Happy Holidays! Tonight is the night for a particularly festive First Thursday on State Street. The tree is up outside the Arlington, and the lights are out on all the trees that line the street I’ve been so busy preparing for tonight that my monthly recommendations are a bit late, but I hope you will put these stops on your itinerary for the evening.
Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative Art Crawl
After the success of the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative‘s first ever First Thursday Art Crawl last month, we are going to be making it a monthly event. This month I got local contemporary art super hero, Andi Garcia to curate the crawl. She has put together a truly impressive line up of stops and Art Crawl exclusives that should create a very special and unique evening. All you have to do to participate in the Art Crawl is show up at Coffee Cat at 5:30 tonight. Look for the lady with the Art Crawl badges. From Coffee Cat Andi will be making stops at many of the places listed below, and other unexpected places.
100 Grand at SULLIVAN GOSS
I’ve spent most of the last week preparing for this show. It is one of my favorite shows of the year and I’m not alone. People have been asking about his show for months already. The idea: 100 works prices at $1000 or less. The 2010 version of the show boasts a roster of 47 contemporary artists all in one room. The show gives the gallery to exhibit work by local contemporary and emerging artist, which is why I get so excited about the show, and why I want to highlight the show on the blog.
SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
Two of the five exhibitions in the series Reframing America…will be on view: An American Century: 20th-Century Master Drawings from the Collection and American Modernism: Selections from the Permanent Collection. A selection of short (under 10 min) films by Stranger Than Fiction artists Erin Cosgrove and Allison Schulnik will be screened continuously in the Mary Craig Auditorium.
Family 1st Thursday: Picture This.
Bring the whole family to enjoy 1st Thursday together in SBMA’s Family Resource Center. Pose for a Polaroid, then play with places and create your own story by inserting yourself as a character in one of the photographs in the exhibition American Modernism. 5:30-7:30pm.
Quire of Voyces
This amazing group returns to Ludington Court to entertain SBMA 1st Thursday visitors. 6:30–7pm.
The 13th annual Brad Nack 100% Reindeer Art Show
Roy, 7 W. Carrillo St, Santa Barbara
Brad Nack‘s annual show of Reindeer paintings is one of this city’s most popular shows of the entire year. A show so popular that even during the Great Recession it can sell out. This year’s “herd” is apparently quite limited, so if you want to get first pick of these awesome paintings, I suggest you get there early.
‘HOHO’ UNDERGROUND ART SHOW
125 E. Carrillo
The ‘CHICA BOW WOW’ Team is pre-celebrating Christmas with their last Underground Art Show for this year 2010! We are inviting everyone who would like to celebrate with us not only Christmas but also Art, Creativity and Inspiration. The featured artists will be Ulrike Kerber from Viva Design Inc. and also the founder of lovetoread.com, Ulrike will be showing several experimental films. In collaboration with Ulrike Kerber, Inga Guzyte will be showing her new series of skateboard sculptures. Ms. Guzyte’s work is the hottest thing in Santa Barbara’s emerging artist market. Her show just last month sold out. And there is a good chance that this one will as well. The work is unique and beautiful, so this show should be on your “not to be missed” list.
Forum Lounge: Marco Pinter, Gravitational Forces
SANTA BARBARA CONTEMPORARY ARTS FORUM
653 Paseo Nuevo, 2nd Floor 7PM
Gravitational Forces explores technology as a medium for artistic expression by using dance and video to create a multi-sensory experience. This performance represents the emotions and struggles we face as humans through a fusion of dance, video, and generated sound. Dancers Anaya Cullen, Kaita Lepore, and Steven Jasso pull from the audience’s “kinesthetic sympathy” with the aid of Pinter’s direction and technological additions.
Dave Cooley at Elsie’s Tavern
117 West De La Guerra Street
I have been a fan of Dave Cooley’s work for a long time. It is completely unique, imaginative, and meticulously crafted. The more I see of his work, the more I love it. His latest show opens tonight at Elsie’s Tavern. This would make a great final stop once the main event on State Street closes down at 8pm.
I hope to see huge crowds on State Street tonight taking part in the festivities. If you have any other recommendations to add to this list, please post a comment with the details. Also, if you see anything particularly wonderful and want to share it come back here and post a comment about what you saw. See you out there….
