Articles From : SB Art Museum

Impressionism has, from the beginning, been seen as an art of nature. Today, however, in the moment we call the Anthropocene, when human projects have transformed every corner of the planet and threaten to make it uninhabitable, this commitment may seem hopelessly naive. In fact, however, impressionist paintings illuminate our condition, revealing the entanglement of nature and society. In so doing, they help us overcome nostalgia for a lost nature and recognize our responsibility for shaping the world we inhabit.

Inspiring performances, luminous sound, and exceptional musicianship are the hallmarks of the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet. Renowned for its dynamic interpretations and polished, expansive colors, the group has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation, dedicated purely to the sound and depth of their music. The Quartet has appeared at the world’s most important venues since its founding in 2002.

The New York Times award-winning author Susan Straight returns to read from her latest and much lauded novel, Mecca. Set in Southern California’s inland and high desert area, this is a story of freeways, wildfires, secrets, and struggles that is, at its heart, a love song for a place and its people. Told from different points of view in interwoven narratives, Mecca speaks of loneliness and grief, family, and home, and the ways in which language, with its power and peculiarities carries a culture’s hopes and fears.

Bring the whole family to enjoy Teaching Artist-led activities in the Museum’s Family Resource Center. Paint a moonscape in blue and sepia ink on watercolor paper, inspired by Laura Gilpin’s "Moonrise Over the Rio Grande" (1946). Afterward, enjoy the galleries until 8 pm.

SBMA and Opera Santa Barbara partner to present a season’s sampling of art and music with pop-up performances in the Museum’s galleries, inspired by SBMA’s collection and special exhibitions or other topical themes.

Exhibition curator and SBMA Curatorial Assistant of Contemporary Art Lauren Karazija will provide a tour of For Opacity, an installation of ten works from the Museum’s permanent collection that offer several approaches to seeing and recognizing the aspects of self that are difficult to grasp and describe.

In a reading and discussion of his electric, darkly humorous collection of 13 new short stories, the inimitable T.C. Boyle, Santa Barbara resident and bestselling writer of Talk to Me and Outside Looking In, ”messes with us” as the book inscription from Willie Dixon’s I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man promises.

With performances acclaimed for both “high-octane” excitement (The Strad) and “dusky lyricism” (New York Times), the Aeolus Quartet has been awarded prizes at nearly every major competition in the United States and performed across the globe. Formed in 2008, the Aeolus Quartet has performed in venues ranging from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Lincoln Center's Great Performers Series to Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, to Dupont Underground, a subterranean streetcar station in DC's Dupont Circle.

Bring the whole family to enjoy Teaching Artist-led activities in the Museum’s Family Resource Center. Imagine and design a dream building by collaging your favorite details from structures across the globe inspired by The Architecture of Collage: Marshall Brown. Afterward, enjoy the galleries until 8 pm.

Free!