Art and Books and ‘tings

Hello, Loves!

Welcome to November, yes, the season that brings the bold reminder of eight weeks left to 2026… hopefully you’ve had a cherished year thus far, and ready to go the last quarter in style!

Let’s warm up our creative visual aesthetic with art!

Top of the list is the autumn opening event at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, November 13, 6-8 pm, titled, “An Evening of Art, Music and Merriment Fall Opening Party.” Here we find a mix of the SBMA’s four new exhibitions on the level of the escape one needs in the midst of current extreme distraction. Adding ambient audibles are two noted downtown DJs – DJ PTRK LMR (aka Patrick Lamar) who spins future beats, afro beats, amapiano and more; along with DJ Ananas who spins alternative house. There will be of course a photo booth, signature artist-designed cocktails, with lite bites and drinks for purchase. Tickets at www.sbma.net/events/fall-2026-opening-party

Your bird’s eye view into the museum’s four new exhibitions are:

Cassatt & Friends, which holds twenty works by artists Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Cézanne, James McNeill Whistler and others. The focus is on printmaking versus painting and the methods employed by the artist’s hands. 

Stage Craft: Pictorialist Photography and Performance, artworks at the turn of the 20th century from the Pictorialists who, against the day’s conventions, promoted photography as art. To make their point, the photographers chose scenes from literature, mythology, or their imaginations, treating the camera frame like a stage-set. Dismissing the clarity of commercial photography, Pictorialist mood-establishing methods included soft focus, dramatic natural lighting, and unconventional compositions. 

Elegies of Abstraction represents an abstract group of 1960-70 transitional paintings.

Portraits Revealed is a curated selection of portraits from the museum’s collection by artists Bartolomeo Bettera, Lenz Geerk, Mary Grace, William Michael Harnett, Alfredo Ramos Martínez, F. Luis Mora, John Frederick Peto, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Luis de la Cruz y Ríos, Della Shull, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Cynthia Talmadge, and Francisco de Zurbarán.

Next, it is worth the drive to Santa Ynez, as confirmed by MJ Managing Editor Zach Rosen’s review of Mattei’s Tavern in last week’s MJ issue. This time let it be for the Second Thursday Art Lectures at the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Museum & Cultural Center, on November 12, 5 to 8 pm, for a lecture and art presentation by multidisciplinary Chumash Artist Raymond Ventura, Sr. He will discuss his artist journey and creations. Ventura Sr. is known for his ceramic pieces where he blends rock art, traditional basketry, and Chumash culture. He also has a collection of jewelry, flint knapping, and paintings. The museum will be open for attendees and light refreshments are served. The event is free but requires registration, as these do fill up!

411: www.sychumashmuseum.org

More art is scheduled at the Palm Loft Studios Carpinteria, a show of 19 artists managed by gallery owner Arturo Tello. The next show runs November 14 through January 2, 2027, and is themed, “Home for the Holidays.”

The scenic drive to Ojai is a work of art in and of itself, which finds you in town bumping into artists of all genres, most being members of the 70+ Ojai Studio Artists group. The group usually has a show up at the Ojai library.

While in Ojai, dive into your literary aesthetic at Barts Bookstore, founded in 1964, with its self-proclaimed advert “the world’s largest outdoor bookstore.” Indeed, it is stocked with over 130,000 used and new books, ranging from rare out-of-print gems to well-loved paperbacks. One just takes the time to escape into the tomes and, yes, it is outdoors. There is no catalog or database to reference, however the store’s excellent booksellers know fairly well what’s on the shelf. While there, give a nod to bibliophile, bookseller, and author Holden Arquilevich, who works there and is the esteemed librarian at the Carpinteria Library, part of the Black Gold library system.

Last week, I was informed directly by Montecito author Steve Gilbar that he has a new book out titled, Paradise Found: A Little Book of Santa Barbara Quotes. Gilbar reached out to me about it, saying, “It just came out and collects over 150 pithy quotes by writers about our town. I’ve published several books about SB and Montecito over the years, but this one is my favorite and, as my final book, a bouquet to the town where I have lived for almost a half-century.”

I met Gilbar at a Speaking of Stories event, the days when I did photography for the shoebox theatre organization. Gilbar created the standup literature phenomenon back in ‘95. When the group folded, it seems Gilbar left and returned as they all do, to make a home in Montecito. Gilbar has been covered numerous times by the Montecito Journal: (www.montecitojournal.net/tag/steven-gilbar)

Also do check out former Speaking of Stories alum/famed British actress-artistic director Karin de la Peña Collison, who has migrated from theater and film to screenwriting with numerous awards. She currently resides in Montecito with hubby Benjamin Aerenson, previously living in NYC.

And that’s a wrap Loves!

Till next week… Xx JAC