C ALENDAR OF Note to readers: This entertainment calendar is a subjective sampling of arts and other events taking place in the Santa Barbara area for the next week. It is by no means comprehensive. Be sure to read feature stories in each issue that complement the calendar. In order to be considered for inclusion in this calendar, information must be submitted no later than noon on the Wednesday eight days prior to publication date. Please send all news releases and digital artwork to slibowitz@yahoo.com)
THURSDAY, MARCH 5 1st Thursday: On the Beat, and Offbeat – City Hall Gallery (735 Anacapa Street, 805-568-3990) hosts an opening reception celebrating “Student Voices,” featuring works from budding creatives at the Santa Barbara City College Art Department, featuring remarks from participating SBCC students… The financial firm Raymond James (1216 State Street, 5th Floor in the Granada Building, 805-730-3350) continues its hosting of receptions high above State Street with a show featuring local artists Randy VanderMey, Jasmine Clark, and Lori Call, who will mingle among the patrons enjoying free wine and appetizers… March also features a new debut for the monthly art-and-culture self-guided tour: Onus Donuts (413 State Street, 805-770-8066), an old-fashioned donut shop with a slightly modern twist that just opened its doors three months ago. Local artist J.J. Sanchez will have work on display while vinyl DJs from Val-Mar Records provide the grooves. Special savory and sweet donuts prepared for the night will be served, along with craft beer and champagne… In the performing arts portion of March’s 1st Thursday, SBIFF’S Santa Barbara Filmmaker Screening Series (1330 State Street) offers up Preston Maag’s “10 Miles Out,” a 12-minute short doc depicting backpackers of various skill and experience levels navigating the Los
Padres National Forest in uplifting and inspiring journeys. Finally, indie rock band David à la Mode alternates between warm, harmony-laden folk tunes and rowdy, overdriven headbanging music at De La Guerra Place in Paseo Nuevo. WHEN: 5-8 pm WHERE: Lower State Street and environs COST: free INFO: (805) 962-2098 or www. downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday Gagaku & Kimonos? Sho Thing! – Art, Design & Architecture Museum hosts a trio of events about Gagaku, the music and dance of the Imperial Court of Japan also performed at important Buddhist and Shinto temples – the oldest continuously performed musical tradition in the world. Its repertory includes vocal music, instrumental pieces and dance programs from ancient Japan, China, India, Korea, and other parts of Asia, as well as a growing body of contemporary music. This afternoon, maestro Naoyuki Manabe, performer and composer, will present an outline of the music while Professor Fabio Rambelli, organizer of the event, will provide a Japanese-English translation. Tomorrow afternoon, Manabe will be joined by Takao Matsuhisa, another leading performer of Gagaku music and Bugaku dance, who will offer a unique glimpse of the unique kimono costumes used in the ancient genres, explaining the elaborate structure of the costumes and their symbolism, and demonstrat-
ONGOING Ewes with a View – Elings Park has recruited more than 200 merino sheep to remove fire-prone plants and weeds in an organic effort at clearing unnecessary and dangerous vegetation, employing a safe alternative to herbicides to protect the Mesa neighborhood. The fuzzy, eco-friendly specialists that are adept at removing the unwanted plants and devouring invasive weeds will be contained in corrals that will move every few days to target specific areas at the location, one of the largest private parks in California (nearly three times the size of Disneyland), which normally hosts sporting events, nature hikes and cultural events. In addition to removing highly flammable vegetation, the flock of sheep’s hoof impact will condition the soil by breaking up the hard clay layer allowing better water absorption and enabling roots to spread. Trampling dead plant matter into soil creates natural conditions that favor native and perennial plant communities over non-native invasives. Sheep safety expert Cuyama Lamb has extensive experience with targeted grazing and will have many safety precautions in place including fencing, netting and regular observations. At night, the flock will be protected by Great Pyrenees sheep dogs. The public is welcome to hike onto the south bluffs of Elings Park for daily sheep-gazing sessions, viewing the flock during daylight hours; directional signs will be posted at trail heads off Jerry Harwin Parkway, with the details on the latest locations posted on Elings Park social media. WHEN: Daily through March 21 WHERE: 1298 Las Positas Road COST: free, $5 parking on weekends INFO: www.elingspark.org
52 MONTECITO JOURNAL
EVENTS by Steven Libowitz
THURSDAY, MARCH 5 1st Thursday: Galleries and Goodies – Sure the calendar – if not the thermometer – says spring is still a couple of weeks off, but it’s not too early to start planning for summer. As in the Summer Solstice Parade poster. The annual exhibit of the contenders hoping their art will be chosen to appear on T-shirts, posters and other merchandise for the perennially popular pagan parade and celebration takes place tonight at Café Ana (1201 Anacapa Street, 805-888-0262) where you can also meet the artists and cast your vote for the work you think best promotes this year’s theme of “Beautiful Earth” while enjoying wine and delicious bites for purchase… Also in the artists-at-alcohol-serving spots is Armada Wine & Beer Merchant (1129 State Street, Suite A, 805770-5912), which hosts local graphic designer/ artist Anna Dulaney. Enjoy happy hour prices while checking out Dulaney’s use of watercolor and gold leaf featuring natural textures, shapes and silhouettes that some say set forth peaceful feelings… Among the full-time art galleries, Sullivan Goss (11 East Anapamu Street, 805-730-1460) opens a new exhibition celebrating the life and work of influential and beloved Santa Barbara painter Michael Dvortcsak, who passed away last December. A major force in the area’s artistic community for half a century, Dvortcsak’s career began in the ‘60s as an MFA student at UCSB, where he eventually taught before achieving enough critical success in the artworld to give up teaching and focus full time on his painting, although he never stopped being a mentor to young, ambitious artists and was an important influence on many of the area’s most well-known contemporary artists. The retrospective will include work from all periods of his career, while the gallery also continues exhibits by local favorites Phoebe Brunner and Meredith Brooks Abbott… “Outside Looking In” is the title of the new exhibit of Genevieve Gaignard’s provocative explorations addressing stereotypes of race, class, and gender in photographs of her “selfie culture” self-performances and installations, opening today at the Museum of Contemporary Art (653 Paseo Nuevo Terrace, 805-966-5373). Gaignard’s mixed media work combines humor, persona and lowbrow pop sensibilities to craft dynamic visual narratives, while the aural offerings during the monthly Curated Cocktails event will come from DJ DESKTOP… Erin Ziegler is featured artist at “Spring Arts Collective,” an exhibit of original landscapes, watercolors, and printmaking design from the 24 resident artists at Santa Barbara Art Works (28 East Victoria Street). WHEN: 5-8 pm WHERE: Lower State Street and environs COST: free INFO: (805) 962-2098 or www.downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday
ing the ritual practices associated with folding and wearing them. At the same time, Hideaki Bunno, a former director of the Gagaku orchestra at the Imperial Palace of Japan and the current director of a Gagaku ensemble performing at UCSB over the two days, leads a workshop in the sho an ancient mouth organ made with bamboo, lacquered wood and metal that is used only in Gagaku and Bugaku, where it plays complex harmonic clusters as an accompaniment to the melodies. Bunno is a member of a 36-generation family of musicians that has continuously played the sho at the imperial court of Japan for over 1,000 years. WHEN: Lecture 1-2:30 pm today; Kimono demo 1-3 pm tomorrow, sho workshop 2-3:30 pm WHERE: UCSB campus, across from the lagoon COST: free INFO: (805) 893-2951 or www.museum. ucsb.edu
“Music is the great uniter. An incredible force.” – Sarah Dessen
SATURDAY, MARCH 7 New ‘Configuration’ at Center Stage – Santa Barbara’s premier youth dance company annual showcase, presented by Santa Barbara Dance Arts and The Arts Mentorship Program, regularly sells out a series of shows by appealing to the whole family. The performances feature high-energy hip hop, evocative contemporary dance pieces and entertaining jazz numbers highlighting award-winning choreography from Los Angeles-based Phil Wright and Richard Elszy, plus work from local favorites Brittany Sandoval, Chloe Roberts, Lauren Serrano, and company founder Alana Tillim. The production has the added factor of having student work share the stage with professional choreographers’ creations, with the amateurs being nurtured by professional mentors while they compete 5 – 12 March 2020
