UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Dazzling French Masters, Gautier Capuçon, cello Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano on Wednesday, May 4th at 7:00 p.m. at Campbell Hall.
A 21st century ambassador for the cello, Gautier Capuçon is a multiple award winner celebrated for his “extraordinary sophistication, dynamic daring and supple phrasing” (The Times, U.K.).
On Thursday May 5th, approximately forty 7th-12th-grade students from Ventura Unified School District (VUSD)will be presenting their environmental business proposals to a panel of judges. Students had the option of choosing a project from 4 categories: water conservation, energy efficiency, waste reduction at their school campuses, or to inform their communities about the benefits of removing the relic Matilija Dam from the Ventura River. The event will take place at the Museum of Ventura County, in downtown Ventura, from 4 -7 pm. The keynote speaker for the event is Chipper Bro, Entrepreneur, Environmental Advocate, and professional Surfer.
Studio Channel Islands Art Center (SCIART) invites the public to the Shelter art fundraiser, noon to 6 pm, May 7, in support of Ukrainian refugees. SCIART’s Members Gallery is currently showing Displacement and Resilience, a very special exhibition curated by artist Elana Kundell in response to the current war in Ukraine. This exhibition explores how artists are transforming trauma and the generational impacts of displacement through their creative process.
Join MCASB to celebrate the opening of the exhibition Through What Agency? on Saturday, May 7, 2022. MCASB’s members are invited to join us from 5-6 PM for the Member + VIP Walkthrough featuring a unique performance by exhibiting artist Jacob Kirkegaard. Not yet an MCASB member? Click here to sign up now!
Over the course of four months, MCASB will turn its galleries into an evolving community-driven space dedicated to exploring how individuals, organizations, and businesses in Santa Barbara County address issues related to climate change, and climate justice.
Esta obra reflexiona sobre la interacción entre las relaciones humanas, la burocracia y el significado de la vida y la muerte. Un hombre se embarca en el último viaje de su vida, solo para ser confrontado por una enfermera que desafía su existencia y cómo tener equipaje nunca ha sido más importante.
The California Art Club and Santa Paula Art Museum present “En Plein Air: An Exploration of Malibu and Ventura County,” featuring 32 artist members of the famed, century-old art club. As one of the oldest, largest and most active art organizations in the country, the California Art Club (founded in Los Angeles in 1909) is a community of artists dedicated to contemporary-traditional fine art and its time-honored skills. All of the artworks featured in the exhibit will be for sale. “En Plein Air” will be on view at the Santa Paula Art Museum through May 8, 2022.
Beginning May 10, 2022, the Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) will be presenting its latest exhibition “71% ? Honoring Vital Waters” in its Brenda and Gary Farr Gallery.
“71%: Honoring Vital Waters” is an eclectic, mixed media show of pieces by local artists Shannon Celia and Mary Neville. Through figurative expressionism and colorful abstraction, both Celia and Neville delve into the beauty of our world’s waters, including oceans, freshwater lakes, rivers, swamps, glaciers, and ice caps.
UCSB Arts & Lectures presents The Joffrey Ballet on Thursday, May 12th at 8:00 p.m. Pacific at the Granada Theatre.
Classically trained to the highest standards, the Chicago-based Joffrey Ballet is considered one of the premier dance companies performing today. Heralded as “America’s Company of Firsts,” the Joffrey was the first dance company to perform at the White House (at Jacqueline Kennedy’s invitation), the first to appear on American television, the first to create a ballet set to rock music and the first to appear on the cover of Time magazine. Committed to artistic excellence and innovation, the company performs a unique repertoire encompassing past masterpieces and cutting-edge works.
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) announced (on April 7) that Housing and Community Development (HCD) Director Gustavo Velasquez will keynote the nonprofit’s signature event – Compassion Campaign 2022 on Thursday, May 12th at Maravilla Gardens in Camarillo.
“We are honored that Director Velasquez sees the work we are doing here in Ventura County to provide safe, equitable homes for all and will be sharing his perspective on the state of affordable housing in California,” said Linda Braunschweiger, CEO, Housing Trust Fund Ventura County.
Family Service Agency welcomes you to our annual fundraiser, an evening with Dr. Sarah Y. Vinson, esteemed youth and child psychiatrist, and co-editor of Social (In)Justice and Mental Health and Pediatric Mental Health for Primary Care Providers. Dr. Vinson will be presenting on the topic of Supporting Youth Mental Health, followed by a Q&A. This discussion and reception will take place on Thursday May 12th, 2022 at 5PM at the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club, followed by a paddle raise to support Family Service Agency, Santa Maria Youth & Family Center, and Guadalupe’s The Little House By The Park.
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) will host their 2022 Compassion Campaign on May 12, 2022, from 5PM-9PM, in-person at Maravilla Gardens in Camarillo. Sponsored in part by City National Bank, this unique evening invites guests into an immersive experience highlighting that all lives are connected through one common need – safe and secure housing. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit: www.housingtrustfundvc.org/compassioncampaign2022
UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Bestselling Author and Pulitzer Prize Winner Elizabeth Strout in conversation with Pico Iyer at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 13 at UCSB Campbell Hall.
??A New York Times Best Seller List mainstay, Elizabeth Strout captivates audiences with her finely drawn characters, incisive prose and powerful ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
California Lutheran University will hold its 2022 Traditional Undergraduate Commencement at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14. It will take place in William Rolland Stadium on the Thousand Oaks campus for the first time since 2019 because the pandemic necessitated a virtual ceremony in 2020 and an off-campus drive-in event in 2021.
California Lutheran University will hold its 2022 Graduate and Professionals Commencement at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 14. It will take place in William Rolland Stadium on the Thousand Oaks campus for the first time since 2019 because the pandemic necessitated a virtual ceremony in 2020 and an off-campus drive-in event in 2021.
The 59th annual ceremony will honor 79 students in the Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals program, 428 earning master’s degrees and 32 receiving doctorates. A separate ceremony will be held later in the day for traditional undergraduate students receiving bachelor’s degrees.
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art to present the Ying Quartetat 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 16 at SBMA’s Mary Craig Auditorium, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara.
The Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique prominence in the classical music world, combining brilliantly communicative performances with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber music in today’s world. Now in its second decade as a group, the Quartet has established itself as an ensemble of the highest musical qualifications in its tours across the United States and abroad. Their performances regularly take place in many of the world’s most important concert halls, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. The Ying Quartet performed at SBMA in 2013 and 2017.
UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is pleased to welcome new Senior Writer/Publicist Charles Donelan to its team effective May 16, 2022. A&L is the premier arts presenting organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco, producing more than 100 public events annually with world-renowned artists and speakers, and an equally robust array of complementary community outreach and arts education activities. In this role, Donelan will apply his extensive experience with arts and entertainment writing and media relations to continue to elevate A&L’s profile locally and nationally.
“We are thrilled to welcome Charles Donelan to the Arts & Lectures team. As a journalist, Charles has been one of our strongest allies. His familiarity with our program and the local arts scene is unparalleled, and we look forward to working with him more closely than ever to shine a light on our events and impact in the community,” said Celesta M. Billeci, Miller McCune Executive Director.
On Saturday, May 21st from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, Ventura Land Trust (VLT) will partner with Safeport Cannabis Dispensary and Topa Topa Brewing Company for a community volunteer event at Harmon Canyon Preserve. As many as 75 community volunteers will work to remove dense stands of invasive plant species at the preserve.
This collaborative community volunteer event is a project of VLT’s Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP). Invasive plants like black mustard and milk thistle are choking Harmon Canyon Preserve trails and areas of the preserve recently restored with native plants. Black mustard, which grows up to six feet tall, becomes fuel for wildfires as it dries out on the summer. Community support is needed to help uproot large sections of invasive plants before seeds are produced and spread in late summer and fall.
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art features author Geoff Dyer and ‘The Last Days of Roger Federer’ at the next Parallel Stories at5:30 p.m. Thursday May 26 at SBMA’s Mary Craig Auditorium, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara.
In his latest book, the idiosyncratic and indefatigable Geoff Dyer turns his well-honed wit and sharp-edged wisdom to the consideration of endings.
Studio Channel Islands Art Center (SCIART) presents Out of Many, One, opening April 2 and on display through May 28. In this exhibition artists use their collective voices to invoke feelings such as fear, joy and frustration to explore and celebrate our differences.
Mayor John C. Zaragoza is pleased to announce that the City of Oxnard along with the Disabled American Veterans – Chapter 24, Vietnam Veterans of Ventura County, Salvation Army, Knights of Columbus Council 750, Military Officers Association of America Ventura County Chapter and the Boy Scouts of America – Troop 231 will jointly host a Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 30, 2022, at Plaza Park starting at 11 a.m.
SBMA Art Matters lecture explores “The Multiple Surrealisms of Wifredo Lam” with Mey-Yen Moriuchi, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Art History La Salle University, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2.
Studio Channel Islands Art Center (SCIART) presents Echoes of Nature, a contemporary Chinese art exhibition opening on Saturday, June 4, beginning at noon with a full schedule of activities throughout the day. Events will take place at Studio Channel Islands Art Center located at 2222 E. Ventura Blvd, Camarillo.
The second ever Oxnard Insect Festival returns on Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to Plaza Park (500 South C St., Oxnard).
Community members are invited to see, touch, buy and even taste a variety of creepy crawlers at this free event hosted by the City of Oxnard. All youth attendees are encouraged to pick up an Insect Festival passport upon arrival and get it stamped at each booth. The first 200 youth that visit eight booths will receive a free special insect activity kit to take home!
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce Brunch al Fresco, a fundraising event taking place at the historic Alisal Ranch Adobe on Sunday, June 5, 2022, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Attendees will enjoy a unique live auction supporting the Wildling Museum with opportunities to bid on getaways to Sedona, Arizona; Park City, Utah; and San Francisco, one-of-a-kind artworks, and more. Several local artists will also be onsite for the event, providing live demonstrations, as well as selling their unique handcrafted works.
In partnership with national nonprofit NeighborWorks, the Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (Cabrillo EDC)?will be hosting a Mental Health Fair at Paseo de Luz Apartments in Oxnard, June 10, 1:30 to 4:30 pm. The event will help bring communities together and support NeighborWorks’ goal to help empower communities for success.
Art is Passion Gallery at Portside Ventura Harbor will hold a gallery reception from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 11 at 864 Schooner Drive, Unit 103 Ventura.
Complimentary refreshments
Oil Portrait live painting
Storm Chasing photography
Exclusive art raffle
The Ventura-based art gallery & studio focused on art that motivates others and brings light to positive change. Studio services include residential and commercial mural painting, graphic design, print design, canvas art commissions, custom vinyl apparel and more.
The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is pleased to announce that Captain Christine Healy of the ship Mystic Cruzar, will be its featured speaker for June.
Captain Healy will share the journey of the beautiful tall ship Mystic Cruzar as she made her way from Connecticut to her new home of Channel Islands Harbor via the Panama Canal in the fall and early winter of 2021-22.
Your Museum is being transformed. Experience the Museum with a fresh and fascinating take on local history and a new visitor experience design, for free. Learn more about the exhibits below.
Reception made possible by:
Paradise Pantry, Peirano’s, and Ventura Spirits
All That Glitters Is Not Gold
A surprising history of the 1920s and Prohibition in Ventura County. As population and wealth boomed, creativity flourished – but so did a tide of repression and exclusion. This exhibit tells the local story of the jazz age through our collections and archives.
The Channel Islands Maritime Museum will be a hub of activity and fun on Father’s Day, June 19, 2022, as it celebrates the day with “Classics by the Sea.” This family-friendly event will feature a wonderful display of woodies and classic cars of all vintages, many one-of-a-kind, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Museum will also be hosting its unique annual maritime treasure sale including used books, ship models and art. The event will feature live music and food (for purchase) will also be available.
Join us at MCASB for a date night for LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies in honor of pride month! Grab someone special and head downtown for a night out featuring art, drinks, and special discounts to Downtown Santa Barbara restaurants and bars. Visit MCASB’s current exhibition Through What Agency?, enjoy a drink with us, make your own pride flag, and more! A walkthrough of the current exhibition will take place at 7 PM led by Alexandra Terry, Chief Curator.
Try your hand at our new ‘donate-to-play wheel’ to win some fun prizes. Follow up your night of contemporary culture with dinner and dessert at one of our favorite nearby restaurants!
This event is FREE for all. Bar proceeds and donations from this event will benefit MCASB and Pacific Pride Foundation.
THOUSAND OAKS — The 66th Annual Conejo Valley Days (CVD) will feature 10 days of carnival rides, food, live entertainment and line dancing. Through June 26 (dark June 20) at Conejo Creek Park South (23 Freeway/Janss Rd. exit) in Thousand Oaks.
Kastl Amusements will operate15 rides plus midway games for all ages at CVD as well as offer traditional fair and specialty foods. CVD will also feature live entertainment with more than 10 bands scheduled including the Colette Lovejoy Band, Mirage (Fleetwood Mac cover band), Three Rivers Band, Rebel Heart, Psychedelic Summer (Woodstock era tribute band) and Rick Schule’s John Denver sing-along. A full list of bands and performance times is posted at www.conejovalleydays.us/home/band-schedule.
The Museum of Ventura County will present “Story Time at the Museum: Read Beyond the Beaten Path” from 3 to 4 p.m. Friday, July 1 at 100 E. Main St., Ventura.
Your Museum with the county library have bilingual Story Time every first Friday of the month at 3pm. That way kids will have time to come right after school. Join us for stories, then play and learn in the Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Children’s Garden, a fabulous and FREE outing for ALL!
Santa Barbara Museum of Art to present Free Lecture by Acclaimed Photographer Janna Ireland — “The 2022 Lorna Spencer Hedges Photography Lecture,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9 at SBMA’s Mary Craig Auditorium, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara.
The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is inviting the public to join it for a special blessing ceremony in honor of a soon-to-be-created mural at the Museum. Chumash Elder Alan Salazar will be conducting a traditional Chumash blessing ceremony at the mural site. Museum friends and the public are invited to join in the ceremony. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, July 9, at 11:00 am at the Museum which is located at 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard.
Ventura Land Trust broadens its public program offerings with an Artist-Led Plein Air Painting Workshop on Saturday, July 9th at 8:00 am at Harmon Canyon Preserve. Artists Debra Holladay, Laura Wambsgans, and Marian Fortunati will offer instruction for beginner and experienced artists on how to capture Harmon Canyon’s natural landscape through composition, form, color, and paint handling.
Participants will receive instruction as a group and one-on-one. Group discussion will allow painters to learn from one another. Ventura Land Trust staff will join the workshop to share elements of Harmon Canyon Preserve’s natural and cultural history.
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art will present Grammy Award-winner Ted Nash in free concert on SBMA’s Front Terrace from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 10 at 1130 State St., Santa Barbara.
In his fourth summer as SBMA artist-in-residence,?Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Ted Nash shares insight and experience with a selection of Santa Barbara City College students and fellow musicians culminating in a free concert.
The California Rural Legal Assistance Inc. (CRLA) will host a free-of-charge clinic for U.S. citizens eligible for criminal record expungement from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 14in the Elizabeth R. Topping Room of the E.P. Foster Library in Ventura, 651 E. Main St., Ventura.
During the clinic, volunteer attorneys will analyze individual criminal records and prepare criminal record expungement paperwork for free. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. Interpreters will be available to assist clients whose primary language is not English.
After a two-year hiatus of holding in-person festivities, the Mental Wellness Center (MWC) is bringing its Mental Health Arts Festival back to De La Guerra Plaza. As in the past, the festival will showcase the artwork of local artists in mediums including painting, drawing, jewelry, poetry, sculpture and arts and crafts. But what’s really special about the festival doesn’t end with the artwork.
“It’s an opportunity for artists to display their work and showcase their talent the community in a way that is positive, productive and meaningful for them,” explained Darcy Keep, MWC Board Members and Administrative Director of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at Cottage Health.
Twenty-five years after the first Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival was held, and following a two-year pandemic-caused hiatus, the event kicks off its joyous return to California Lutheran University’s Kingsmen Park with performances of one of the Bard’s most popular comedies.
The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company will perform “As You Like It” at 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through July 17 on the Thousand Oaks campus.
Warren C. Bowles, who has decades of experience in Shakespearean and contemporary theater throughout the country, presents the play as the festival’s first Black director. He has spent many years working with Mixed Blood Theatre Company in Minneapolis as a director, actor, playwright, stage manager and fight choreographer. Mixed Blood uses theater to disrupt injustices, advance equity, build community and inspire people to create ripple effects of social change.
Join Hospice of Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 20 for their next illuminate Speaker Series Event, Kristin Neff: The Strength of Self-Compassion.
Kristin Neff is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research and is the author of the bestselling book, Self-Compassion.
On Thursday, August 4th, the Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) will hold its eleventh annual Night in Oaxaca. Night in Oaxaca is a celebration of the indigenous migrant community of California’s Central Coast and MICOP’s largest and most-sought after fundraiser. After two years of virtual programming, we are proud to bring our supporters a hybrid experience, in-person at Olivas Adobe in Ventura and online.
This year we are gathering around the theme of “Fortaleciendo Nuestras Raíces” or “Strengthening our Roots.” Reflecting on the pandemic and our recent growth, Night in Oaxaca will celebrate our indigenous community’s resiliency and rooted connection to our organization. The evening welcomes a diverse crowd of supporters and leaders from across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. All proceeds fund MICOP’s work of supporting, organizing and empowering indigenous migrant communities of the Central Coast.
Kids’ Art Camp: Pottery Projects (Ages 8-13)
Monday, July 18, to Friday, July 22, 2022
9 AM to 12 PM each day
$150 per child for five-days of camp
The Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival is closing its 2022 season with one of the most performed tragedies in theater history, but under the guiding hand of a veteran director seeing the play in a new way.
“I grew up with productions of `Macbeth’ that felt like the tale of a coldhearted murderer who reaps what he sows,” said director Brett Elliott. “This production will present the Scottish king and his lady differently. I see him as a decent man who talks himself into doing the unthinkable. Once he crosses that line, he regrets it instantly, but of course, it’s already too late.”
The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, the professional theater company of California Lutheran University, will present “Macbeth” at 8 p.m. Aug. 5-7 in Kingsmen Park on the Thousand Oaks campus.
Single (non-series) tickets for the 2022-2023 season of UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) go on sale Friday, August 5 at 10 AM. Series subscriptions with savings of up to 25% are available now; as are single tickets to the season opener, Charley Crockett, at the Arlington Theatre on Sunday, October 2.
A&L’s big 2022-2023 opening week continues on Thursday, October 6, at the Granada, where DakhaBrakha, the world music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine, will perform their electrifying blend of Ukrainian melodies and contemporary rhythms from around the world.
UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Hot Fun in the Summertime: Moonrise Kingdom, on Friday, August 12th at the County Courthouse Sunken Garden at 8:30 p.m.
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing offshore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. The all-star cast features Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand among others, and introduces Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as Sam and Suzy, the boy and girl. (Wes Anderson, 2012, PG-13, 94 min.)
The Nyeland Acres Bike Rodeo will take place this Saturday, August 13 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Nyeland Acres Community Center, giving children of all ages an opportunity to learn proper hand signalling and traffic safety skills to reduce riding accidents involving youth. At the event, the Oxnard Bike Hub will set up a series of stations which will provided participants an opportunity to learn correct riding skills and techniques. One of the stations includes a mechanical inspection for participants’ bikes and equipment. Children will receive free helmets, bikes, safety reflectors and other educational materials. Many residents are expected to attend the Bike Rodeo.
As part of the Bike Rodeo, children will be able to test their newly learned skills by going for a bike ride around Nyeland Acres escorted by Ventura County Sheriff and Oxnard Police Department. A Gold Coast Transit Bus will follow the bikers full of parents and community leaders. The bikers will make a quick stop at the big Santa on Ventura Blvd.
Meet artist Kay Zetlmaier inside the Museum and watch as she demonstrates her abstract, oil painting process, including her use of cold wax medium. The demonstration coincides with Zetlmaier’s current solo exhibition, Geomorphic: The Living Earth, on view now through September 11, 2022, at SPAM. Reservations are not required.
To celebrate National Health Center Week 2022, Clinicas will be hosting a Community Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13 at the El Rio Health Center, 2600 Vineyard Ave., Oxnard.
The Wildling Museum is pleased to announce its second annual free Summer Family Day on Sunday, August 14, 2022, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Visitors are invited to bring the whole family and enjoy free museum admission during event hours, a fairy visit and eco glitter tattoos by Parties and Paint by Kate from 1 – 3 p.m., art activities for all ages, and more.
“We are thrilled to open our doors for our second annual Summer Family Day at the Wildling Museum,” said Executive Director Stacey Otte-Demangate. “We feel it is important to invite the community to visit with art and activities that all ages can enjoy.”
