Arts

On Saturday, Feb. 11, Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka will perform at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez. Tickets to the concert, which will start at 8 p.m., range between $79 and $139. In 1956, Anka was 15 years old when he released his first single, “Blau Wile Deveest Fontaine,” according to press materials. A […]

On Feb. 11, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center is inviting the public to join a docent-led walk at Oso Flaco Lake that will retrace the steps of California’s Gold host Huell Howser, who explored the site during an episode of his show in 2003. The walk is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Attendees will journey […]

When it comes to public art, “less is more” rarely rings true, local artist Luis Linares believes. “I see a lot of white walls that need to be filled with art,” said Linares, who likes to keep an eye out for buildings in Santa Maria with enough blank space to fit a mural or two. […]

Local artists are encouraged to submit works for consideration to be showcased at the Vandenberg Village Library and the Grossman Gallery, located inside the Lompoc Public Library. Past featured artists at the Grossman Gallery include oil painter Elizabeth Monks Hack (whose work is pictured). Artist applicants are required to submit at least six exhibit-ready pieces, […]

Gifted with a Kodak Brownie at age 11, one local oil painter captured her subjects with a camera long before switching to brushes and palettes during adulthood. “I became obsessed with photographing birds,” said Santa Barbara resident Annie Hoffman, born and raised in London, England.  While Hoffman—who moved to California in the late ’70s—specializes in […]

The Great American Melodrama’s first production of 2023, Lumberjacks in Love, is scheduled to premiere on Feb. 3. Performances of the upcoming show are slated to run through March 26.  Written by Fred Alley and James Kaplan (who also penned the show’s lyrics and music, respectively), Lumberjacks in Love is set in Minnesota during the […]

The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society (pictured), Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation, and Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden Foundation are among the 39 nonprofits across Santa Barbara County that recently received grants from the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.  The grants were made possible through funding from the county, the city of Santa Barbara, […]

A cloud of charcoal smoke, laced with small swirls of party confetti, billows above a foundationless building. Some canoe paddlers flee the scene as the ominous structure sinks into a mass of water, in one of Lompoc artist Cristina Kartsioukas’ surreal paintings.  It took several years for Kartsioukas to complete the apocalyptic piece, titled Falling […]

On Sunday, Jan. 22, the DANA Adobe and Cultural Center will host an opening reception for its new exhibition, Photography of My Diné (Navajo) Family and Images of the Southwestern Landscape, a solo showcase of photos by John Craig. Admission to the reception, which starts at 1 p.m., is free for DANA members, $8 for […]

On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Central Coast Film Society is partnering with Red Bull Media House to host a screening of the HBO documentary, Dear Rider, at the Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo. The screening starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a Q-and-A with some of the filmmakers behind the documentary, […]

Every Tuesday night, there’s a coffee house in Orcutt that transforms into a popping dance hub for a couple of hours.  Local instructor Gina Sigman’s intro to swing dancing class, held once a week at Cubanissimo Cafe, is open to walk-ins and is free to join. The class is followed by an intermediate course, with […]

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s (SMCT) upcoming production of The Red Velvet Cake War is scheduled to premiere on Friday, Jan. 13. Performances of the show are slated to run through Sunday, Jan. 29. This Texas-based comedy follows three cousins who “could not have picked a worse time to throw a family reunion,” according to […]