An Abstract of Art & Soul

SERVING MONTECITO AND SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA

An Abstract of Art & Soul

Housewife… mother… Abstract Expressionist… the collage of Cecily Barth Firestein’s life and art would find itself into museums, private collections, and galleries across the globe… and her 50th one woman show is now up at the Funk Zone’s Art & Soul (Story starts on page 6)

Brady

page 20

On the Panel

These six dynamic thinkers are coming together for ShelterBox’s International Women’s Day Panel to discuss this year’s theme, Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress, page 5

United celebrates turning 50 with more work towards reducing gun violence,

a a a Say i d0

people

Let The Sun Shine In

Dream. Design. Build. Live.

5 Women’s Panel – ShelterBox to host a panel of trailblazing women at the Music Academy of the West

6 Beings & Doings – Cecily Barth Firestein, a NY housewife, produced a body of art that adorns museum walls the world over. March 7, Art & Soul in the Funk Zone

8 Montecito Miscellany – Lotusland releases a new fragrance, Hélène Grimaud’s Masterseries, American Idol at the Music Academy, and more miscellany

10 Letters to the Editor – More letters flood in regarding the upcoming election and the District 1 Supervisor race Tide Guide

12 Our Town – The finale of Black History Month brings a chat with Provost Kimberly BattleWalters Denu, a reading of The Talented Tenth, and a focus on Janna Ireland’s exhibits

14 Society Invites – It’s art and nibbles immersed with interpretive music at the art museum’s latest affair

16 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – A signed lithograph by Barnaby Conrad – artist, bullfighter, and founder of SB Writers Conference, among his many other endeavors

18 Brilliant Thoughts – What comes from the sun? A story about museums, bosses, and a particular penitentiary’s relic.

20 The Giving List – Brady United continues with its 50 years of work towards reducing gun violence

22

On Entertainment – Alexandra King revives her Seraglio for the Arlington, pirates take to SBCC’s stage, the Capulets have a ball, and other theatrical moments

24 The Optimist Daily – What’s that you say? There’s new progress in the understanding of hearing loss?

Dear Montecito – Stella is heading home and a regular question in her interviews has her reflecting on what she has been missing here

25 Stories Matter – From murder mysteries to historical retellings, these are the literary selections for March

27 Far Flung Travel – Through procrastination and currents, Chuck paddles his way towards the west end of Anacapa Island

Foraging Thyme – What’s blood red in color and all turned around? It’s not a murder mystery – it’s blood orange upside-down cake.

28 Santa Barbara by the Glass – The Sipping Season is here and these events will help kick it off

36 Calendar of Events – Englishmen Abroad, Holy Water on display, Le Museum Le Moderne L’Arte, and more happenings this week

38 Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales

39 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles

Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer

Women’s Panel

ShelterBox to Host Inspiring Panel for International Women’s Day

by Zach Rosen

On Thursday, March 7th, ShelterBox USA will convene a powerhouse panel of trailblazing women at the Music Academy in recognition of International Women’s Day. The conversation is intended to recognize women’s achievements, raise awareness on gender equality issues, and inspire action towards a more equitable world.

The free community event, taking place from 5-7 pm, will feature a reception at 5 pm followed by a panel discussion at 5:45 pm focused on this year’s International Women’s Day theme – “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.”

“I really like to host an event every year and convene a panel for discussion around International Women’s Day to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, and to raise awareness of the importance of closing the global gender gap,” said Kerri Murray , President of ShelterBox USA. “We still have a long way to go globally in closing the gender gap, and so we’ve tried to build awareness around this.”

ShelterBox is a global humanitarian organization that provides emergency shelter and vital household supplies to families displaced by natural disasters and conflict. In its disaster response work around the world, ShelterBox has seen firsthand the disproportionate impact crises have on women and girls.

“Women are absolutely at the heart of and are pivotal for community recovery. So we work to empower women with the tools and training they need to rebuild their lives and their communities after losing everything,” Murray explained.

This year’s International Women’s Day panel will showcase a diverse group of trailblazing women leaders from a variety of backgrounds:

Catherine Reitman – Creator, executive producer, writer, actress, and star of the Emmy-nominated show Workin’ Moms, now in its 7th season on Netflix

Janine Berridge – President of Giving List Women and co-founder of the Global Lab for Research in Action at UCLA

Anne Beagan – Former FBI special agent and criminal investigator turned TV consultant and production company founder

Eileen Boris – Distinguished Professor of Feminist Studies at UCSB and author on women workers and labor rights

Nahla Kayali – Founder and Executive Director of Access California Services, recipient of President Obama’s Champion of Change award for her work with refugees and immigrants

Kerri Murray – President of ShelterBox USA and moderator of the International Women’s Day panel

Beings & Doings

Cecily Barth Firestein

at the Funk Zone’s Art & Soul

by Jeff Wing

ANew Yorker, iconoclast, and pioneering expressionist painter and printmaker, Cecily Barth Firestein’s “career” as an artist paralleled – and was subordinate to – what she would surely have described as her first calling of wife and mother. Therein lies a story. Firestein’s large format wonders will be on display in the Funk Zone’s communal art gallery/event space/conversation-filled parlor Art & Soul, beginning the evening of March 7 (First Thursday), from 5-8 pm, and lasting through the entire month of March.

Firestein’s arc was not typical. While she had the tacit support of her husband, a revered Freudian analyst (whose busy NYC social calendar was necessarily Cecily’s as well), what time she could spend on her self-nourishing art was hers to eke out. An undefined artist from girlhood, she grew and gravitated to an intentional art mission – a comparative rarity for a young woman at that time – seeking higher education in visual art, and then post-college art training from the legendary instructors then anchoring the burgeoning “New York School” of Abstract Expressionism.

At the behest of a typically busy home life, Firestein’s medium of choice moved to the dictates of child-rearing; expedient artistic adjustments the male expressionist rock stars of the day – de Kooning, Pollock, Rothko, et al – never had to make. Moving from oils on canvas to collage, and ultimately to the inimitable layered monotype printmaking that would prove her creative homecoming, Cecily’s evolution as an artist went hand in hand with her evolution as a housewife – a word that has long since been culturally reverse engineered to suggest a form of docile subjugation; the raising and watering of whole adults as wheel-spinning. Cecily Barth Firestein’s story

strongly suggests that domesticity and the deeply felt creation of great art are two iterations of the same art impulse.

But it’s a fact that the artist Cecily Firestein came into her own as a creative force at precisely the time that “wife and mother” and “artist” were mutually exclusive propositions; a phony contradiction fostered by a blinkered and not terribly enlightened Western culture. It’s a testament to Cecily’s adeptness at swimming determinedly upstream that her gorgeous and mesmerizing work today populates museums, private collections, and galleries the world over.

Though the keynote of her story would seem to suggest the theme “a ‘50s-era housewife who produced art on the side, to great effect,” Cecily is more accurately the personification of the innate creative dynamo that drives the human race – housewives and CPAs and clergy and astronauts alike – not despite the vicissitudes of daily life, but as an unwaveringly human element of that daily life.

Art & Soul

The meeting of Yanonali and Santa Barbara streets in our beloved Funk Zone is notable. One of the last of the Chumash Chieftains publicly crosses paths with our town’s eponymous 4th century Catholic martyr? Awkward. The intersection also acts as gateway to a particularly mesmerizing corner of the Zone; a block or so of communal magic that truly summarizes what is best about Santa Barbara’s unbuttoned approach to daily life, art, and conversation. Kim McIntyre’s boutique gallery Art & Soul is “nestled” in that ‘hood, and rightly so. One of several complementary experiences

Sweetening the World’s Tea by Cecily Barth Firestein

2023/2024

105 th CONCERT SEASON

GLOBAL HARMONY / VIRTUOSOS AND VISIONARIES

Presenting the world’s finest classical artists since 1919

INTERNATIONAL SERIES AT THE GRANADA THEATRE

SEASON SPONSOR: SAGE PUBLISHING

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024, 7:30PM

ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Nathalie Stutzmann, Music Director Haochen Zhang, piano

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, a 27-time Grammy® Award winner, unites and educates through orchestral music. Under Nathalie Stutzmann, beginning in the 2022/2023 season, it continues to excel. Stutzmann, celebrated for her love and technique, is joined by Haochen Zhang, a 2009 Van Cliburn Piano Competition winner known for his sensitive virtuosity.

PROGRAM

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No.5 in E-flat Major, Op.73

DVOŘÁK: Symphony No.9 in E Minor, “From the New World,” Op.95, B.178

Sponsors: Deborah & Peter Bertling • Edward S. DeLoreto • The Granada Theatre Mahri Kerley • Lois S. Kroc • The Shanbrom Family Foundation

Co-Sponsors: Meg & Dan Burnham • Bridget B. Colleary • Patricia Kaplan

Tickets at the Granada Theatre Box Office (805) 899-2222 ⫽ granadasb.org

MASTERSERIES AT THE LOBERO THEATRE

SEASON SPONSOR: ESPERIA FOUNDATION

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2024, 7:30PM

Founded in 1997, the Sphinx Virtuosi, a self-conducted chamber orchestra, is the flagship of the Sphinx Organization, dedicated to diversity in the arts. Composed primarily of Black and Latinx artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement. Its members serve as cultural and diversity ambassadors for audiences and communities around the United States during national tours, and perform annually at Carnegie Hall.

PROGRAM OF BLACHE, FARIAS, CASSARRUBIOS, HAILSTORK, FOLEY, and PERKINSON

EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR: Bitsy & Denny Bacon and The Becton Family Foundation

Tickets at the Lobero Theatre Box Office (805) 963-0761 ⫽ lobero.org

Montecito Miscellany

Lotusland’s Lemony Scent

by Richard Mineards

Lotusland, Montecito’s 37-acre botanical paradise, is now even more fragrant than usual!

In collaboration with Heretic Perfume, the estate has launched its second limited-edition organic scent inspired by Ganna Walska, the avant-garde Polish opera singer and designer, and her colorful creation.

More than 90 years ago the opera singer created a line of perfumes in Paris and the latest fragrance Lemon Arbor follows in that tradition.

“It is an enchanting union of organic botanicals and olfactory artistry, meticulously crafted with the reverence for the garden’s legacy and Ganna Walska’s vision,” says Rebecca Anderson, executive director.

The citric fragrance draws its inspiration from Lotusland’s famous Lemon Arbor that was built in the 1920s and was replicated in 1988.

Sprawling Eureka lemons have been

trained to grow over the arbor and when in bloom create a euphoric sensory experience signature to the location.

The scent blends uplifting Italian bergamot, lemon zest and orange blossom absolute with cashmere musk of ambrettolide for a clean, alluring scene that energizes and uplifts the mind, body and spirit.

Lotusland and Heretic, a Los Angelesbased company founded by Douglas Little in 2015, have been collaborating since 2021 with the launch of their first signature fragrance Osmanthus, inspired by the estate’s Japanese garden and the Osmanthus fragrans originally planted there by Walska in the 1970s.

Over time, these shrubs have matured into magnificent trees. Tiny blossoms appear in the autumn and the perfume lingers in the garden for months. This beautiful and aromatic blend of bright citrus, creamy florals, and verdant grasses are said to lift the spirit, alleviate feelings of depression and calm the busy mind.

The fragrances are made using pure plant materials, which is the opposite to the way fragrances are typically created.

It is recommended you apply the scent to pulse points, behind the ears –or anywhere you want the fragrance to be discovered – then reapply through the day.

The fragrances are available for $45 in

A d v a n c e C a r e P l a n n i n g i s a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r

y o u t o l e t y o u r l o v e d o n e s , y o u r f a m i l y , y o u r f r i e n d s , y o u r m e d i c a l t e a m k n o w w h a t y o u r w i s h e s a r e s h o u l d s o m e t h i n g h a p p e n t o y o u . I t ' s r e a l l y i m p o r t a n t i f y o u c a n n o t s p e a k f o r y o u r s e l f t h a t y o u h a v e w r i t t e n d o w n s o m e w h e r e .

10ml rollerball bottles in Lotusland’s garden shop and online at www.lotusland. org/visit/shop.

Just A-paws

Meghan Markle gave paws for thought when she made a surprise appearance via video link to open the new wing of an animal charity named in honor of her late friend Oli Juste.

The Riven Rock resident emotionally told how the dog trainer suddenly died in January 2022, leaving her heartbroken as his family and friends gathered at the Mayhew in London for the ceremony.

A photo on the Sussexes new website, Sussex.com showed Meghan crouching down and petting a dog.

She has been a patron of the organization since 2019. It is said to be her favorite charity...

Grimaud on Key

French pianist Hélène Grimaud made her third CAMA Masterseries appearance at the Lobero and, true to form, was at the top of her game.

In the penultimate show of her U.S. tour, Grimaud, 54, played the “B” list

T h i s i s s u c h a g i f t t o y o u r f a m i l y .

T h i s i s s u c h a g i f t t o y o u r f a m i l y .

V i s i t G e t I t D o n e S B . o r g o r s c a n

Lotusland Executive Director Rebecca Anderson with the new Lemon Arbor fragrance (courtesy photo)

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Letters to the Editor

What Does the Community Deserve?

In 2019, Das Williams said he wouldn’t accept future contributions from the cannabis industry, but he hasn’t kept this promise. The largest contribution Williams has received from the cannabis industry is from CP1 Supply Systems, located near Carpinteria and described by the Better Business Bureau as a company that deals in “Marijuana Sales and Services.” This company donated $5,000 to his reelection campaign.

Challenger Roy Lee, a two-term member on the Carpinteria City Council, has called these contributions a “clear flip-flop.” Lee has also said: “This isn’t just about campaign contributions; it’s about integrity, honesty, and the trust we place in our elected officials ... We deserve better.”

Roy Lee is right. The community deserves better. It is time for Roy Lee on the Board of Supervisors, and a new and brighter future for Santa Barbara County.

Micah Williams, Santa Barbara

A Clear Choice

Roy Lee has all of the background to be an outstanding member of the Board of Supervisors. Born in Taiwan, Roy came to the United States as a young child with his family in 1986. He grew up in Goleta and graduated from Dos Pueblos High School. He then attended Santa Barbara City College and UCSB. Roy Lee knows our community and local educational system.

He became married in 2006, and he and his wife have three children. He is an entrepreneur. He and his family have run Uncle Chen’s restaurant in Carpinteria since 1991. He has a valuable private enterprise back-

ground that will be a real asset on the Board of Supervisors.

In 2018, Roy was elected to the Carpinteria City Council as a result of his determination to make the community a better place. In 2022, he was overwhelmingly reelected. As a member of the City Council, he has established an outstanding record of service, listening to his constituents and approaching issues with an open mind. He is a creative and cooperative problem-solver and someone of integrity and straight-forwardness.

In the coming election, the choice could not be more clear: Roy Lee for First District Supervisor.

Respectfully submitted,

-Liz Bustamante

A Program with a Smelly Signature

As a former supporter of Das Williams, this letter is to explain why I now support Roy Lee for Supervisor. Das’s signature program as supervisor was to increase the cultivation and production of cannabis. As a result of his efforts, Santa Barbara County is now known nationwide as a leading cannabis producer.

Anyone who drives through Carpinteria can smell the results. The odor from the many grow sites permeates the community, including parks, schools, recreational facilities, and even children’s centers. Ag land formerly used to grow flowers and food is now used for cannabis. This explains why there is so much support for Carpinteria Councilman Roy Lee.

Increased cannabis production was supposed to lead to more tax revenues, but it hasn’t worked out that way. As a result of the cannabis taxing system pro-

moted by Das, many grows have engaged in continuing black market operations. This is highly detrimental and doesn’t produce any tax revenue.

Regrettably, Das has served his time in public office. Roy Lee will be a hard-working, effective, and open-minded member of the Board of Supervisors.

Sincerely,

Michele Cannon

Santa Barbara, CA

A Two Party System

Gregg Hart’s October remarks about a fading Republican party in Santa Barbara County provoked an outcry from local Republicans. But you would never know it since the current Republican Central Committee did not have anything to say for their own party.

Growing up here in Santa Barbara during the ‘60s and ‘70s, this area was as red as a matador’s cape. However, things began to change in the ‘80s and ‘90s and now Republicans are at 25%. When a cancer patient is diagnosed, doctors do everything they can to find the source of the disease. Republicans need to do the same and examine local leadership.

Most people we talk to are not even aware there IS a Republican Central Committee here (There is a Democratic one as well in Santa Barbara County.) – and actually in all other California counties, except two counties deemed too small to have them.

What do Central Committees do?

Well, they are responsible for recruiting and endorsing candidates as well as locating funding sources. Local Committees have an almost unlimited donation amount to support state candidates. Bringing in younger and more entry level people is a big help also.

Former City Councilman and GOP analyst Dale Francisco explained the Republican Central Committee on Josh Molina’s recent 2/19 podcast. Francisco

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

told the journalist that the central committee doesn’t have the infrastructure to find good candidates. He also said that Chair “Bobbi McGinnis and Assistant Treasurer Julie Bischoff don’t understand the basic nature of how campaigns are run. They don’t understand the necessary timelines, like when it’s best to begin seeking and vetting good candidates. It seems disorganized. The Republican Central Committee doesn’t seem to be accomplishing much.”

And the current Committee is the only one in California who has endorsed themselves on the slate mailer. About which Dale Francisco said, “Which to me that is straight out unethical. That should not happen. And no matter who ends up winning this race, the first thing they should do is change their bylaws so that can’t happen again.” This is a clear conflict of interest, since it cuts out four other Republican Candidates in District One alone.

Cheryl Trosky serves on the current committee, but she did not get endorsed. Cheryl is responsible for 27,000 UCSB votes being redistricted out of Santa Ynez and Lompoc, giving those conservatives who live there a year-round voice

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Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz

Contributors | Scott Craig Ashleigh Brilliant Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Chuck Graham, Stella Haffner, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Jamie Knee, Elizabeth Stewart, Amélie Dieux, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing

Gossip | Richard Mineards

History | Hattie Beresford

Humor | Ernie Witham

Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri

Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook

Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie

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again. She accomplished that through hard work and determination. Nick Sebastian, Charles Cole and myself are the other qualified candidates on the District One ballot.

It’s time to have a two-party county again!

Mary Hudson

Endorsements for Lee

It is essential that incumbent supervisor Das Williams is defeated for reelection. Few individuals have done more harm to our county than he has. His plan for a pot industry that would bring “$30 million a year” to the County of Santa Barbara has been a complete disaster.

Considering the true costs of the program, it’s an open question whether it brings any net funds to the county at all.

But Williams’ pot program has coincided with increased crime throughout the county, more homelessness, pot odor in many communities and neighborhoods, and many other negative results. This is Williams’ legacy.

It is time to elect a new supervisor with integrity and honesty. It’s time for City Councilmember Roy Lee to be elected 1st District Supervisor. Roy Lee is supported by many community leaders, including Janet Wolf, Joyce Dudley, Sheila Lodge, Gregg Carty, Alejandra Gutierrez, Pat McElroy, Barney Melekian, Kate Ford, Ellen Stoddard, and Bill Cirone. Please vote for Roy Lee!

David Brandt, Santa Barbara

Concerned Carpinterians

Concerned Carpinterians announces their full-hearted support and endorsement of Carpinteria City Council Member Roy Lee for First District Supervisor of Santa Barbara.

Over the last six years on the City Council, Roy Lee has distinguished himself as someone who listens carefully to constituents, builds consensus, then takes action. In this respect, he reminds many of Rep. Salud Carbajal, our capable congressman and former supervisor. Unlike our current controversial supervisor Das Williams, Roy’s integrity and ethics have never been questioned. Roy Lee knows that the Cannabis Industrial Complex installed by Das Williams in Carpinteria is not working for anyone. He knows that despite Das’ promises, cannabis has failed to produce any meaningful revenue, except in its enrichment of Williams campaign coffers, (and who continues to take stunning amounts of Weed donations).

Like the rest of us, Roy smells stinky cannabis most every day. Roy understands that Carpinteria’s students deserve better air in their classrooms than what

they have now: rancid skunk odor. Roy is committed to requiring mandatory carbon scrubbers installed at all marijuana nurseries and backing it up with stringent enforcement. We are also impressed with Roy’s personal story (similar to Carbajal’s) who, as an immigrant from Taiwan, had to learn a new language, new culture and work twice as hard as anyone else, yet still delivered more. Roy has a strong business background, running his family owned and operated Uncle Chen’s, arguably Santa Barbara’s most popular Chinese restaurant. Roy believes in a small town-governing ethos when considering county issues. He believes Montecito, Carpinteria, and Santa Barbara must preserve our natural beauty and livability. Roy is committed to preserving open space such as the Carpinteria Bluffs and our local agriculture while backing carefully planned workforce housing.

Unlike Das, Roy is a good listener and operates out of consensus. He is conscientiousness, communityminded and can-do. Unlike Das, a veritable wrecking ball, Roy will bring groups together and much-needed healing to the First District. There is a whole lot of Das-damage to undo, beginning with the despised Cannabis Ordinance, which must be repealed or amended to give residents relief from horrific daily odor and known and unknown health impacts.

Montecito and Summerland need flood and debris flow guarantees. They need to know that every measure has been taken to protect them from future debris flows. Roy will do this.

It is unacceptable that Das Williams’ staff, whose salaries are paid by taxpayers, also run the local Democratic Party. Williams is well along in his plotting to take state Senator Monique Limón’s seat while ignoring the many pressing concerns of the First District. We join with the former District Attorney Joyce Dudley, Supervisor Janet Wolfe, Police Chief Barney Melekian, retired Fire Chief Pat McElroy, and retired Mayor Sheila Lodge and thousands more in enthusiastically endorsing Roy Lee for Supervisor of the First District.

Bobbie Offen, of Concerned

Carpinterians

Sports Metaphor

I just read that The Independent has no endorsement in the First District.

That would be like the average citizen deciding that voting is for other people.

What a sickening way to say we can’t decide who should be elected.

As a sports fan this is the equivalent of a tie.

Just think for a second if Super Bowl

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Our Town Black History Month 2024: Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu

by Joanne A Calitri

We are celebrating Black History Month with Kimberly BattleWalters Denu, PhD. She is the Provost and dean of faculty at Westmont College, Montecito. Denu is an ordained minister, author, speaker, and teacher. Prior to Westmont she was the vice president for educational programs for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C.

Denu is a two-time Fulbright alumna and has done field research projects in South Africa and Ethiopia. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in sociology from the University of Florida, a Master of Social Work from Temple University, and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Vanguard University. Originally from Los Angeles, she lives in our town with her husband, Yohannes, and their three children.

Q. Black History Month 2024 is dedicated to “African Americans and the Arts.”

What and/or who are the top Black art, music, and cultural contributions you are celebrating?

A. I grew up listening to gospel music and jazz, so I have a great appreciation for jazz legends such as Duke Ellington, Nancy Wilson, and Al Jarreau, as well as gospel artists like BeBe Winans, the Clark Sisters, and Kirk Franklin. In addition to singers and musicians, I have enjoyed the work of African American poets such as Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Amanda Gorman. Finally, as an avid movie connoisseur, I respect the work of Black directors like Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, and Jordan Peele.

How available is Black culture, art, and music on the Westmont College campus for students, faculty, and staff?

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Westmont has been well poised to invite some accomplished Black scholars from a variety of fields and backgrounds. Prominent scholars such as Dr. Clayborne Carson – recognized MLK scholar from Stanford; Dr. Barbara Peacock, author of Soul Care in African American Practice; Dr. Malcolm Foley, scholar on race and the Church; and Reverend Albert Tate, author of How We Love Matters have been recent speakers on campus.

In addition, Westmont has outstanding faculty who teach, do research, and publish on African American experiences, including myself (authored Sheila’s Shop: WorkingClass African American Women talk about Life, Love, Race, and Hair, 2004); Dr. Kya Mangrum, who teaches literature and the contributions of writers of color; and Wendy E. Jackson (daughter of a Tuskegee Airman), writer, storyteller, and Black film director.

In addition, as a college, our faculty, administration, and board voted to approve curriculum that would unpack the complexities of race relations in the U.S., facilitate cultural understanding, and teach our students to value diverse perspectives.

What is/are your focus points as provost for 2024?

My focus as provost is to be a bridge-builder, to honor God and to honor people, and to instill hope. When we look at higher education, and society in general, we can find a plethora of things to disagree about, but I want to find ways to build a path forward towards mutual respect and understanding.

I see my purpose in life, and as provost, is to bring diverse communities together. To say we are all are created in God’s image, we all matter, all of our lives. How do we listen more, love better, and work together to make our world a better place.

What is your biggest challenge at Westmont College and how do you navigate that?

“My body is like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don’t think about it, I just have it.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

Provost Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu, PhD, at her Westmont College office (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

OPENING SOON

Society Invites

Midwinter Night’s Dream: Artful Affairs at the SB Museum of Art

by Joanne A Calitri

Santa Barbara Museum of Art held its annual fundraiser titled, “Artful Affairs: Seasons of Change, Midwinter Night’s Dream,” on Saturday, February 24, at the museum galleries. The coveted upscale attire event saw the mix of art and music, as the SBMA joined with the Music Academy for a collaborative affair, accented with art themed hors d’oeuvres, champagne, and boutique libations.

Event co-chairs – SBMA Board of Trustees and Development Chair Martha Townsend, and SBMA Women’s Board two-time past president Jeanne Fulkerson – took a moment to explain. “The Midwinter Night’s dream is the second Artful Affairs event of SBMA’s twopart annual fundraiser through which the Santa Barbara community can support the Museum’s community programs and exhibitions. The midwinter theme focuses on discovery, reflection, wonder, and renewal. Tonight’s immersive art experience promises to bring art into the lives of people in the Santa Barbara community.”

The program commenced with a private reception and concert for SBMA sponsors in the Loeb Family Gallery. From there we moved to Ludington Court for the welcome remarks by SBMA

Eichholz Foundation Director Amada Cruz and the event co-chairs. The evening proceeded with guests touring the four gallery events, noted as follows.

In the Campbell and Gould Galleries was a first time viewing of the Meiji Period Japanese ink on paper six-panel screen titled, Winter Landscape (146 x 69”). The work inspired Japanese music performed on the sho – a mouth organ descending from the Chinese sheng, used in gagaku (court music) – played by Fabio Rambelli, a professor of Japanese religions and cultural history at UCSB. He performed an esoteric work by Yoko Ono’s first husband, avant-garde composer and pianist, Toshi Ichiyanagi, titled “Galaxy.” Rambelli followed that piece with a classical late 1400s composition in B minor, akin to Bach. Briefs on the art were presented by SBMA Atkins Curator of Asian Art Susan Tai. Guests were served Japanese yellowtail and avocado rolls, chicken yakitori, and ginger shumai and traditional Japanese Sake.

The Photography Gallery, managed by SBMA Curator of Photography and New Media Charlie Wylie, showcased a work by Ansel Adams titled, Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada, Lone Pine (1942, gelatin silver print, 19.75 x 23.5”). Opera singer and sound artist Amanda Gregory

Society Page 344

Jacquelyn KleinBrown, Susan Bowey, Paul Longanbach, and Beth Wood (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Michael and Carol Linn, Beth Wood, Amada Cruz, and Shauna Quill (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

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Elizabeth’s Appraisals

Conrad’s Falcon

by Elizabeth Stewart

asked for a dollar estimate for her Barnaby Conrad signed lithograph. When an artist is a huge personality with a legendary past, “comparable sales” (prices paid of past works) will NOT accurately reflect the stature of the artist’s oeuvre. Artist, author, portraitist, cabaret owner, bar room pianist, bullfighter, friend to writers, one-time Vice Consul to Spain, and boxer – a local legend since the 1960s, Barnaby Conrad (San Francisco, 1922 – Carpinteria, 2013) is such an artist. OS discovered this lithograph of a beautiful falcon at the back of her late husband’s closet, signed in the plate “Barnaby Conrad, June 1986,” countersigned by hand “Barnaby Conrad.” A label reads: “First Award, “Brief Encounter,” Fiction, Santa Barbara Writers Conference, June 1986.” OS’s husband “won” this print at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, founded by Conrad in 1973.

OS notes that the Santa Barbara Writers Conference turns 50 years old

this year. Mr. Conrad and his wife Mary ran the conference for over 30 years. Monte Schulz, also a local legend, has attended since 1975 and became owner of the conference in 2010.

Conrad began his bullfighting career at the age of 19 as a student in Mexico City, and shortly thereafter entered Yale as an art student. It is his literary career, however, that is the basis of his fame. He published over 30 books in his lifetime, designing and illustrating his own covers for many of them. Throughout his life, he made a point of acquainting himself with interesting people. His 1997 book Name Dropping: Tales from my San Francisco Nightclub dishes the dirt on celebrated drinkers at his club “El Matador,” founded in 1953.

I researched Conrad’s most recently sold art, books, and autographs. An illustration by Conrad, The Last Fight of Manolete (32.5 x 43”) – produced as a lithographic advertisement for Pearl Beer of San Antonio, TX – was recently sold by Vogt Auctions for $530. Unlike OS’s piece (mentioned at the top of this column), this work was not signed.

“

OS’s lithograph is worth more – but how much more? Undoubtably Conrad was a noted career artist: he has charcoal portraits in the National Portrait Gallery depicting Truman Capote, James Michener, and Alex Haley.

Conrad’s book Matador (1952) sold over two million copies, and a signed first edition will sell for $800 in good condition. This is the story of legendary bullfighter Manolete, who, in his comeback fight, was gored and died in 1947. Conrad was also gored in 1958 but lived to fight again. A book formerly in Conrad’s collection on the history of bullfighting, signed by Conrad, is offered on Argosy Books for $200, proving again that simply his signature is valued because of the man he was. A sketch of his bullfighting teacher Carlos Arruza (1920-1966), a prominent bullfighter in the 1940s, sold for $200.

Conrad’s signature alone sells for $300 and more. The website “History for Sale: Autograph and Manuscript Leader” offers 10 personal bank checks signed by Conrad in 2002, payments to collaborating authors for his book Snoopy’s Guide to the Writing Life. All these checks for sale are signed by Conrad to Catherine Ryan Hyde, and offered for $220. Contributor Elizabeth George’s signed check is offered for $360, Conrad’s check to Hubert Gold

is offered for $323, one to J.F. Freeman for $360, another to Cherie Carter-Scott for $320, one to Francis A. Weaver for $320, a check to John Leggett for $320, one to Donald Newlove for $272, to A. Scott Berg for $380, and a check to Evan Hunter is offered for $200. Conrad’s signed name commands $300 in the autograph market.

More sold works by Conrad add to my evaluation: a bronze bust by Conrad of Manolete (10.5 x 7.5 x 9”), offered by iGavel from the estate of actor Richard Widmark, did not sell, but carried the auction estimate of $300-500. Conrad’s sketch of legendary bullfighter Carlos Arruza (1920-66), who was Conrad’s bullfighting teacher, sold for $200.

Conrad is an important cultural figure whose career included 40 bullfights in Spain, Mexico and Peru, authorship of over 30 books (many selling millions of copies), and a reputation as a multi-talented artist in many mediums and genres. Attendees at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference attest to his support of writers; his friends included Sinclair Lewis (Conrad was his personal secretary in 1947), John Steinbeck, William F. Buckley Jr., and Ray Bradbury.

Conrad as a polymath supersedes the value of one work on the commercial market. Judging from the values paid for an autograph, and the price paid for an unsigned poster, I put the value of the falcon lithograph, of which only 300 were printed in 1986, at $1,200.

Elizabeth Stewart, PhD is a veteran appraiser of fine art, furniture, glass, and other collectibles, and a cert. member of the AAA and an accr. member of the ASA. Please send any objects to be appraised to Elizabethappraisals@ gmail.com

“To eat well in the morning, I always have breakfast for dinner.” – Michael Symon

The signed lithograph by Barnaby Conrad

Brilliant Thoughts Sun and Suspension

by Ashleigh Brilliant

So much depends on that big bright ball in the sky. And, in the cosmic scheme of things, our sun in turn depends on many other things. Truly, in the long run, everything depends on everything else. But where does that leave us? – Back where we started, with a burning ball up there, out there, over there – the Universe is full of “theres” – which reminds me of a complaint attributed to Gertrude Stein referring to Oakland, California, that “there’s no THERE there.” Which inevitably brings to my mind the fact that, for me personally, for several months of my life, there was, in that City, definitely a there there, in the shape of an institution known as the Oakland Museum.

After obtaining a PhD degree in History at the University of California and having had several unconventional teaching experiences, my big hope was to enter the hallowed halls of Academia with at least an assistant Professorship in the History Department of some prestigious American

four-year college. In my increasingly desperate job hunt, I went so far as to cross the continent, to attend the annual convention of the American Historical Society in Washington D.C., which functioned as a principal marketplace for those offering and seeking employment in that field.

But 1970 was not a good year for people in my situation. After much effort, the only even marginally acceptable position I was able to secure was as an “Associate Curator of History” at a relatively new and little-known museum deep in the heart of Oakland – then simply called the Oakland Museum. Since I was living across the Bay in San Francisco, this job required me –for the first and only time in my life – to become a commuter-by-car; driving over and back every day on the Oakland Bay Bridge (a longer but less spectacular span than its more famous sister which crosses the Golden Gate).

In a way, this job looked interesting and promising. After all, for my PhD, I had specialized in California History, which was also supposed to be the specialty of my part of the Museum. (The other part

was devoted to California Art and Artists.)

I would also have as my fellow curators some highly qualified people. The head of our whole part of the Museum also seemed to be a very competent man named Thomas Frye.

Unfortunately, it was Mr. Frye who turned out to be the weak link in this curatorial chain. He demonstrated no administrative skills and often left my colleagues and me wondering what we were supposed to be doing. Although we had occasional staff meetings, Mr. Frye was sometimes absent for weeks at a time, leaving no one in charge. But my colleagues were anxious to hold on to their jobs, and it was I who was our boss’s only outspoken critic.

My one pseudo-accomplishment at that Museum was to write a letter, on official museum letterhead, to the Warden of San Quentin Prison asking that – if and when capital punishment was abolished in California (which at that time appeared quite likely) – he consider donating the Prison’s Gas Chamber to the Oakland Museum. Needless to say, nobody jumped with enthusiasm to favor my request, and although that relic has not been used for an execution since 1992, it remains at San Quentin.

But my own position at the Museum was, unfortunately, more shaky, and eventually – not very much to my regret – Mr. Frye fired me. Frye himself was considered so unsatisfactory by the Museum’s governing Board he was, in turn, fired.

This was the second time in my questionably colorful career, that, not long after dismissing me from a position, the person who fired me was himself fired. (The first was in Bend, Oregon, where, after I lost my teaching job there, the entire faculty of the local Community College turned against its President and forced him to resign.)

All this has taken us a long way from the sunshine which, in the form of productively utilized Solar Energy, has lately become (like other virtually untapped sources of power, such as wind, tidal currents, and the Earth’s own interior heat) even more important to our species than it ever was to previous generations. But this momentous development, like any other major technical and social change, has not been without its critics. It seems there will always be people who are less aware of the sunshine than they are of the shadows.

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

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The Giving List Brady United Against Gun Violence

by Steven Libowitz

Brady United Against Gun Violence, aka the Brady Center, marks its 50th anniversary since its founding. But the organization that was catalyzed by the assassination attempt against President Reagan – gunshots that permanently disabled his press secretary James Brady – isn’t planning any big celebrations.

Rather, the nonprofit’s efforts continue to be focused on doing whatever they can to unite people from coast to coast, progressives and conservatives of every race, ethnicity and identity, to combat the still-rising epidemic of gun violence.

In the wake of the recent Uvalde and Buffalo mass shootings, they’ve also had a bit of an epiphany in recognizing that effecting change solely through legislation regarding sales is a massive chal-

Mark Ruffalo jumped on board as one of the signers of the Show Gun Safety program (photo

The intricate collage work was once described as, “A unique confluence of elegance and gestural immediacy…”

sharing the cozily self-contained Waterline Building near the above-mentioned intersection, Art & Soul is not the dusky grotto its ‘back of the building’ seclusion would suggest, but a happy discovery at the end of an urban sidewalk; and a mother-daughter business to boot. “It’s kind of like finding Narnia,” McIntyre says of her domain’s stealth locale, then moves from the literary to the literal. “Continue through the patio at Lama Dog, and we have a small outside patio space that’s adjacent.” Lama Dog’s “patio” is a lengthy concrete alleyway with seating, tables, and mood-establishing fire, always ringing with the gentle, beery laughter of patrons – the perfect approach to the Art & Soul vibe – which may be best described as that of a largish, lovingly appointed living room inside a converted barn.

lenge in our particularly polarized times regarding guns. But everyone agrees about gun safety, so why not change the culture surrounding how guns are shown in movies and on TV?

Taking a cue from the effectiveness of a shift in how seat belt use is portrayed on TV – it’s rare nowadays to see a cop jump into a car and speed off without clicking in on camera – as well as successes in curbing drunk driving and smoking on screens, Brady United has developed its Show Gun Safety program. The new effort codifies gun safety principles in conjunction with creators in the film and television industries to model firearm safety on screen.

And it’s working.

“Our first step was gathering a petition with the commitment to show gun safety, and we actually expected to

The Giving List Page 334

Spacious and airy, with vaulted ceilings and an energizing aura of “warehouse chic,” this is not the sort of art temple that obliges walking with hands clasped behind the back in the manner of a museum-haunting aesthete. Real work by real artists, appreciated in a talky, gently-lit community setting. What’s not to love? This lovely place is also available for your special event or gathering. Drop Kim a line for deets.

A transplant from the diametrical opposite corner of the country, Kim has based her dream business on that of a dear friend in the far northeast. “Whitney Ott in Ogunquit, Maine, has built a thriving seasonal business there based on art and local handcrafted goods. I worked there when I was younger and my daughter grew up there working in the summers. We’ve talked about trying to do something for a while, and my daughter’s 16 now. I realized if we don’t do it now, it’s going to be hard to do as she gets older…”

Time is of the essence, as they say. “It’s just crazy how fast the time goes,” Kim says. “You get so invested in the show, it feels personal. You have the opening reception, and then there’s the follow up, and then there’s the getting back to people and private showings. And then all of a sudden I’m like, ‘oh wait!’ I need to move on to the next one!’” A gallery owner who feels the bittersweet pull of time? That’s a good thing, and arguably best experienced in the presence of stirring works of imagination. “It’s been great, and I really hope that we can continue to provide space for art here in what is such a deeply rich, and enriching, artistic area.”

What: CECILY FIRESTEIN – A

Century, A Painter – Opening Reception

When: First Thursday, March 7, 5 – 8 pm

Where: In the Funk Zone at 116 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara Phone: (207) 475-5588

Email: artandsoulsb@gmail.com

Jeff Wing is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. He has been writing about Montecito and environs since before some people were born. He can be reached at jeff@ montecitojournal.net

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I think Roy deserves a shot.

All the best, Jim Scarborough, Team Scarborough

Fresh Energy

No more Das. Time for some fresh new energy.

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Things Are Not Great

I only know two things. That Das has sold us out to pot growers and anyone else in line. I know the other guy is much more republican. But I sure do think we need a change. Most of us don’t have a clue what goes on in county government. But things are not great!

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Who I Support

I support Roy Lee for Supervisor of Santa Barbara County. I encourage my fellow voters in District One to vote for Roy Lee.

Peace and Goodness.

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Endorsements Matter

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I’ll be voting for Roy Lee for First District Supervisor.

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Putting Money and Mouth Together

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On Entertainment

‘Seraglio’ Delivers Dance, Cobras, and Star-Crossed Lovers

by Steven Libowitz

When Alexandra King created and produced Seraglio , her original three-act Middle Eastern folkloric ballet about star-crossed lovers in early 20th century Istanbul, she thought it had run its course after performances in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Ojai, and Salt Lake City in 1989-1990.

“I never planned to do anything with it again,” King said. And indeed, her career as performer, choreographer, producer, and teacher was booming, what with her Middle Eastern dance school about to hit the decade mark, and her role as co-founder of the UCSB Middle East Ensemble with Dr. Scott Marcus in 1990 also required attention.

choreograph it with Greek and Turkish dance and there’d be lots of fight scenes.”

While King made her mark and money primarily with belly dance, her vision was to use folk dance, her first love, to tell the story.

“We didn’t need tutus and toe shoes,” she said. “Just boots and bare feet.”

Thirty-five years later, Seraglio returns with much more elaborate stage sets, lighting, costumes and choreography, all to elevate the enchanting evening of cultural immersion in the cultures and dances.

www.royforsupervisor.com

But a few years ago, a friend asked her one of those perspective-inducing questions: “What do you still want to do before you croak?”

The bucket list query begat a scream of consciousness, King recalled, and what appeared was the desire to re-mount Seraglio from the vantage point of three additional decades of experience and knowledge.

“I realized I wanted to revive the ballet and make it much richer and longer and more exciting,” King said. “And bring it to the Arlington, which is the only theater in Santa Barbara where I hadn’t ever performed.”

King said the original impetus for Seraglio came from seeing Carlos Saura’s film Carmen, which adapted the Bizet opera using Flamenco. I can do that, she figured.

“I always wanted to be a storyteller because I came from a family of actors, dancers, and musicians, including stars of Broadway and the silent screen,” she recalled. “I became obsessed with making a ballet with a real story. So I decided to put a twist on Romeo and Juliet because the conflict between Turkey and Greece had a juicy background. What if I had a Turkish girl fall in love with a Greek guy? I can

“There are probably a dozen new characters and 10 new dances, and we’ve expanded the dramatic sequences so that there’s as much drama in every act as there is dance,” King explained. “I added a couple of concluding sequences to give the story a more satisfying wrap.”

Among the additions are more dance sequences in the opening, including a cobra dance within a circus scenario to portray “all these wild characters that existed there back then,” she said. “Turkey and Istanbul were a really multicultural society, full of indigenous folks that were gypsies but much in demand artists. We have street dancers, horses, jugglers, showing what you would have seen in the streets back then.”

Amping up the cultural accuracy of the gripping tale of love set against a dying Ottoman empire was another impetus for remounting Seraglio

“Back then, I knew a lot about Greek and Persian dancing, but not about Turkish,” King explained. “I also didn’t know about the history and geography. But after I started working at UCSB I really wanted to update the facts and make everything more authentic.”

The cast for the new version is more than 40 strong, made up mostly of professional dancers from Santa Barbara and beyond, including some King has been privately tutoring for the last six months and all of

The Seraglio cast (courtesy photo)

Solving the Puzzle of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

The throbbing beats of a concert, the clatter of construction, or the chaotic sounds of a traffic jam – these commonplace experiences can cause more than just transient hearing loss. Millions of people suffer from noise-induced hearing loss, and understanding and preventing it has proven to be a scientific challenge. However, a recent finding by scientists at the Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center offers hope and a possible remedy.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Thanos Tzounopoulos and his team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine identified a molecular mechanism behind noise-induced hearing loss. Who is the key player? Excess free-floating zinc, which is necessary for cellular function and hearing.

Tzounopoulos states that “Noise-induced hearing loss impairs millions of lives, but, because the biology of hearing loss is not fully understood, preventing hearing loss has been an ongoing challenge.”

Aside from the acute problem of hearing loss, the consequences can be even more distressing. The study stresses that noise-induced hearing loss can cause conditions such as tinnitus, in which people begin to hear a ringing that does not exist. This auditory phantom has a serious impact on a person’s quality of life. Tzounopoulos’ research, which focuses on hearing biology, seeks to understand the complexity of this disorder to develop future remedies.

The researchers conducted thorough experiments with mice as primary subjects. Hours after being exposed to high noise, the researchers saw an increase in zinc levels in the mice’s inner ears. Excess zinc, which was discharged into both extracellular and intracellular compartments, caused cellular damage and disturbed cell communication.

The remarkable finding not only identifies the problem but also lays the route for a remedy. Mice treated with a slow-release chemical that successfully contained extra zinc showed remarkable resistance to hearing loss and noise-induced damage. This offers new avenues for potential therapies and preventative efforts.

With positive results from their studies, the researchers are now focusing on designing a treatment. This possible drug, if it passes preclinical safety tests, has the potential to be a simple, over-the-counter solution to protect people from noise-induced hearing loss. It represents a change; from managing the aftermath to proactive protection.

Dear Montecito

Homesick

by Stella Haffner

Dear Montecito, I am writing you from a London Heathrow flight bound to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. From there I will transfer to Dallas Fort Worth before finally touching down in Santa Barbara where I haven’t been for 13 months. Stay off the roads tonight, people – I’m going straight to Super-Rica Taqueria.

I have taken two weeks’ time off work to see family, get some vitamin D that doesn’t come in a packet, and of course eat tacos. In preparation for this break, I did the regular tidying up. I cleaned my apartment so it would be nice when I got back. I made myself a document at work summarizing where all my projects were, and what I anticipated as next steps. And I reviewed my Dear Montecito interviews so that my publishing schedule would be sorted for the next month.

As I read over my conversations with different Santa Barbara alumni, I saw something interesting.

Let’s take a tension-building segue before I get to my point. Because I talk about it whenever I get the opportunity, you may know that I am interested in human psychology. Growing up, I think I saw it a bit as detective work. What can you tell about someone’s internal life from their behavior? In recent years, I’ve started to turn this question inward. Which may seem, well, redundant. Certainly, I know my own internal life. Why would I need to make guesses about it based on my behavior?

When I interview people for this column, I tend to mix in pre-planned questions with ones that occur to me while we’re talking. There are always some things I know I want to ask about – but after we have been chatting for a while, there are new topics on which I want the interviewee’s thoughts. Lately, the same question has been showing up in the impromptu category:

What do you miss since leaving home?

So yes, my segue earlier was to hint that this question was an example of me projecting on other people. I didn’t realize I had asked this question to so many different interviewees. I didn’t notice how much I was thinking about home until I saw it written in a Word document.

The cure is a trip home. But with ten more hours of travel ahead of me and a willing audience who can understand what I mean, I would like to get some of these thoughts out of my system. As such, here is an inexhaustive list of the things I love and miss about Santa Barbara: Shoestring onion rings from Lucky’s, the fountain that was taken out of the Pierre LaFond courtyard, sunlight, the smell of red brick, people who make scrunchy faces after having a wheatgrass shot at the Farmers Market, my family, driving through Summerland, Halloween, apple pie, the Ventura County Fair, fresh papaya, airborne vanilla powder at the Coast Village Road Coffee Bean, the Coast Village Road Coffee Bean, lavender bushes, eating popsicles after jog-a-thon, getting several life-long California residents to squeeze-guess the ripeness of an avocado, pealing eucalyptus bark, late afternoon walks on Butterfly Beach, and grumbling about developments in Paseo Nuevo.

There you have it. A garden variety case of homesickness. And I’m barreling toward the remedy from 30,000 ft. See you soon.

Yours, Stella

From the shores of Scotland, Stella Haffner keeps her connection to her home in Montecito by bringing grads of local schools to the pages of the Montecito Journal

Firefighters, Teachers, and Nurses support Monique Limón.

Stories Matter

Literary March Madness

by Leslie Zemeckis

March is a big publishing month. I could not cover all the new releases in today’s column, but will have more recommendations on my social media posts.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is an unexpectedly hilarious thriller. When Lucy’s best friend is murdered, Lucy becomes suspect number one. After all, she is covered in her friend’s blood. Lucy claims not to remember what happened. It is years later, and a handsome young podcaster has come to town to try and solve the crime. Beset by a murderous voice in her head urging her to kill, Lucy knows it is entirely possible she is responsible for her friend’s death. Things grow complicated when she becomes romantically involved with the podcaster determined to unmask the killer, even if it is Lucy.

UWnderestimated: The Wisdom and Teenage Girls is a dynamic must-read for any man, woman, or child. Chelsey Goodan, an academic tutor and mentor, believes teenage girls – across all races, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic backgrounds – have been unfairly judged, labeled, and sentenced. Her book carefully guides adults through the myriad challenges facing girls today, be it social media pressure, perfection expectations, eating disorders and so much more. Goodan turns to the teens themselves to hear what they want and need, and it is eye-opening.

hen Susan Lieu’s mother dies following plastic surgery, her entire family shuts down, refusing to talk about this tough, successful woman – a refugee from Vietnam who managed a harrowing escape in the 1980s. In her time, Lieu’s mother built up two successful manicure shops, sending money back to Vietnam and sponsoring the emigration of relatives; who would inevitably arrive on her doorstep. Her daughter, Susan, will spend twenty years before she discovers who her enigmatic mother was, and why she sought plastic surgery. It’s all here in The Manicurist’s Daughter; a funny, painful memoir, and an exploration of one woman’s grief told first on stage and then with this raw book.

Princess Diana is back. Or an entertainer who imitates her is. The Princess of Las Vegas, Chris Bohjalian’s latest, sets this thriller in the heat of a B-level casino. Crissy is the Princess look-alike whose boss is brutally murdered. The pill-popping Crissy is having a hard time holding it together after her married boyfriend dumps her and her estranged sister (who she is convinced killed their mother) comes to town. The story is smart and funny as the dead bodies start piling up, pitting sister against sister, and very bad crypto kings against a very savvy teenage girl.

The unlikely friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe is the basis of the historical novel Can’t We Be Friends, written by Dennys S. Bryce and Eliza Knight. And though Ella’s voice is more clearly defined, it is a fascinating look at two women struggling to be the best at their respective professions. Monroe did take a stand for Fitzgerald and the two had a touching relationship that lasted years.

A

Murder in Hollywood: the Untold Story of Tinseltown’s

Most Shocking Crime is the in-depth investigation of a notorious 1958 case involving a glamorous movie star and her awkward daughter. Ever since mobster Johnny Stompanato was found stabbed to death on movie queen Lana Turner’s bedroom floor, rumors have swirled. Did Turner’s 14-year-old daughter really kill him? We finally have the answers in Casey Sherman’s new book which explores the mob influence in Hollywood and how entrenched Turner was in that world.

SJtephanie Dray’s detailed and brilliant portrayal of Frances Perkins in Becoming Madam Secretary brings to life the struggles and challenges of the first woman to hold a U.S. Cabinet position (Secretary of Labor), even as she is attempting to raise a daughter with a seriously depressed husband. Perkins started her career working and living in Hell’s Kitchen at the turn of the century becoming an activist fighting work reforms for children, women, and the working poor. When she meets FDR, her life will change in unexpected ways. This is historical fiction at its finest.

ennine Capó Crucet’s novel Say Hello to my Little Friend has one of the most devastating first chapters I have ever read. A story that won’t be for everyone (what book is?); this is an imaginative, funny, unique story about Lolita – an orca trapped and depressed for decades in Miami’s Seaquarium – and that of Ismael, a Cuban refugee with aspirations to become Tony Montana from the film Scarface. The climax and the coming together of Lolita and Ismael is touching and heartbreaking.

Leslie Zemeckis is an award-winning documentarian, best-selling author, and actor. The creator of “Stories Matter,” professional female authors mentoring the next generation of female storytellers, co-sponsored by SBIFF.

whom will convey the star-crossed story only through dance and movement but no dialog. There’s only a single performance on Saturday, March 2, partly because King has other duties to attend to – including a performance by UCSB Middle East Ensemble on campus a week later.

“Expanding and producing Seraglio again and turning it into a legacy work is like a dream come true,” she said.

Call (805) 963-9589 or visit www. arlingtontheatresb.com/upcomingevents.

Have a Ball with the Capulets

As if to underscore the timelessness of Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare’s tragic tale

gets a different site-specific spin through Westmont College’s John Blondell as part of a mini festival this weekend. The veteran professor of theater arts has cut and refashioned Shakespeare’s play into something called The Capulet Black-and-White Ball, refracting the classic through a contemporary lens using modern staging techniques to bring audiences into the heart of the play. The immersive staging lets the audience move in and about the space between the Capulet house, Friar Laurence’s cell, and the street to involve them directly in the action for the performances that take place in and around the Community Arts Workshop on February 29 – March 3. Go even deeper as the mini festival also includes a single performance of a new play, The Romeo and Juliet Senior Citizens Project — A Comedy, written by Jami Brandli and directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, from L.A.’s Road Theatre. Visit westmont.edu/boxoffice.

Swashbuckling on Stage

“Who doesn’t want to play a pirate?”

That’s how Michael Bernard explained one of his big reasons for choosing a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s beloved adventure story Treasure Island to direct for SBCC Theatre Group’s next production at the Garvin Theatre.

“It’s such a classic story and it’s a really fun show, which there isn’t a lot of in the world right now. And everybody wants to play pirates… It’s a weird thing because pirates are actually not great people, but they have this romantic connotation, and everybody has dressed up like one.”

What also appealed to Bernard is the twist provided by British playwright Bryony Lavery’s 10-year-old adaptation of the story that gave the world Long John Silver and just about every pirate story ever since.

“Jim Hawkins is a girl, and some of the pirates are also women,” he said. “I didn’t want to do a play that was just a bunch of guys. The idea of having a girl go on this

crazy, dangerous adventure is great. Here’s a powerful young woman standing up for herself. That fantasy isn’t just for boys.”

The swashbuckling adventure is a big production, with a large cast mixed between longtime SBCC veterans, including Brian Harwell, who plays Long John Silver, and newcomers, most prominently Emiliana Jasper, who portrays Jim and is familiar to local theater lovers from her time at Westmont College. There’s a three-story revolving set that alternately serves as the inn where Jim first gets involved, a pirate ship, a cave, and even the island itself.

Plus sword fighting and sea shanties.

Sean O’Shea, who plays Black Dog, choreographed the sword play, just the latest in his figuring out fights of fancy – he teaches stage combat at UCSB. Shannon Saleh, who has a dual role as Mrs. Crossley/Joan the Goat, has been teaching the cast the sea shanties that are sung during set changes.

There’s even an animatronic parrot that accompanies the devious pirate Long John Silver.

“It’s absolutely amazing and it’s been working great, so far,” Bernard said.

But lest it all look like fun, humor and wizardry, the director cautioned that the adaptation keeps the spirit of the story; bloodshed, death, destruction and all.

“There’s the untrustworthy mentor, the dark attraction to pirates, the challenge of life on the sea, the lure of treasure,” he said. “And this version is true to the violence in the book. It’s not for young kids.”

As for his own attraction to portraying a pirate, Bernard fessed up that when one of the actors had to withdraw, he considered stepping in.

“I thought long and hard about it,” he said. “But there’s too much going on that I wouldn’t be able to see happening if I was on stage. Our cast is so talented and they’re working really hard. So I’m happy to sit in my chair and watch it.”

SBCC’s production of Treasure Island at the Garvin runs March 1-16. Call (805) 9655935 or visit www.theatregroupsbcc.com.

Also in Theater: We Like Ike

Although he handily won both of his presidential elections, Dwight David Eisenhower wasn’t looked upon as a very effective chief

executive a year after his term ended in the early 1960s. That’s the impetus for Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, the new one-man show getting its first local production at the Rubicon in Ventura following well-received runs in Los Angeles and off-Broadway. Veteran stage actor John Rubinstein, who was the original Pippin in 1972 and won a Tony for Children of a Lesser God, reprises his turn as Eisenhower in the play written by Richard Hellesen, portraying the ex-president as a proud and somewhat cantankerous man who grouses about a news story that sees his cultural ranking fall. Rubinstein effectively runs through Eisenhower’s years as a child and young man, where his values took root, his rising through the ranks of the military to direct the D-Day invasion that turned the tide of World War II, and eventually his time as U.S. president once Truman’s term expired. The show is a monologue fashioned from Eisenhower’s own words taken from his speeches, books and elsewhere, and Rubinstein turns in a true tour-de-force performance deftly personifying Ike. As history marches on and partisan politics have become an even greater divide, Ike’s retrospective ranking has steadily improved. After seeing this show, which runs through March 10, you’ll probably agree.

This Sunday evening, March 3, the Rubicon also re-revives J for J, a remounting of Jenny Sullivan’s semi-autobiographical drama about her famous actor father Barry Sullivan and her developmentally disabled brother drawn from Barry’s journal. The recent rains kept audiences away from the benefit-staged reading with an all-star cast earlier this month.

Info at (805) 667-2900 or www. rubicontheatre.org.

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

Treasure Island comes to SBCC’s Garvin Theatre starting on March 1st (courtesy photo)

Far Flung Travel

Alluvial Alternatives

by Chuck Graham

The Channel Islands National Park has more sea caves documented than anywhere else in the world, with close to 300 grottos. However, there isn’t a toothy grotto quite like the geological feature that’s wave-battered into the sheer, 200-foot-tall cliffs of West Anacapa Island.

As I kayaked inside the dark, dank sea cave at dawn, I was instantly enthralled by the rich, soft, yellowish loam cascading from its lofty ceiling to the calm, cool emerald-green waters below.

The otherworldly alluvial fans inside the massive cavern broadened into several separate fans, encompassing the entire back end of the massive, weather-beaten sea cave.

Keeping Things Fresh

It had been several years since I’d kayaked around Anacapa Island, the second smallest isle in the national park. Although the west end of Anacapa is only four miles east of the southeastern tip of Santa Cruz Island, the largest of California’s Channel Islands. I often forget about it. Maybe because it’s so close, I sometimes tell myself “I’ll get to it next time” – or – “It’s just right there. It’s not going anywhere.”

Unfortunately, time can blow by in a blur like a howling northwest wind before experiencing those potentially magic moments. So, this past fall I made a pact with myself to get after some things I’d been dwelling on, procrastinating on, or neglecting; goals that required a little more effort. Visualizing a moment, and then seeing it through to fruition meant I scaled a mountaintop or paddled a passage, small hurdles within the journey.

After Hours

So, after leading a kayak tour at Scorpion Anchorage, I quickly cleaned up kayaking gear, loaded my kayak up with camera gear, a little food and water, and paddled the

Far Flung Travel Page 324

Foraging Thyme

Blood Oranges

by Melissa Petitto

Blood orange season! This breathtaking citrus fruit – first cultivated in Italy – has circled the world, and today comes in three main varietals: the Moro, the Sanguinelli, and the Tarocco. Rancho Vista Del Mundo at the farmers market has some gorgeous and super tasty ones right now. The natural color mutation comes from the presence of anthocyanins, a polyphenol that is uncommon in other citrus fruits. The flesh gets its deep red color by being exposed to low temperatures during the night. Not only is the flesh a deep red color, but the flavor is reminiscent of raspberry with the citrus notes. Just like all other citrus, the vitamin C content in blood oranges helps our immune system, aids the body in the healing process, supports healthy blood vessels and muscles, and improves iron absorption. The polyphenol anthocyanin is known for its anti-cancer properties, helping to reduce free radical damage. Blood oranges are also rich in flavonoids, the compound that produces such a deep flavor in these fruits. This compound has been shown to reduce the risk of strokes, especially ischemic strokes in women. The fiber content of blood oranges is also noteworthy. Containing both soluble and insoluble fiber, both types aid our digestive system and help reduce cholesterol levels. Used in both sweet and savory dishes, I thought we would bake with blood oranges today.

Blood Orange

Upside-Down Cake

Yield: 12 Servings

4 blood oranges

2 tablespoons Miyoko’s butter

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

Cake Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup coconut or raw granulated sugar

½ cup almond flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons blood orange zest

½ cup blood orange juice

½ cup oat milk

½ cup olive or avocado oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch round cake tin with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Zest the blood oranges before you begin making the topping, set aside 2 tablespoons of zest.

3. To make the topping, slice the ends off each blood orange and carefully remove the rind of each orange, making sure to take off most of the white part. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the peeled oranges about ¼ inch thick. Reserve ½ cup of the juice from peeling the oranges and slicing them. If you don’t have enough, juice the ends of the oranges.

4. Grease the lined cake tin with the Miyoko’s butter and sprinkle with the coconut sugar, making sure it’s evenly coated. Arrange the orange slices on the bottom in a concentric circle; set aside.

5. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, almond flour, baking powder and salt.

6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the zest, juice, oat milk, and oil.

7. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until combined and there are no remaining lumps.

8. Pour the batter over the blood oranges.

9. Transfer the cake to the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

10. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes. Once cool enough to touch, invert the cake onto a platter and serve warm.

Melissa Petitto, R.D., is an executive chef and co-founder at Thymeless My Chef SB, was a celebrity personal chef for 16 years, just finished her 10th cookbook, and is an expert on nutrition and wellness.

A slice of blood orange upside-down cake (photo by little blue hen via Wikimedia Commons)

I know I parked around here somewhere

A group of California brown pelicans prepare to judge the next fish symphony

Santa Barbara by the Glass Sipping Season: High-Profile Events Target Wine Lovers

by Gabe Saglie

It’s never too early for great wine.

Each year, March marks the start of what I call the Sipping Season. In the vineyards, bud break will begin – dormant vines waking up to welcome what’ll become the year’s harvest. And across the Santa Barbara area, high-profile wine events will begin, too – unique opportunities for lovers of wine to sip what’s new, exciting and delicious.

Here are three of the best.

World of Pinot Noir

FRIDAY

FRIDAY

Hey, fellow procrastinators, this awesome event begins tonight, so get your tickets now! World of Pinot Noir returns to the Ritz-Carlton Bacara with three days of tastings, seminars and dinners, and features some of the best Burgundy-inspired wines in the world. Dozens of brands include some of the very best in Santa Barbara County –Au Bon Climat, Brewer-Clifton, Dierberg, Native9, and The Hilt – along with global powerhouses from premium wine growing regions in Sonoma, Chile, and France.

The Grand Tastings on Friday and Saturday ($175 or $300 for early entry) give consumers access to hundreds of wines, including new and upcoming releases, and the special chance to mingle and chat with the winemakers themselves. There is an amazing amount of wine to choose from here, so my suggestion is to focus on regions to explore, or on specific wineries you want to get to know. The early-bird-gets-theworm approach works, too.

Seminars offer more intimate chances to delve into various styles and to learn how terroir can drive how pinot noir smells, tastes, and feels. Friday’s “The New ‘Grand Cru’ of California” session ($150) will spotlight 10 of California’s top-tier labels, like Sanford and Merry Edwards, and the Saturday “Global Wine Conversations” seminar ($150) will lead guests on a blind tasting challenge of pinots from all over the world.

Friday and Saturday each feature wine lunch events ($175) and mega dinners with several pinot noir winemaker celebs ($275-$500), each feast featuring cuisine from Bacara’s renowned culinary teams.

If you’ve done WOPN before, you’ll be back! And if you’ve never been, this is the one wine event you don’t want to miss.

For tickets, including the Weekend VIP Passport ($2,250) that gets you all-access, go to worldofpinotnoir.com

Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration

Yes, men are welcome – but this event is all about celebrating the talented women who help define Santa Barbara County as a world-class wine and food destination.

The renowned World of Pinot Noir event returns to the Ritz-Carlton Bacara this weekend (courtesy photo)

Coinciding with International Women’s Day, and back for its 7th year, this event has been rebranded and also expanded to offer up no less than five days of delectable events. It all begins Wednesday, March 6th with a dinner featuring Camins 2 Dreams, the label driven by the wife-and-wife team of Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribó, with food from Michelin-recognized Peasant’s Feast in Solvang ($110). Thursday, March 7th, presents three dinners across the Santa Ynez Valley, from Los Olivos to Las Alamos ($75-$150). And Friday night is all about “Sips and She-Nanigans – A Sassy Soirée” ($95) at the Fess Parker Winery estate, a fancy wine-and-cocktail party that’ll go late into the night and highlight female chefs, female winemakers, and entertainment from various comediennes.

As per usual, the Saturday Grand Tasting sold out early, but tickets remain for Sunday’s “Bubbly Bash” ($95) at the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos, with sparklers from labels like Seagrape, Story of Soil, and Alma Rosa.

Food and wine aside, this is a premium opportunity to meet and celebrate the growing team of women – 19 gourmands and 34 winemakers, no less – who are defining today’s culinary culture in Santa Barbara County. Say hi to Casa Dumetz’s Sonja Magdevski, Sunstone’s Brittany Rice, Dana V’s Dana Volk, Dreamcôte’s Brit Zotovich, and Los Olivos Café’s Chef Brooke Stockwell, among so many others. Proceeds will go to She Raised Her Hand, a new initiative aimed at empowering women veterans.

Find your tickets at SBwomenwinemakers.com

Saunters & Sips

This quintessential spring event brings the coveted cool-climate Sta. Rita Hills winegrowing region to the Santa Barbara shore. Saunters & Sips ($129) is all about rosé and sparkling wines made with the world-premium pinot noir and chardonnay grapes that grow so prolifically in the vineyards cradled by the Purisima Hills and Santa Rosa Hills between Buellton and Lompoc. More than two dozen brands will represent the world-renowned AVA and dole out pours of their newest releases –Flying Goat, Ampelos, Loubud, Fiddlehead, and Babcock among them.

The afternoon event from 2:30-5:30 pm will offer up those famous ocean views from the Carousel House along Cabrillo Blvd. Food stations will feature Thai dishes, empanadas and BBQ sliders, and The Down Yonders will play live music all day.

This is one of the two major events presented each year by the Sta. Rita Hills Alliance, which was founded in 1997 to promote the region that features more than 60 vineyards across 30,000 acres – 3,000 of them planted to wine grapes. Their four-day Wine & Fire feast is slated for August.

Go to www.staritahills.com/events for tickets

And One more

A last-minute date change offers up a rare chance this weekend to get dibs on winemaker Ryan Carr’s premium portfolio. Carr Winery’s downtown Santa Barbara location – a unique venue inside a 1940s Quonset hut – is hosting a Cellar Raid ($30 or $10 for wine club members), giving consumers the chance to taste and buy 80+ wines from vintages 2006 to 2016. The flat rate pricing – three bottles for $125, six bottles for $250, and a 12-pack for $500 – represents a potential of savings of up to 80% on some bottles. Most wines are expected to sell out, so show up early. The event happens Saturday, March 2, from noon to 6 pm.

and

Check out carrwinery.com for more information

No reason to go thirsty! Cheers!

Come celebrate the women of wine and culinarians of Santa Barbara County (photo by Deborah Chadsey Photography)

Loubud Wines’ Laura Hughes is among the myriad winemakers featured at Saunters & Sips (photo by Frankie Osegueda)

Gabe Saglie has been covering the Santa Barbara wine scene for more than 15 years through columns, TV,

radio. He’s a senior editor with Travelzoo and is a leading expert on travel deals, tips, and trends.

his wife Christine Baumgartner

A crew of seven visited Maison Mineards Montecito two weeks back to shoot a half hour interview with TMZ founder Harvey Levin, who was on Zoom from Los Angeles.

The hour-long show featured my sound bites throughout with the chyron – the banner underneath – giving priceless promotion and publicity to our illustrious organ.

Family Reflections

Montecito actor Billy Baldwin’s wife, Chynna Phillips, has laid bare her “very complicated” and “tragic” relationship with her father detailing how his “horrible, horrible addiction to drugs and

alcohol” marred her childhood.

In a recently resurfaced video posted two years ago on her YouTube channel, the 56-year-old Wilson Phillips singer gets candid about her father, John Phillips, who was the front man for The Mamas and the Papas.

She says her dad was: “very troubled and tortured” and “did some things I know he’s not proud of.”

During her video, Chynna holds up her “favorite photo” of her and her father taken in 1970.

“You can just see the love that he had for me in his eyes and the love I have for him in my eyes,” she says. “It’s such a sincere, beautiful photo and it makes me really sad because my relationship with my father was so complicated and so tragic.

“I just wish things could have been a whole lot different. They weren’t!”

More than 60 singers were accompanied by collaborative pianist Mi-Young Kim with tenor Will Breman , who was a semi-finalist on the NBC TV show The Voice, performing on the guitar, adding the blues element to the show, and Pasadena-based bass baritone Michal Dawson Connor, who was Paul Robeson reincarnate.

An evening of note...

It’s Showtime!

Montecito actor Michael Keaton has opened up about his long-awaited sequel to his hit Beetlejuice, simply titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Keaton, 72, is returning as the title character for the sequel that fans have been demanding for more than three decades, which is scheduled in theaters Sept. 6.

with works including Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major,” Brahms’ 3 Intermezzi, Op. 117 and “Fantasies,” and Bach’s “Chaconne Partita No.2 in D Minor” (arr. by Busoni).

For an encore Grimaud, who at 13 was admitted to the prestigious Paris Conservatoire and secured a first prize in piano performance just three years later, played Rachmaninoff’s “1911-ÉtudesTableaux, Op. 33, No. 2 in C Major.”

Her stellar performance was as sparkling as her monochromatic wardrobe...

TMZ at Maison Mineards

Yours truly was front and center on TMZ Investigates on Fox regarding Carpinteria actor Kevin Costner’s divorce war with

Colorful Choral

Santa Barbara Choral Society showed its true colors when it staged a Red, White, and Blues concert under veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman at Trinity Episcopal Church.

In a nod to America’s rich multi-cultured heritage of musical traditions featuring works by Leonard Bernstein, Randall Thompson, Shawn Kirchner, and Eric Whitacre , the entertaining show was a musical journey across times and genres from classics to pop, folk, jazz and blues to gospel and spirituals.

“It’s been the most fun I’ve had on set for a long time,” he says. “On the one hand, you’re well ‘of course, it’s the most fun. It looks like fun.’ As you know, it doesn’t always work like that.”

The original Beetlejuice was a box office hit taking in $73.7 million (which adapted for inflation is $192 million in 2024 dollars) from a $10 million budget, becoming the tenth highest grossing film in 1988.

“I was hesitant and cautious,” adds Keaton. “Director Tim Burton and I were both on the same page when it came to the use of CGI and special effects.

“It had to feel handmade, not too much technology.”

That’s a Lot of Litter

It’s undoubtedly one of our Eden by the Beach’s most expensive properties.

An 11-acre Hope Ranch oceanside estate, consisting of three parcels, is up for grabs for $88 million.

It was formerly owned by an old friend, Betty Stephens, whose husband founded Jonny Cat litter, and has a 7,265 square foot main house built in 1961.

Betty, known for extravagant birthday bashes, both at the house and the nearby La Cumbre Country Cub, died in 2018 age 86. She also hosted innumerable bold

Pianist Hélène Grimaud shines bright (photo by Mat Hennek)

Richard being interviewed on TMZ (photo courtesy of TMZ/FOX)

Chynna Phillips laments childhood with father John Phillips (photo by Rachel K. So via Wikimedia Commons)

Will Breman laying some passion on the crowd (photo by Zach Mendez)

Michal Dawson Connor had the audience in awe (photo by Zach Mendez)

Seeking Longevity

Montecito actor Rob Lowe has expressed his “concern” over the increasing popularity of weight loss drugs.

The 59-year-old, who is known for his approach to health and wellness, says weight loss aids, such as diabetes drugs like Ozempic, are “great,” but do not align with “longevity of everything.”

In an interview with People , Rob shared his thoughts on the rise of people trying to lose weight using the FDA approved medication for people with Type 2 diabetes.

The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor, who celebrated his 33rd year of sobriety in May 2023, says “lifestyle” is more important for him.

throughout Santa Barbara County.

“Applications for financial assistance from the Scholarship Foundation are up some 30% over the last two years, underscoring a growing desire for access to post-secondary education in our community,” says Melinda Cabrera, the Foundation’s president and CEO.

Remembering Princess Ira

faced names including Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Gov. Jerry Brown and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The estate is being sold by her daughter Joi Stephens, and her husband Frank Kaminski.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the real estate details gush “…A vast canvas for the creation of an unparalleled estate allowing for a 20,000 square foot main house and two 7,500 square feet guest houses.”

Con-D’oh for Sale

Dan Castellaneta, the iconic voice of Homer Simpson on the Fox TV series, is selling his condo at Montecito Shores for $4.5 million.

The two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom property was purchased for $3 million in 2015.

It was built in 2011.

A Titanic Listing

Titanic director James Cameron has dropped the asking price for his 102-acre Hollister Ranch-based estate.

It was last offered for $33 million and has now been relisted for $28.5 million.

Tranquility Base, as the property completed in 1990 is known, has an 8,000 square foot main residence with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

Cameron, who is spending more time at his home in Wellington, New Zealand, has also sold his Montecito retreat for $8.2 million.

“I see people who are taking the new weight loss drugs,” says Rob. “That’s great and it has really changed their lives. But my concern always is, OK, now what? What’s the plan for the longevity of everything?”

‘American Idol’ of the West

The Music Academy of the West’s Lehmann Hall hosted music of a very different kind when American Idol held auditions there.

The first episode of ABC’s new season aired earlier this month and featured two of the auditions held on the oceanside Miraflores campus.

Former Dos Pueblos High student Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, the regular judges, were present.

By coincidence Katy used to take music lessons as a teenager with the academy’s vocal and music instructor Agatha Carubia.

Record Applicants for Scholarships

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has received 3,594 applications for financial aid in the 2024-25 academic year – an increase of 3.3% or 117 applicants over 2023’s total.

The applications are currently under review and recipients will be announced in April and May.

Last year the foundation awarded nearly $7.2 million to 1,864 students

On a personal note, I remember Princess Ira von Fürstenberg – an original ‘It’ girl who inspired artist Salvador Dali – who has died in Rome at the age of 83.

Ira, a niece of Fiat heir Gianni Agnelli, patron of La Dolce Vita, had an incredibly colorful life working as a model, starring in several films, and even becoming a successful author.

Raised in Venice at the Villa Fürstenberg, she married Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg – who turned the Spanish fishing village of Marbella into a jet set playground – when he was 30 and she only 15.

Among her close friends were Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco, with the rumor mill in overdrive in the 1980s she was in a relationship with the Monégasque royal. Her brother Egon, ex-husband of fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, was a good friend in New York. He died in Rome in 2004 aged 57.

We both appeared on Oprah’s TV talk show in Chicago in 1996, along with Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, mother of Dynasty actress Catherine Oxenberg.

I last saw the captivating peripatetic beauty at Brazilian billionaire Gilberto Scarpa’s Cristal-soaked 20th wedding anniversary bash for 550 guests, including Pelé, Margaux Hemingway, Catherine Deneuve, and Gina Lollobrigida in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 1996. An utterly charming, beautiful, and talented individual.

Sightings

Oprah Winfrey at the Arlington for author Abraham Verghese’s UCSB Arts & Lectures appearance... Katy Perry in Sydney, Australia, for the first night of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour... Meghan Markle lunching at the new Cipriani in Beverly Hills.

Pip! Pip!

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than 15 years

weight loss?

• Afraid of taking s�mulant drugs for weight loss?

• Do you have prediabetes?

• Considering bariatric surgery?

• Want to be managed in-person and by an MD?

• Looking for an affordable semaglu�de program?

The late Betty Stephens Hope Ranch estate up for sale for $88 million (photo by Priscilla)

Princess Ira von Fürstenberg R.I.P. (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Bids open at 2:00 PM on Thursday, March 14, 2024 for:

NORTH COUNTY HARDSCAPE REPAIRS FY 23/24 IN THE 4TH SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT

COUNTY PROJECT No. 820789

General project work description: Hardscape Repair

The Plans, Specifications, and Bid Book are available at https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874

The Contractor must have either a Class A license or any combination of the following Class C licenses which constitutes a majority of the work: C8, C12, C31

Submit sealed bids to the web address below. Bids will be opened available at the web address below immediately following the submittal deadline.

PlanetBids

https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874

Complete the project work within 35 Workings Days

The estimated cost of the project is $ 340,650

This project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR).

A contractor or subcontractor shall not be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of PCC Section 4104, or engage in the performance of any contract for public work, as defined in this chapter, unless currently registered and qualified to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code (LAB) Section 1725.5. It is not a violation of this section for an unregistered contractor to submit a bid that is authorized by Business and Professions Code (BPC) Section 7029.1 or by PCC Section 10164 or 20103.5 provided the contractor is registered to perform public work pursuant to LAB Section 1725.5 at the time the contract is awarded.

Prevailing wages are required on this Contract. The Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations determines the general prevailing wage rates. Obtain the wage rates at the DIR website https://www.dir.ca.gov/

Inquiries or questions based on alleged patent ambiguity of the plans, specifications, or estimate must be submitted as a bidder inquiry by 2:00 PM on 03/08/2024. Submittals after this date will not be addressed. Questions pertaining to this Project prior to Award of the Contract must be submitted via PlanetBids Q&A tab.

Bidders (Plan Holders of Record) will be notified by electronic mail if addendums are issued. The addendums, if issued, will only be available on the County PlanetBids website, https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874

By order of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Barbara this project was authorized to be advertised on 06/06/2023

Scott D. McGolpin

Director of Public Works

Published February 28, 2024

Montecito Journal

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Stay Montecito, 412 East Haley Street, Studio 3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. 2070 East Valley Road, LLC, 412 East Haley Street, Studio 3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 14, 2024. 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. 2024-0000398. Published February 21, 28, March 6, 13, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Stillpoint Santa Barbara Corp, 212 Cottage Grove Ave, STE B, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Stillpoint Santa Barbara, 212 Cottage Grove Ave, STE B, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 30, 2024. 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. 2024-0000244.

Published February 14, 21, 28, March 6, 2024

Far Flung Travel (Continued from 27)

seven miles before dark to this specific sea cave on West Anacapa Island. The isle itself always appears so close, especially when it’s one of those classic, clear days during the autumnal equinox, where distant seascapes reveal the fine detail in its rugged, windswept topography. It was as if I could splash water on the island with the blade of my paddle. However, with short days and winter solstice approaching, I felt the urgency to get there before it got too dark. So, my paddling rhythm felt anxious. It felt as if I was never paddling fast enough.

Migrating surf scoters, resident California brown pelicans, cormorants, and Heermann’s and western gulls all seemed to be flying to the same spot I was paddling to. Their approach seemed so effortless, like they didn’t care when they arrived. Me, I just wanted to get there, but I knew the ocean wasn’t going to allow me to “simply arrive.”

Currents

Sometimes the currents between the islands are favorable. Sometimes they aren’t. They can be challenging, even frustrating. When they aren’t working against me, it feels as if I’m paddling downhill, and I’m moving effortlessly. Other times, the currents work against me, and it feels like I’m paddling on an aquatic treadmill, as if I’m kayaking into a headwind uphill in the mud.

I experienced both that late afternoon. Halfway across the Anacapa Passage, I was gliding toward West Anacapa Island, but as I grew closer the conditions of the currents shifted. It felt as if I was paddling in place until I could extend my paddle outward and tap the blade on a barnacle-encrusted rock.

There was no surf slamming into the narrow isle that late afternoon. The north and south sides of the island were calm, yet it sounded as if the surf was substantial and roaring. The unpredictable currents swirling around West Anacapa Island were loud. I could see them moving, converging as they rippled darkly around the islet. The currents were such a force that they groaned around the tip of the treeless island.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: River Road Properties, 3993 Foothill Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. Mark A Corliss, 3993 Foothill Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 30, 2024. 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. 2024-0000240.

Published February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF

NAME: CASE No. 24CV00410. To all interested parties: Petitioner Rafael Altair Romero by Ivy Wang filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Lance Joseph Wang. 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 pe-

tition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed February 2, 2024 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: April 3, 2024 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Published February 14, 21, 28, March 6, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE

OF NAME: CASE No. 24CV00077. To all interested parties: Petitioner Elizabeth Rose Good filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Rose Good Tubic. 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. Filed January 26, 2024 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: March 13, 2024 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100

Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Published February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2024

However, all it took to reach utter silence – and that island solitude – was paddling down the north side of West Anacapa Island.

Sea Cave Innkeepers

Like pelagic centurions, squadrons of California brown pelicans filled the muted stratosphere as others roosted above the teeming intertidal zone, seabird guano cloaking the lichen-hued crags. Most of the gawky seabirds were of age, their heads creamy yellow, the backs of their necks’ deep cinnamon, and their pouches a brilliant crimson red.

They preened and postured waiting for the next dense bait ball of fish to float southeastward, a bounty of sustenance encompassing the island biome. They hovered above and around all the volcanic sea caves, shadowy alcoves, and especially the dank grotto possessing the cascading alluvial fans.

Oddly, a lone bald eagle was perched amongst the pelicans. It had to be a kumbaya moment between the apex predator of the islands and the entertaining pelicans soaring majestically over the northern chain. It was nearly dark and so quiet until the eagle took flight. I could hear its impressive wings flap. It flew out into the Anacapa Passage, toward Santa Cruz Island, four miles to the west, as I followed the steely raptor into the night.

Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer based in Carpinteria, where he also leads kayak tours and backpacking trips in Channel Islands National Park

Chuck prepares to enter the King of the Crag competition

Murray hopes the panel discussion will inspire community members to continue pushing for progress on gender equality. “I hope that people lean in, not just gathering in the moment, but making a commitment to continue to push forward, push for progress, and actively get involved in causes that impact women,” she said.

Janine Berridge, President of Giving List Women, will speak about intersectional feminist philanthropy and the importance of investing in women and girls.

Berridge has a long history working globally in international development, including roles empowering women entrepreneurs and adolescent girls in places like Zambia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone.

“I have always cared about gender equality and global development work. But when you look at many of the challenges you face in the developing world, you see those same challenges in the places that we live – whether that’s access to opportunity, education, poverty, or financial exclusion,” Berridge explained.

Her diverse experience includes leading the L.A. region of a youth mentoring nonprofit called Spark and co-founding an applied research institute translating data and facts on global issues into digestible formats for policymakers and the public.

Now with Giving List Women, Berridge is focused on shifting philanthropic dollars towards female-facing organizations and causes.

“Unfortunately, only 1.8% of philanthropic dollars goes towards women and girl-focused organizations. So that’s really what we’re trying to achieve with Giving List Women – building a movement of individuals, impact philanthropists, and nonprofits who believe in investing in women and girls,” Berridge said.

The Giving List Women, founded by the Montecito Journal Media Group, will bring together some of the world’s most powerful philanthropic leaders to strengthen the narrative around Intersectional Feminist Philanthropy. The goal is to help donors at all levels understand that women and girls are a key philanthropic lever for moving the needle on our world’s most pressing problems – that Women and Girls should be a lens on, not merely a lane in, the philanthropic space. The GLW Summit, being held in Montecito in late April, will bring to life the inaugural Giving List Women’s book, which engagingly tells the stories of 50 nonprofit organizations around the world that support women and girls in every area of philanthropy. The book will also tell the stories of Giving List Women Partner organizations that are key supporters of organizations focused on women and girls – 175,000 copies of the book will be strategically distributed nationwide.

Berridge sees The Giving List Women evolving into a broader network and movement. “I would describe Giving List Women as organic and growing. There’s a publication and a summit, but we’re really building a movement, a network of networks consisting of individuals and organizations committed to investing in women and girls.”

That networked spirit of collaboration and openness to new models is very much the ethos of International Women’s Day itself.

ShelterBox’s Murray emphasized, “this is all about recognizing achievements, but also educating, raising awareness, and calling for positive change to advance women.”

With a powerful lineup of glass-ceiling-shattering women sharing their stories at the Music Academy on March 7th, ShelterBox’s International Women’s Day event promises to inform, inspire, and catalyze continued progress towards women’s equality worldwide.

launch that with just a couple of dozen names,” said Renee Davidson, Brady’s Vice President of Communications, who is spearheading the Show Gun Safety program. “But we got a surge. It turns out that people in the industry are really hungry for this. They’re coming to us and we don’t have to make a case or even pitch. We don’t need to tell them why they need to do it. They’re so ready.”

The three-part pledge asks creatives to:

1. Use creativity to model responsible gun ownership and show consequences for reckless gun use, including making a conscious effort to show characters locking their guns safely and making them inaccessible to children.

2. Have at least one conversation during pre-production regarding the way guns will be portrayed on screen and consider alternatives that could be employed without sacrificing narrative integrity.

3. Bearing in mind that guns are now the leading cause of death for children and adolescents, working to limit scenes that feature children and guns.

“Those principles are really realistic and very achievable,” Davidson said. “They’re not about taking guns out of TV and film. It’s not about censorship but being more responsible. I think that’s why it’s been so galvanizing.”

Indeed, it was less than a year ago that Brady organized about two dozen Hollywood actors, directors and showrunners to join a roundtable discussion at the White House on the role the TV and film industry can play in combating the gun violence epidemic. The nonprofit has now also partnered with two of the world’s leading talent agencies in Endeavor and Creative Artists Agency to foster systemic change on gun safety in TV and film.

Among the signers is actor Mark Ruffalo, who was recently honored with SBIFF’s American Riviera Award at the Arlington and is currently nominated for an Oscar for his role in Poor Things

“We’re thrilled that so many people who are influential in the industry really want to embrace these ideas because they want to feel like they’re helping the movement against gun violence and helping show responsible depictions that’ll keep our community safe,” Davidson said.

Brady United is expanding on the Show Gun Safety principles to work directly with showrunners, writers, and filmmakers to provide ways to portray safe handling of guns in their movies and TV shows, whether for animation that might run on Cartoon Network, or on police procedurals and thrillers.

“It’s about how they can insert that

glimmer of maybe a gun safe, locking away the firearms rather than tossing them on the table,” Davidson said. “Maybe don’t show guns so prominently in movie posters and marketing efforts. Again, it’s not about getting rid of the guns, but about being thoughtful about the marketing. Is it necessary? How are we being intentional? All of it matters because guns are so pervasive in our cultural narratives.”

As an adjunct to the Show Gun Safety principles is a push to have Hollywood more realistically portray what happens when someone does get shot. Ever since Hollywood began filming action movies, it’s been a trope that a bullet that doesn’t hit the head or chest basically barely leaves a scratch, the victim shrugging it off and continuing the fight.

Back in the 1990s, there were two films that tried to accurately portray what happens when someone gets shot. In Three Kings, David O. Russell showed in graphic, gruesome detail what happens when a bullet penetrates the body, both filming a slug passing through an actual cadaver and employing animation to further indicate the damage. In Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon, a robber fires a bullet into Steve Martin’s leg, and we see him go into total shock, the way people actually do when their bodies suffers such extreme trauma. He even pisses himself with the pain.

But even Martin’s character – a filmmaker famed for directing action films – goes right back to what he was doing before even before he’s fully healed.

Dr. Joseph V. Sakran – a gunshot victim as a teen who is now Brady’s Board Chair and Chief Medical Officer and treats gunshot victims at John Hopkins Hospital – leads the organization’s efforts to lift the voices of healthcare professionals in the gun violence prevention movement.

“He’s advising and consulting as well because he understands that we need portrayals that actually show you don’t just get up and continue to run after getting shot,” Davidson said. “More realistic portrayals that show the real severity can also be part of the culture change.”

To be sure, Brady isn’t abandoning its legislative efforts, employing research, and lobbying to enhance and upgrade protections that were codified in the long sought-after Brady Bill. But as Davidson said, culture change is contagious.

Both philanthropists and professionals in the entertainment industry should feel free to contact Davidson directly at rdavidson@bradyunited.org

Zach Rosen is the Managing Editor of the Montecito Journal. He also enjoys working with beer, art, and life.

Shauna Quill, Kandy LuriaBudgor, and musicians Evan Shinners, Katrina Agate, and Erin McKibben (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

performed nature and biorhythms, with dessert being served in the locale.

The Preston Morton Gallery showcased French artist Pauline Auzou’s Two Women Making Music (1796). The work is said to have been inspired by Italian mannerist prints of the late 17th century. J. S. Bach’s “Flute Sonata in E Minor, BWV 1034” was performed by the Music Academy’s Evan Shinners (harpsichord), Katrina Agate (cello), and Erin McKibben (flute). Shinners is a dual Julliard degree holder and Bach aficionado with his recently launched podcast dedicated to Bach called “WTF Bach.” Italian hors d’oeuvres and libations were served.

The closing piece was a contemporary mix of the painting area code (2019, oil on acrylic linen, 108 x 82”) by Ena Swansea, with a piano performance by Shinners of his selections from J.S. Bach. The multi-colored painting depicts a young child in a lighted glass phone booth in a snowy forested meadow. Contemporary art at the SBMA is curated by James Glisson

The event committee members are Karen Brill, Lynn Cunningham Brown, Kathleen Feldstein, Michael C. Linn, Christian McGrath, Jeanne Towles, and Gregg Wilson.

SBMA new board members present were Jacquelyn Klein-Brown, J. Paul Longanbach, and Beth Wood. This bi-annual funder supports the museum’s educational programming and exhibitions. Key sponsors were Susan B. Bowey, Kandy Luria-Budgor and Beno Budgor of the Luria Family Foundation, Jane and Ken Anderson, Robert Castle, Robin and Daniel Cerf, Marcia and John Mike Cohen, Joan Davidson, Jane Eagleton, Martha Gabbert, Paul Longanbach and Donald Polk, Christian and Angie McGrath, Rosemary and Nicholas Mutton, Betsy and Charles Newman, Nancy and Doug Norberg, Merrill Sherman, Jeanne Towles, Martha and Tim Townsend, Beth and George Wood, and Susan and Bruce Worster.

411: www.sbma.net

Jeanne Fulkerson, Michael Linn, Martha Townsend, Lynn Cunningham Brown, Gregg Wilson, and Amada Cruz (photo

My biggest challenge is being busy. As one might imagine, my calendar is pretty full, but as author John Mark Comer notes, “being busy robs us of joy, peace, and the ability to love well.” My challenge is to take care of the urgent but to not miss the important.

Can you tell us what resources you go to for inspiration and support?

Definitely the Black church has been and continues to be a major inspiration for me. Even living in Santa Barbara, I go regularly to Los Angeles to the Black church I grew up in, the United Church of the Living God in South Central L.A., where all people are welcome.

It had the nucleus of people that surrounded and nurtured me to be the woman I am today. My grandfather was a bishop there. It is a place that you can go for strength, hope, and joy, a hub you can go to for soul care.

And of course, my faith, I am a person of faith. I am a fourth-generation ordained minister. My great-grandfather was a minister, my grandfather was a pastor/evangelist minister, and my mom is an ordained minister, all through that same church.

I was working for a large nonprofit in Washington, D.C. During COVID I transitioned out of that to work with a local church with over 74 different nationalities. I loved the church and the community outreach.

Nevertheless, I wanted to return to my other first love which is the academy, higher education. It’s a testament to God’s faithfulness because I am a first-generation college graduate. I actually never planned to go to college; I did not have that as a model to think of or pursue.

Yet different people came alongside of me and allowed me to dream and envision a different life for myself. As a result, I pursued higher education, found out that I had reasonable intelligence that allowed me to flourish in higher ed. I received full scholarships for my master’s and PhD. I went to Temple University in Philadelphia and the University of Florida.

My two great loves are the Church and higher education.

Other sources of inspiration are my family, and good friends, and traveling – I love seeing new places, people, and cultures. I’m trying to visit my 50th country this year!

Can you talk briefly about your two Fulbright Scholarships?

Yes! I traveled to South Africa on a Fulbright Scholarship and met Bishop Desmond Tutu and his wife. [She motions to a photograph of Tutu, his wife, and Denu in her office.] I stayed in a guest house with him and his wife, as he was receiving an award. At the time, I was reading his book, No Future Without Forgiveness, and meeting him was surreal. My research examined the intersection of race, class, and gender, looking at the plight of women in post-apartheid South Africa. While there, I taught at an Afrikaans university, which was unbelievable because just 10 years prior it would have been illegal for me to do so as a Black woman. I also interacted with Nelson Mandela’s Foundation, but at the time he was away and so I did not get to meet him.

My second Fulbright to Ethiopia was also a dream come true, as my husband is from there. We lived in Gondar, a Coptic Christian community in northern Ethiopia. I taught graduate students at the University of Gondar.

What advice might you have for Black students at this time in history?

I would tell Black students to lean into their rich heritage. We come from a lineage of people who not only survived but thrived in spite of slavery and horrific circumstances. Black people come from a long line of inventors, artists, activists, orators, and scholars – people who changed America and the world. Lean into that greatness.

What would you want people reading this to know about Black History Month, both locally and globally?

Black history is American history; it’s world history. When we celebrate Black History Month, we celebrate a great cadre of scientists, writers, actors, politicians, teachers, preachers, inventors, activists, scholars, and others who have made America the beautiful place that it is. So, when we celebrate BHM we celebrate us – all of us!

What are your thoughts in closing…?

Students need to see the possibility of someone who looks like them in leadership roles to help them imagine themselves there. I had to see other Black women with doctorates before I could see myself with one.

In my position at Westmont College, I get to bring representation into Christian higher education and higher education in general.

Representation is something I’m thankful for and that I steward, to encourage other women and people of color to dream big and to do great things for God’s glory and for others.

by Joanne A Calitri)

Robey Theatre’s ‘The Talented Tenth’

Director and producer Ben Guillory on the left with his Robey Theatre actors at Soul Bites Restaurant post performance of The Talented Tenth

American radio executive whose midlife crisis has reached critical mass. Wesley himself is a prolific author, playwright, and graduate of Howard University, residing in New Jersey.

411: SBBlackCultureHouse@gmail.com

Instagram: @BlackCultureHouse www.therobeytheatrecompany.org

Janna Ireland Exhibits at SBMA and MCASB

To round out Black History Month, the exhibit by Janna Ireland, titled Janna Ireland: True Story Index, is up through June 2 at both the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art SB. The exhibit was co-curated by SBMA Curator of Photography and New Work Charles Wylie and MCASB President Frederick Janka.

Santa Barbara Black Culture House’s Founders Darrell McNeill and Sally FoxenMcNeill presented their two final cultural events of the month over February 24 and 25, at Soul Bites Restaurant.

First was a music performance by Los Angeles band The Funky Neighbors on Saturday. The band members are Damon “Super Day” Wilson (keyboards), Terrence “Smoke” Huggins (drums), and Stevie “The G Roofa” Martin (bass). The Funky Neighbors bridge the gap between BeBop and Hip Hop to keep the tradition of original music created and played by musicians alive. They have been in service as backing musicians, either individually or collectively, for a myriad of artists including George Clinton, The RZA of WuTang Clan (both touring and solo projects), George Lopez, Lakeside, Mallia Franklin, and others.

On Sunday, the renowned and award-winning African American theater arts organization, the Robey Theatre Company, performed a reading of Richard Wesley’s The Talented Tenth. It was directed and produced by Ben Guillory, who co-founded the theater with Danny Glover in 1994, centering on the Black theatrical canon. It was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1996. The theatre is named in honor of Paul “Robey” Robeson, a respected humanitarian, artist, and activist.

Guillory explained to me how they came to perform at Soul Bites: “Stirling NixBradley is an actor who performed in the play at the Robey Theatre November –December 2023. He would drive to L.A. to rehearse and perform in the play; and then drive back to Santa Barbara to manage Soul Bites, the restaurant that his family owns. Sterling suggested they perform the play at Soul Bites in conjunction with Santa Barbara Black Culture House’s Black History Month Program there.”

The actors that performed were Nix-Bradley as Ron, Guillory as Griggs, Tiffany Coty as Pamela, Monte Escalante as Rowena, Nic Few as Bernard, Julio Hanson as Marvin, Jessica Obilom as Tanya, and Ezekiel Ajeigbe as the Young Man.

Guillory introduced the play and taught us about it: “W. E. B. Du Bois’ The Talented Tenth refers to the one in 10 Black men who have cultivated the ability to become leaders of the Black community by acquiring a college education, writing books, and becoming directly involved in social change. He argues that these men should sacrifice their personal interests to lead and better the Black community. As many of us understand, leadership skills are not exclusive to gender, type, class, and academically educated persons. We know that these do not always produce the kind of person who contains values and character to serve the best interest of the people. Wesley’s play speaks of a commitment to something beyond oneself, of idealistic values and innocence that produced a social consciousness that had been compromised and how its attempted retrieval exacts a dear price.”

The performance was straight up brilliant, even though they performed without costume changes, staging, professional lighting, and were certainly due a larger attendance. Unphased by these peripheral accouterments, the actors gave their performance seamlessly to the tiny audience as if we were at the Apollo Theater. The actors’ dialogue timing was impeccable, with every emotion the intensely impactful play required of them. And they performed for three hours without intermission. The script gave us insight into Black Culture as well as touching upon circumstances one faces at various stages in life.

The attendees were overcome and feeling blessed for the gift brought here by this gifted ensemble and Santa Barbara Black Culture House. Let’s, as Guillory said, “Celebrate the history, the legacy of people of color every day.”

Santa Barbara Black Culture House is sponsored by the Black Rock Coalition and made possible by a Towbes Fund for The Performing Arts grant through The Santa Barbara Foundation. Wesley’s The Talented Tenth, originally published in 2002, covers the life and career of Bernard Evans, a civil rights activist and Howard University graduate, and successful African

Ireland has been busy with interviews, museum member openings, and her work as an assistant professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles. One of her last public info sessions took place at the SBMA titled, “A Morning with Janna Ireland,” on Sunday, February 25.

The talk was well attended, and highlighted by the presence of Carmen Beals, Nevada State Museum Associate Curator, and Outreach Manager for Ireland’s series on Paul R. Williams.

Ireland presented details on her Pauline series, one of which clearly remains close to her vest as she explained, “A lot of my work deals with my family. Artists focus on three main things in their work. For me it is home, hands, and eyes. When my grandmother passed away, I inherited her photographs. I wanted to give them a second life. Doing the work in the darkroom was a part of the process – to add elements and overlay them to her original photographs like flowers, jewelry, and her signature and words. The work is about my mourning her and all my labor to do by hand took me five months as an expression of grief. There are 21 individual images, but I consider it one work. I teach my students about how a photograph itself survives and that the life of the image can continue.”

Wylie, Janka, and the attendees posed questions after her presentation. Remarks made by Ireland included, “I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the future of my practice or the people looking at my images. My work on Paul Williams will not continue. It took me seven years and feels done.”

The talk was followed by a walk through the SBMA galleries showing her works. The SBMA acquired 17 photographs for their permanent collection. The joint museum show has works selected from Family Album: Dannielle Bowman, Janna Ireland’s personal collection, and her Contemporary Works from LACMA, The Spotless Mirror series, the Milk and Honey series, and her photography of the architectural works by Black architect Paul R. Williams, which were featured in exhibitions at the Nevada State Museum and the AIA Center for Architecture in NYC. There was a reception for Ireland and attendees of the talk at the MCASB afterwards.

Ireland’s photographs are held in the permanent collections of institutions including LACMA, the Nevada Museum of Art, the California African American Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago.

411: www.sbma.net/exhibitions/jannaireland www.mcasantabarbara.org/exhibition/janna-ireland/

(photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Janna Ireland in conversation with SBMA Curator Charlie Wylie and MCASB President Frederick Janka (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Joanne A Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@ yahoo.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29

Double Dip into Indie-folk – Four-time Grammy winner Sarah Jarosz arrived at the apex of the modern folk movement’s intersection with Americana with such albums as 2020’s World on the Ground and 2021’s song cycle Blue Heron Suite – as well as earlier efforts as one-third of the folkie supergroup I’m With Her (Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan), projects that we got to see live at the Lobero over the years. Now, Jarosz has undergone both a geographic shake-up and a sonic one in moving to Nashville, resulting in her encompassing a broader, much richer and more electric sound in the studio for the just-released Polaroid Lovers. The reorganization of her creative process includes co-writes and collaborations with Nashville’s hotshot players. But as the New York Times noticed, Jarosz’s “at once clear headed, thoughtful, vulnerable and open to desire perspective comes through.” The Lobero once again hosts Jarosz as we get to witness a vital artist’s latest meditation on those strangely ephemeral moments that indelibly shape our lives. Don’t delay downing your pre-show drinks or you’ll show up late for opening act The Ballroom Thieves. Martin Earley and Calin Peters’ fourth album, 2022’s Clouds, similarly represents something of a shift for the New England-based duo as they mine the challenges of the past three years for creative inspiration, unearthing the duality of their struggles with depression and other complicated experiences in song.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

COST: $40-$106

INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com

FRIDAY, MARCH 1

Englishmen Abroad: Talking Heads – British progressive rock pioneer and guitar giant Robert Fripp, the sole constant in the 55-year history of the legendary band King Crimson, is bringing his longtime production and business partner David Singleton to town to chat about their careers, outlook on music, and anything else fans might ask about. Fripp – who has also collaborated with such luminaries as Brian Eno, David Bowie, Daryl Hall, David Sylvian, and Peter Gabriel over the years – was also the originating director of the Guitar Craft and Guitar Circle programs. Fripp and David Singleton established Discipline Global Mobile in 1992 as an independent record label to release Fripp and King Crimson’s music, and the enterprise has become a model for artist-owned imprints with its extensive reissue campaign and early embrace of

FRIDAY, MARCH 1

Maria’s Way with Water – Mexico City-born painter Maria Rendón’s works of art explore themes of transformation, hybridity, ritualistic experience, and landscape. The latter is very much at play in her second solo exhibition at Sullivan Goss, Santa Barbara’s most prestigious locally-focused gallery, where Holy Water features a suite of 17 of her enigmatic new paintings, slowly-developed works of treated acrylics on wood panels and paper. The exhibition takes its name partly from a 1977 essay by Joan Didion and partly from the artist’s abiding interest in both the local landscape and the essential conditions of our existence, and follows on the heels of her nearly sold out 2021 exhibition Rain

WHEN: March 1-April 22

(Opening artist reception at 1st Thursday on March 7)

WHERE: Sullivan Goss, 11 E. Anapamu St.

COST: free

INFO: (805) 730-1460 or www.sullivangoss.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 2

Le Museum Le Moderne L’Arte – Even if you don’t speak a word of French, doesn’t that title sound like the name for some sort of upscale benefit at one of our fine gallery establishments? Don’t be fooled. Or rather do, as Le Museum is the latest satirical spoof of high society from Fishbon, the creative collective that put together Blisstopia and SPLIFF in recent years. This time the one-ofa-kind interactive theater event skewers the modern art museum experience – urging you to unleash your inner Self-Important Art Critic and take part in the gala of a generation where you can rub shoulders with even more pretentious creators. The participatory event takes a lovingly laughable look at such tropes as high-minded docent-led art tours, ludicrous Q&A panels, and even provides an opportunity to outbid other millionaires at the live art auction where a single dollar will represent $1 million. The adventurous might also join in to help solve a whodunnit art theft mystery. Visitors can gyrate to the obtuse beats of DJ Greta Van Susteren, perhaps a poke at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s long dormant Nights and Atelier events. Enjoy delicious honeyed wines, hard kombuchas, and other sweet beverages available for purchase at the bar from Wylde Works; all while taking in the genuinely exotic locale of SBCAST (Santa Barbara Center of Art, Science and Technology).

WHEN: 7-11 pm

WHERE: Santa Barbara Center of Art, Science and Technology (SBCAST), 513 Garden St.

COST: $25 in advance, $30 at the door

INFO: www.fishbon.org/event-details/le-museum-le-moderne-larte-3

downloadable music. Singleton is also Fripps’ current producer. The duo’s Englishmen Abroad Tour affords fans a chance to ask the duo questions about Crimson as well as Fripp’s other collaborations and his unique approach to making music.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: New Vic Theatre, 33 W. Victoria St.

COST: $40 & $75

INFO: (805) 965-5400 or www.etcsb.org

SATURDAY, MARCH 2

Mostly Mozart – Actually, it’s all music by Mr. Amadeus as the Santa Barbara Music Club’s latest program brings the very fine locally-based clarinetist David Singer, violinist Nicole McKenzie, and pianist Betty Oberacker to Hope Ranch Annex for a free afternoon concert. McKenzie is the First Violinist of the Condor String Quartet and Concertmaster of the Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara and teaches “Music for Dancers” at UCSB. UCSB Professor Emeritus Oberacker is the widely traveled pianist whose appearances include concerts at Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonic Hall, and London’s Wigmore Hall. Singer is principal clarinetist emeritus of the Grammy Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with performances including the White House for Presidents Carter and Clinton and guest artist shots with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. This afternoon, Oberacker will take on Mozart’s “Piano Sonata in A Minor, K. 310”; join with McKenzie for Mozart’s “Sonata in C Major, K. 296 for Violin and Piano”; and will add Singer to close out the show with the “Trio in E-flat major, K. 498 (‘Kegelstatt’) for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano.”

WHEN: 3 pm

WHERE: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 4575 Auhay Dr. COST: free

INFO: https://sbmusicclub.org

SUNDAY, MARCH 3

Grand Ol’ Party for Granada? – We’re told the water damage will be repaired in time for this classic rock concert to inaugurate the Granada Theatre just a

“What good are fans? You can’t eat applause for breakfast. You can’t sleep with it.” – Bob Dylan

SATURDAY, MARCH 2

An Elevated Evening of Music – Time was in the pre-pandemic days that Johnny Irion and his part-time Santa Barbara-based band U.S. Elevator were playing all over town. The group – led by the classic rocker with the Neil Young-Nilsson-esque voice who has been aptly described as a rocker in and out of time – had residencies at the erstwhile venues of the bar at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Montecito and 7 Bar & Kitchen in the Funk Zone, where the lads honed their chops on Irion’s somehow timeless mashup of California rock and Guthrie-era folk. That was partly because Irion and his then-wife Sarah Lee Guthrie lived part time in Montecito. Irion has since made a solo album and collaborated with others, although we’re told more than one new album is ready for release this year. Whatever the material, hearing Irion and U.S. Elevator do their thing once again at SOhO is an ageless treat for the ages.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street

COST: $20

INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com

month ahead of its 100th anniversary celebration. If so, folks will get to witness a pairing of one of the surviving Southern rock groups on a double bill with a ‘60s psychedelic San Francisco rock icons turned ‘80s pop hitmakers when The Marshall Tucker Band and Jefferson Starship rock out in downtown Santa Barbara. MTB, who marked a half-century milestone two years ago, still boasts its original lead vocalist in Doug Gray, who is still happily still churning such hits as “Heard It in a Love Song” and “Can’t You See” (not to mention “Fire on the Mountain,” which has a much better rhythm to it than “sprinkler water on the stage,” although maybe not in Montecito which has lasting memories of way too many wildfires in the foothills). Starship, formed by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick while Jefferson Airplane was still going strong, still sports an origi nal member too in David Freiberg, a singer, keyboardist, bassist, guitarist, viola player and percussionist who started out with fellow Bay Area band Quicksilver Messenger Service. The current lineup has been together since 2016, and plays hits and other songs from throughout the decades, including (we imagine), “Count On Me,” “Jane,” and “We Built This City.” Enjoy!

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street

COST: $65-$105

INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6

Power to the Poets – You’re probably lying to your self if you remember hearing Bob Dylan’s legendary Royal Albert Hall Concert show – which actually took place at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in May 1966. This is the performance where the future legend switched from acoustic to electric midway through the show, drawing the ire of folk purists in the audi ence and forever altering the course of rock and roll. But maybe you’ve heard the bootleg that was finally officially released some time back. Either way, you have the chance to hear Cat Power revisit her own concert at Royal Albert Hall from last November, where she offered up a song-for-song recreation of the fabled Dylan show, with critics praising how the artist aka Chan Marshall inhab ited each song with equal parts conviction and grace. It’s a virtually sold-out show, though, so you may have to content yourself with hearing her live album Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

COST: $85

INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com

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KNIFE SHARPENING SERVICE

EDC Mobile Sharpening is a locally owned and operated in Santa Barbara. We specialize in (No-Entry) House Calls, Businesses and Special Events. Call 805-696-0525 to schedule an appointment

TILE SETTING

Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.

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Donate to the Parrot Pantry!

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