Tucked in the corner of the Nielsen’s shopping center in Solvang, it might be easy to miss Leonardo’s Ristorante and Pizzeria. It’s separated from the busy tourist-heavy streets of downtown Solvang and the shopping and dining districts of Los Olivos and Santa Ynez. But once inside, it’s clear the venue is playing on the same […]
REBECCA ROSE
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Artists Debby Fuller and Gabriel Bustamante feature art inspired by a wooden world at the Cypress Gallery
Artist and wood turner Gabriel Bustamante has no plans to put his work online. He politely brushes off questions about where one can see photographs of his exquisite wooden pieces, explaining the digital world just isn’t for him. “People keep telling me to get a website, but that’s not for me,” he explained. “For me, […]
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Photography of Dugan Aguilar, on display at DANA Adobe, chronicles California’s Native American population
Liz Aguilar has become comfortable talking about her husband and his visionary photography. She has been married to photographer Dugan Aguilar for 44 years, a fact that still makes her smile proudly and laugh as she describes his long history documenting native cultures in California. It’s something she has to do, since her husband, now […]
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Youth Arts Alive presents free summer arts classes
Youth Arts Alive, a free arts education program for Santa Maria youth, returns this summer to the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center and Grogan Park from June 11 through July 12. For five weeks, Youth Arts Alive Alive will present 90-minute classes in theater, dance, music, and visual arts taught by local professionals. Classes include […]
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Wildling Museum hosts workshop for children
Artists Jill Littlewood and Pamela Zwehl-Burke will lead a workshop for children ages 6 and older on June 3 at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang. The class starts with a guided tour of the River’s Journey art exhibition now showing at the Wildling as well as a group conversation about the […]
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PCPA delivers a solid production of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’
When reviewing plays (or films) from classic source material, I often find myself mulling over what its creator would make of contemporary productions. What, for example, would William Shakespeare make of productions of Hamlet reimagined as a Western or Richard III set in a fascist England? And what about Victor Hugo, the esteemed French poet […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Santa Maria’s Paradise Juice Bar lives up to its name
Ever since my doctor side-eyed me and then lectured me for 20 minutes after I confessed how much fried food I consume on a weekly basis, I’ve been on a quest to stay focused on eating healthier, especially when it comes to eating out. As one can imagine, having a weekly food column dedicated to […]
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Rose Compass artists to host gouache painting workshop
Artists Libby Smith and Nina Warner will demonstrate how to create gouache paintings at the Wildling Museum on June 9. Smith and Warner are both members of the Rose Compass collective, a group of local artists featured in The River’s Journey exhibit at the Wildling. The demonstration will include a tutorial from Smith and Warner […]
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Local student artist wins 2018 Congressional Art Competition
Madison Ly, a student at Ernest Righetti High School, was recently announced as the winner of the 2018 Congressional Art Competition. Madison’s winning piece, titled The American Dream, will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol throughout 2018. Students from across California’s 24th Congressional District were encouraged to participate in the annual competition. A total of […]
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Nancy Yaki’s latest exhibit at Elverhoj features scenes from the artist’s travels
At the moment, Nancy Yaki is at a loss for words. Standing outside the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art in Solvang, the acclaimed artist, usually quite chatty and effervescent about her work, is rather speechless at the work being undertaken for her new exhibit. As she watches museum staff carefully unload her canvases in […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Affordably priced rolls at Ha Ha Sushi in Orcutt aren’t the only reason to stop by
The sign outside Ha Ha Sushi in Orcutt is almost too good to believe. I actually had to convince my coworkers that it wasn’t just a one-time special deal or that we had show up at 3 a.m. and chant ancient Sumerian texts backwards under the light of a full moon in order to qualify […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Dancers with Allan Hancock’s Youth Dance program present a performance of ‘Tarzan’
It was an Academy Award-winning song that sparked the idea for Allan Hancock College Youth Dance’s new show. Madison Yolar-Groppetti, a choreographer for the annual Magical Moments and spring recital performance, said the song “You’ll Be In My Heart,” written by Phil Collins for the Disney film Tarzan, led them to consider tackling the classic […]