure to take a look at our video with Marcia Burtt and other members of The Oak Group, a group of landscape painters who use their talents to defend endangered lands, here.

-Taylor Micaela Davis

 

Music At The Ranch, Free Concerts at Rancho La Patera and Stow House

Published on July 19, 2012 in Web Exclusives.

Spencer the Gardener performs at last summer’s Music at the Ranch series. Photo by Rob Hoffman.

The 5th annual Music at the Ranch free concert series started this week.   Every Tuesday evening for six weeks, come by the Stow House from 5:30-7:30 p.m. to enjoy a free concert. Goleta Valley Historical Society hosts this great musical event for the community at the gardens of Rancho La Patera and Stow House. Bring a picnic basket and blanket, and enjoy dinner while listening to different local musicians.

Performing July 24 is The Goodland, a harmony-driven folk, rock, and reggae group. July 31 is Somos Son, a traditional Cuban and contemporary salsa band followed by MissBehavin’, a Latin, funk, reggae, R&B and a little country band on August 7. Area 51, Santa Barbara’s favorite cover band, takes the stage August 14, and Spencer the Gardener, a legendary mix of big band, indie, and pop, wraps up the concert series August 21.

None of this could be possible without the generosity of ATK Space Systems, as well as the generosity of numerous other supporters. Goleta Valley Historical Society has the purpose of sharing a treasured landmark and having a historic place for bringing the community together. For more information call 805/681-7216 or click here. Please note: Dogs are not permitted at the concert series.

-Addison Mayfield

Music Fest Attracts World-Class Talent to Westmont

Published on July 18, 2012 in Cultural Calendar and Web Exclusives.
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Returning to Westmont this year, for its fifth season is The Montecito International Music Festival, in which about 140 students from around the world take part in a three-week, music-intensive program July 16—Aug. 3.

“They are among the most talented young musicians in the world, coming together to learn from today’s masters and to share the joy of chamber music with their contemporaries,” says Director Chan Ho Yun.

Performing at a Jascha Heifetz tribute concert Thursday, July 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Porter Theatre is legendary violinist Ida Haendel. Tickets are $15 for students/seniors and $30 for general admission, sold at the door.

Premiere concert violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, performs in a master class Saturday, July 28, at 2:30 p.m. in Porter Theatre. Tickets are $10 for students/seniors and $20 general admission at the door. Meyers will also headline a performance Sunday, July 29, playing the Arensky Trio with Yi-Ju Lai and Ko Iwasaki and the Mendelssohn Octet with Sam Fischer, Rebekah Durham, Mai Ke, Bethany Pereboom, Yi Zhou, Xian Zhuo and Marek Szpakiewicz. Tickets are $15 for students/seniors and $30 general admission at the door.

A duo by the name of American Double, consisting of Violinist Philip Ficsor and pianist Constantine Finehouse, will present a master class Monday, July 30, at 2:30 p.m. in Porter Theatre. Tickets are $10 for students/seniors and $20 general admission, sold at the door. The American Double will also perform a concert Tuesday, July 31, at 7:30 p.m.

—Katana Dumount

Hospice of Santa Barbara Hosts Estate Jewelry Sale This Saturday

Published on July 18, 2012 in Web Exclusives.

Don’t miss an estate jewelry sale benefiting Hospice of Santa Barbara on July 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. . The late Esther Lavin Berger donated her jewelry collection, which consists of over 1,000 beautiful, hand-made, vintage pieces, valued at $10,000 in its entirety. A Santa Barbara native, Berger picked up a passion for jewelry making and collecting, and when she passed away in 2011 she kindly donated her whole jewelry collection to Hospice of Santa Barbara.

Generous donations like this help the nonprofit continue to provide  services to more than 500 patients in need by giving free professional counseling and care services. Proceeds of this event benefit Santa Barbara Hospice. Admission is free and the estate jewelry sale is located on the front lawn of Hospice of Santa Barbara, 2050 Alameda Padre Serra (behind the Riviera Theater building).  For more information call 805/563-8820 or click here.

-Addison Mayfield

The History of the Lobero, from First Fiesta to First Thursday

Published on July 17, 2012 in Cultural Calendar, Explore SB and Web Exclusives.

We often take the Lobero Theater for granted, seeing it as a venue for our favorite comedians and artists instead of for the architectural and historical gem that it is. Few know that Old Spanish Days Fiesta was originally created 88 years ago to commemorate the opening of the then-newly-renovated Lobero, and even fewer have had the opportunity to experience the Lobero in all its historical glory.

Lobero Workers, photo courtesy of Lobero Theatre

Well, all that is about to change with Encore: Lobero, a new campaign developed to honor and restore this historic building. With the improvements made through Encore: Lobero, the Lobero’s architectural and historical integrity will be preserved for future generations of history buffs and theater-goers.

The Lobero’s history didn’t begin 88 years ago. In fact, the Lobero is California’s oldest continuously  operating theater, first opening its doors in 1873. The renovation in 1924 by two legendary architects (George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs) enhanced the original architecture and added features that we all adore today.

To take advantage of the Lobero’s historical restoration and exploration, come out to “First Fiesta to First Thursday” on August 2,  the public’s first look at all the behind-the-scenes secrets of Smith and Riggs’s architectural feat and the restorations to come. At this event,  attendees will learn novel details about the building, including its role in the early Old Spanish Days Fiesta, while enjoying interactive displays and information from the architect overseeing the renovations.

For more information, please visit the Encore: Lobero website.

—Taylor Micaela Davis

Santa Barbarians in the New York Streets: Local Artists Invited to Hudson Valley Chalk Festival

Published on July 17, 2012 in Galleries and Web Exclusives.

An invitation to the Hudson Valley Chalk Festival is one of the highest honors that a street artist can receive. Much like Santa Barbara’s own I Madonnari festival, the first ever Hudson Valley Chalk Festival in New Paltz, NY showcases twelve of the best madonnari (or chalk artists) in the nation, and guess what: three of those artists got their start in Santa Barbara.

The Hudson Valley Chalk Festival in New York and the I Madonnari festival in Santa Barbara do more than display beautifully ornate chalk paintings on the sidewalk—they inspire local artists to pick up the chalk as a new source of artistic expression. Such was the case with Ann Hefferman’s street-art career. After participating in I Madonnari 17 years ago, Hefferman has traveled the globe creating her natural, botanical images on flat ground. Similarly, Sharyn Namnath always loved art, but her 2001 introduction to Tracy Lee Stum, a renowned, world-class street painter, sold her on street art, and Santa Barbara provided a perfect starting point for her.

Ann Hefferman

And then there is Jay Schwartz. Schwartz fell in love with street painting while pursuing a Bachelor’s at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1992. The combination of fine art and performance art lured him in to the chalky world of madonnaris, where he enjoys how “spectators often linger to watch my progress and ask questions. Their interaction makes the whole experience meaningful and rewarding for all of us.”

Jay Schwartz

Schwartz enjoys street art so much that he has competed in 21 consecutive I Madonnari festivals. Not only that, but his madonnari-hood has taken him to the streets of Italy, Japan, and Mexico. He balances his street art “obsession” (his words, not mine) with a professional art career and his company IdeaWork Studios, Inc., an award-winning interactive agency with offices in Santa Barbara, New York, and Las Vegas, while still having time to enjoy his two dogs and wife, Karen.

But his true love will always be street art.

“The paintings we create are not only done “live”, but they’re also ephemeral, vulnerable to the elements,” says Schwartz. “Only viewing them in context can provide a lasting impression.”

 

Sharyn Namnath

The Hudson Valley Chalk Festival will be held this weekend, July 20-22, in New Paltz, NY. Click here for more information on the artist and the festival.

 

-Taylor Micaela Davis

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