Tag archives: Maritime Museum
By Lisa Duncan Darling, if ever there were an excuse to don something floaty and sip something chilled, it was the opening night of Aquean at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. The evening was balmy and golden, drawing a spiffy Montecito crowd to the waterfront setting with seaside sophistication. The Pacific, just beyond, shimmered softly […]
By Lisa Marie Duncan Supporters of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum gathered over the weekend for the festive “Love Boat” Gala, an evening devoted to celebrating maritime heritage while raising funds for the museum’s growing education and outreach programs. The ocean-inspired event highlighted the museum’s role as a vibrant hub for maritime history and ocean […]
What a Night! The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum’s halls resounded with laughter with an old-fashioned Celebrity Roast – think Dean Martin! – and a panel of friends and colleagues to celebrate Executive Director Greg Gorga’s retirement after helming the organization for 18 years. Welcomed were over 200 guests (not including crashers) who noshed on delicious […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, which is marking its 25th anniversary, rocked the harbor when the Los Angeles based sextet Yachty by Nature performed for 120 guests, raising $20,000 for the organization. Featuring music from the ‘70s and ‘80s including Hall & Oates, Boz Scaggs, and Steely Dan, everybody was soon cutting a rug on the […]
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum throbbed to the Caribbean beat as 140 guests celebrated a Love Boat cruise gala with head honcho Greg Gorga in all white officer’s uniform. Condor Express owner Hiroko Benko, who created a Santa Barbara Whale Heritage Area, and Sigrid Toye, a past board president and current board member, were presented […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, which celebrates its 25th anniversary next month, opened its first exhibition of the year – Above Your Dreams by local artist Kevin A. Short, which runs through May 11. The colorful exhibit of more than 40 oil paintings showcases Short’s deftness at capturing fleeting beauty and the power of sunlight through […]
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) updated its admission and membership rates on January 2. The rate increases are said to ensure the museum can continue to offer its engaging exhibits, dynamic educational programs, and world-class events for the community. The new admission rates are: General admission: $12 Seniors (65+): $8 Children (6-17) & Students: […]
In keeping with the celebration of March 2024 as Women’s History Month (spoiler alert!) this column is going to contain some seriously shameless bragging! At the close of this month I’d like to send the memo that, both in a professional capacity and as volunteers, every month of any year Santa Barbara women make huge […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum was even more magical than usual when it hosted the “Heist at the Harbor: An Evening of Mystery and Intrigue” gala for 120 guests, which raised around $100,000 for the harborside institution. The boffo bash, co-chaired by immediate past president Sigrid Toye and Cindy Makela, also celebrated benefactors Robyn Parker and […]
The pier opposite the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum was heaving with guests when the recreation of the 19th century gaff-rigged 110-foot 98-ton steel-hulled schooner Mystic Whaler was recommissioned in its new role – an educational vessel for youngsters, 10 to 18, run by Central Coast Ocean Adventures. Originally launched in Florida in 1967, it spent […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has three new board members – Don Barthelmess, Tom Elliott, and Chad Makela. The 21-member board provides oversight to the stewardship of the harborside organization, and the tony triumvirate brings a unique skill set and experience to the role.
The 2003 epic period war-drama Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World concerns a British captain pushing his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a French war vessel off the South American coast. Based on Patrick O’Brian’s beloved series of novels set in the Napoleonic Wars, the film received 10 […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has a new deputy director, Jessica Tade. Tade, who holds a Ph.D. in art history from UCSB, has worked for more than a decade for organizations either promoting the arts or providing access and opportunity to the community. Among other positions, she has served as the director of communications and marketing […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has just opened its latest illuminating exhibit, The Lure of Lighthouses & Dancing Waves, an impressive collection of more than 35 large-scale images and panoramic photographs of waves and lighthouses around the world taken by renowned Emmy Award-winning surfing photographer and videographer Dan Merkel. “I first met Dan when he joined […]
Social gridlock reigned at artist Colette Cosentino’s Atelier and Gallery on West Anapamu when she opened her latest exhibition in collaboration with former Sunstone Winey vintner Anna Rice, who is using Colette’s artwork for her labels on her wine, including the Brut Rosé and Chardonnay. “It’s the perfect melding,” says Anna, now owner of the […]
Teresa Kuskey Nowak’s birthday bash at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum may have had an Under the Sea theme, but there was not a flipper or snorkel to be seen when 112 guests descended on the harborside institution for the fun fête hosted by social gadabout Rick Oshay. After margaritas and comestibles on the museum’s […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum suffered major social gridlock when the 1917-built vessel Ranger, familiar for leading the annual Christmas Parade of Lights, was officially re-admitted into the Classic Yacht Association’s Southern California Fleet. The 46-foot-long classic wooden fishing boat has been the museum’s flagship since being donated to the harbor-side institution in 1997 by Jack […]
The wild and mysterious ocean has inspired stories of mythical creatures for millennia, but the image of the mermaid remains one of the most popular and iconic throughout time. From the Assyrian goddess Atargatis to the explorers of the new world, mermaids make up the dreams, tales, and deities of many cultures. These fantasies have […]
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) staff likes to tell you, “You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.” And so, they did. When they couldn’t have their fundraiser for two years in a row, they pivoted and came up with a different event. This was due to the legendary world-famous surfer […]
There is a wonderful art exhibit of 55 naval paintings at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum awaiting your visit as soon as lockdown is over and executive director Greg Gorga can unlock the doors. The exhibit was scheduled to open December 3, 2020 until May 30, 2021. It’s sponsored by George H. & Olive J. Griffiths […]
