It’s that time again to get your walking shoes on and hit State Street for an evening full of art viewing. It looks as though the June Gloom of the last few weeks has given us a break and it is a perfect day to get out and about on the town. Here is a suggested itinerary of places not to be missed:

AG2 GALLERY @ THE FRENCH PRESS
1101 State Street
(805) 963-9800
Hope and Spirit of Haiti: A photographic journey revealing a spirit of regrowth and resilience in post-earthquake Haiti. How does the Haitian spirit thrive in the wake of natural disaster? This is what photographer, Lindsey Ross, set out to find. Feel the energy with lively cultural music. Refreshments served.

Lindsey is an adventurous and dedicated photographer, and I’m super excited about this one.

CANARY HOTEL
31 West Carrillo Street
(805) 884-0300
World-renowned artist Emma Ferreira has been a full-time contributor to the contemporary art world since 1998. Emma’s entrepreneurial spirit allows her to use her creative gifts to support her countless philanthropic endeavors.

I haven’t been in this space in the Canary, so it will be interesting to see.

THE GRANADA
1214 State Street
(805) 899-3000
Summer Speakeasy: Escape the summer heat in the cool downstairs as we revisit the end of the roaring 20s with swanky music, wine sampling courtesy of Santa Barbara Winery, beer tastings and an Old Hollywood art exhibit from our Hall of Fame of entertainment icons who appeared in their heyday.

SANTA BARBARA CONTEMPORARY ARTS FORUM
653 Paseo Nuevo, 2nd Floor
(805) 966-5373
Forum Lounge: FAST-FORWARD: A Screening of Contemporary American Video Art: Curated by Annie Wharton, FAST-FORWARD is a compilation of short length videos by several artists working in the medium. The videos encompass a wide range of subject matter ranging from corporeal, action based performances to humorous slices of life. In addition, CAF will show works on monitors and projections by several other artists. 7pm.

COUCH
9 West Ortega Street
(805) 965-8505
Not to be missed, the very unusual necromantic art of multi-media artist Kimberly McBride. She uses video, music and paint to channel cultural icons from Marilyn Monroe to Kurt Cobain. Kimberly will be painting live using her brushless technique. Join us for an artist reception and refreshments.

THE CHURCH GALLERY
125 West Ortega Street
(805) 451-8845
A Certain Slant of Light: New Works by Cyndee Howard and Lisa Schulte, is a two-person exhibition exploring the notion of light as a formal as well as thematic medium. Curated by Miki Garcia, the exhibition features new works in photography by Howard and neon sculpture by Schulte.

C4
914A Santa Barbara Street, at the Built Green Resource Center
The Green Building Art Show brings together work by a diverse group of designers, architects and artists who specialize in green building. In addition, C4’s Build Smart mobile demonstration trailer will be onsite. Refreshments will be served.

BROOKS INSTITUTE GALLERY 27
27 East Cota Street
(805) 690-4913
Brooks Institute’s Gallery 27 will have on display a selection of work from local student artists. Refreshments will be served.

If there are any great events going on that I have missed, send me a message and I’ll do my best to update the post.

This is an especially action-packed First Thursday in Santa Barbara.  It will, in fact, be hard to see all of the great things going on this evening, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying.

To start off, there is a great underground show at 123 E. Carrillo St. The show will feature work by The Protist, some ridiculously awesome sculptures by Inga Gyzyte, and stop-motion animation by Viva Design Inc. This one goes from 5 to 10, so it would make a perfect last stop on your First Thursday tour.

At the AG2 gallery, our friend Bill McVicar is putting on a show of work by museum guards called “Please Don’t Touch the Art“. I have been excited about this show since the moment I heard about the idea. This is one of the most original shows I’ve heard about in ages.

Other highlights tonight include:

SANTA BARBARA CONTEMPORARY ARTS FORUM

653 Paseo Nuevo, 2nd Floor

Forum Lounge: John Williams, a multimedia interactive installation. Multimedia artist John Williams uses vinyl records, record players, speakers, effect pedals, slide and 8 mm projectors to create an ultra-sensory environment of small assemblage sculptures with projections and sounds created in real time. As Williams converts the gallery space into one giant kinetic sculpture, the viewer becomes an active participant in his improvised visual choreography. 7pm.

WHEELHOUSE

528 Anacapa Street

WheelHouse, along with Bike Moves, is proud to present The WheelHouse Hoedown! Bring your boots, hat and wranglers to this county fair themed event featuring Brengrass, a local folk music group. There will also be fun events throughout the night including a pie eating contest and mini bike races. Yee-Haw!!!

THE GRANADA

1214 State Street

Let us entertain you with an evening of lively arts! Santa Barbara Artists Collaborative presents surprise vignettes and mini performances throughout the theatre. Enjoy the colorful pop art paintings of Stephen Holland on display upstairs in The McCune Founders Room. And enjoy a diverse line-up downstairs including Kit of Astrohoops as you sip savory wines available at our no-host wine bar.