We are most honored to have spent time doing an in-depth interview with Eik Kahng PhD, Deputy Director, and Chief Curator of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA). Preferring to concentrate on work minus the accolades, she graciously accepted to do it between curation, establishing new high-caliber art education programming for our town at […]
The best time to join the Santa Barbara Audubon Society is at its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), where anyone from hobbyist to serious ornithologist can contribute data locally that is then forwarded nationally to track the various bird species, their migratory paths, and population findings. Birds have long been regarded as a barometer for […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom visited the Randall Road Debris Basin on Friday, January 13. The visit from Governor Newsom comes after a National Guard unit was deployed from Chico, CA, on January 12, 2023, to assist in clearing out rubble from the Randall Road Debris Basin in preparation for the upcoming storm. As a special […]
On a cold, windy, rainy New Year’s Eve afternoon, Adam McKaig texted me that he would be doing the Santa Barbara Polar Dip on New Year’s Day to benefit his nonprofit, Adam’s Angels. The event was founded by Hugh Margerum and Julie DeAngelis seven years ago with a single mission: “To bring people together by […]
Your Montecito Journal news correspondent is happy to report and welcome our town’s first babies of 2023, starting with Rose Peters, a girl and first child to parents Por Soua and Grayson Peters of Goleta. Born at 3:33 am on January 1 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Rose weighed in at 6 pounds and was […]
It was indeed a magical day for our 2nd Annual Montecito Holiday Car Parade, and the weather was most excellent after weeks of rain. Kids from 1 to 92 lined the streets of the parade route, cheering on the brightly-lit decorated cars and some with pets including Shetland ponies, holiday music, and more! Leading the […]
The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (SBRM) Women’s Auxiliary (WA) held its annual Christmas Tea for its Bethel House women in recovery on Wednesday, December 14 at the home of Susan Hughes. The Women’s Auxiliary, led by President Pamela Dillman Haskell, supports the SBRM through prayer, fundraising for its programs, and community outreach. One such program […]
Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters, the Local 3368 International Association of Firefighters, held their 2nd Annual Santa Run on Friday, December 16, with routes through Carpinteria and Summerland respectively. Founded two years ago by Firefighter (FF) Pat Cockrum, Vice President of Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters, the event is a community favorite with the entire crew and fire engines from 1926 […]
The Montecito Journal is pleased to announce the wedding of Jessikah Moran and Jacob Fechner. The couple was married in a private ceremony on Friday, December 16, by an officiant at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, where they read their wedding vows that they wrote for each other. The bride wore a long, white lace-over tulle […]
A pertinent historical and classical portrait exhibition is on view at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum titled, “Clarence Mattei (1883-1945), Portrait of a Community,” curated by the museum staff in conjunction with Santa Barbara historian Erin Graffy. Mattei’s portraits feature local to international luminaries, politicians, film stars, and the elite. His father Felix founded Mattei’s […]
A wet and windy evening did not derail the annual Christmas at the Casa fundraising event at Casa del Herrero on December 10, as guests were chauffeured from the El Montecito Church parking lot to the event. There we were greeted with elegantly dressed staff who escorted us with umbrellas to the host desk and […]
On Sunday, December 11, the 36th Annual Parade of Lights Boat Show was held at Stearns Wharf and seen along the city beachfront from West to East beaches. The parade was founded by Captain Don Hedden, a former president of the Stearns Wharf Business Association, in 1985 and has since become a holiday favorite. The […]
Richie’s Barber Shop on Coast Village Road is having its 11th Annual Holiday Donation Drive, this year for St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara and Adam’s Angels. The Shop’s event chair and lead barber Jessica Jay is coordinating with Regina Ruiz, Chief Development Officer of St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara, and with Adam McKaig, who formed Adam’s Angels […]
The Thomas Reynolds Gallery is generously hosting a wall for the art of two local oil painters on a mission to raise awareness of endangered animals and factory farmed animals. The exhibit is titled “EYE AM ART” and is on view now through December 31. The oil painters are longtime painter, illustrator, and teacher Nancy […]
Photos by Joanne A Calitri It’s not every Thanksgiving this society gal takes off, but with my hair newly colored by Montecito’s own French Hair Salon expert, Eliane Alexandre International, I was ready to take on the sun-bleached blondes of the Florida coast in true Parisian style. Saving the almost impossible details of getting to […]
Coming out of Thanksgiving and heading into the holidays that mark the end of the year – if you are thinking you may want a vacation in 2023, love being outdoors in the wilderness, and want to do something to help our natural forest in California, check out the Los Padres Forest Association website. There […]
The Friendship Center Montecito held a private Veterans Day celebration to honor its senior members who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. The event was chaired by Family Services Manager Kim Larsen and Development Director Sophia Davis. Key event sponsor was Montecito Rotary Club President Tony Morris. The program, emceed by Carol Metcalf-Roth, starred […]
On a most chilly Saturday, November 12, the second Butterfly Ball fundraiser for Gwendolyn’s Playground took flight, raising spirits and funds at the Dos Pueblos Ranch. This intimate and elegant evening for over 300 attendees heated up with lavish dress and renditions of butterflies paired with fur to fend off the frigid Gaviota coastal temps. […]
The Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation held its 25th Annual Military Ball on Saturday, November 5, at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort ballroom. Guests were greeted by a bagpiper as they checked in and proceeded to the cocktail reception and photo op. There were displays of military hats, along with photographs and art of military […]
An impromptu press conference with U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Region IX Administrator Jason Pu was held on October 26, at the Santa Barbara Housing Authority Offices on Laguna Street. Rounding out the HUD support were state and local politicians Congressman Salud Carbajal, City of Goleta Councilmember James Kyriaco MPA, and First […]
The Montecito Country Mart held its annual Halloween festivities on Sunday, October 30, from 1 to 5 pm. The pumpkin patch in the center of the mart was the main area of gathering for kids and parents in costume. Kristin Teufel, manager of the mart for J.S. Rosenfield & Company, organized the event and helping […]
UCSB’s Computational Mate Choice Lab Head Dan Conroy-Beam PhD presented his research on mating choices and their success rate on Wednesday, October 19, at M. Special Brewing Company on State Street. The sold-out event was the official in-person restart to the monthly UCSB Alumni Department’s Profs at the Pub series, and was the perfect topic […]
Christine Garvey, Juris Doctor and Trustee of Suffolk University, and Susan Cappiello J.D. co-hosted the Southern California Suffolk University Alumni Reception with its president Marisa Kelly at the Jonathan Club Los Angeles on September 29. The elegant event brought out over 30 alumni, mainly from its Law School and the Sawyer Business School undergrad and […]
“Art for Good” is indeed the modus operandi for Helena Mason Art Gallery owner Natalie Olivas Sanchez, with her husband, realtor Jamie Sanchez. Moving from strictly doing art exhibitions and selling art, she decided to turn the hip interior with an outdoor patio into an event space, one that brings the community together and benefits […]
Patricia Houghton Clarke’s newest exhibit Primal Wild is on view at Silo 118 Gallery, now through October 29. There are 18 framed and matted photographs in the show, five color and seven black and white, square sized at 24×24” and rectangles at 33×49”. The selection was curated and installed by Bonnie Rubenstein. In a curio […]
On honeymoon in March 2022 with his partner Patrick, photographer-musician Andrew Antone’s safari journey turned into a project to bring awareness to the natural world and wildlife he encountered through his camera lens. After pooling through 11,094 images, he selected 500 images for his book, and 32 photos for his exhibit at the Santa Barbara […]
The Ojai Studio Artists (OSA) had their annual tour with free ticketing – in the spirit of communities and art – again this year. The tour had over 70 artists participating, and an estimated 750-1,000 visitors. Highlight included new OSA member Christopher Noxon, a former L.A. journalist and Los Feliz transplant during the pandemic, who […]
Breezing into town after a three-year hiatus, Johnny Irion and his band U.S. Elevator, with members Erich Riedl, Brett Long, Nate Modisette, and Anders Bergstrom, took the stage to a standing-room only show at SOhO on Sunday, October 9. Irion started with a solo acoustic set on guitar and piano. Invited guest Khasy Modisette sang […]
An overcast Monday, October 10 saw the 21st Annual St. Vincent’s Golf Classic Fundraiser at the Montecito Country Club touting 88 participants from 22 corporate sponsors, the most since its inception. This year the tee-gift for each participant was a pair of golf shoes. Overseeing the event were St. Vincent’s President & CEO Rosa M. […]
With one of the most world-recognized names in TV, magazine, and print news media, Rona Barrett fashioned her career on well-researched and deep-dive interviews, asking the questions no one would have at the time. Barrett broke many glass ceilings in the media industry for women and as a person with muscular dystrophy. She took on […]
I attended the opening of Ishi Glinsky’s solo exhibit titled Upon a Jagged Maze at the Art, Design & Architecture (ADA) Museum at UC Santa Barbara, sponsored by the ADA Museum’s Council. The exhibit is on view through January 22, 2023. The 25 works from 2009 to 2022 were selected by museum Director Gabriel Ritter, […]
Ginger Salazar and Katina Zaninovich were honored as the Santa Barbara Foundation Persons of the Year 2022 at a luncheon on Wednesday, September 21, at the Santa Barbara Hilton. Both women were enthusiastically welcomed and congratulated by the attendees as they each spoke about their work in the community via a video presentation, and again […]
The Friendship Center Montecito held its annual wine event on Thursday, September 8 at the center’s outdoor patio area. Guests were greeted with an option to wear a mask made available at the reception desk. Ready with big smiles at the wine glass pickup area were Event Chair Kathy Marden and Co-Chair and Board Vice […]
The poet, playwright, activist, and local elder for Santa Barbara County Black History, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, has released a new book titled Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem, illustrated by Alex Bostic, published by Sterling Books/Union Square Kids. This hardcover 10 x 10 inch 32-page poem/picture book tells the story of the end of slavery […]
The newest buzz in the air is the grand opening of the World Headquarters of Silver Air (SA), at 225 State Street, celebrated with a soirée Friday, September 9. The announcement comes at prime time heading into the fourth quarter for global business and wealth management. On board at the event were its co-founders and […]
Tune in you star trekkers, gazers, and galaxy aficionados, Las Cumbres Observatory’s (LCO) Astronomy on Tap is back on the planet every month in a new location: the outside patio at M Special Taproom on State Street. The new venue allows for the Astro on Tap monthlies to be an all-ages event, while still be […]
Art historian Alexander Alberro, PhD presented his research on Kinetic, Op and Participatory Art at Mid-Century at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art on August 31. He has written about this topic in his 2017 book titled, Abstraction in Reverse: The Reconfigured Spectator in Mid-Twentieth-Century Latin American Art. He is a Virginia Bloedel Wright Professor […]
Sunday, August 21 marked the reception for the second public art exhibit for Tamara Thompson, with over 40 natural seaweed designs on watercolor paper, framed and matted, for wall and tabletop. Thompson, self-named “The Seaweed Artist,” is in a group show with her father, Michael Harvan, a local landscape painter, at the Apiary in Carpinteria […]
In its ever-expanding role to serve our town, St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara has promoted Dr. Regina Ruiz from her 2019 role as the Vice President of Development and Marketing, to Chief Development Officer this month, a new position for the organization that President/CEO Rosa Paredes said, “The time has come and Regina is the perfect […]
Placing her bright white 36”x36” square canvases on the floor, she meditates and pours a line of indigo paint in a circle. Yes, a circle in a square. She watches as the paint free forms to create what she terms a ‘Spiritual Plateau,’ a place of quiet and peace for her, thus titled, Meditation Circle […]