When a friend asked Veronica Medina whose job she would want out of anyone in the world, Medina immediately had an answer: her high school ceramics teacher. The question came after Medina graduated from college and began contemplating her next step. “I just had this absolute, instinctive moment of clarity,” Medina said. “I couldn’t think […]
Music, Arts & Culture
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Barbara County is taking applications for art impact grants
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture is taking applications for the 2026 County Arts Making Impact (AMI) grant, a program that aims to expand arts access and eliminate barriers to participation. Nonprofit organizations and artists with fiscal sponsors can apply for up to $5,000 grants, with a total of $50,000 available, by […]
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See work by Danish artist Susanne Thea at the Elverhoj Museum
Paintings and hand-colored copper etchings by Danish artist Susanne Thea are up at the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art through March 22. The exhibit, Snapshots: Traveling with HC Andersen, is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s A Poet’s Bazaar from 1842. Thea connected Andersen’s era with the digital age, traveling the same route he took […]
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Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials is a throwback whodunit with old-school charm
Agatha Christie’s Seven DialsWhat’s it rated? TV-14 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Netflix Created by Chris Chibnall (Doctor Who, Broadchurch) and directed by Chris Sweeney (Back to Life, The Tourist, Apples Never Fall), this British three-part miniseries is based on Christie’s 1929 novel The Mystery […]
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Netflix’ new action cop drama The Rip keeps you guessing
The RipWhat’s it rated? PG When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces, The Grey) directs this script he co-wrote about a team of Miami cops tipped off to a house full of millions in cash. They’re tasked with counting the money on-site, and suspicion and paranoia grow in the wake of an […]
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His & Hers is a hardboiled whodunit pitting a journalist against her estranged detective husband
His & HersWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Small town Dahlonega, Georgia, has plenty of secrets to hide. Anna (Tessa Thompson) grew up there but has moved on to Atlanta where she works as a news anchor. When she catches wind that her hometown is the scene of a murder, she’s […]
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A new novel takes readers on an adventure along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail
When anyone tells Patricia Mahon she can’t do something, she’ll prove them wrong. It’s happened with sexist professors and stodgy editors, becoming part of the reason she took up fiction writing. “You can’t tell people they can’t do something, especially when they’re creative because creative people can do whatever they want,” Mahon said. “That’s what […]
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A Bruce Springsteen tribute band comes to the Chumash Casino
Hank Azaria and The EZ Street Band are performing Bruce Springsteen’s classics on Jan. 30 at the Chumash Casino Resort. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets range from $20 to $55 plus fees. Frontrunner Hank Azaria is known for his acting and voice work, including in the television show, The Simpsons. For the […]
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The Santa Maria Philharmonic puts on a free orchestra performance
Bring the whole family to a free concert called Fly Me to The Moon on Jan. 31 for an hour of classical music combined with the story of the history of flight. The show begins at 11 a.m. at the First Christian Church of Santa Maria, and registration is required to reserve seats. The orchestra, […]
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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is good but gory
Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) directs this fourth installment of the 28 Days Later franchise, the second film in what’s being billed as the 28 Years Later trilogy. Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Ex Machina, Civil War) returns as screenwriter. Taking up where 28 Years Later (2025) left off, the story follows young Spike (Alfie […]
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People We Meet on Vacation presses familiar rom-com buttons
People We Meet on VacationWhat’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Quite literally pulled from the storyline of one of the greatest rom coms ever made, this very When Harry Met Sally flick presents us with two opposites who end up being magnets. Both Boston College students, both from Nowheresville, Ohio—that seems […]
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Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency is an artistic response to California’s destructive wildfires
Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual EmergencyWhat’s it rated? Unrated When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Cuesta College Performing Arts Center, Wednesday, Jan. 28 (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; reserve your free spot at eventbrite.com) Directed by Bay Area queer icons Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens, this 2025 documentary is their artistic response to the devastating 2020 CZU […]