Owls, opossum and more

By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The winter edition of its popular free Winter Family Day event at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature, 1511-B Mission Drive in Solvang, returns from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb.

12.

Now twice-yearly, the event invites visitors to bring the whole family and enjoy free museum admission along with a day of art and nature-inspired activities.

Included will be a live owl meet-and-greet by Santa Barbara Audubon Society’s “Eyes in the Sky,” a wildlife education program featuring rescued birds of prey.

During the 11 a.m. presentation, visitors will meet Puku, a western screech-owl, and Athena, a barn owl, and learn more about native raptors in this region.

Later in the afternoon, attendees can look forward to an opossum presentation at 1:30 p.m. by Santa Ynez Valley opossum rehabilitator Dawn Summerlin, who will be bringing along a rescued opossum and teaching visitors about these environmentally beneficial marsupials.

Also available will be art activities inspired by artist-inresidence Kerrie Smith’s “Portals & Pathways” installation and hands-on activities for all ages.

“We are so delighted to offer our Winter Family Day. Thanks to support from the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, this is an entirely free day for all,” said Stacey OtteDemangate, the Wildling Museum executive director. “We hope local families take this opportunity to explore our exhibitions and enjoy learning about some of our local wildlife.”

The “Eyes in the Sky’’ program has been Santa Barbara Audubon’s key wildlife education program since 2000. It features five birds of prey — three owls and two falcons — that serve as education ambassadors.

The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@newspress.com.

TODAY

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Entangled: Responding to Environmental Crisis,” runs through March 25 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The museum is open from 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays and college holidays. For more information, call 805565-6162 or visit westmont.edu/ museum.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Interlopings: Colors in the Warp and Weft of Ecological Entanglements” is an exhibit that runs through March 12 at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit features weavings dyed with pigments from non-native plants on Santa Cruz Island. The weavings were created by artists Helen Svensson and Lisa Jevbratt. For more information, see sbbotanicgarden.org.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. An art and wellness workshop for adults will meet at the Vita Art Center, 28 W. Main St. in Ventura. Cost is $98. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. “The Search for the Modern West,” an exhibit, continues through Feb. 20 at Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery, 11 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. For more information, see sullivangoss.com or call the gallery at 805-730-1460.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit “Parliament of Owls” runs through Feb. 5 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. For more information, go to www.sbnature.org.

7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara Chamber Players orchestra will perform at the First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara, 305 E. Anapamu St. Tickets cost $16. To purchase, go to sbchamberplayers.org.

JAN. 31

6 p.m. Nick Hornby will discuss his book, “Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius,” with fellow writer Jessica Anya Blau at Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza, Santa Barbara. Mr. Hornby will also sign copies of his book. For more information, call Chaucer’s at 805-682-6787 or go to www.chaucersbooks.com.

FEB. 1

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Coast artist and London native Annie Hoffman’s exhibit “Seeing Ourselves in Colour” will be displayed through Feb. 28 at Gallery Los Olivos, 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos. For more information, visit anniehoffmann.com.

FEB. 2

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic will provide free dental care for local children during its third annual Give Kids A Smile event on Feb. 2. The free day of exams, cleanings and more will take place at the clinic, located on the Chumash Reservation at 90 Via Juana Lane,l Santa Ynez.

FEB. 5 Free admission will be available on this day at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Ventura County,

Please see CALENDAR on