By Sofia Wallace
ASanta Barbara’s iconic Lobero, was approved by the Historic Landmarks Commission last week.
The Lobero Theatre, on East Canon Perdido Street, is a designated historic landmark in Santa Barbara. Todd Jerod, technical director for the Lobero Theatre, said that the project addresses problems he’s been aware of for a long time. Working there for over 35 years, Jerod has identified issues with space and functionality.
Lobero
B
VOICE
UR GOLDEN STATE OF STARS AND STORIES will shine at The New Vic this fall as the Ensemble Theatre Company presents its 48th season, California: Here and Now, examining the humor, drama, and people that make up California’s nuanced identity.
“I keep calling Season 48 the most necessary season we’ve ever programmed, and I mean it,” said Executive Artistic Director Scott DeVine. “We’re all living in a world where it’s genuinely hard to know what’s real anymore — the feeds are full of bots, the photos never happened, the voice on the phone only sounds human. California: Here & Now is our answer to that. Five nights this year when you know what you’re seeing is real, because you’re seeing it together with a room full of other people.”
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DANCING HORSES, MARIACHIS, DANCERS, AND CHILDREN WITH FLOWERS, will comprise the largest community event held in Santa Barbara, the Fiesta Parade. It will roll down Cabrillo Boulevard on Friday, August 7th at noon, under this year’s Fiesta theme, “Fiesta Forever.”
Leading the parade each year is the Spirit of Fiesta along with troupe after troupe of talented dancers, all reflecting the bubbling, glowing, embodied spirit of Fiesta. In front this year, will be 2026 Spirit Jenna Ramirez.
El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward will also join the parade along with Mayor Randy Rowse and many city dignitaries.
This year’s Parade Grand Marshal, John Palminteri, will join the procession down Cabrillo Boulevard to Calle Cesar Chavez. He’ll be tipping his sombrero while his deputies wave to the crowd made up of tens of thousands of people.
The equestrian portion of the Fiesta Historical Parade is one
of the largest and most diverse in the nation. Award winning, talented displays of horses and riding abilities have helped create a tradition centered around celebrating the city and state.
The parade honors the Chumash people, Mexican pioneers, the Spanish, and Americans.
Brightly decorated floats and antique carriages add color and remembrances of the city’s history.
Also of interest, dozens of city service organizations perform reenactments during the parade.
The following day, a younger crowd will be led by the Junior Spirit, Penny Hernandez, dancing at the front of the children’s parade. Viva La Fiesta!
By Daisy Scott / VOICE
EXPERIENCE that unites local and international talent, Fiesta Finale bids a fitting farewell to the week’s vibrant festivities. On Sunday, August 9th from 5:30 to 9:30pm, this annual gala, themed this year “A Passport to Spain” will present ballet, song, and a “tableau vivant” at the historic El Paseo restaurant.
A benefit gala for local nonprofit the John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts, which supports regional artists of all ages on their creative journeys, Fiesta Finale celebrates all that Old Spanish Days represents for Santa Barbara: creativity, history, and community.
“Each year our guests come together in their Fiesta Finest in a spirit of celebration, with the goal of raising funds so that we can continue and expand on our mission - scholarships for developing artists, access to live performances for the under-served in our community, and the preservation of Santa Barbara’s cultural history,” shared Mignonne Profant, cofounder of the Profant Foundation.
Guests can expect to savor a swinging cocktail hour and El Paseo’s delicious cuisine while enjoying premiere tableside performances, including international dancer Tigran Sargsyan’s rendition of an excerpt from the classical ballet Don Quixote.
DANCING AND MUSIC WILL TRANSFORM the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens into a romantic, vibrant cultural hotspot as Noches de Ronda, “Nights of Gaiety,” returns at 8pm from Thursday to Saturday, August 6th to 8th.
Contemporary ballet will also take the spotlight with a performance of a new piece by acclaimed choreographer Sophia Saenz. The night will also include the world premiere of a dance titled España! a Paso Trio, a live auction, and other surprises.
“Fiesta Finale is a magical night with first class food and wine, as well as world class entertainment presented in one of the most romantic venues,” continued Profant. “It is truly a place to enjoy the performing arts in a classic and historic setting.”
Tenor Marco LaBastida, no stranger to crooning for Fiesta Finale guests, will also return with his powerful voice, and the Martinez Brothers will once again provide grooving musical accompaniment to the night’s cocktail and dancing hours.
A highlight of each year, Fiesta Finale’s “tableau vivant” will conclude the night with the presentation of a living work of art, as performers recreate a 1950s Iberia Airlines poster in honor of the gala’s “Passport to Spain” theme. Leading this presentation will be internationallycelebrated flamenco dancer Lakshmi “La Chimi” Basile, who will be joined by a company of dancers and musicians to bring the image to life with electric energy.
To be put on the waitlist for tickets email JEProfant@gmail.com and learn more at profantfoundation.org
Free and open to the public, who are invited to bring their picnic blankets and folding chairs onto the Sunken Gardens lawn, Noches de Ronda will feature the Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta alongside additional local performers and visiting national, and international talent. From passionate flamenco to joyous folklórico and crooning songs to upbeat bands, Noches de Ronda transports guests on a tour across Indigenous, Mexican, Spanish, and American cultural traditions. sbfiesta.org
Celebrating the Music Academy of the West and the Spirit of Fiesta
1st Thursday
Live music: Charles Talmadge on keyboard • Aug 6th, 5 to 8
The Gallery: Exhibiting paintings by artist-owner, Ruth Ellen Hoag, and featuring the Neon Light Works of Rod Lathim Gallery Open: Thur, Fri, Sat 11 to 5 The Studio: Classes Mon & Tues 9 to 12 Studio hours: “Open by Chance” Mon to Sat Text 805 689-0858 for info on classes, available work, and appointments. ruthellenhoag.com • @ruthellenhoag ruth@ruthellenhoag.com
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Now, with single ticket sales open, excitement is growing among local theatregoers after this week’s surprise announcement that Bosch: Legacy co-stars Mimi Rogers and Madison Lintz will reunite for ETC’s April production of Doubt. Curious theatergoers can learn more about this news and the full season at a free Season Preview Party at The New Vic on Monday, August 17th. Presentations are scheduled for 6pm and 8pm.
A Pulitzer Prize and Tony Awardwinning drama by John Patrick Shanley, Doubt: A Parable weaves a nuanced, slow-burn riddled with debates around faith, trust, and, as its title implies, doubt.
Later made into an Oscar-nominated film, Doubt focuses on a 1960s Bronx parish school whose principal, Sister Aloysius (to be played by Mimi Rogers), develops suspicions against a well-respected priest’s relationship with a student. As she doubles down on her certainty while the priest claims innocence, another teacher, Sister James (Madison Lintz) along with viewers increasingly confront unanswerable questions around authority, choice, belief, and morality.
“I want to stir up emotions and questions and have people leave a little bit emotionally shattered, having to look at their own areas of doubt in their own life, and in regards to our culture and society,” said Rogers. “I think it’s a play that stays with you, and I think it motivates you to think about a lot of things.”
For DeVine, bringing the play to Santa Barbara is a longheld dream come true. While the play itself is set in New York, its inclusion in California: Here and Now speaks to the play’s connection to the clergy abuse crisis, which rattled California and the nation during Doubt’s debut.
“Doubt had been on my list for years — it’s one of those rare plays where we never know who the villain is or who is right, and it just quietly takes the roof off,” explained DeVine. “But a play like this lives or dies on the people at the center of it, so I wasn’t going to do it until I had the right cast.”
When Beejan Land, who starred in ETC’s production of Selling Kabul, signed on to direct the production with Rogers and Lintz as its stars, DeVine knew he could not ask for a better team.
“I worked with both Mimi Rogers and Madison Lintz on a workshop of 12 Angry Men where I directed them in a very talented all female cast,” explained Land to VOICE. “Scott DeVine saw that workshop, which is why I think he asked me to direct Doubt. I’m truly grateful for his vision. Mimi and Madison are both so incredibly talented and I know they are perfect casting for these roles. I’m so blessed to be working with them again.”
ALL OF ETC’S 48TH SEASON PROMISES to be just as hardhitting as its spring drama, as audiences explore four criticallyacclaimed modern classics and a never-before-seen musical.
“What I love is the range of it,” shared DeVine about the season. “We open with Buyer & Cellar, a solo comedy that’s pure delight. We celebrate 30 years of Rent, the show that taught a generation that being present is the point. We hand audiences a world premiere musical, The Last Used Car Lot in America —
Lintz has been friends with Rogers since she was 18 years old, giving the pair an electric, familiar dynamic that has infused their time in Amazon’s Bosch: Legacy. Beyond this, Rogers’ storied filmography has included Someone To Watch Over Me, The Door In The Floor, and The Rapture, along with roles in series Ballard and Blue Bloods. Lintz’s credits have included Sophia Peletier in AMC’s The Walking Dead and films Parental Guidance and Compliance
With Lintz referring to Rogers as “the kind of artist I hope to one day become” and Rogers laughing that every time Land would suggest a new play over the years she would immediately ask “is there a part for Maddie,” the two are thrilled to be making their ETC debut together.
Lintz voiced that she feels connected to her role as Sister James and how the character demonstrates the complicated reality of always playing peacekeeper as well as how “the most wellintentioned choices can have unintended consequences.”
“Sister James is a reflection of something many women, myself included, experience,” said Lintz. “The impulse to make themselves smaller, to prioritize everyone else’s comfort over their own; this idea that self-abandonment for the sake of avoiding conflict is better than sitting with the discomfort of standing firm in who you are. Her character is a reminder that silence and self-erasure does not always protect people, and sometimes it causes more harm than good.”
For Rogers, who ranks Doubt among her favorite plays and feels chills whenever she thinks of Sister Aloysius’ culminating speech, ETC’s production sparks endless excitement.
“It’s so beautifully written, so tightly structured, so subtle,” said Rogers of the play. “For an actress, Sister Aloysius is a dream role because she is so complex and layered herself.”
Her hopes of having the play remain in audiences’ hearts and minds was echoed by Lintz.
“This play was written over 20 years ago now but the questions it asks are still of the utmost importance today,” said Lintz. “If you have never seen Doubt, I would encourage you to come to The New Vic and see it live. I can’t promise you will leave with answers, but I can promise you will leave with perspective. I think art in its purest form sparks conversation, and Doubt is a masterful example of that.”
BY Daisy scott / VOICE
something no one on earth has seen before it hits our stage. Mimi and Madison in Doubt. And we close with Shepard’s True West, two brothers tearing a kitchen apart. Familiar stories and brandnew ones, side by side.”
ETC will also welcome back internationally-renowned pianist, actor, and playwright Hershey Felder for the world premiere of Love Notes from February 25th to March 7th, and screen three to-be-announced filmed National Theatre of Great Britain productions.
For single tickets or season subscription information visit etcsb.org
is a tradition that begins with a reception honoring its Presidentes. This year La Recepción del Presidente was held at the beautiful garden patio of the historic Santa Barbara Club. El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward and his wife Monica Hayward welcomed guests for a spectacular evening highlighted with dances by Spirit of Fiesta Jenna Ramirez and Junior Spirit of Fiesta Penny Hernandez.
“It was an evening of celebration and Fiesta,” said El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward. “It was great to see everyone enjoying the entertainment – Old Spanish Days works hard to be able to provide a platform for our many youth dancers and studios.”
La Recepción del Presidente began in the 1980’s as a way for that year’s Presidente to welcome everyone and to thank the board of directors and countless community volunteers for their efforts in organizing the Old Spanish Days festivities planned for the coming week.
El Presidente Hayward was joined by a long list of Past Presidentes including Mike Danley (1997), Mike Mendoza (1998), Scott Burns (1999), Roger Aceves (2001), Christie Gallagher (2003), Tim Taylor (2008), Joanne Funari (2011), JC Gordon (2016), Denise Sanford (2018), Erik Davis (2020), Stephanie Petlow (2021), Davd Bolton (2023) and Fritz Olenberger (2025).
In addition to the Spirits’ performances, the evening’s entertainment included a duet by the first male junior spirit of Fiesta Ryan
Zermeño (1998) and the 2024 Spirit of Fiesta Georgey Taupin. The show concluded with a group dance by the Spirit of Fiesta and her studio, Timo Nuñez Flamenco Arte, followed by a Fin de Fiesta finale bringing everyone on to the stage.
Fiesta 2026 runs August 5-9. Additional details at sbfiesta.org
A wonderful weekend of Music, Dance, Food and Fiesta!
DATE & TIME PERFORMER
Wednesday 08/05/26 4:15-4:45pm Natalie & Anthony
Wednesday 08/05/26 5:00-5:30pm JUAN D. MENDOZA
Wednesday 08/05/26 7:30-8:30pm SOUL KOOL
Wednesday 08/05/26 9:00-10:00pm HEART and SOUL
Thursday 08/06/26 4:15-4:45pm ALBERTO ACUÑA
Thursday 08/06/26 5:00-5:30pm GRUPO RELAJO
Thursday 08/06/26 6:00-7:00pm HALCONES del BAJIO
Wednesday 08/05/26 6:00-7:00pm Carmen & The Renegade Vigilantes
Thursday 08/06/26 7:30-8:30pm BANDA TIERRA NUEVA De SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA
Thursday 08/06/26 9:00-10:00pm BANDA LA VENENOSA
Friday 08/07/26 4:15-4:45pm TRIXICO
Friday 08/07/26 5:00-5:30pm That Girl & The Laid Backs
Friday 08/07/26 6:00-7:00pm GRUPO RADIANTE De Fausto Cruz
Friday 08/07/26 7:30-8:30pm MEZCAL MARTINI
Friday 08/07/26 9:00-10:00pm FALSE PUPPET
Saturday 08/08/26 4:15-4:45pm LOS DE LA EMPRESA
Saturday 08/08/26 5:00-5:30pm GRUPO LA X-ELENCIA
Saturday 08/08/26 6:00-7:00pm LOS BITACHES
Saturday 08/08/26 7:30-8:30pm EL JONA y su BANDA LA CODICIADA
Saturday 08/08/26 9:00-10:00pm SPENCER THE GARDENER
By Richard and Amanda Payatt / Special to VOICE
ONE OF OUR FAVORITE PARTIES OF THE FIESTA SEASON happens at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Under the gracious eye of Dacia Harwood, the museum’s executive director, the already beautiful courtyards transform into an old Spanish wonderland. Nestled in between the carefully preserved historical buildings, strings of lights and crystal chandeliers cross drape above a field of beautifully decorated tables.
Says Harwood, “Una Fiesta de los Adobes is our
opportunity to toast to Fiesta history, while supporting our educational programs and ensuring that admission is free to our 40,000 visitors.”
And when she says toast Fiesta history, she means it. The party began with margaritas and a premium tequila tasting. A wonderful new exhibit, Finding Saint Barbara, was open in the gallery to mark one hundred years of her presence in Fiesta celebrations. After a relaxing hour or so of socializing in the upper courtyard with a live mariachi band, guests were escorted to their tables in the lower courtyard. There, a light salad, a main course of shrimp and delicious tender filet mignon, and an orange cake dessert were served by Seasons Catering. The food was accompanied by a thoughtfully-curated selection of Spanish wine.
A Mi Manera, a tune which might be more familiar to you as the Frank Sinatra standard, My Way. That brought the house to roaring applause when he hit those last familiar notes. Then, to keep the evening going, DJ music and dancing commenced in the lower courtyard. The evening lingered into the night.
As dinner concluded, Jenna Ramirez, Santa Barbara’s Spirit of Fiesta, took the stage to perform for the audience. Backed by an amazing quintet of Spanish and Cuban flamenco musicians including Andres Vadin, Diego Alvarez, and David Morales, two of whom are Grammy winners, she gave a performance that we will look forward to seeing again and again in the coming weeks. Following Jenna, the magnificent Timo Nuñez and Talia Vestal performed flamenco together. Following that, international superstar María Bermúdez, the artistic director for Flamenco Santa Barbara, took to the stage to dance. The audience was simply delighted all the way around.
After the performances were finished, the musicians stayed onstage to play for the guests. Flamenco songs were mixed with Gipsy Kings favorites. Singer Manuel Gutiérrez even belted out one of our favorites,
“I am so lucky to represent such an incredible organization that is committed to cultural access, preservation, and community building,” Harwood related. And we of Santa Barbara are lucky to have Dacia running an organization like the Historical Museum. She puts on the best parties in town!
FOR
By Robert F. Adams / Special to VOICE
THE SIXTH YEAR
OF PRE-FIESTA PARTIES,
the La Boheme Dance Group threw their annual Fiesta Celebration on Saturday evening. Held slightly above Canon Perdido with the Presidio chapel as a backdrop, these historical grounds were riotous with flashing colors and the notes of Latin and Cuban music. Guests and passers-by strolling the historical block were delighted with the spectacle of the spirit of Fiesta season embodied by this event.
Musicians included Mezcal Martini and DJ Darla Bea at the outset. Later, after welcoming speeches and a prayer to the crowd from Father Larry Gosselin exhorting all gathered to “keep the spirit of community alive,” the three Santa Barbara Sopranos sang, a trio comprised of Vivian Vega Rangel, Deborah Bertling, and Anikka Abbott.
This group was convened two years ago in honor of the late, great Fiesta tenor Eduardo Villa. Spectacular, costumed dancing troupes and aerialists also entertained, including the Laura Garcia Dance Studio, the Zermeno Dance Company, Danza Folklorico, and Nutcracker dancers from the State Street Ballet. The highlight and pinnacle of the evening was the appearance of the La Boheme Dancers, decked in black and red performing to a series of well-rehearsed pop songs.
The emcees and hosts were Teresa Kuskey and Rick Oshay, who welcomed center stage current and past emissaries of Old Spanish Days. A key guest of the event was John Palminteri, recently anointed the Grand Marshal of the upcoming Fiesta parade, who arrived to find a large cake with his image on top, and in a comic twist, surrounded by dancers wearing costume mustaches to match his famous whiskers.
Following this, DJ Joe Souza was on hand with Islay Events providing expert lighting and sound. The décor was phenomenal with confetti, hand-painted cascarone eggs, clever centerpiece table lights, a dazzling cut-out mermaid holding a fan, and program guides at the guests’ tables. Tacos and tequila and the delightful food was provided by Big Joe’s Tacos, Lilla Catering, Fernando’s Churros, and the Simply Cocktails catering squad. A memorable night and an a lavish festivity that will be hard to forget!
By Daisy Scott / VOICE
CONQUERING A ZANY PREMISE WITH ORIGINALITY
AND GUSTO, local actor and playwright Dillon Yuhasz is bringing his one-man play The Story of War back to the Community Arts Workshop. A romp though the history of warfare, as told by an ex-Disney animatronics inventor and his latest characters, the play will run at 8pm each night from Friday, August 14th through Sunday the 16th. Welcome receptions will begin at 7:15pm, offering refreshments and the chance to have your fortune told by Zoltar, the animatronic featured in the film Big
“I really try to make shows that anyone can enjoy,” shared Yuhasz with VOICE “This is not for a specific sense of humor or anything like that—we are just there to entertain and make sure that everybody has fun.”
A lifelong performer, Yuhasz premiered The Story of War in a sold-out debut this past March. The production also marked the launch of his new theatre company, Not Half Bad Theatre, after years of acting on local stages (most recently as Dr. “Fronkensteen” in Santa Barbara City College’s production of Young Frankenstein: The Musical) as well as putting on shows for friends and family at his backyard theatre.
At the encouragement of local artist and actor Rod Lathim, who is producing next weekend’s reprise run, Yuhasz decided to start sharing his original works with the larger community.
“My shows are definitely not typical of what’s performed in Santa Barbara, they’re pretty absurdist, pretty crazy, but people seem to like it!” shared Yuhasz, explaining that he co-runs Not Half Bad Theatre Company with his wife, Brittany Ragan.
One of what Yuhasz calls his “oddball shows,” The Story of War follows Wathel
Rogers, the real-life inventor behind many of Disney’s animatronic figures. Now, Rogers has set his sights on creating his most ambitious project yet: an animatronic show detailing the history of warfare.
Yuhasz portrays 17 characters in total, including Rogers and a score of animatronic soldiers who relate their individual histories spanning the stone age, Roman empire, the golden age of piracy, and beyond.
The idea was born out of Yuhasz’s trip to Epcot, where he saw an animatronic show called The Spirit of America. Just ten minutes into the show, he knew what to write for his next play.
“I wanted to see if I could do a whole show where I am an animatronic,” laughed Yuhasz, adding that he loves animatronics for their blend of technical artistry and goofy charm. “I see a lot of humor in it, just the amount of technology and engineering that went into these things, and then they’re standing there with a pirate sword in their hand going ‘yargh!’”
Yuhasz’s parody is ultimately born out of appreciation, as he currently works with a couple of animatronic companies, including Characters Unlimited, who is loaning Zoltar for the shows’ receptions.
Adding to the fun, audience members can also anticipate plenty of fourth wall breaks and opportunities to help tell The Story of War
“To me, if it’s just me up there with a script talking the whole time, it’s so boring. I love improvising, hearing what the audience has to say, and getting them involved in the show,” said Yuhasz. “I need to have a risk factor involved, and I think the audience loves that, too, because what I try to do is put myself in the shoes of the audience when I’m writing my shows— what would I want to see? What would I want to experience?”
For tickets ($28) visit nothalfbad.org
By Bridget Keon / VOICE
CREATING A COLORFUL SOUNDSCAPE OF GUITARS, VIOLINS, TRUMPETS, AND PASSIONATE MARIACHEROS, the 29th annual Mariachi Festival will take place on August 8th from 5 to 10pm at the Santa Barbara Bowl, inviting people to engage with the lively, moving music of mariachi.
“There’s so many amazing performances and events, but I think our event really showcases community,” said Perla Navarro Lewis, the SBMF Vice President. “We are all together for one purpose, and it’s to celebrate the tradition of mariachi music, showcase talent, and provide support for the next generation to achieve higher education.”
Critically acclaimed artists will headline this year’s lineup, such as Majo Aguilar, Joss Favela, Mariachi Camperos, and Mariachi Nuevo Mujer 2000. Local artists will also be featured alongside the visiting groups and individuals.
The Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival is a nonprofit organization that supports Latinx students in higher education through awarding scholarships. Since the inception of the scholarship fund, they have awarded $1,000,000 in scholarships for local youth in Santa Barbara County.
For the first time, this January the SBMF hosted a sold-out vocal competition show. Each of the winners will perform on Saturday, including Alessandra Gutierrez from the elementary school division, Angel Mendoza from middle and high school, and Kaylanie Barrera from the adult division.
“My favorite part is seeing the students on stage,” said Lewis. “I am a firstgeneration Mexican American student that went to college and got a master’s degree. I’m in education, and to me there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the students on stage and really getting to chat with them and ask what they want to do.”
Co-founded by Salud Carbajal and Al Pizano, the SBMF aims to preserve the legacy of mariachi while continuing to inspire future generations.
“I think our hope is really to bring in our community and highlight our community, the traditions that we’ve always held,” said Lewis. “The Mariachi Festival in itself is a tradition. We have concert goers who attend every year, and have attended most of our mariachi festivals.” For tickets ($79-199), visit: sbbowl.com thesantabarbaramariachifestival.org
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By Sofia Wallace / Santa Barbara News-Press 8.4.26
APROJECT TO IMPROVE CALIFORNIA’S OLDEST OPERATING THEATER, Santa Barbara’s iconic Lobero, was approved by the Historic Landmarks Commission last week.
The Lobero Theatre, on East Canon Perdido Street, is a designated historic landmark in Santa Barbara. Todd Jerod, technical director for the Lobero Theatre, said that the project addresses problems he’s been aware of for a long time. Working there for over 35 years, Jerod has identified issues with space and functionality.
“This project is much more than just building a party room,” Jerod said. “It’s also solving a lot of problems that we’ve had.”
The proposed update would demolish the existing rehearsal hall and courtyard, and replace it with a new 3-story, 11,000 square foot building. This will include a new rehearsal space, rooftop terrace, bar and lounge, updated backstage storage, an updated basement and other improvements. The project will need approval from the Planning Commission to build to its proposed new height of 46 feet.
On its north side, the Lobero will get a new banquet hall, more bathrooms and an expanded basement with handicap access.
In the early 20th century, architect George Washington Smith popularized Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture in Santa Barbara. Smith also designed the original Santa Barbara News-Press Building. He worked on the design of the Lobero Theatre in 1924. Commissioners delved into details of the proposal to ensure that the new construction would be reminiscent of Smith’s style.
“This is a very important building to the city and even the state,” said commissioner Robert Ooley.
Though the Historic Landmarks Commission was generally very supportive of the project, some commissioners had issues with a new pedestrian pathway, or paseo, to be lined with a wall built along the back side of the building. The paseo will include gates on either side. Kevin Dumain, project architect at DesignARC, said the design aimed to extend and enhance the current paseo.
Though the planners said the gates will sometimes remain open so the public can flow
THE FIRST FRACKING PROPOSAL OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST IN MORE THAN A DECADE will be the subject of a California Coastal Commission meeting on August 13th at the Scotts Valley Hilton in Santa Cruz. In January of this year, the oil company DCOR asked the Trump administration to approve offshore fracking from Platform Gilda, located off the coast of Ventura. The platform has been operating for 45 years, which is over twice its anticipated life span. This project would extend the life of the infrastructure, at the threat of oil spills and water contamination from fracking fluids, in threats to marine life, as well as recreational and commercial access to the environment. Written comments can be submitted by August 7th at 5pm to EORFC@coastal.ca.gov
ILLUMINATING HOW COMMUNITIES THINK ABOUT HUNGER, HEALTH, AND HOW FOOD CAN HELP RESTORE PEOPLE’S LIVES, the Organic Soup Kitchen Magazine will make its debut this fall. Published by area nonprofit Organic Soup Kitchen, which provides nutritious meals to individuals in need, the magazine is intended to act as a community resource, a record of impact, and a statement about the future of nutritional care. It is created with caregivers, physicians, social workers, advocates, donors, and community leaders in mind. To celebrate its 17th anniversary and the magazine launch, Organic Soup Kitchen will host a private launch event for community partners, donors, healthcare leaders, and supporters.
Those interested in attending should email contact@organicsoupkitchen.org. Space is limited, and a minimum charitable donation will be required to attend.
through the paseo, commissioner Cass Ensberg said it felt like a “dead end,” prohibiting people’s ability to see through it.
“The wall is beautifully designed but it doesn’t feel like a public paseo,” Ensberg said. “Find that balance of keeping it as a public way.”
Fire Marshal Ryan DeGuilio added that the wall was added for legal and fire safety reasons. It is illegal to cross a property line as a means of exit, but the building needed one for fire safety.
This was the second time the project was seen by the Historic Landmarks Commission. It was first evaluated in January, and sent back with findings. This time around, the commission deemed the project ready to send to the Planning Commission.
This story was originally published by the Santa Barbara News-Press Printed with permission • newspress.com
IN AN EXCITING DEVELOPMENT FOR LOCAL ADVOCACY WORK, a new case study from the nonpartisan California Budget & Policy Center has named Santa Barbara County to be a statewide model for expanding access to childcare, crediting a coordinated effort among local nonprofits, public agencies and funders.
Between 2021 and 2024, the county increased enrollment in publicly funded childcare by 160 percent, the highest rate of any of California’s 58 counties. The report, How Santa Barbara County Made Strides in Addressing the Unmet Need for Child Care, released July 29th, examines how the county moved so quickly and what other regions can learn. In 2024, 23 percent of eligible children in the county were enrolled in publicly funded care, up from 13 percent in 2022 and nearly 50 percent above the statewide rate of 16 percent.
“Santa Barbara County demonstrates that expanding access to childcare takes more than funding alone,” said Laura Pryor, research director at CA Budget & Policy Center. “By investing in providers, centering family choice, focusing on facilities, using data to guide decisions, and building strong partnerships across sectors, the county made meaningful progress in increasing access to publicly funded childcare. As California counties continue working to address its childcare shortage, policymakers can draw on these lessons to strengthen childcare programs across the state.”
The report attributes much of that progress to a cross-sector partnership that took shape after the pandemic. The Santa Barbara Foundation partnered with Children’s Resource & Referral of SB County, the SB County Education Office Child Care Planning Council, and Eileen Monahan Consulting to implement a childcare initiative to increase the number of infant and toddler childcare spaces and strengthen the county’s childcare infrastructure.
“We’re proud to have been part of this work alongside so many committed partners,” said Liz Thasiah, vice president of programs at the Santa Barbara Foundation. “The results belong to the providers and the organizations doing this work every day. What the county has shown is that when childcare is treated as essential infrastructure, access grows.”
To read the full report, visit: calbudgetcenter.org/resources
GREG GORGA has joined the Board of Directors for Mystic Ocean Adventures, a nonprofit promoting handson learning and environmental stewardship, especially through youth sailing. He assumes this new role after previously serving as the Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, where he worked to advance marine education and community engagement. His national leadership in the field was recognized through his tenure as Past President of the Council of American Maritime Museums. Through his past chairmanship of the City of Santa Barbara CDBG Committee and his service on the Visit Santa Barbara Board, Greg has long advocated for sustainable tourism, the community, and accessible civic development. He is also a Board Member of the Santa Barbara Blues Society. mysticoceanadventures.org
MINDY DENSON is the newest member of the Hospice of Santa Barbara Board of Directors. She has spent over 30 years in Santa Barbara working in substance abuse counseling and retail management, including a past position with the County of Santa Barbara. She also previously worked as the Northern California representative for the CHANEL Beaute and Fragrance division as well as the Assistant Store Manager for Saks Fifth Avenue when it was in downtown Santa Barbara, and the Store Director for Louis Vuitton. She has served as an HSB volunteer since 2005, helping with fundraising, executing events, organizing and gathering items for the Heroes of Hospice auction, and actively serving on the Light Up a Life committee. hospiceofsb.org
ERIK HOLLIDAY, an award winning architect, has joined DHMA Artitecture and Interior Design as a Senior Project Architect. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, he has spent the past twelve years with LPA Design Studios in Irvine, where he was recognized as LPA’s Design Professional of the Year. He was also recently the featured Youth Scholarship Recipient Speaker at the 2026 South Coast Business & Technology Awards, reflecting on the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation’s impact on his journey. He graduated from Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design. dmhaa.com
HILLARY LEFFUE has joined Reicker, Pfau, Pyle & McRoy. She has litigated cases in state and federal courts and arbitration proceedings throughout the United States. Previously, Leffue practiced at Foley & Lardner LLP, where she advocated for clients in cross-border arbitration disputes arising in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Leffue’s professional work has ranged from representing multinational technology companies in international arbitration to special committees of publicly traded companies conducting sensitive corporate misconduct investigations. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from the Boston University School of Law. reickerpfau.com
LOCAL SINGERS, MUSICIANS, DANCERS, actors, circus artists, spoken word poets, and other entertainers are invited to transform State Street into a vibrant performance experience by applying for the sixth annual Masq(p)arade! To be held Friday, October 2nd, the Masq(p)arade! is Santa Barbara’s original and only roving performing arts showcase, transforming the displayed Pianos on State into stages for lively, free 15-minute performances. As attendees and passersby move from piano to piano, they experience a broad range of acts that demonstrate the community’s vibrant creative community.
All genres of performers and performance groups are encouraged to apply. Acts must incorporate piano as part of the performance and feature whimsical masks. Selected performers will receive an honorarium for their performance. Past performers include Brasscals!, Opera Santa Barbara, Out of the Box Theatre Company, Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus, Piano in the Sky, and Zach Gill. Applications are due August 28th. To learn more and apply visit masqparade.org
GATHERING A TOTAL OF $4.0 Million in Transient Occupancy Taxes in June 2026, the City of Santa Barbara had a solid twelfth month in the City’s fiscal year. For Fiscal Year 2026, the City collected $38.2 Million in overall TOT, of which approximately $33.7 Million came from hotels and $4.5 Million from short-term rentals. For Fiscal Year 2026, total TOT revenues came in 7.7 percent above budget.
The Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) is a Tax on “Transient” guests staying in any hotel, inn, motel, or other commercial lodging establishment for a period of less than 30 days.
The City’s adopted TOT budget for all funds is $35.5 Million, of which $29.5 Million is budgeted in the General Fund. The City’s TOT tax rate is 12.0 percent, of which 10.0 percent goes to the City’s General Fund and the remaining 2.0 percent goes to the Creeks/Clean Water Fund. santabarbaraca.gov/finance/budget-reports
LA CIUDAD DE SANTA BÁRBARA recaudó $4.0 millones en Impuestos de Ocupación Transitoria (TOT) en junio 2026, el duodécimo mes en el año fiscal de la Ciudad. Para el año fiscal 2026, la Ciudad ha recaudado $38.2 millones en TOT general, de los cuales aproximadamente $33.7 millones provienen de hoteles y $4.5 millones de alquileres a corto plazo. Para el año fiscal 2026, los ingresos totales por concepto de TOT se sitúan un 7.7% por encima del presupuesto.
El Impuesto de Ocupación Transitoria (TOT) es un impuesto que grava a los huéspedes “transitorios” que se alojan en cualquier hotel, posada, motel u otro establecimiento comercial de alojamiento por un periodo inferior a 30 días.
El presupuesto adoptado por la Ciudad para el TOT, considerando todos los fondos, es de $35.5 millones, de los cuales $29.5 millones están asignados al Fondo General. El tipo impositivo del TOT en la Ciudad es del 12.0 %, de los cuales el 10.0 % se destina al Fondo General de la Ciudad y el 2.0 % restante al Fondo de Arroyos y Agua Limpia. santabarbaraca.gov/finance/budget-reports
Singers/songwriters Lila and Georgia MacPhail contributed the new space
ASPIRING MUSICIANS OF THE FUTURE will have new resources to support their education after Girls Inc. of Carpinteria has unveiled a new, fully equipped music room to its campus facilities. Contributed by local Montecito residents and singers/ songwriters, Lila and Georgia MacPhail, the space includes musical equipment including guitars, amps, a keyboard, a drum set, and a desktop computer station for the girls to receive virtual music tutoring.
“We’ve been singing together our whole lives,” said Georgia, “and so this was just something that I think really represented a piece of us and something that we wanted to be able to give back, because it’s been such a big part of our lives.”
While Girls Inc. of Carpinteria already hosts numerous spaces catered to providing extra resources for STEM, literacy, and athletics, the music studio project significantly expands the facility’s inclusion of artistic programming. Girls Inc. is also currently seeking volunteer music teachers. girlsinc-carp.org
IN A MAJOR PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENT IN LOCAL HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE EFFORTS, the Santa Barbara Foundation has awarded a $900,000 grant to support the ongoing operations and critical facility upgrades at Casa Cacique, the City of Santa Barbara‑owned interim housing shelter serving individuals experiencing homelessness.
This significant contribution will be split between program operations and much‑needed repairs and upgrades to the facility at 816 Cacique Street, ensuring that Casa Cacique can continue providing safe, dignified, and service‑rich shelter to some of the community’s most vulnerable residents.
“We are deeply grateful to the Santa Barbara Foundation for this extraordinary investment in our community,” said Alelia Parenteau, Acting Deputy City Administrator. “Casa Cacique plays a vital role in stabilizing individuals who are working toward long‑term housing. This grant allows us not only to maintain strong operational capacity, but also to modernize the building so that the shelter can continue serving residents safely and effectively for years to come.”
Casa Cacique, operated by Mercy House, provides 100 year‑round beds along with case management, health and behavioral‑health support, daily meals, and a structured, trauma‑informed environment focused on helping residents transition to stability.
“The Santa Barbara Foundation is honored to steward the Francis and Marianna Masin Human Services Fund to ensure the Masin’s charitable goals continue to be met after they passed,” said Jackie Carrera, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation. “Their care and commitment to serving those facing the greatest need in Santa Barbara inspires us, and we are pleased the funds will be used to support improvements and services at Casa Cacique.” SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Homelessness
IN HONOR OF ITS SUCCESS AS A WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS and its longstanding service to Goleta residents, Ocean Nails & Spa was celebrated through the City of Goleta’s Business Recognition Program at the July 21st Goleta City Council meeting. Councilmember Luz Reyes Martín (1st District) presented owners Hang (Kathy) Bui and Hai Le with an award certificate in recognition of their work. Ocean Nails & Spa has served the Goleta community for 17 years.
cityofgoleta.org
EXPERIENCE INSIDER ACCESS TO THE FILM INDUSTRY and build your skills by applying to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 2026 Rosebud Film Studies Program by September 1st. Open to local college students and dual enrollment high school students, the program is free and will run from October through December. Participants will attend over 30 sneak preview screenings through SBIFF’s Cinema Society, followed by Q&As and intimate discussions with the filmmakers and talent, as well as group discussions centered around filmmaking and film analysis. Students will have the option to earn college credit through SB City College. To apply, visit sbiff.org/education/rosebud-program
Subvención de $900,000 de la Fundación de SB apoyará las operaciones y mejoras de las instalaciones del albergue Casa Cacique
LA CIUDAD DE SANTA BÁRBARA SE COMPLACE EN ANUNCIAR UNA IMPORTANTE INVERSIÓN FILANTRÓPICA para fortalecer la respuesta local a la falta de vivienda: una subvención de $900,000 otorgada por la Fundación de Santa Bárbara para apoyar las operaciones continuas y las mejoras esenciales de las instalaciones de Casa Cacique, el albergue de vivienda provisional de propiedad de la Ciudad que brinda servicios a personas que experimentan la falta de vivienda.
Esta importante contribución se destinará tanto a las operaciones del programa como a reparaciones y mejoras necesarias en las instalaciones ubicadas en 816 Cacique Street, con el fin de garantizar que Casa Cacique continúe ofreciendo un albergue seguro, digno y con servicios integrales para algunos de los residentes más vulnerables de la comunidad.
“Estamos profundamente agradecidos con la Fundación de Santa Bárbara por esta extraordinaria inversión en nuestra comunidad”, expresó Alelia Parenteau, subasistente adjunta interina de la Ciudad. “Casa Cacique desempeña un papel fundamental para brindar estabilidad a las personas que trabajan para obtener una vivienda permanente. Esta subvención nos permitirá no solo mantener una sólida capacidad operativa, sino también modernizar las instalaciones para que el albergue pueda seguir prestando servicios de manera segura y eficaz durante muchos años.”
Casa Cacique, operado por Mercy House, ofrece 100 camas durante todo el año, además de gestión de casos, servicios de salud física y salud conductual, comidas diarias y un entorno estructurado con enfoque informado sobre el trauma, enfocado en ayudar a los residentes a avanzar hacia la estabilidad.
“La Fundación de Santa Bárbara se siente honrada de administrar el Fondo de Servicios Humanos Francis y Marianna Masin para garantizar que los objetivos filantrópicos de los Masin continúen cumpliéndose tras su fallecimiento”, señaló Jackie Carrera, presidenta y directora ejecutiva de la Fundación de Santa Bárbara. “Su dedicación y compromiso con las personas que enfrentan las mayores necesidades en Santa Bárbara nos inspiran, y nos complace que estos fondos se destinen a apoyar mejoras y servicios en Casa Cacique.” SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Homelessness
By Angel Corzo, Santa Barbara News-Press 8.4.26
AFTER HE WAS HIT BY A CAR SUNDAY was a popular bartender, restaurant assistant manager, father and family-oriented man, his friends recalled on Tuesday.
Pedro Rivera, 67, was hit while crossing the street as he was headed to Lucky’s in Montecito, one of his regular hangouts.
“He was deeply connected,” said Larry Nobles, general manager of Lucky’s and a former coworker and longtime friend of Rivera. “Everyone knew Pedro.”
Rivera worked for Birnam Wood Golf Club as a bartender and as an assistant manager at Teddy’s by the Sea, a restaurant in Carpinteria, before he died.
Raul Gutierrez, who worked with Rivera at Teddy’s in Carpinteria, told the News-Press in Spanish that Rivera was very family-oriented and talked warmly about his kids and granddaughter to Gutierrez regularly.
Rivera was born in Mexico City before coming to the U.S. He previously worked at the Four Seasons Biltmore in 2008 with Nobles, and later at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito.
While he was known for being “fun and silly” around the people he interacted with, Rivera was also very serious about his work as a bartender, Nobles said.
On Sunday the Santa Barbara Police Department responded to a “serious-injury traffic collision” on the 1200 block of Coast Village Road where a pedestrian was found unconscious in the roadway, according to a statement from the department.
The pedestrian, later identified to the News-Press as Rivera, was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Nobles said Rivera was with family and friends in an intensive care unit when he died Monday.
Nobles said Riviera always knew how to make his customers feel valued.
“He could make you feel like a million dollars,” Nobles said.
He is survived by his 92-year-old mother, his brother, his sons and his granddaughter.
A GoFundMe created on Monday has raised $12,643 as of Tuesday. The funds raised from donations will be used towards funeral and memorial expenses for his family.
www.Kevinmischlerart.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinmischlerart/
Casa Dorinda: 300 Hot Springs Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
EATURING PORTRAITS OF CULTURAL
ICONS who are themselves unforgettable, Unforgettable is an exhibition by Kevin Mischler, hosted at Casa Dorinda. In detailed graphite pencil portraits on cold press board, Mischler builds his images from the eyes outward, creating compelling portraits of people who have influenced his life and work.
Mischler’s work focuses largely on musicians from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and features artists such as Madonna, Prince, and David Bowie. The expressions he draws are diverse, conveying a variety of emotions and demeanors that range from defiance to boredom, and some with an almost knowing curiosity that makes it feel as though the portraits are observing the viewer back.
Mischler trained at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
The exhibition will be on view through August 14th at Casa Dorinda, located on 300 Hot Springs Road. kevinmischlerart.com
BRINGING TOGETHER YOUTH with physical disabilities for a week of adapted sports and fun at the UCSB Recreation Center, the Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital recently concluded another successful Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp.
Guided by trained coaches and volunteers, many of whom use wheelchairs themselves, 35 campers participated in a wide range of activities including wheelchair basketball, rugby, hand cycling, SCUBA diving, swimming, tennis, racquetball, boccia, pickleball, indoor rock climbing, an indoor ropes course, and sled hockey.
Founded in 1986, the Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp is free of charge, attracting participants from across California. It helps young people with physical disabilities discover their strengths, build independence, and experience the benefits of teamwork and physical activity
New this year, campers were introduced to the art of lassoing, and older participants traveled to Ice in Paradise in Goleta to try sled hockey. The week also featured a carnivalstyle festival, a pop-up dance party and a Family & Friends Day talent show, giving campers opportunities to showcase their creativity and connect with one another beyond sports.
“For some campers, this is their first opportunity to try these sports in a supportive environment designed around their abilities,” said René Van Hoorn, Manager of Community Programs at Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital and camp director. “The confidence they build during the week often extends far beyond camp and into other areas of their lives.”
cottagehealth.org
Summer Art Camp Week 7 • Draw and design, ages 5-6 • SBMA, Art Learning Lab • $300-350 • sbma.net • 9am-3pm Mo, 8/3 through Fr, 8/7.
Summer Art Camp Week 7 • Painting and bookmaking, ages 7-9 • SBMA, Art Learning Lab • $300-350 • sbma.net • 9am-3pm Mo, 8/3 through Fr, 8/7.
Summer Art Camp Week 7 • Ceramics & ReMade Textiles, ages 9-12 • SBMA’s Art Studio @ The Downtown Club • $350-400 • sbma.net • 9am-3pm Mo, 8/3 through Fr, 8/7.
Read with a Dog • Children practice reading to a furry friend • Central Library • Free • 3:30-4:30pm Fr.
Summer Intensive Workshop
Performance • La Bayadere’s Kingdom of the Shades with works from Dom Sebastien, A Cinderella Suite and La Vivendiere, by the Goleta School of Ballet • Center Stage Theater • $22-27 • centerstagetheater.org • 7pm Sa, 8/7
Siudy Garrido Flamenco Company • Flamenco Arts Festical Gala with West Coast premiere from Siudy Garrido • Lobero Theatre • $52152 • lobero.org • 7:30pm Fr, 8/7.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/ WORKSHOPS
Between The Lines • Adult Literacy Book Club • Central Library • Free: calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 12-1pm Fr, 8/7.
Climate Fridays • Explore smart building policies and sustainability
• CEC Environmental Hub • Free, RSVP recommended • cecsb.org • 4-5:30pm Fr, 8/7.
Plein Air Painting • Paint with SCAPE artists • Elings Park, meet at restoration site on hill • Free • sbbotanicgarden.org • 9-10:30am Fr, 8/7.
Tai Chi at the Garden • Master Yun covers basic postures • SB Botanic Garden, Island View Lawn • $10-15 • sbbotanicgarden.org • 9-10am Fr, 8/7.
Dinosaur Safari • Interactive talk and tour • SB Museum of Natural History • Included with admission • 1:30-2pm Mon & Fri through 8/21.
Colin Richardson and The Grand Band • Jazz • The Grand on State • $35 • thegrandonstate.com • 7:30-10:30pm Fr, 8/7.
SBC Courthouse Docent Tours • Free • www.sbcourthouse.org • 10:30am Mon-Fri & 2pm daily.
Little G’s • Reading of Just For Today • Free • godmothers.com • 11am Sa, 8/8.
Kids Club • Creative arts and STEM activities • Paseo Nuevo • Free • 10am-1pm Sa, 8/8.
Crafternoon • Fun crafts, ages 5+ • Explore Ecology Makerspace • $8 • exploreecology.org • 10am-12pm, Sat.
Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages, free w/admission • SBNature.org • 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.
Tommy Lama Live! • Comedy special live recording for future broadcast • Alcazar Theatre • Free-$15 • thealcazar.org • 7pm Sa, 8/8.
Summer Dance Fest 2026 • Presented by Selah Dance Collective and over 35 choreographers and dance companies • Center Stage Theater • $20-100 • centerstagetheater.org • 7:30pm Sa, 8/8 & 2pm Su, 8/9.
Tutor Training for New Adult Literacy Volunteers • Central Library • Free, register: calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 12-4pm Sa, 8/8 & Su, 8/9.
Introduction to Relief Printmaking With “Flexicut”
• Carving with different tools and handprinting cards • Community Arts Workshop • $65-85 • sbcaw.org • 10am-3pm Sa, 8/8 & Sa, 8/15.
From Mountain To Vessel: The Shape of Oolong • An intimate tea ceremony with meditation • Location provided after registration • $55-144 • drishti.house/products/the-shape-ofoolong • 11am-2pm Sa, 8/8.
Sketching in the Galleries • All skill levels invited to sketch from original works of art • SBMA Galleries • Free with museum admission • sbma.net • 11:15am-12:15pm Sa, 8/8.
Magic: The Gathering • Learn to play this trading card game • Metro Comics Metro Entertainment • Free • 12-12:30pm Sa.
Santa Barbara Go Club • All levels welcome to learn this ancient game • Free • Mosaic Locale, 1131 State St • 805-448-5335 • 11am-3pm Sa.
Cuyama Mama and the Hot Flashes • Americana dance • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30-4:30pm Sa, 8/8.
Ernie Watts • Award-winning saxophonist leads a quintet of local jazz artists • The Grand on State • Ticket sales: thegrandonstate.com • 10-11pm Sa, 8/8.
SB Mariachi Festival • Featuring Majo Aguilar, Joss Favela, Mariachi Los Camperos, Mariachi Nuevo Mujer 2000, and more • SB Bowl • $79-199 • sbbowl.com • 5pm Sa, 8/8.
DIVE INTO THE WONDERFUL, WACKY LAND OF DR. SEUSS when actors ages actors 6 to 17 present Seussical the Musical Jr. at Ojai Art Center Theater at 7pm on Friday, 2pm and 7pm on Saturday, August 8th, and at 2pm on Sunday, August 10th. For tickets ($10-20) visit ojaiartcenter.org
Seussical the Musical Jr.
• Presented by the Youth Branch of the Ojai Art Center • Ojai Art Center Theater • $20 • ojaiact.org • 7pm Friday, 7pm & 2pm Saturday, & 2pm Sunday, through 8/9.
Godspell • A musical retelling of the Gospel of Matthew • Rubicon Theatre • rubicontheatre.org • $2025 • 7pm Fr, 8/7; 7pm & 2pm Sa, 8/8 and Su, 8/9.
Dearest, • Noah Dehli’s musical about an engaged couple in Victorian-era England who are not in love with each other yet • Center Stage Theater • $15-25 • centerstagetheater.org • 7:30pm We, 8/12.
Skylight • Ghostlight Theatre and
Architectural Walking Tour • History of buildings in SB • City Hall steps at De la Guerra Plaza • $20 • afsb.org • 10am, Sat.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Community Lemonade Stand
• Local neighborhood organizations take over the stand to fundraise • Montecito Country Mart • 12-2pm Sa, 8/8, Su, 8/9, and Sa, 8/15.
Star Party • Explore the night sky with SBMNH’s 20-inch telescope • Palmer Observatory • Free • 8:3010pm Sa, 8/8.
Amy Love present a play about the rekindled love between a London schoolteacher and a self-made restaurateur • Center Stage Theater • $15-29 • centerstagetheater.org • 7pm Fr, 8/14 & Sa, 8/15.
Summer Lights Cabaret! 2026 • Lights Up! Theatre Co. presents their teen ensemble, current company members, and alumni • Center Stage Theater • $15-50 • centerstagetheater.org • 6:30pm Su, 8/16.
The Story of War • A comedic one man show mixing military history with animatronics • The Community Arts Workshop • $29 • nothalfbad.org • 8pm Fr, 8/14, Sa, 8/15, and Su, 8/16.
Sunday 8/9
Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages • Free w/ admission • SBNature.org • 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun. Sundays at the Ranch • Fun for the family. Enjoy barn animals and tractor rides • Stow House, 304 N Los Carneros Rd • Free • 11am-2pm Sun.
Tablao Zano Flamenco • Flamenco Arts Festival’s features Kayla Lyall and Carlos Menchaca • The New Vic • $30-65 • ensembletheatre.com • 7:309:30pm Su, 8/9.
WITNESS A CAPTIVATING CELESTIAL EVENT when the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History presents a special viewing of the Wednesday, August 12th solar eclipse by streaming a live video feed from a telescope in Spain, courtesy of the Exploratorium. Held in Fleischmann Auditorium, the museum’s Astronomy Program Staff will offer interpretation and fun activities from 10:30am to 12:30pm, with the eclipse due to reach totality at 11:29am.
Tickets included with Museum admission, visit sbnature.org
Summer Dance on the Steps
• SB Dance Theater presents As if in a Dream: History, Fantasy, Future a series of dance iterations • SBMA, Galleries & Terrace • Free • sbma.net • 5-5:30pm Su, 8/9.
Heidi Rose Robbins & Jennifer Freed • Discuss Robbin’s book Ask Me • Godmothers Books • $23 • godmothers.com • 6pm Su, 8/9.
Empathy Cafe • Practice
Communication skills, creating trust, respect, empathy and understanding • Riviera Theater upstairs • Free • theempathycenter.org • 11am-1pm Sun.
Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan • Guitar and harmonica blues, rag, and goodtime music • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30-4:30pm Su, 8/9.
Summer Carillion Recital
• Wesley Arai presents a recital of original works, classical and modern favorites • UCSB Storke Tower • Free • 2pm Su, 8/9.
Shawn Colvin • American folk performance • Lobero Theatre • $40100 • lobero.org • 7pm Su, 8/9.
1:45-3:45pm Mo, 8/10-Fr, 8/14.
Little G’s • Reading of Bean Supreme • Godmothers Books • Free • godmothers.com • 11am Mo, 8/10.
Baby & Me • Develop your baby’s preliteracy skills, 0-14 months • Central Library • Free • 11-11:30am Mo.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/ WORKSHOPS
Scrabble Club • Louise Lowry Davis Center • All levels/ English/ Spanish • Free • 1-4pm Mon.
Parliamo • Italian conversation, all levels • Natural Cafe, 361 Hitchcock Way • Free • parliamo.yolasite.com • 5-6:30pm Mon.
SB Bridge Club • Play bridge, meets daily • 2255 Las Positas Rd • Schedule and RSVP: bridgewebs.com/sbbc542
Tuesday 8/11
COMEDY
Carpinteria Improv Drop-In Class • Learn or practice skills • Alcazar Theatre • $10 • 7pm Tu.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/ WORKSHOPS
The Elsewhere Book Club
• Discuss We Were Forbidden by Jacqueline Harpman • Godmothers Books • $43 • godmothers.com • 5:30pm Tu, 8/11.
Beach Cleanup • Volunteer to help clean up Arroyo Burro Beach • Meet in front of the Watershed Resource Center • 10am-12pm Su, 8/9.
Sunday Architecture Tour • Meet at Public Library Plaza at 40 E Anapamu St • Architectural Fdn of SB • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.
Free 2nd Sunday for TriCounty Residents • Free admission to SB Museum of Art for residents of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo County • 11am5pm Su, 8/9.
Celebrating the Life and Work of Gabriele Drozdowski • Honor the community she built and share memories and stories • SBMNH, Fleischmann Auditorium • Free • sbnature.org • 11am-2pm Su, 8/9.
Monday 8/10
CHILDREN
Astronomy Camp • Children ages 8-11 learn about outer space during this five-part series • Central Library, Faulkner Gallery • Free, register: calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov •
DISCOVER SECRETS FOR STRENGTH AND PERSEVERANCE when the Santa Barbara Public Library and The Grace Fisher Foundation host authors Sissy Taran and Tiffany Howard to celebrate and discuss their book We Are Resilient, an inspirational journey through the meaning of resilience in different life circumstances, featuring contributing authors Grace Fisher, Emma Solano, and Andy Gilliland. A book talk, signings and refreshments will be held from 5:30pm to 7pm in the Library’s Faulkner Gallery on Thursday, August 13th. Guests are also encouraged to peruse an exhibition of Grace Fisher’s vibrant paintings in Faulkner Gallery West, on display through August 31st.
Free and open to the public, visit santabarbaraca.gov
Area Meeting • A panel discussion representing Slingshot Artist Studio • Community Arts Workshop • $12 • sbcaw.org • 6-8pm Tu, 8/11.
Junk Journaling Workshop
• Make a visual diary, tools and materials (except the journal itself) provided • EE Makerspace • $20-25 • exploreecology.org • 6-8pm Tu, 8/11.
Chess Club • Louise Lowry Davis Center • All levels/ English/Spanish • Free • 1-4pm Tue.
An Evening with a Minuteman: The Mixed Metaphors and Messages at Vandenberg • A peaceful protest against nuclear weapons • Main gate to Vandenberg Space Force • 1-3pm Tu, 8/11.
Board Games + Brews • Community game night • Night Lizard Brewing Company, 607 State St • 6-9pm Tu.
Teen Advisory Board Summer Reading Meeting • Bring your favorite book to discuss • Central Library • Free • 5-6:30pm Tu, 8/11.
Wednesday 8/12
CHILDREN
Comic Chaos Club • For ages 8-12 inspired by the graphic novel Secrets of Camp Whatever • Central Library, Island Room • Free, register: calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 4-5pm We, 8/12.
Creator’s Club • Bilingual, weekly STEAM activity • Eastside Library • Free • 2-3pm We.
From Values to Voice • Zoom workshop series on fostering a collaborative approach to ballot endorsement • Free • fundforsantabarbara.org • 10am12pm We, 8/12.
Cassidy Freitas & Vanessa Marin • Discuss Freitas’ book Mom Needs a Moment • Godmothers Books • $23 • godmothers.com • 4pm We, 8/12.
Virtual Meeting • Discuss the De La Vina Street Pilot Restriping Project
• Zoom, register: https://tinyurl.com/mt9cxdd5 • 5:30pm We, 8/12.
Sewing and Mending Club
• Repair something old or create something new • EE Makerspace • $15 • exploreecology.org • 6-8pm We, 8/12.
Jann Winford • Signs and discusses her book Dating Under the Influence of Estrogen • Chaucer’s Books • Free • 6-7pm We, 8/12.
Knitting & Crochet Club • Louise Lowry Davis Ctr • All levels/English/ Spanish • Free • 9-11:30am Wed.
Le Cercle Français • French conversation, all levels • Free • Natural Cafe • sbfrenchgroup.yolasite.com • 5-6:30pm Wed.
MUSIC
Open Jam • At Revolver Pizza. Jam with musicians • 1429 San Andres St • Free • revolversb.com • 6-9pm Wed.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Solar Eclipse Watch Party • Live video feed from a telescope in Spain courtesy of the Exploratorium • SBMNH, Fleischmann Aud • Included with admission • sbnature.org • 10:30am-12:30pm We, 8/12.
Thursday 8/13
LECTURES/MEETINGS/ WORKSHOPS
Stories From the Wild • Wilderness Youth Project staff & friends share their personal stories from nature • Lawn behind WYP HQ at the Riviera Business Park • Free, register: wyp.org • 6-8pm Th, 8/13. Book Talk & Art Show: We Are Resilient • Authors Sissy Taran and Tiffany Howard discuss and celebrate of their book We Are Resilient • Central Library, Faulkner Gallery • Free • calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 5:30-7pm Th, 8/13.
Practical Skills Workshop for Adult Literacy Tutors • The Crafter’s Library • Free, register: calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 5-6:30 Th, 8/13.
Community Information Table
• On the De La Vina Street Pilot
Restriping Project • Mission & De La Vina Street • Free • 5-6:30pm Th, 8/13.
The Art of Science • Examine and draw butterflies and moths • SB Museum of Natural History, John & Peggy Maximus Gallery • Included with admission • sbnature.org • 1:302:30pm Th, 8/13.
Astronomy’s Cutting Edge: Six-class Course • Interactive exploration of recent astronomical discoveries with Krissie Cook • SBMNH, Gladwin Planetarium • $120-150 • sbnature.org • 5:15-6:15pm Thursday, 8/13 through 8/20. Knit ‘n’ Needle • Fiber arts club • Montecito Library • Free • 2pm Th.
Davy Knowles & His Band • Acclaimed blues guitarist • SOhO • $23 • sohosb.com • 7:30pm Th, 8/13.
Tedeschi Trucks Band • American rock band, with special guest Lukas Nelson • SB Bowl • $55165 • sbbowl.com • 6pm Th, 8/13.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Happy Hour at the Sea Center • Explore hands-on exhibits with a glass of wine and cheese • The Sea Center, Stearns Wharf • $15-30 • sbnature.org • 5:30-7:30pm Th, 8/13.
Friday 8/14
CHILDREN
Read with a Dog • Children practice reading to a furry friend • Central Library • Free • 3:30-4:30pm Fr.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/ WORKSHOPS
She.Is.Beautiful Kick-off • Free Bond Fitness Class for all-levels and all-ages, plus fun freebies for the first 30 attendees and food for purchase • Girls Inc. of Greater SB • Free • girlsinc.org • 5:30pm Fr, 8/14.
Zumbando Con Eva • Dance class for all ages • Eastside Library • Free • calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 9:30-10:30am Fr, 8/14.
Gabriela Radu, CMT
Specializing in injuries, Sports massage, Swedish, Lymphatic, Somatic massage & Life Coaching
v.gabriela@yahoo.com
805-453-1139
www.comefromyourheart.com
Los Niños de Las Flores annual group photograph in front of the Old Mission Santa Barbara has become a tradition! The Flower Girls and Boys are Festival ambassadors, present at most events and delivering flowers and the Fiesta spirit. Watch for them everywhere as they bring cheer and hospitality those who can’t come out for festivities and the community at large during events. If you’re lucky, they’ll grace you with a flower!
Fiesta Friday • With Spencer the Gardener, DJ Darla Bea and So Coyote • Buena Onda Empanadas • $15 • djdarlabea.ticketsauce.com • 6pm Fr, 8/7.
Project Fiesta! • Free exhibitions at SB Historical Museum • 12-5pm We - Su; 12-7pm Th.
Fiesta at Paseo Nuevo • Five days of free Fiesta dance • Center Court • 12-6pm through Sa, 8/8.
SB Courthouse Docent Tours
• Guided tours of the Historic Landmark • Free • Every hour 10:30am-3pm through Su 8/9.
SB Mission Tours • through Su, 8/9.
El Mercado De La Guerra • Mexican market featuring Spanish and Mexican-American food, crafts, souvenirs, and entertainment • De La Guerra Plaza • Free • sbfiesta.org • 11am-10pm through Sa, 8/8.
Children’s Carnival • Rides, games, and food • Downtown Club of SB • $5-10 • 12-8pm Th, 8/6-Sa, 8/8; 12-5pm Su, 8/9.
Shibori Indigo Dyeing Workshop • Learn the art of dyeing using tying, clamping and custom designs, tools and materials provided • $55-60 • exploreecology.org • 6-8pm Fr, 8/14.
Advance Care Planning • Bilingual workshop about advance care planning • St. Vincents Villa Caridad Community Rm • Free • hospiceofsb. org • 11:30am-1pm Fr, 8/14.
Las Noches de Ronda • Flamenco, Folklorico, and music
• SB County Courthouse • Free • 8-11pm Th, 8/6; Fr, 8/7; and Sa, 8/8.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mercado • Tamales, games, and entertainment • Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish • Free • 11am10pm Fr 8/7 & 8/8; 11am-9pm 8/9.
Historical Parade • Equestrian parade with floats and music • Cabrillo Boulevard from Castillo St to Calle Cesar Chavez • Free • 122pm Fr, 8/7.
Flor y Canto • Original Spanish California dances and songs • SB County Courthouse Sunken Gardens • Free • 7-8pm Fr, 8/7.
Pancake Breakfast • Fundraiser for the Downtown Club • Donationbased • 7-9am Sa, 8/8.
El Desfile de los Niños • Children’s parade • 721 to 323 East Cabrillo St. • Free • 10am Sa, 8/8.
Fiesta Arts & Crafts Show
• Browse the handmade work of local artisans • 99 West Cabrillo
MUSIC
Mitchell Tenpenny • American country pop • Chumash Casino • $55-70 • chumashcasino.com • 8pm Fr, 8/14.
Interpol • American rock band, with special guest Julie • SB Bowl • $45-105 • sbbowl.com • 7pm Fr, 8/14.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Santa Barbara Greek Festival • Authentic Greek food, beverages, live entertainment and more • Chase Palm Park Field • $0-10 • sbgreekfest.org •
Boulevard • Free • 10am-6pm Sa, 8/8 & Su, 8/9.
Fiesta Mujeres Market • Community market of women creatives featuring handmade jewelry, art, vintage clothing and more • 123 E Canon Perdido St. • Free • 10am-4pm Sa, 8/8 & Su, 8/9. Tarde de Ronda • Children’s dance program • SB County Courthouse • Free • 1-4pm Sa, 8/8.
SB Mariachi Festival • Featuring Majo Aguilar, Joss Favela, Mariachi Los Camperos, Mariachi Nuevo Mujer 2000, and more • SB Bowl • $79-199 • sbbowl.com • 5pm Sa, 8/8.
Celebrate Fiesta By Painting
• Flamenco themed painting workshop • The Painted Cabernet • $45 • paintedcabernet.com • 6pm Sa, 8/8.
Fiesta Summer Jazz Jam • With SOhO House Band, Woody Demarco & Friends • SOhO • $10-25 • sohosb.com • 1-3:30pm Su, 8/9.
3:30-8pm Fr, 8/14; 12-8pm Sa, 8/15; and 12-6:30pm Su, 8/16.
Saturday 8/15
CHILDREN
Little G’s • Michael Bagdasarian & Adalberto Angulo read Sammy the Scaredy Cat and Milo the Miniature Horse • Godmothers Books • Free • godmothers.com • 11am Sa, 8/15.
By Daisy Scott / VOICE
THE FULL SCOPE OF TALENT, EXPERTISE, AND ZEAL that makes up the Music Academy of the West will be on display at its Summer Music Festival draws to a close at the Granada Theatre at 7:30pm on Saturday, August 8th. Featuring the Academy Festival Orchestra and a quartet of teaching artists, all under the baton of guest conductor David Danzmayr, the night will showcase orchestral might and chamber music delicacy in an all-Mozart and Rachmaninoff program.
“It’s really one of the absolute top young musicians’ festivals, the quality is really high, the people are motivated, and they play very, very well,” said David Danzmayr about the Music Academy to VOICE. “And then, you know, Santa Barbara is one of the greatest settings you could be in the summer!”
Currently the Music Director of the Oregon Symphony as well as the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Danzmayr has been internationally recognized and celebrated for his passionate, skilled conducting. He regularly leads orchestras as a guest conductor across the country and in Europe, including the Pacific Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg Chamber Philharmonic, and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. He holds the title of Honorary Conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, and has collaborated with many of the leading musicians of our time, including Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, and Joshua Bell.
This Saturday’s concert will mark Danzmayr’s second summer performing with the Music Academy, having just made his Santa Barbara debut last year.
He voiced that as a guest conductor, he appreciates that he can curate complex and engaging programs with the confidence that the Academy Festival Orchestra will not only keep up, but excel with their technical skills.
“And then you have this enthusiasm, passion, and the joy of playing that they bring because they want to be here,” Danzmayr continued. “It’s quite special.”
To ensure that every fellow in the orchestra could be involved in the summer festival’s finale, Danzmayr decided to include Rachmaninoff’s
Guest conductor David Danzmayr will lead the Academy Festival Orchestra at the Granada Theatre on Saturday, August 8th
Symphony No. 2 on his concert’s program. Alternating between soulstirring and dramatic, stormy sequences, the exhilarating composition is one of Rachmaninoff’s most well-known and loved works.
“I think Rachmaninoff’s symphony is such a great piece for young people,” explained Danzmayr. “It’s so romantic, it’s one of the most sentimental pieces in some ways, with great melodies. It’s pure emotion and, particularly with young people, you just sometimes need that. You sometimes need a piece where every line is beautifully crafted and all emotion. It’s a piece that tells a story.”
Continuing the evening’s focus on beautiful canonical works, the orchestra will also accompany a performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante in E-flat Major, K. 297b by Music Academy teaching artists Eugene Izotov (oboe), Richie Hawley (clarinet), Judith LeClair (bassoon), and Nathaniel Silberschlag (horn).
While much of the piece feels gentle and lilting, Danzmayr hopes that this weekend’s performance will coax out the composition’s nuanced layers.
“Mozart is often seen as quite a happy composer because most of his pieces are in major and he has this spriteliness and kind of kid-like joy, but there is, for me, always this undercurrent of melancholy that comes at certain places in there, and I think that’s very fascinating,” said Danzmayr. “It sometimes gets lost, so I hope we can look for that a little bit.”
For tickets ($10-125) visit musicacademy.org
Continued Highlights of Weeks 8
Hall • $10-65 • musicacademy.org • 7:30pm Fr, 8/7.
Marilyn Horne Song Competition
• Fellows take the stage to compete for the coveted title • Hahn Hall • $10-65 • musicacademy.org • 11am Fr, 8/7.
Picnic Concert: Dvořák, Schumann & Tchaikovsky • Pre-concert picnic in the gardens followed by chamber music • Hahn
Crafternoon • Fun crafts, ages 5+ • Explore Ecology Makerspace • $8 • exploreecology.org • 10am-12pm, Sat.
Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages, free w/admission • SBNature.org • 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.
The Good Good Show • Comedy show featuring Kym Kral, Julie Weidmann, Christine Medrano, and Joe Abousakher • Night Lizard Brewing Company • $10 • nightlizardbrewingcompany.com • 7:30-9:30pm Sa, 8/15.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
From Imagination to Illustration • Authors and an illustrator discuss creating children’s books • Ojai Art Center Literary Branch • $5 donation • ojaiartcenter.org/literary.html • 2-4pm Sa, 8/15.
Photo Sessions in the Butterfly Pavilion • 20-minute mini photo session with Kristen Smith of Veils & Tails Photography • SBMNH, Sprague Butterfly Pavillion • $350 • sbnature.org • 4-5:30pm Fr, 8/14 & Sa, 8/15.
The Unaccompanied Minors • Folk duo • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30-4:30pm Sa, 8/15.
SB Master Chorale Call for Auditions
• Singers of high school age and above are encouraged to audition for the 2026-27 season • Trinity Lutheran Church • Schedule an audition: sbmasterchorale.org • 1-5pm Sa, 8/15 & Su, 8/16.
Journey USA • Journey Tribute Band • Lobero Theatre • $35-68 • lobero.org • 8pm Sa, 8/15.
Architectural Walking Tour • History of buildings in SB • City Hall steps at De la Guerra Plaza • $20 • afsb.org • 10am, Sat.
Arts, Food, & Music Festival • Vendor booths, BBQ, live music, a wine, beer, and spirits garden, and more • SB Elks Lodge • Free • sbelks613.com • 12pm Sa, 8/15.
Academy Festival Orchestra: Mozart & Rachmaninoff • Mozart’s Sinfonia and Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, led by conductor David Danzmayr • Granada Theatre • $10-125 • musicacademy.org • 7:30pm Sa, 8/8.
Sunday 8/16
CHILDREN
Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages
• Free w/admission • SBNature.org • 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.
Sundays at the Ranch • Fun for the family. Enjoy barn animals and tractor rides • Stow House, 304 N Los Carneros Rd • Free • goletahistory.org • 11am-2pm Sun.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
OG Tutor Training • Based on the OrtonGillingham Approach • Central Library • Free, register: calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 9:30am-12:30pm Su, 8/16.
Entwined Histories • Carmen Giménez and author Cristina Rivera Garza discuss her book Autobiography of Cotton • SBMA, Mary Craig Auditorium • $10-15 • sbma.net • 2-3pm Su, 8/16.
Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan • Guitar and harmonica blues, rag, and goodtime music • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30-4:30pm Su, 8/16.
Cuyama Mama & The Hot Flashes • Americana dance • SOhO • $12 • sohosb.com • 7:30pm Su, 8/16.
311 & Dirty Heads • Rock bands, with special guest Atmosphere, Rome • SB Bowl • $55-145 • sbbowl.com • 4:30pm Su, 8/16.
Beach Cleanup • Help clean up East Beach • Meet behind Skater’s Point skate park • RSVP: sbnature.org • 10am-12pm Su, 8/16.
Sunday Architecture Tour • Meet at Public Library Plaza at 40 E Anapamu St • Architectural Fdn of SB • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.
Soul Magic Retreat • Lee Harris’ health and wellness retreat • Lobero Theatre • $1995 • leeharrisenergy.com • Su, 8/16 through Fr, 8/21.
Sunday Supper • Little Dom’s Seafood revives the original Sunday Supper, including salad, beef braciole, and gelato • Little Dom’s Seafood in Carpinteria • $21 • ldseafood.com • Su, 8/16.
ENJOY A SPECIAL OUTDOOR SCREENING of Disney’s Zootopia as the Santa Barbara Zoo hosts its next “Zoovies” event at 5:30pm on Wednesday, August 12th. An animated buddy-cop comedy, Zootopia follows rabbit officer Judy Hopps and her criminal-turned-partner, fox Nick Wilde, as they attempt to crack a difficult case. An animal keeper will give a short talk about animals and conservation before the movie begins at 5pm. Tickets are included with Zoo admission, visit sbzoo.org
Sing • Koala Buster Moon stages a singing competition to save his theatre • Metropolitan Theatres, Summer Kids Movie • $2 • metrotheatres.com • 10am We, 8/12.
Goat • Animated story of a small goat named Will with dreams to be a professional athlete • Alcazar Theatre • $5-7 • thealcazar.org • 3pm Su, 8/9.
2nd Annual Carpinteria Film Festival • Day one: documentaries and grounded drama, day 2: thriller, fantasy, and comedy, day 3: surf and beach films • Alcazar Theatre • $20-25 • thealcazar.org • 4-9pm Fr, 8/14 through Su, 8/16.
Zootopia • Outdoor screening of Disney’s Zootopia, an animal keeper will give a short talk before the movie begins • Santa Barbara Zoo • Included with Zoo admission • sbzoo.org • 5-7pm We, 8/12.
THE LATEST DESIGN CONCEPTS FOR THE NORTHERN BRANCH JAIL HOUSING UNIT REPLACEMENT PROJECT
will be the topic of a public meeting on August 19th at the Santa Maria Hearing Room and August 20th at the Santa Barbara Hearing Room and via zoom. The meetings will provide updates on design development and will give the community a chance to respond.
The goals of the project include the renovation and downsizing of the Main Jail to serve solely as a booking and short-term holding facility, while creating replacement housing units at the Northern Branch Jail.
The Northern Branch Jail is located in Santa Maria, and was designed and built to allow incarcerated people with increased access to medical care, mental health care, educational opportunities, and vocational opportunities to better prepare incarcerated people for a successful return to their community.
The Northern Branch Jail is designed as a predominantly direct supervision facility where Custody Deputies work within the housing units 24/7, enhancing supervision and safety. This model has proven to increase safety for incarcerated people, staff, and visitors while allowing more meaningful interactions between the incarcerated and staff, supporting rehabilitation efforts.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVP by sending an email indicating the location they will be attending to caoemail@countyofsb.org.
“Economic activity is expanding at a solid pace despite elevated uncertainty that owes, in part, to the conflict in the Middle East…Inflation remains elevated relative to the Committee’s two percent goal, in part reflecting supply shocks that have driven price increases in certain sectors, including energy.” FOMC
By Harlan Green, Special to VOICE, July 30, 2026
THE U.S. AND IRAN KEEP BOMBING
EACH OTHER, and Iran has just said they are in no hurry to negotiate another ceasefire, while Trump just found another way to keep tariffs high. Yet the Fed is dithering on when to raise interest rates, even though “supply shocks” are causing the “elevated” price increases.
And the bond market and inflation indicators are showing higher inflation ahead. Is there any doubt that the Fed’s Federal Funds rate is going higher, as well, with the Fed’s FOMC statement mentioning “elevated uncertainty” re the Middle East conflict?
Not really, yet new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh wouldn’t say when the Fed would join the party at his June press conference. He was waiting to hear from task forces studying the problem! When have we heard this before?
“expanding at a solid case” was because of overinvestment in the AI buildout of data centers, almost all of it borrowed money. And many of the AI investors are borrowing from and investing in each other, like Japan’s keiretsu system of interlocking ownerships that impeded them from writing off bad debts when their decades long economic stagnation occurred.
One ‘tell’ of the possibility of a U.S. recession is that huge new orders for computers and related products jumped 3.1 percent in June, the government said Monday in its monthly report on durable goods.
By Harlan Green
The last time there was such a surge in goods investment was during the dot-com era, according to MarketWatch’s Jeffry Bartash. “Over the past year, orders for the AI-related hardware have surged 17 percent, a level last sustained during the dot-com era more than a quarter of a century ago,” he said.
The financial markets didn’t like the Fed’s inaction, which is why the market indexes plunged after the FOMC statement—the DOW ended the day down by -1150 pts.
Economic disaster is staring Americans in the face, if Trump keeps raising tariffs and can’t stop his Gulf war. It cuts into consumer spending, raising the cost of everything when debt at all levels—national, corporate, and consumers are already at record levels.
Raising the Fed’s interest rate will slow rising inflation by slowing economic growth. The Fed FOMC conclusion that economic activity is
substantially exceeds the 3.4 percent seen in February before the Iran conflict began, (my bold) along with all 2024 readings. Long-run inflation expectations held steady from last month at 3.3 percent, remaining a bit higher than the 2.8 percent to 3.2 percent range seen in 2024.”
The advance second quarter GDP growth estimate was just 1.5 percent, another casualty of the tariffs and Mideast wars despite the AI investment surge. It’s no wonder the Fed’s Governors are avoiding the obvious; when to begin to restrict credit before inflation becomes entrenched longer term, as it did in the 1970s.
What were the conditions then? Energy supplies were restricted, inflation soared, and economic growth stagnated. Hence the decade of stagflation. Is this a repeat?
But the dot-com investments didn’t begin to show enough profit for decades to pay for the investments, hence the 2000 dot-com recession that Alan Greenspan and Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller predicted with their warning that irrational exuberance was blinding investors from reality.
The Fed must act to raise rates sooner or later, since higher inflation is already embedded in consumer surveys, according to the University of Michigan’s sentiment survey:
“Year-ahead inflation expectations ticked down from 4.6 percent in June to a still-elevated 4.2 percent this month. The current reading
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The following Corporation is doing business as ORION REALTY GROUP at 630 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. MANCHESTER DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION at 630 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on June 11, 2026. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2026-0001522. Published July 31, August 7, 14, 21, 2026.
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ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – CHANGE OF NAME, CASE NUMBER : 26CV04233 . Petitioner: Cynthia Elizabeth Perez filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Cynthia Elizabeth Perez to PROPOSED NAME: Cynthia Elizabeth Santoyo. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: September 9, 2026; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 3; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 07/17/26 /s/: Thomas P. Anderle , Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #26CV04233 Pub Dates: July 31, August 7, 14, 21, 2026.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – CHANGE OF NAME, CASE NUMBER : 26CV04586 . Petitioner: Hannah Grace Nawrocki filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Hannah Grace Nawrocki to PROPOSED NAME: Hannah Grace McGivney. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: September 18, 2026; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 3; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 07/28/26 /s/: Thomas P. Anderle , Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #26CV04586 Pub Dates: August 7, 14, 21, 28, 2026.
: 26CV04154
Petitioner: Elias Maldonado filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Elias Maldonado to PROPOSED NAME: Eli Axion Maldonado. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: September 4, 2026; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 4; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 07/10/26 /s/: Thomas P. Anderle , Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #26CV04154 Pub Dates: August 7, 14, 21, 28, 2026.
The Secretary of the Staff Hearing Officer has set a public hearing for Wednesday, August 19, 2026 beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the David Gebhard Public Meeting Room, 630 Garden Street.
On Thursday, August 13, 2026, an Agenda with all items to be heard on Thursday, August 13, 2026 will be available online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/SHO. Agendas, Minutes, and Staff Reports are also accessible online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/SHO.
TELEVISION COVERAGE: This meeting will be broadcast live on City TV-Channel 18 and online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityTV. See SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityTVProgramGuide for a rebroadcast schedule. An archived video of this meeting will be available at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PCVideos.
WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT: Public comments may be submitted via email to PCSecretary@SantaBarbaraCA.gov before the beginning of the Meeting. All public comments submitted via email will be provided to the Commission and will become part of the public record. You may also submit written correspondence via US Postal Service (USPS) addressed to PC Secretary, PO Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990. However, please be advised, correspondence sent via USPS may not be received in time to process prior to the meeting and email submissions are highly encouraged. Please note that the Commission may not have time to review written comments received after 4:30 p.m. the Tuesday before the meeting.
All public comment that is received before 4:30 p.m. the Tuesday before the meeting will be published on the City’s website at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PC. Comments provided via USPS or e-mail will be converted to a PDF before being posted on the City’s website. Note: comments will be published online the way they are received and without redaction of personal identifying information; including but not limited to phone number, home address, and email address. Only submit information that you wish to make available publicly.
APPEALS: Decisions of the Planning Commission may be appealed to the City Council. For further information and guidelines on how to appeal a decision to City Council, please contact the City Clerk’s office at Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov as soon as possible. Appeals may be filed in person at the City Clerk’s office at City Hall or in writing via email to Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov and by first class mail postage prepaid within 10 calendar days of the meeting at which the Commission took action or rendered its decision. Appeals and associated fee postmarked after the 10th calendar day will not be accepted.
Alex Castillo: 805-403-0202
NOTE TO INTERESTED PARTIES: Only those persons who participate through public comment either orally or in writing on an item on this Agenda have standing to appeal the decision. Grounds for appeal are limited to those issues raised either orally or in written correspondence delivered to the review body at, or prior to, the public hearing.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: If you need services or staff assistance to attend or participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator’s Office at (805) 5645305. If possible, notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will usually enable the City to make reasonable arrangements. Specialized services, such as sign language interpretation or documents in Braille, may require additional lead time to arrange.
• 1454 Harbor View Drive
Assessor’s Parcel Number: 015-272-006
Zoning Designation: E-3/S-D-3 (One-Family Residence/Coastal Overlay)
Application Number: PLN2026-00111; Filing Date: 4/9/2026
Applicant / Owner: Amy Von Protz / Kliman Corey
Project Description: Front Setback Modification and CDP for an ADU conversion
• 167 Vista Del Mar
Assessor’s Parcel Number: 047-051-017
Zoning Designation:
E-3/S-D-3 (One-Family Residence/Coastal Overlay)
Application Number: PLN2026-00143; Filing Date: 4/30/2026
Applicant / Owner: Amy Von Protz / Harris, Kimberly D & Jeffrey D Family Trust
Project Description: Coastal Development Permit for Garage to ADU conversion
THE HORSE WHISPERER known around the world, Monty Roberts, has died at the age of 91. He was known for his gentle style of training and lived at the Flag is Up Farms in Buellton.
THE NEW DOWNTOWN SANTA BARBARA GELATO STOP IS SWEETALY, at 401 Paseo Nuevo – on the corner of the mall near State Street at Ortega. The grand opening was last Saturday, August 1st. Get a delicious taste of what they taste in Italy!
“I WAS PULLING UP AND MY FLIP FLOP GOT CAUGHT under the pedal!” A driver is uninjured after his vehicle went through the Pet House store on Calle Real at 7am on July 30th. Glass and debris were all over. Santa Barbara Co. Fire, Sheriff, and Holzers towing were on the scene.
A VEHICLE COLLISION WITH A PEDESTRIAN sent one person to Cottage Hospital on Sunday at 8:50pm. It happened in the 1200 block of Coast Village Road in Santa Barbara.
A FATALITY TOOK PLACE ON THE TRAIN TRACKS on Sunday night near Por La Mar Circle. The southbound Amtrak was delayed more than two hours. No other specific details are known.
A LARGE EUCALYPTUS TREE BRANCH came crashing down on the inner parking strip on Coast Village Road on July 29th. Luckily no one was hurt and there was no report of any vehicle damage. One regular in the area said the branch was precariously hanging in the area prior to this slammer.
Spanish Days’ launch on Wednesday. Paseo Nuevo performances will continue daily through Saturday evening. Other highlights will be Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, which expects thousands at its festival during the weekend, as well as the Fiesta De La Guerra mercado downtown, which will be larger and expand out to State Street. It will cover a two block area and offer more food and retail choices. There will also be a beer garden.
GOLETA AREA RESIDENTS speak out to city leaders and the owner of a gun shop that is set to open near Here We Grow Early Learning Center, a daycare and preschool. An online petition to oppose it is underway. Goodland Guns says by opening there a trashy vacant store area will be upgraded, safe, and secure. The shop is set to open in September.
ACCOMPLISHMENT! The Santa Barbara Foresters are national champions again with their record setting 11th title. The series was in Wichita, Kansas. The Foresters outscored their six opponents at the World Series 49 to 4. Congratulations to coach Bill Pintard and the many next top college and pro players in America.
COMMUNITY DONORS AND THE WAKEFIELD 805 RADIO SHOW raised over $2,000 in donations to help cover the funds that the Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta in Santa Barbara need for their many outfits and instruction. This includes dresses, shoes and accessories.
John Palminteri is a veteran news reporter and anchor for Newschannel 3-12 TV and both KJEE and KCLU radio in Santa Barbara/Santa Maria/Ventura. Off the air, he’s often bringing his smile and positive energy to the microphone at fundraisers and civic events. John’s social media presence has one of the largest followings in Santa Barbara, and this page has the weekly highlights. Twitter: @JohnPalminteri • Instagram: @JohnPalminteriNews www.facebook.com/john.palminteri.5
By Maria McCall, Special to VOICE
IThe Santa Barbara Master Chorale invites singer s to audition for the 2026-2027 season.
T’S WELL KNOWN THAT SANTA BARBARA HISTORICAL MUSEUM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DACIA HARWOOD throws one of the best Fiesta parties in town, and this year’s celebration did not disappoint.
Festively dressed Santa Barbarans kicked off Fiesta season at the museum with an evening of history, culture, music, tacos, margaritas, dancing, and celebration, marking the opening of the Museum’s latest Project Fiesta! exhibitions: Arte de los Mantones, featuring the Museum’s stunning collection of Spanish shawls, alongside Finding Saint Barbara, which examines the city’s patron saint. It was fun to see the many depictions of Saint Barbara and even spot three women who portrayed Saint Barbara searching for “their” image on the gallery walls.
Featuring:
Henry Purcell - “Come ye Sons of Art” and choruses from “Dido and Aeneas”
Classic Christmas - Holiday music from “Home Alone," “Elf, ” choruses from “Messiah”, and a sing-along!
Featuring:
The Idea Of America - Compositions from American composers William Billings, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.
Henry Purcell - “Come ye Sons of Art” and choruses from “Dido and Aeneas”
Inspiring music. Exceptional community. Timeless tradition. A shared passion.
Classic Christmas - Holiday music from “Home Alone ," “Elf , ” choruses “Messiah”, and a sing-along!
T he I dea O f A merica - Compositions from American composers William Billings, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2026
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2026
A wonderful surprise was a beer tasting by Third Window Brewing Company, whose name is inspired by the legend of Saint Barbara, and the beer was really good.
Guests enjoyed beautiful performances by 2026 Spirit of Fiesta Jenna Ramirez and Junior Spirit Penny Hernandez, along with music by Mariachi Sin Fronteras and Elements Band.
Among those celebrating were Timo Nuñez, Erik and Angelique Davis, Fritz and Gretchen Olenberger, Denise Sanford, Scott Burns, David Bolton, Frank McGuinity, Debbie Geremia, Diane Pankuk, Cindy Bates Elster, and Beverly Cavaliere. They were all on hand to support 2026 Old Spanish Days El Presidente Colin Hayward.
Inspiring music. Exceptional community. Timeless tradition. A shared passion.
RESERVE YOUR AUDITION
Scan the QR code or visit sbmasterchorale.org/join-us - -��----�----�
Learn about our concerts, artistic staff, and upcoming season at sbmasterchorale.org ---.:::s>)i�
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2026
Share your voice.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2026
Sing ext raordinary music. Join an extraordinary com munity.
RESERVE YOUR AUDITION
Scan the QR code or visit sbmasterchorale.org/join-us
Participating
By Colleen Graffy, Special to VOICE
TODAY, THE HISTORIC STREETS OF SANTA BARBARA ECHOED with a sound not heard in nearly six decades: the bright, youthful voices of the Children’s Strolling Chorus. Presented by the Music Academy’s Sing! in partnership with the Erin Graffy Legacy Endowment, August 5th marked the official revival of a beloved Old Spanish Days tradition originally conceptualized in 1929 by Daisy Prideaux and Leontine Phelan—and now renamed The Erin Graffy Children’s Strolling Chorus.
The chorus was revived in loving tribute to the late Erin Graffy de Garcia, a vibrant local icon, author, historian, and cherished force of nature who adored Fiesta and the performing arts. “Erin first fell in love with Old Spanish Days as a young child singing in Mrs. O’Sullivan’s original children’s strolling chorus,” said Colleen Graffy, Erin’s sister. “Naming this revived chorus in her memory ensures her joyful spirit continues to inspire future generations.”
The morning began at Paseo Nuevo’s Center Court before the procession wound its way to De La Guerra Plaza for a civic welcome and official opening by Mayor Randy Rowse and El Presidente Colin Hayward on the steps of City Hall. The children then sang their way through the historic arches and passageways of El Paseo, culminating in a grand arrival through the doors of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum courtyard.
Following performances by the chorus, Museum Executive Director Dacia Harwood welcomed guests and introduced Indigo Fischer, Vice President of Artistic Planning at the Music Academy, who spoke on the collaboration and community outreach. Sing! Artistic Director, Erin McKibben, highlighted the dedication of the young singers and their families.
Colleen Graffy expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Profant Foundation and Inaugural Revival Sponsors Avi and Jenna Reichental, whose generosity brought this heritage project to life. Covering the morning’s festivities was Carly Lindblad, an incoming senior at Dos Pueblos High School who is stepping into her new role as this year’s Erin Graffy Journalism Fellow.
Taking the podium, local historian Neal Graffy (Erin and Colleen’s brother), shared the rich history of the original chorus. In 1949, Mrs. Liam O’Sullivan took leadership, directing the chorus through
its final run in 1968 singing songs like Cielito Lindo and El Capotin. It was in Mrs. O’Sullivan’s chorus that a young Erin Graffy first fell in love with Fiesta, dressing in costume and learning early California songs—making today’s revival a deeply personal tribute.
Dacia Harwood concluded the reception with an exciting announcement: the museum’s exhibit, Finding St. Barbara, will feature a historical talk by Neal Graffy on Wednesday, September 23rd, concurrent with the republication launch of Erin Graffy’s out-of-print book, St. Barbara.
Thanks to community partnership and visionary support, Santa Barbara’s living history is once again walking—and singing—hand in hand with its future. ¡Viva la Fiesta!
By Isaac Hernández de Lipa / VOICE
WITH A BEAUTIFUL RHYTHM, the first anniversary exhibition at Seimandi & Leprieur, YEAR ONE, features highlights from the year old gallery’s journey, as well as new work with an international connection by local artists Mary Heebner and UCSB professor George Legrady.
Six artists are represented in the exhibit, all very different from each other, though their work presents well together.
Legrady, whose work is in the collections of Centre Pompidou, the Whitney, SFMOMA, LACMA, and the Smithsonian, offers a mesmerizing lenticular photographic print Fire & Smoke and features pictures from France and Canada. “He has been shaping the future of photography for decades,” explained Julien. “A pioneer in digital media, he transforms historical imagery into immersive visual experiences.”
Heebner’s large acrylic pieces Conjuring Rain Nos. 5 and 6, which just returned from hanging at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Helsinki for three years, have a commanding presence. They started as watercolors created in the field, when she was surprised by a storm while walking through manzanita brush in Hollister Ranch.
“When I got into the studio, I poured different colors of acrylic ink and moved it around as if it were water, working on the floor,” Heebner shared. “Then added other pigment to feel like cloudscapes.”
The art of Hunt Slonem, a leading figure of American NeoExpressionism, bookends Heebner’s pieces. “He’s very famous for his bunnies and butterflies, the motif he painted for fifty years,” Fanny shared. “But, the more the years pass, the more he works on the texture. For example, that one incorporates diamond dust. He has a big fan base. We had people from Los Angeles coming just to meet him and have him sign books.”
For Parisian-born artist Dora Vital, who resides in Martinique and had a solo show here, Jardin Nocturne (Nocturnal Garden), returns with hypnotizing daytime garden paintings.
The black-and-white art by Martinique artist Ricardo OzierLafontaine, who explores themes of identity, memory, and ancestral presence, offers great contrast from the others but also provides continuity. The gallery held its first show with a monographic of his work titled Fertilum
“It’s very powerful because he’s been painting in black and white for twelve years,” Fanny explained. “It’s an act of resistance against stereotypes of Caribbean artists, because we imagine that they only paint with bright colors and very naive subjects. He’s deeply influenced by preColumbian archaeological forms and is a very established artist in France.”
In the very back, False Flag Washed Up, an abstract by Pierre Roy-Camille attracts attention. “He describes himself like a magician, like a creator of images and memories,”
Julien noted, as he admited this is his favorite piece.
“He was at first a street artist based in Paris,” added Fanny, “but as a child he spent all summer in the Caribbean and all his work is about colonialism.”
The Gallery & Team:
Fanny Seimandi and Julien Leprieur landed in Santa Barbara in the spring of 2025, children in tow, with the idea of opening a contemporary art gallery with a French perspective. Three months later, Seimandi & Leprieur opened its doors at 33 W. Anapamu Street, in the heart of Santa Barbara’s art district.
Fanny is from Lyon. Julien is from Brittany. They met in Paris, and lived in Martinique for ten years. The gallery was a dream come true, especially for Fanny, who had been a judge (primarily in criminal law) in France, before transitioning to the art world and earning a Master’s in Art Market Studies from the Sorbonne, Paris. Julien brings his experience as an engineer to enhance the gallery experience.
“Fanny is very dynamic and positive,” says Julien.
“Julien wants everything to be perfect. He’s very meticulous,” adds Fanny. “We are very complementary.”
They work together to make the best use of the 1,150 square feet space with 13-foot ceilings.
Fanny and Julien don’t rest. They just returned from the Seattle Art Fair and they’re already preparing their next two shows, beginning with Michael EB Detto (September 3rd to 27th), a German photographer whose work transforms familiar architecture into spaces of ambiguity and narrative possibility.
“And then we’ll have Julie Anderson Mathias, from Chicago,” said Fanny. “She makes huge pieces, very abstract. She was an architect before. We’re very excited about these two shows.”
11am-6pm Mo-Sa, 12-6pm Su • seimandileprieur.com
Lenore
Tolegian Hughes lenorehughes.com
10 West Gallery • Figurative through Aug • 10 W Anapamu • 11-5 We-Mo • 805-770-7711 • 10westgallery.com
Architectural Fdn Gallery • Jacqueline Woods: How Forever Works, through Aug 15 • 229 E Victoria • 805-965-6307 • 1–4 some Sa & By Appt • afsb.org
Arrediamo Fine Art & Traditional Rugs Gallery • 911.5 State St • arrediamo.com
Art & Soul Gallery • Cosas De La Vida through Aug 30 • Thu-Sun 12-5; by appt • 1323 State St • artandsoulsb.com
Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UCSB • Closed through Aug 26 • museum.ucsb.edu
Art From Scrap • Explore Ecology • exploreecology.org
ArtLabbé Gallery • Free art, music, & exercise classes to our individuals with special needs & family members • Tu, We, Th, Sun 12-5:30; Fr 12-5 • 111
Jami Joelle Nielsen: An Otherworldly, Rusty
Retrospective • A solo retrospective exhibition celebrating artist Jami Joelle Nielsen • Community Arts Workshop • Free • 5pm Th, 8/6 through Su, 8/9.
Celebrate Culture: Roots
Beyond the Surface • A one week exhibit centered on Indigenous artists, culture
RUTH ELLEN HOAG www.ruthellenhoag.com @ruthellenhoag 805-689-0858 ~inquire for studio classes~
Santa Barbara St, #H • artlabbe.org
Atkinson Gallery • Tu & We 10–2 • SBCC Humanities East Campus Rm 203 • atkinsongallerysbcc.com
Bella Rosa Galleries • 1103-A State St • 11-5 daily • 805-966-1707
The Carriage and Western Art Museum • Old Spanish Days Trophy Saddles; Victoria Stables Wagon • Ongoing • Free • 129 Castillo St • 805-962-2353 • 9-3 Mo-Fr • carriagemuseum.org
California Nature Art Museum • Untamed Desert: Captured by Paulette Donnellon, through Jan 18; Lulu Hyggelig: California’s First Thomas Dambo Troll • ongoing • 1511 B Mission Dr, Solvang • 11-4 Mo, Th, Fr; 11-5 Sa & Su • calnatureartmuseum.org
Casa de La Guerra • Fine Print, Hard Lines: Housing and Exclusion in Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara 1925 – 2025: A Portrait in Maps; Finding Fiesta through Oct 25 • ongoing • $5/ Free • 15 East De la Guerra St • 12-4
bearers, and historically marginalized voices • Museum of Contemporary Art • Free • 11am-2pm and 3-7pm Mo, 8/10 through Su, 8/16.
Carpinteria Creative Arts Market • Pottery, beach art, cards, jewelry, sewn articles • 8th St & Linden Av • Free • 2:30pm-6pm Thu.
SB Arts & Crafts Show • Local artists & artisans • Free • 236 E Cabrillo Blvd • 10am-5pm Sun.
Th-Su • sbthp.org/casadelaguerra
Casa Dolores • Bandera Ware / traditional outfits ~ ongoing • 1023 Bath St • 12-4 Tu-Sa • 805-963-1032
Casa del Herrero • Gardens & House • by reservation • 1387 East Valley Rd • tours 10 & 2 We & Sa • 805-565-5653 • casadelherrero.com
Channing Peake Gallery • Scaling the Walls • 8-5 M-F • 105 E Anapamu St, 1st fl • 805-568-3994
Colette Cosentino Atelier + Gallery • 11 W Anapamu St • By Appt • colettecosentino.com
Community Arts Workshop • 631 Garden St • 10-6pm Fri & By Appt • sbcaw.org
Corridan Gallery • Summer in the Garden: Elliott Ciampi through Aug 15 • 125 N Milpas • 11-5 We-Sa • 805966-7939 • corridan-gallery.com
Cypress Gallery • 119 E Cypress Av, Lompoc • 1-4 Sa & Su • 805-7371129 • lompocart.org
El Presidio De Santa Bárbara
• Nihonmachi Revisited; Memorias y Facturas - ongoing • 123 E Canon Perdido St • 10:30-4:30 Daily • sbthp.org
Elverhøj Museum • Roland
Petersen Undiminished: A Centennial Celebration through Aug 11 • History & Danish culture • 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang • 805-686-1211 • 11-5 Th-Mo • elverhoj.org
Faulkner Gallery • 40 E Anapamu St • 10-7 Mo-Th; 10-5 Fri, Sa; 12-5 Sun • 805-962-7653.
Fazzino 3-D Studio Gallery • 3-D original fine art • 1011 State St • 805730-9109 • Fazzino.com
Fuzion Gallery & Boutique • Hand blown glass, 100 + artists • 1115 State St • fuzionglass.com
Gallery 113 • Members of the SB Art Assn • 1114 State St, #8, La Arcada Ct • 805-965-6611 • 11-5 Mo-Sa; 1-4 Su • gallery113sb.com
Gallery Josephine • 133 E Anapamu St • Work by Josephine Tournier Ingram • 1st Thu & By Appt
Gallery Los Olivos • Go West: Robin Deshayes, Deborah Kalas, & Linda Lewis through Aug • Daily 104pm • 2920 Grand Av • 805-688-7517 • gallerylosolivos.com
dimarcogallery.com
Goleta Photographer Frank DiMarco
Ganna Walska Lotusland • Gardens • by reservation • 695 Ashley Rd • 805-969-9990 • lotusland.org
Grace Fisher Fdn • Inclusive Arts
Clubhouse • Paintings by Grace Fisher • 121 S Hope, La Cumbre Plaza • WeSu 11-5pm • gracefisherfoundation.org
Indah Gallery • Bridging Worlds:
Max Gleason through Aug 9 • Fri-Sun 12-5 • 2190 N Refugio Rd, Santa Ynez • maxgleason.com/indah-gallery
James Main Fine Art • 19th & 20th
Century Fine art & antiques • 27 E
De La Guerra St • 12-5 Tu-Sa • Appt Suggested • 805-962-8347
Jewish Federation of Greater SB • Portraits of Survival interactive ~ Ongoing • 9-4pm Mo-Fr • 524
Chapala St • 805-957-1115 ext. 114
Kathryne Designs • Local Artists • 1225 Coast Village Rd, A • 10-5 Mo-Sa; 11-5 Su • 805-565-4700 • kathrynedesigns.com
La Cumbre Center For Creative Arts • Fine Line Gallery; Elevate Gallery; Illuminations Gallery • Multi-Artist Studio/Gallery Spaces • La Cumbre Plaza • 12-5 Tu-Su • lcccasb.com
Linden Studio • Art & Artifacts • 963 Linden Ave, Carpinteria • 805570-9195.
Lompoc Library Grossman Gallery • Ollie Woodworth through Aug • 501 E North Av, Lompoc • 805-588-3459
Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center • 93013 through Aug 16 • 12-4 Th-Su • 865 Linden • 805-6847789 • carpinteriaartscenter.org
Maker House • 1351 Holiday Hill Rd • 805-565-CLAY • 10-4 Daily • makerhouse.org
Marcia Burtt Gallery • Coastal California and Peggy Gruen through Aug 23 • Landscape paintings, prints, & books • 517 Laguna St • 1-5 Th-Su •
www.bovonhohenlohe.com
805-962-5588 • artlacuna.com
Mate Gallery • Beach images alongside vintage oils, gifts • 1014 Coast Village Rd • 805-895-6283 • mategallery.com
MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation • 10-5 Daily • 125 State St • 805-770-5000 • moxi.org
Museum of Contemporary Art SB • 11-6pm Tu-Sun • 653 Paseo Nuevo • mcasantabarbara.org
Legacy Arts International • Wed-Sun 12-8pm • La Cumbre Plaza • 310-880-6671 • legacyartsb.com
Palm Loft Gallery • 410 Palm Av, Loft A1, Carpinteria • 1-6 Fr-Su & By Appt • 805-684-9700 • palmloft.com
Patricia Clarke Studio • 410 Palm Av, Carpinteria • By Appt • 805-4527739 • patriciaclarkestudio.com Peregrine Galleries • Early CA & American paintings; fine vintage jewelry • 1133 Coast Village Rd • 805252-9659 • @peregrinegalleries
805-453-2770
Pippin • La Aracada’s newest art, antiques, boutique • 1114 State #24.
Portico Gallery • Jordan Pope & Gallery Artists • Open Daily • 1235 Coast Village Rd • 805-729-8454 • porticofinearts.com
REH Contemporary • 12 W Anapamu • Studio of Ruth Ellen Hoag and gallery for local artists • 805-6890858 • RuthEllenHoag.com
Santa Barbara Art Works • Arts Education for All • 28 E Victoria St
• 805-260-6705 • M-F 8:30-4:30 • sbartworks.org
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden • Still Growing: 100 Years of California’s Native Plants through Mar 2027 • 1212 Mission Canyon Rd • 10-5 daily • 805-682-4726 • sbbg.org
Santa Barbara City Hall Gallery
• Scaling The Walls • featuring Arts Alliance members • 735 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara Fine Art • Places from the Heart • Landscapes & sculptor Bud Bottoms • 1321 State St • 1-6 We-Sa & By Appt • 805-845-4270 • santabarbarafineart.com
Santa Barbara Historical Museum • Project Fiesta!: Arte de los Mantónes and Finding Saint Barbara; and Edward Borein Gallery, and The Story of Santa Barbara ~ ongoing • 136 E De la Guerra • 12-5 We, Fri-Su; 12-7 Th • 805-966-1601 • sbhistorical.org
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
• Play: Bronze Sculptures and Other Stuff by Susan Read Cronin • Aug 13- Nov 29 • The Chumash, Whaling, Commercial Diving, Surfing, Shipwrecks, First Order Fresnel Lens, and SB Lighthouse Women Keepers ~ Ongoing • 113 Harbor Wy, Ste 190 • 10-5 Daily • 805-962-8404 • SBMM.org
A. Michael Marzolla, Fine Artist Excogitation Services/Marzozart Paintings, drawings, prinits Commissions accepted www.marzozart.com
Santa Barbara Museum Of Art
• Remixed: Entwined Histories & New Forms, through Aug 30; RandomAccess Memory: Internet Art, through Sep 27; As if in a Dream: History, Fantasy, Future: through Jan 3 • 11-5 Tu-Su; 5-8 1st Th free; 2nd Sun free Tri-Co residents • 805-963-4364 • sbma.net
Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History • Butterflies Alive! through September; The Living Print through Nov 8; Chumash Basketry: Art & Life through Nov 30 • 2559 Puesta del Sol • 10-5 We-Mo • sbnature.org
Santa Barbara Sea Center • Dive
In: Our Changing Channel ~ Ongoing • 211 Stearns Wharf • 10-5 Daily • 805682-4711 • sbnature.org
Santa Barbara Tennis Club - 2nd Fridays Art • GVAA, curated & juried by Linda Ekstrom through Aug • 2375 Foothill Rd • 10-6 Daily • 805-682-4722 • 2ndfridaysart.com
Santa Ynez Chumash Museum
• A Legacy of Culture, Innovation, and Resilience • 3500 Numancia St, SY • Thu-Sun 10-5pm • sychumashmuseum.org
Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum • 3596 Sagunto St • 12-4pm We-Su • santaynezmuseum.org
Sahyun Genealogical Library • Research family history • 316 Castillo St • Tue/Thu 10-4; Sun & 3rd Sat 1-4 • SBGen.org
Seimandi & Leprieur • Hunt
Slonem: a leading figure of American Neo-Expressionism; Year One: Group Show through Aug • 33 W Anapamu St. • Wed-Sat 11-6 • 805-610-1203 • seimandileprieur.com
Stewart Fine Art • Early CA Plein Air Paintings + European Fine Art + Antiques • 539 San Ysidro Rd • 115:30 Mo-Sa • 805-845-0255
Sullivan Goss • Wosene: Words in Time through Sep 21; Nicole Strasburg: The Whole is Greater through Aug 24 • 11 E Anapamu St • 10-5:30 daily • 805-730-1460 • sullivangoss.com
Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum • 122 W Canon Perdido • 11-4 Fr-Sa; Su-Th by appt • quinlanmuseum.com • 805-687-4623
SYV Historical Museum & Carriage House • Art of The Western Saddle • ongoing • 3596
Sagunto St, SY • 12-4 Sa, Su • 805688-7889 • santaynezmuseum.org
Tamsen Gallery • Before they were Legends through Sep 17 • 1309 State St • 12-5 We-Su • 805-705-2208 • tamsengallery.com
UCSB Library Ocean Gallery • Creating Community Through Books: 20 Years of UCSB Reads through Jan 2027 • library.ucsb.edu
Voice Gallery • SB Sculptors Guild & VOICE present Caliente • La Cumbre Plaza H-124 • 10-5:30 M-F; 1-5 Sa-Sun • 805-965-6448
Waterhouse Gallery Montecito • Notable CA & National Artists • 1187 Coast Village Rd • 11-5 Mo-Su • 805962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com
Waterhouse Gallery SB • Notable CA & National Artists • La Arcada Ct, 1114 State St, #9 • 11-5 Mo-Sa • 805962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com
Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum Of Art • Recent Acquisitions • Some weekdays 10-4 during the summer • westmont.edu/museum
The Yes Store • Art by Local Artists • 1015 State St • M-F: 11am-6pm; Sa:10:30am-6pm; Su: 10:30am-5pm • theyesstore.com
GET INSPIRED BY SCENIC VIEWS and sloping hills when the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and SCAPE artists present an afternoon on plein air painting in Elings Park at 9am on Friday, August 7th. Bring your preferred art supplies and meet at the Elings Park restoration site on top of the hill for a guided walk to the paint site.
Free and open to the public. Visit sbbotanicgarden.org
UNCOVER THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF COTTON CULTIVATION along the U.S.-Mexico border when author, translator, and Pulitzer Prize winner, Cristina Rivera Garza, joins renowned poet and publisher Carmen Giménez to discuss Garza’s novel Autobiography of Cotton. The narrative is a political and deeply personal discussion of agricultural colonization, labor activism, environmental degradation, and more, centered around the migration journey of Garza’s grandparents. Join the conversation in SBMA’s Mary Craig Auditorium from 2pm to 3pm on Sunday, August 16th. For tickets ($10-15) visit sbma.net
Call to Artists • The Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center is now accepting submissions for our upcoming Buy-It & Take-It exhibition Echoes In Color • carpinteriaartscenter.org
• Virtual submission deadline: 11:59pm Th, 8/13, in person art drop-off: 10am-2pm Mo, 8/17.
By Bridget Keon / VOICE
THAT COMBINE DIVERSE AND ENTICING FLAVORS, Gracie, opened by partners Grace Austin and Dudley Michael this past year, is a restaurant that stands out for its elegance amid the busy harbor scene. With offerings for brunch, dinner, and happy hour, and a design that utilizes the beauty of the harbor to its fullest extent, Gracie is drawing locals and visitors alike.
“The menu came out of our love for travel and the things we’ve enjoyed eating as we’ve gone around the world,” said Austin. “We wanted all of it to be approachable yet elevated — sophisticated food that still feels like something you’d be comfortable ordering anywhere.”
Both Austin and Michael were trained as chefs and have spent years in front and back of house positions. They each opened their own restaurants at a young age, and came together after six years and began working on projects together. They currently co-own local eateries the Shop and Rodeo Room, as well as Gracie.
At Gracie, they craft day and evening menus that include seasonal dishes among staples. They are excited their current highlights.
“Our burger, first and foremost — Snake River Farms wagyu cooked over Japanese binchotan charcoal. It’s
an incredible plain burger that needs almost nothing beyond the meat, the bun, and the cheese,” she said. “We’re also loving our new salmon dish, done in a Mexican style with a salsa verde made pesto-style with pistachio, served over polenta with sweet summer corn. At brunch, we’re excited about the creamy shrimp and grits, our house-made gravlax — a nod to The Shop — served over our homemade focaccia, and a seared mortadella Benedict.”
Bringing their high-level cocktail program to the waterfront, they enjoy offering something fresh, modern, and engaging. Their cocktail menu features their espresso martini with a flavored cold foam that rotates seasonally, with those made with speciality liquors such as their “Make it Snap,” which mixes snap pea gin with dry vermouth, bitter bianco, and elderflower.
Gracie is decorated in blues and whites, with an open, outdoor patio overlooking the harbor itself. Their bar is lined with soft blue bar seats, and the windows throughout the restaurant welcome the view to speak for itself.
“We hope people come to Gracie and see that we’re as serious about the food and drinks as we are about the views,” said Austin. “This location deserves a restaurant that takes what’s on the plate and in the glass just as seriously — we’re happy to finally be that.”
Mon-Fri 11am-9pm, and Sat & Sun 9am-9pm. Happy hour daily 4-5pm graciewaterfront.com
By Bridget Keon / VOICE
ON A WARM SUMMER BIKE RIDE DOWN STATE STREET THIS WEEKEND, I made my way to Cuso’s Creamery. In a truly wonderful encapsulation of Santa Barbara itself, Cuso’s is a family business that recently re-opened with everything under one roof: speciality ice creams, sandwiches, old-fashioned sodas, and a bike rental and bike shop all rolled into one.
Their ice creams are made using fresh and organic materials, some from as close by as the farmer’s market in downtown Santa Barbara. They produce their flavors at their frozen manufacturing plant at 620 State Street, where, if you catch them at the right moment, you may see the magic happening.
Their menu features three tiers of flavors: signature flavors, classic flavors, and the “Cuso’s Reserve.” I sampled nine during my visit, and my eyebrows went sky-high at pretty much every one (which in the Bridget-ice-cream-review-scale translates to ohhhhhhhh-man-this-is-ridiculously-good).
The texture of each was perfectly creamy, and packed a flavorful punch that sent me into a state of pure bliss. Their tiramisu flavor somehow captured every element of the dessert— the soft, light cream along with dipped espresso ladyfingers, and cocoa powder layered between. I was amazed that a frozen ice cream could embody it so fully and delectably.
The salted toffee caramel was also one of my favorites, with the quality really standing out. Everything was house made, from the mouthfuls of caramel to the sweet crunch of the toffee. I could taste the care and precision that goes into these flavors.
“Growing up, my mom was an incredible baker, which inspired many of our seasonal favorites,” explained Dylan Mancuso. “Our Almond Sugar Cookie, Carrot Cake, Mocha Brownie Fudge, and Mint Brownie Fudge all stem from these baked goods.”
Cuso’s Creamery also stands out for serving flavors not seen anywhere else. Their Oreo cheesecake cookie dough, for instance, pretty much combines each of my all-time favorite ice cream flavors.
“We try to rotate in a few new flavors every couple of weeks or so, and they really last depending on popularity,” explained Mancuso.
People also have the option to build ice cream sandwiches with chocolate chip cookies and an ice cream of their choice, or to enjoy a classic root beer float. Handpacked pints of their flavors are also available.
The biggest takeaway? They care about quality, and that is a difference you can taste. cusoscreamery.com
ST THURSDAY is an evening of art and culture in downtown Santa Barbara that takes place on the first Thursday of each month. Participating art venues offer free access to art in a fun and social environment from 5-8pm. 1st Thursday venues also provide additional attractions, such as live music, artist receptions, lectures, wine tastings, and hands-on activities. State St also comes alive on 1st Thursday with performances and interactive activities.
1. VOICE Gallery • La Cumbre Plaza, 110 S. Hope Ave., Unit H-124 • As the world heats up, Santa Barbara Sculptors Guild and Voice Gallery welcome you to Caliente! Enjoy
6. domecíl • 1223 State Street • Stop by Domecil to view the work of Collette Royer, whose design studio transforms artwork, photography, and historic imagery into exquisite textile creations. Printed on luxurious micro-modal cashmere scarves, her ethereal pieces will be suspended overhead, creating an
immersive celebration of art, fabric, and design.
7. 10 West Gallery • 10 W. Anapamu St. • Figuratively means using words in a way that departs from their literal definition to create a vivid image. Many of the pieces in this show use vivid figurative artwork to express complex or symbolic ideas.
• 1323 State Street • Art & Soul is pleased to present Cosas de la Vida, exhibition featuring new works by celebrated Santa Barbara artists Pedro De La Cruz and Olivia Joffrey. Presented during Santa Barbara’s Fiesta season, Cosas de la Vida explores the many “things of life” that shape our shared human experience.
4. Santa Barbara Fine Art • State Street • As Santa Barbara summers transition into fall, we enjoy the long, warm days and cool evenings with a golden hills backdrop. Come explore this seasonal transition through the art of our extraordinarily talented local artists. (Evening Summer, Light on More Mesa Richard Schloss 24 x 46, oil on canvas)
5. Tamsen Gallery • for Before They Were Legends, breathtaking exhibition of rare trial proofs from the Bob Bonis Archive. Experience intimate, unseen moments of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones during their groundbreaking tours from 1964 to 1966. Don’t miss this unique journey into music history!
8. REH Contemporary Studio & Gallery 12 W. Anapamu St. • Life will fill the gallery with festive color and musical themes. Chuck Talmadge will be “tickling the ivories” while guests take in the works of artist/owner Ruth Ellen Hoag, and the Neon Lightworks of Rod Lathim. Fresh off the Opening and RibbonCutting Ceremony, REH Contemporary is ready to celebrate!
9. Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery • 33 W. Anapamu St. • Experience Mary Heebner’s celebrated paintings, returning from a threeyear installation at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland. Inspired by California’s historic drought, these luminous works evoke the long-awaited arrival of rain and the enduring resilience of
celebrates the opening
Wosene Worke Kosrof.
been exhibited around the globe. Also on view: Nicole Strasburg: The Whole is Greater, and Summer Salon. 11. Gallery Josephine • 133 E. Anapamu St. • After spending July creating art in Paris, Josephine Tournier Ingram welcomes guests back to Gallery Josephine for Santa Barbara’s 1st Thursday Art Walk. Experience a newly curated presentation of her inaugural exhibition, featuring original paintings and new works. Join us for an evening of art, wine, and conversation. Bienvenue!
12. Channel City Camera Club
• Faulkner Gallery 40 E. Anapamu St. • Channel City Camera Club photo enthusiasts are displaying their favorite prints in the Faulkner Gallery this August. Active locally since 1939, the Club strives to advance the knowledge and skill of photography in our community. The First Thursday Reception with snacks is from 4-7 pm.
13. Santa Barbara Museum of Art • 1130 State Street • Visit SBMA for 1st Thursday extended hours, 5–8 pm! Explore staff favorites in A Few of Our Favorite Things: Staff Selections from the Permanent Collection, multimedia and textile works in Remixed: Entwined Histories and New Forms, and reimagined realities in As if in a Dream: History, Fantasy, Future.
14. Gallery 113 • 1114 State Street #8 • Lily Sanders paints with joy — you can feel it in every brushstroke. A longtime Santa Barbara local, Lily captures the charm of our city’s historic architecture, coastal beauty, and the sunlit rhythms of daily life. Other artists working in various mediums will be present to discuss their exhibits for August.
15. Waterhouse Gallery • 1114 State Street #9 • The Gallery features figurative works, interiors, and cityscapes, by some of today’s finest nationally known local and Oak Group artists. Enjoy works by Ray Hunter, Derek Harrison, Wyllis Heaton, Camille Dellar, Ann Sanders, Thomas Van Stein, Nancy Davidson, Rick Garcia, Ellie Freudenstein, and Ralph Waterhouse.
16. Fuzion Boutique & Gallery • 1115 State Street • We’re thrilled to unveil this incredible 8’ x 4’ original oil painting by Alden Brownstone and Peris Sweet Lopez. Shadow Dance showcases a cosmic dance around the eternal fire and was created live in tandem by both artists
17. The Yes Store • 1015 State Street
• Come celebrate the current work of our incredibly talented local artists. Enjoy music, drinks, and treats. View our private collection of Eileen Richardson’s 1980’s art pottery. Whose work is in The Smithsonian Museum! Looking for locally handmade gifts or something special for yourself? Look no further than The Yes Store!
18. Amazon Santa Barbara • 1001 State Street • R. Mike Micklich is an emerging metal artist whose work examines spacecraft through experimental use of car photography, and stainless steel with car parts. Micklich has been juried into the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach and featured in Hot Rod as well as ArtWork magazines.
19. SuperMoss • 922 State Street • Join us for another First Thursday at SuperMoss! Explore moss art, unique plant arrangements, and get creative at our DIY Fiesta crown-making station (material costs apply). Meet fellow plant lovers, shop local, and get inspired!
20. Game Seeker • 920 State Street
• My name is Ruben Wayne Alvarado Jr. I grew up in Santa Barbara and I’ve been doing photography since my freshmen year of high school at Dos Pueblos. Since then I’ve done photography as a hobby and passion, capturing my hometown, moments and memories, feelings and emotions. @Wayne805Photos
Entertainment & Other Activities Fiesta • State Street • Experience the spirit of Santa Barbara during Fiesta! Downtown comes alive with vibrant music, traditional dance, mercados, parades, and cultural celebrations honoring the city’s rich heritage. Explore Fiesta events throughout downtown and join one of Santa Barbara’s most cherished traditions.
Check sbiff.org/sbfilmmakers for film info. Showtimes 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm, and 7pm. (Subject to change)
22. The Blue Owl • 5 W Canon Perdido • Alison Tuma hosts a jazz jam from 5 to 8pm at The Blue Owl Restaurant. Come listen or “sit in” with Shane Savala on guitar and Guil Juliao on bass. All jazz instrumentalists and vocalists welcome. Please bring three plus charts in your key. Enjoy Happy Hour specials till 6pm. Free event!
21. SBIFF’s SANTA BARBARA FILMMAKER SERIES • SBIFF’s Film Center, 916 State Street • Join us at the NEW Film Center every 1st Thursday for free screenings of short films by Santa Barbara filmmakers.
23. Soul Sucker • 814 State Street STE 38 • Swing by Soul Sucker and shop handmade ceramics, art, and prints made by +40 artists & artisans. Soul Sucker promotes the work of independent ceramicists, artists, and small-business goods. Started as the antithesis of corporate culture, Soul Sucker is owned and operated by Alexander Cobos who creates ceramic art, in-house.
24. Paint at Paseo • The Parlor, 651 Paseo Nuevo • Join us this month for a fun guided painting workshop with Santa Maria-based illustrator, Helen Yanez. Originally from Michoacán, Mexico, her work serves as a tribute to her Mexican, Purépecha, and Indigenous heritage. She celebrates cultural landmarks and influential cultural movements through vibrant illustrations.
25. Santa Barbara Historical Museum • 136 E. De La Guerra St. • Celebrate community history at the Museum and enjoy our latest Project Fiesta! exhibitions, Finding Saint Barbara and Arte de los Mantónes, with dance performances (5:30-6pm), Mariachi sin Fronteras (6-7pm), and guitarist Tony Ybarra. All ages welcome.
By Debra Herrick, The UC Santa Barbara Current • 8.3.26
ARTIST SARAH Rosalena has created a 27-foot textile commissioned by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for permanent display in its new David Geffen Galleries.
“Threading the Infinite: Omnidirectional Terrain (2025) is really a textile that points to land and cosmos in a lot of different directions,” Rosalena, an associate professor of computational craft and haptic media at UC Santa Barbara, told Alexander Schneider, associate editor collections for LACMA. “And a lot of that also is a way to look at weaving and how it operates in its origin, because it is something that is 3D — threads go over and under, up and down, soaring, hovering over spaces. So in many ways it almost resembles a terrain.”
Associate Professpr of Art
Rosalena’s largest textile work to date, the piece will be installed in one of the building’s ground-level spaces. Opened to the public in 2026, the galleries house LACMA’s permanent collection.
For the past two decades, Rosalena has developed methods that combine craft and technology. Her work also examines the role of mapping and imaging technologies in colonialism and resource extraction. For the LACMA commission, she used her handweaving patterns to distort computergenerated satellite images of planetary terrains and translate them into woven structures. The textile was produced on an industrial-scale jacquard-rapier loom.
The work has no fixed orientation. Its layered composition connects the appearance of terrain with the physical structure of weaving. “As a handweaver who’s very interested in examining textile from digital media, I really wanted to make
Sarah Rosalena has been awarded the Creative Capital Award, the LACMA Art + Tech Lab Grant, the Steve Wilson Award from Leonardo, the International Society for Art, Sciences, and Technology, the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Art Prize, and the Craft Futures Grant from Center for Craft. She has presented her work at Frieze LA and Blum & Poe Gallery. Her work is in the permanent collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Courtesy Photo
a work that really invoked the terrain, but that also put land and cosmos in all these different directions,” Rosalena said. “For visualizing space, gazing at the cosmos or looking above means to be grounded on Earth, and there’s an exchange between transmitting and receiving from above and below, of threads going up and down, over and under, and visualizing a planet. When looking at the work, there are no directions, there’s no compass, therefore no boundaries or borders. It is, in woven form, an attempt to break geospatial edges because it has its own form of layers and strata, of different sediment and minerals.”
The textile also addresses the use of technology to observe and represent land.
“The work is really a commentary on technology and what it means to be making work with technology at a time of with the rise of climate change, violence due to borders, future colonization,” Rosalena said. “So here it’s really a way to point back at us, to see how we understand land, understand terrain, understand Earth, future Earths. So much of this work is about speaking to power and how we think about land, visualizing land in multiple directions — thinking about Earth, weather, climate change, colonialism, and all the extractive technologies that are involved in how we see and understand land.”
“This work becomes a disruption. It really challenges the grid and these older cosmologies,” said Rosalena, who has
worked with the LACMA Art + Tech Lab since 2019.
“I grew up in Los Angeles and was exposed to technology, learning textiles from my mother and grandmother and master weavers across the Southwest. I grew up with a very traditional weaving background, but my grandfather also worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I’ve always been very interested in the technologies that have made Los Angeles what it is today.”
The commission grew out of Rosalena’s work with LACMA and years of conversations about textiles, technology, and how land is represented.
“This textile is really a result of many years of being in conversation about how textiles could operate as a form of disruption to the otherworldly in power: who visualizes, sees, names and carries land, whether it’s humans, non-humans, life, or death, and Earth becoming terraformed or us having to leave Earth,” she said. “It is about life and non-life, but at the same time, thinking of it in terms of an infinite planetary landscape.”
LACMA is featuring Threading the Infinite: Omnidirectional Terrain in 50 Works 50 Weeks, a series highlighting works that will be displayed in the David Geffen Galleries.
Printed with permission of UCSB Office of Public Affairs and Communications.
Celebrate We Are Resilient with authors Sissy Taran and Tiffany Howard, joined by contributors Grace Fisher, Emma Solano, and Paula Lopez, as they share personal stories of resilience.
Thurs., Aug. 13 | 5:30 - 7 PM Central Library, Faulkner Gallery
Books will be available for purchase and signing at the end of the event.
See Grace Fisher’s art on view in Faulkner Gallery West through August.
First Thursday Reception: Aug. 6 | 4-7 PM
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