Category: Entertainment

OC LIVE Online — Motivation and Movement ~ A Discussion with Women

In this episode we revisit WEspeak spring 2019 with an inspirational speech given by Oxnard College student, Crystal Harris, live on stage.  With the theme of “moving forward,” Crystal joins Oxnard College Communication Studies Professor Dr. Amy Edwards, Film Professor Anitra N. Lawson and Oxnard College Student Health Coordinator Dr. Deanna McFadden for a powerful conversation about protecting mental and emotional health, fighting to overcome trauma, and living your best life!  

Santa Barbara Earth Day and Partners Announce Community Mural Artists

The Community Environmental Council (CEC), The Arts Fund, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, Paseo Nuevo, and Santa Barbara BCycle are delighted to announce is proud to announce that artists Adriana Arriaga and Claudia Borfiga have been selected from an online Call For Entries to paint the 2021 Earth Day Mural. The Call For Entries prompted Santa Barbara County artists to respond to this year’s Earth Day Festival theme: Climate Leadership. The mural by Arriaga and Borfiga, entitled Nurture our Mother, is a celebration of the power of the Earth and the many magical things within it that play vital roles in our ecosystem.

Museum of Ventura County — Changemakers Series + New Virtual Learning Module + More!

The Museum of Ventura County is pleased to present the next installment in its series of conversations with Changemakers.

You are invited to join us on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 6:30—7:30PM for Changemakers: Local Heroes Combatting Climate Change. Admission is free with registration.

Panelists include Dr. Chris Funk, Director of the Climate Hazard Center at UCSB and author of Drought, Flood, Fire: How Climate Change Contributes to Recent Catastrophes, Hans Cole, Director of Environmental Campaigns and Advocacy at Patagonia, Florencia Ramirez, Ventura County Climate Emergency Council and author of Eat Less Water, and Michelle Stevens, Founder of the Refill Shoppe, public artist and environmental activist. This is not to be missed!

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — Adriana Arriaga and Claudia Borfiga have been selected to paint the 2021 Earth Day Mural

The Arts Fund, Community Environmental Council, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, Paseo Nuevo, and Santa Barbara BCycle are delighted to announce that artists Adriana Arriaga and Claudia Borfiga have been selected to paint the 2021 Earth Day Mural! Selected from over 27 submissions, the Call For Entries prompted our artists to respond to this year’s Earth Day Festival theme: Climate Leadership. The mural by Arriaga and Borfiga, entitled Nurture our Mother, is a celebration of the power of the Earth and the many magical things within it that play vital roles in our ecosystem.

Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival 2021 Highlights Announced; Virtual Event April 22 – 24 Gathers Community to #CelebrateClimateLeadership

The Community Environmental Council (CEC) is hosting #CelebrateClimateLeadership, a virtual Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival dedicated to inspiration, community building, and climate action. The FREE livestream event begins on Thursday, April 22 at noon and runs until Saturday, April 24. It will be available to view at SBEarthDay.org.

The virtual Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival – which will be fully online again this year due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions – is FREE to attend and will feature three days of conversations with climate leaders, musical performances, art contests, inspirational speakers, and opportunities for individuals to learn how they can lean into action at this urgent moment.

Friendship Center — Dine & Donate Deliciousness on April 21 – Reserve yours now!

LIMITED SUPPLY – Please reserve yours now
$upport Friendship Center with a delicious dinner! Thanks to our partners Santa Barbara Association of Realtors (SBAOR)
***Please note, entrée selections are chosen at the end of the checkout process, with your choice of enchiladas, taco bar or chicken fajitas, with options available. Generous portions with all the fixings are large enough for two or more people and include two margaritas. 

Culture is Back! Oxnard Museums Set to Reopen

With the County of Ventura moving into the State’s Orange Tier this week, Oxnard museums are set to re-open after a long year of closures. The museums will follow health and safety guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), State of California, and County of Ventura to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The Murphy Auto Museum returned Saturday, April 3 with a “soft opening” and a “full-blown reopening” Saturday, April 10. The Murphy will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm. The museum features an impressive display of beautiful vintage automobiles and Americana; it is also home to the Fireball Art Gallery and Gold Coast Modular Rail Road Club.

Santa Paula Art Museum — 7 Ways To Visit (and People To Meet) in April

The Santa Paula Art Museum is now open to the general public! Visit the Museum Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m. Enjoy three excellent exhibitions: Inspiration and Influence, Santa Paula Sojourn, and Silver Linings: Journey of Light. Take a walk around our outdoor Art Park exhibit, shop in the gift shop, and more!
In accordance with public health directives, all museum guests are required to wear a face mask for the duration of their visit, to sanitize their hands upon entry, and to sign a waiver upon entry. Reservations are not required. The Museum will be CLOSED on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021.

Museum of Ventura County — Reopening Update + What’s New at MVC

As more businesses are allowed to open in California and Ventura County, the Museum of Ventura County plans to open gradually as we continue to offer current online services and launch new programs like our Journal Flashback and Local History Happy Hour series, which you can read more about in this newsletter.

When we do re-open, you will get to see improved gardens and galleries along with new exhibits, public art installations, and family programs at both sites.

And in recognition of your support over the last year, we are excited to announce that admission at all sites will be FREE for all of 2021!

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — Earth Day Mural Call for Artists

ONE WEEK LEFT to submit your artistic concepts to the Earth Day Mural Call For Entries hosted in partnership by The Arts Fund, Community Environmental Council, MCASB, Paseo Nuevo, and Santa Barbara BCycle. Due by March 31, 2021 5 pm PST.

One concept will be selected to appear on the Paseo Nuevo Arts Terrace Parking Deck, on the exterior wall of MCASB. The selected artist, or artist group, will receive a stipend and a materials budget to paint their mural between April 19-23, 2021. Support for painting the mural will be provided by the project partners. The completed mural will be revealed on the final day of the virtual Earth Day Festival, April 24! Spread the word

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara announces upcoming events

ump into spring with MCASB as we learn how to take your shortbread cookies to the next level by utilizing fresh or dried edible flowers and herbs! Bake along with us as we go through the steps of mixing, cutting, and decorating the shortbread dough. This tutorial will include a section on balancing taste and flavor to best help you learn about pairing ingredients for your baking! This event is free to all, and we encourage people of all ages to attend. Click here to register, or visit our website to learn more! 

News from The Foundation at Hearst Castle

We recognize that this is a truly unique and challenging time and we want to send our utmost gratitude to everyone who has supported The Foundation at Hearst Castle — in every small and large way — especially over the past year.

Hearst Castle remains closed, but our nonprofit organization remains quite busy. Enjoy this update and please continue to support vital efforts to conserve this magnificent monument and to empower future generations.

We hope to see you back on the Hearst Castle hilltop soon enough

The Santa Paula Art Museum Will Reopen Wednesday, March 24

We’re getting ready to reopen the doors to the Museum on Wednesday, March 24! Meet us at the Museum to enjoy our three outstanding current exhibitions, and the debut of our new, outdoor Art Park. Scroll down to see some of the Museum’s additional offerings as we head into spring.

*In accordance with public health directives, all museum guests will be required to wear a face mask for the duration of their visit, to sanitize their hands upon entry, and to sign a waiver upon entry.

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents House Calls Spring 2021, a new suite of virtual events just added for April and May featuring intimate, interactive online performances, conversations and Q&As with world renowned thought leaders; environmental and health advocates; best-selling novelists; dance innovators and filmmakers

Events include: Conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace Jane Goodall; health psychologist Dr. Kelly McGonigal; critically-acclaimed novelist Mohsin Hamid; urban dance innovator Ephrat Asherie performing Odeon and featuring the movement workshop Shake-a-Leg with Archie & Ephrat; classical music treasures Yo-Yo Ma, cello and Kathryn Stott, piano; novelist and former president of the American Enterprise Institute Arthur C. Brooks; and acclaimed producer and filmmaker Mira Nair

UCSB Arts & Lectures announces Race to Justice Spring 2021 events highlighting leading activists, musical artists, authors and inspired thinkers confronting racism in America and guiding us towards racial equality

Race to Justice Spring 2021 virtual events include: Olympian Allyson Felix; Gullah musicians Ranky Tanky; Father of the Environmental Justice Movement Dr. Robert Bullard; Urban Planner, Artist and Activist Theaster Gates; Author of the bestselling memoir Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson; Advocate and Public Policy Expert Heather McGhee; and UCSB Reads Author Patrisse Cullors

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — DJ Javier x MCASB Limited Edition Launch!

We are thrilled to release our limited edition collaboration with Santa Barbara-based artist and designer, DJ Javier.

This limited edition was created to communicate a sense of diversity and inclusion within the surf community. The design features a group of characters with varying skin tones, genders, and styles, all of whom carry surfboards, as they walk together in the same direction.

Welcome the arrival of springtime, with summer soon to follow, by purchasing your own DJ Javier x MCASB beach towel before they’re gone! Visit our web store to get yours today!

Ballet Hispánico Partners with ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! for a Virtual Residency and Community Performances

Ballet Hispánico, the nation’s renowned Latinx dance organization recognized as one of America’s Cultural Treasures, is partnering with ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!, an Arts & Lectures community arts program for a two-month virtual residency. From January 26 through March 18, Ballet Hispánico will teach 40 virtual workshops at three Santa Barbara County schools, serving more than 130 elementary to high school students as they explore cultural identity through the lens of Con Brazos Abiertos.

The workshops will culminate in a live virtual event sharing the process of the residencies with the school communities of Isla Vista Elementary, Kermit McKenzie, and Santa Barbara High School. 

Ridley-Tree Cancer Center Sponsors Hospice of Santa Barbara’s illuminate Speaker Series

Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) is proud to announce that Ridley-Tree Cancer Center is a sponsor of the illuminate Speaker Series, a virtual series that brings world-renowned speakers every month to discuss how COVID-19 is impacting us all.  

As local nonprofits in Santa Barbara adapt to find new ways to serve their clients and causes, HSB is adjusting to the new realities that come with COVID-19 through theirilluminate Speaker Series, which provides helpful resources to our community and beyond as we cope with our new reality. 

Santa Paula Art Museum — This One Is for the Ladies

California. Considering how much the Santa Paula Art Museum has learned and benefited from women creatives, we think the two celebrations coincide perfectly. Thank you to all of the amazing women who support the Museum; that includes our women artists, docents, donors, teachers, board members, and our all female staff.

Scroll down to see all of the ways that we are honoring women artists this month and in the year ahead. We are also looking forward to announcing the Museum’s reopening date in the coming weeks!*

*The Santa Paula Art Museum remains temporarily closed to the general public in accordance with COVID restrictions. Please call or email the Museum to make a private viewing appointment.

‘Shellebrate’ 2021 March Mermaid Month At Ventura Harbor village & All Things Mermaid With A Salute To Sirens of The Sea

Channel your inner mermaid and take in all things Mermaid during Ventura Harbor Village’s 6th Annual March Mermaid Month, a mer-mazing salute that honors the mystical aquatic creatures of the sea.

With Spring right around the corner, now is the ideal time to visit, as the Ventura Harbor Village kicks off this annual promotion with a month-long myriad of re-imagined activities. Mermaids and merman of all ages can enjoy special seaside offerings including themed mermaid/man merchandise, original artwork, eats and treats, fresh seafood and savory fish offerings from Ventura Harbor Villages top seafood restaurants, and a host of month-long specials from locally owned retailers and attractions.

Channel Islands Maritime Museum Hosts Mini “Eco-Boat” Contest for the Month of April

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is happy to announce its April event/contest as part of its continuing 30th anniversary year celebration and Earth Day.

The Museum is calling for mini “eco-boat” contest entries which are boats that utilize recyclable or compostable materials. Entries should be no larger than 24” in length. Winning entries will be chosen based on the most creative use of materials. Wood, paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard, and plant fibers (including cotton fabric, canvas, hemp, non-nylon rope, etc.) are all acceptable materials. Plastics and foams may not be used in the construction of boats. Prizes will be awarded in four age categories: Adults (18 years and older), Young Adults (13-17 years of age), Kids (7-12 years of age), and Kids (6 years and under).

MVC Insider Returns + New Meme Contest + More!

After a four-month hiatus, Season 2 of “MVC Insider” resumed this past Friday, February 26, 2021. The Smith-Hobson Family Collections Manager Renee Tallent took us back a full century to talk about the 1920s hairstyle technique “Marcelling.” Renee explored the different variations of curling irons available on the market sold to achieve the perfect natural wave. 

Mark your calendars for Friday, March 12, 2021 at 10am? and tune-in on Facebook Live for another episode of “MVC Insider” with Chief Curator of Exhibits & Collections Anna Bermudez! Anna will take viewers through the exhibit Hulega! Photographs from the Frontlines at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. Set a reminder on Facebook or YouTube.

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara Calling Santa Barbara County artists!

We are delighted to invite you to submit your artistic concepts for our Earth Day Mural, hosted in partnership with The Arts Fund, Community Environmental Council, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, Paseo Nuevo, and Santa Barbara BCycle. Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 5 PM PST. 

Santa Paula Art Museum Announces Summer/Fall Exhibition Lineup

With eyes toward reopening in the coming weeks, the Santa Paula Art Museum has four stellar exhibitions lined up for the summer and fall months, which will showcase artists and locales that stretch the length of the California coast. All of the exhibits will be available to view online at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org during their respective run dates, as well as open to the public when allowed by local public health directives.

“Erin Hanson: Colors of California” will mark Hanson’s most comprehensive collection of California’s multitudinous landscapes. Combining the emotional resonance of the 19th century Impressionists with the lavish color palette of Expressionism, Erin Hanson’s unique style of oil painting has come to be known as “Open Impressionism.” Hanson’s exhibit at the Santa Paula Art Museum will include an expansive collection of landscapes inspired by Ventura County, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Monterey County, Mendocino, and other scenic locales. The exhibit will be on view May 1, 2021 to July 25, 2021. Visit Erin’s website at www.erinhanson.com.

Island Packers Cruises Now Offering Trips to Scorpion Anchorage In Channel Islands National Park – The Galapagos of North America

Island Packer Cruises, established in 1968, has recently begun to operate daily scheduled trips for day visitors and campers from Ventura Harbor Village to Scorpion Anchorage in Channel Islands National Park – The Galapagos of North America.

The new pier at Scorpion Anchorage now allows Island Packers, the official park concessionaire, to offers safe and accessible access at Scorpion Anchorage.

Natalie Orfalea Foundation and Lou Buglioli Sponsor Hospice of Santa Barbara’s illuminate Speaker Series

Natalie Orfalea Foundation and Lou Buglioli sponsor Hospice of Santa Barbara’s (HSB) illuminate Speaker Series, a virtual series that brings world-renowned speakers every month to discuss how COVID-19 is impacting us all.  

As local nonprofits are adapting to find new ways to serve their clients and causes, HSB is adjusting to the new realities that come with COVID-19 through their illuminate Speaker Series, which provides helpful resources to our community and beyond as we cope with our new reality. 

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — Introducing Collectors Series

Have you ever questioned what it means to be a collector? 

In our new series we will be sitting down with artists and collectors for an in-depth conversation on the subject! This Thursday, February 18, 2021 kicks off the first installment of Collectors Series, a behind-the-scenes dive into what it means to collect contemporary art. 

Santa Paula Art Museum — Our New Exhibit Has a Lot of HeART

We’re swinging into this weekend with huge smiles on our faces because we know you’re going to love the Museum’s newest virtual exhibit! Newbury Park artist Anette Power’s Silver Linings: Journey of Light is now online. Power’s exhibit is over two years in the making, and is a love letter to living even in the midst of great change and challenges.

Click here to enjoy the online exhibit. All of the artworks in the exhibit are available for purchase. Silver Linings will also be on view at the Santa Paula Art Museum when Ventura County museums are able to reopen to the public.*

Ventura County Arts Council — Call to Artists. VC Artist Showcase submission deadline is Feb. 17

We are still accepting proposals for our ongoing Artist Showcase in the storefront windows at Victoria Ave. and Moon Dr. in Ventura. Each of four storefront windows will be dedicated to a unified installation created by a single artist or created as a collaborative project by more than one artist.

America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College — A Re-Opening Fit For A King

America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College will re-open Saturday, Feb. 6 just in time to celebrate the 7th birthday of Ira the lion, King of the Campus.

The community is invited to celebrate with Ira in-person or virtually. Ira’s birthday party will be live streamed from noon to 12:30 p.m. so people at home won’t miss a thing as in-person guests visit Ira in his new home, appropriately named “Ira’s Kingdom.”