Watch a video of AnnKathleen performing. AnnKathleen leads a number of classes and spiritual sessions at CovenTree Books and Gifts in Santa Maria, from meditation to transformational mentoring. But one regular get-together there uses music to help attune her and others to mindfulness. The meditation and devotional chant sessions she leads includes silent meditation followed […]
Joe Payne
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
New maestro Michael Nowak and guest open Santa Maria Philharmonic season
After many years of happy collaboration with John Farrer, the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society announced a new music director, Maestro Michael Nowak, a few months ago. Nowak is a celebrated conductor who divides his time living and wielding the baton on the Central Coast with conducting scores for television and films in Hollywood. Nowak discussed […]
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Solvang museums and rec departments team up for excursions
The Elverhoj Museum of History and Art and the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature have teamed up with Solvang and Buellton Parks and Recreation to lead a series of educational excursions to destinations like Los Angeles and Oxnard. Museum staff will act as leaders and facilitators on the excursions, which include transportation and entrance […]
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PCPA closes season with shows that feature small casts, big drama
If you’ve ever attended a Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) production in the company’s Severson Theatre, then you are probably familiar with the uniquely intimate and cerebral feeling that the square room can impart. PCPA has produced plays like Shakespeare’s The Tempest in the Severson, which gave the play’s deserted island ethos a boost. More recently, […]
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Author Erin Huss shares her new book ‘For Rent’
Some jobs are thankless by nature. That’s what Orcutt native Erin Huss found out when she began working in apartment management years ago. Huss’ experiences weren’t all negative though; she said some were funny. This led to a successful blog that Huss has run for eight years, and now, the second book in her Apartment […]
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Out of the shadows: As human trafficking becomes more visible on the Central Coast, authorities are collaborating in an unprecedented way to prosecute abusers, help victims, and end the cycle
May 18, 2016, marked a grim milestone in Santa Barbara County, as a Santa Maria jury found Humberto Carranza and Cameron Jones guilty of several counts of trafficking of a minor for sex. The case was one of the first human trafficking convictions in Santa Maria or North Santa Barbara County history. In the county […]
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Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara brings Cambalache for concerts of son jarocho music
Your truest friends are the ones who show up when you are in need, at the drop of a hat. Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara, the nonprofit educational concert series that brings Latin American ensembles to perform free for the community, certainly has a friend in Cambalache and its leader César Castro. The LA-based […]
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C Gallery will feature abstract painter Dan Holland
The C Gallery in Los Alamos is the area’s home for abstract art, and its upcoming featured exhibit puts abstract painter Dan Holland’s work in the spotlight. Holland is an Arroyo Grande resident who is a Diablo Canyon database manager during the day, and an abstract, gestural artist by night. The exhibit will open on […]
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PCPA offers Teachers’ Weekend
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) will offer a Teachers’ Weekend event on Sept. 10 and 11 open to local educators. The weekend is designed to give educators an up-close and personal look into the conservatory, which teaches all aspects of theater arts. Space is limited to 25 teachers, and there is a $100 registration fee. […]
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Santa Maria Arts Council issues call to artists
The Santa Maria Arts Council is getting ready for the 33rd annual Autumn Arts Festival and issuing a call to artists who want to participate in the Fine Arts Show portion of the festival. The Autumn Arts Festival is Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the McClelland Street corridor downtown. The Fine […]
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Start your lenses: The New Times Media Groups’ annual Winning Images competition invites you to submit your finest photographs
Local photographers take note: The application period for the New Times Media Group’s annual Winning Images competition is fast approaching. Beginning Sept. 12, applications for the annual photography competition can be found on the Sun and New Times websites. And on Sept. 15, both papers will run an application in print. But don’t waste time, […]
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Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc features the metal sculpture of Eric Morlan
Local sculptor Eric Morlan has used his imagination to craft three-dimensional art since childhood when he would play with his mother’s potting clay. He studied sculpture more extensively in the 1970s with artists and valued mentors Nat Fast, George Murrow, and Bill Shinn at Allan Hancock College. Morlan works with many media, but metallic materials […]
