1^st Thursday Venues

Essentia: Group Show. With their artwork, artists strive to capture the essence of an object, a moment in time, a person, concept, memory, or emotion. Contemporary and abstract art. Through March 25. Image: "Red Moon" by Maria Miller

Special exhibition on loan from the UCSB library titled The Anna S. C. Blake Manual Training School: The Remarkable Antecedent of UC Santa Barbara. Learn about the intersection of education, the manual arts, and social mobility in the 1890s, and the implication of those beliefs on higher education today (5:00 – 8:00 pm). Music & Refreshments. 

Please join us for the opening reception of Channing Peake at Casa del Herrero and Highlights from the Santa Barbara County Collection (5:00 - 7:00 pm). This show commemorates the 30th anniversary of the dedication of Channing Peake Gallery and was produced in collaboration with Casa del Herrero.

Please join the City of Santa Barbara and Rose Compass artists for the closing of The River’s Journey: One Year, Six Artists, Ninety-two Miles at City Hall Gallery (5:00 – 7:00). The River’s Journey Project serves to inform our community through art about the local Santa Ynez River watershed.

Open Art Studio: Come experience the Gallery where daydreams appear on canvas.  

California Mid Century Modern Exhibit. From the Vault. Over 30 Original works by Jorgen Hansen. Oil on board, canvas and paper, 1958-1965.

Members of the Santa Barbara Art Association exhibit here. Artist of the Month is Allison Gobbell. Featured artists include Julia Stepro, Elizabeth Flanagan, Dan Givens, Jerry Martin, Karen Duncum, and Jana Julian.

To commemorate Picasso’s Blue Period painting ‘The Old Guitarist’ Glenn Dallas Gallery presents an evening of guitar from local musicians. Guests can listen, mingle with featured artists and view the gallery’s second installment of Blue: An Homage to Picasso. Image: ‘Blue Notes’ mosaic from Santa Barbara artist Wendy Brewer. 

Join us for our first Battle of the Blancs, a blind comparative tasting competition! You will taste through four pours of different styles of Sauvignon Blanc and be tasked with choosing which is which to win a prize. Also enjoy happy hour prices on select glasses.

Come sip on delicious, local wine at The Best Santa Barbara Wine Experience and enjoy an art exhibit by local artist, Kelly Clause. Kelly proudly presents her collection of art that reflects a balance of wild whimsy and intentional design. Enjoy $10 wines by the glass and come meet Kelly!

Come have a glass of wine in the Keefrider Workshop and see the inner workings of a custom woodworking studio. We’ll have the newest piece in our Carver series in process - a solid walnut waterfall table. We’ll be taking commissions for our spring build schedule too so come with ideas!

Contemporary art. Cocktails. Local DJs. Interactive art experiences. Curated Cocktails is back with an Italian twist inspired by the current exhibition, Lara Favaretto. Bellinis, beats by DJ Darla Bea, and book prescriptions make for a memorable late-night experience at MCASB and the Paseo Nuevo Upper Arts Terrace.

Join Santa Art Works for its “Into the Wild” Spring Art Collection, which includes sculptures, paintings, and drawings of animals, floral themes, still life, and abstract art. Live music by Conner Cherland, featuring a blend of styles from Americana, to Indie/Folk, to Soul.

PAINT THE TOWN Seven local artists will be “painting the town” live in Arlington Plaza. Kevin Gleason, Arturo Tello, Richard Schloss, Jeremy Harper, Carrie Givens and more. Partnering with The Travel Store, there will be wine tasting, music, raffles, and Arlington Plaza gift certificates. Stop by and enjoy the festivities!

Curator tour (6:00 pm) of The West-Dressed Woman: Highlights of the Costume Collection. Exhibition includes the De la Guerra Wedding Dress, and portraits and clothing from such luminaries as Ganna Walska and Huguette Clark. Also enjoy Trusted Treasures: Favorite Works of our Trustees, The Edward Borein Gallery, and Story of Santa Barbara. Wine, music and more. Family-friendly. 

Opera Santa Barbara returns to present another crowd-pleasing Pop-Up Opera performance in the Museum galleries at 5:30 pm! Also enjoy free art-making activities in the Family Resource Center until 7:30 pm and the galleries until 8:00 pm.

Join us for the New York textile artist Tamika Rivera exhibition where we will (literally) weave texture and color into a performance art piece that celebrates the intricate layers and diversity of the female experience. 

SlingShot Gallery celebrates Developmental Disabilities Month with ROAR, an exhibition featuring elegant pencil drawings by Jazmin Harms. Her delicate blending techniques bring dignity to the animals she loves. We're proud to celebrate, exhibit and share art created by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Please join us!

Sullivan Goss celebrates the opening of the latest exhibition by renowned Santa Barbara artist, Hank Pitcher. This latest exhibition highlights the artist's intense focus on the changing environs of the Gaviota coast. Also on view, A Few of Our Favorite Things, and the Winter Salon.

Here’s your chance to see the fabulous entries for this year’s Solstice Parade poster! Come meet the artists, enjoy a glass of wine and cast your vote for the work you think best promotes this year’s theme, WONDER. For more information about the Summer Solstice Celebration visit: www.solsticeparade.com

TravelStore presents an exhibit of travel photos from all over the world. We invite you to come by and vote for your favorite. We’ve been where you want to go!

The Youth Interactive Shop is collaborating with the Visual Arts and Design Academy (VADA) from Santa Barbara High School. Works from VADA Sophomores will be featured. Many works for sale. State Gallery has Jeffery Aaronson and Ryuijie on the walls. Jeffery Aaronson featuring his Personals, and Ryuijie with Color Ice Forms.

Censored: The human form in drawing, painting and sculpture by local artists: Pam Hill Enticknap, Priscilla Fossek, Annie Hoffman, Virginia Johnstone, Daniel Elmer Landman, Pamela Larsson-Toscher, Yuliya Lennon, Alexander Meza, Anne Berit Slagstad, Robert Sponsel, Beth Westen.