Join us for demonstrations of traditional Iban ikat weaving, music, and dancing, with many exquisite, handmade textiles available for purchase. Museum Store Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  Email   Website

Take a spin through the Behind the Wheel exhibition, then hitch a ride with the actors appearing in car theatre, as three, 10-15 minute original plays are performed in actual automobiles. Space is limited. Please arrive early to be added to the reservation list. At 8 pm, the back plaza becomes a summer screening room for “American Graffiti” (1973, 110 min.). Mini-burgers, popcorn, malts, and soft drinks will be on sale. Seating is limited to 200. First come, first seated. Photo credit: Jane Gottlieb, Dusty Ford. 1999. Courtesy of the artist. Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  Email   Website

This documentary, written and directed by Thomas L. Neff, tells the story of Beatrice Wood, a renowned ceramist and leading figure in the Dada art movement in New York in the 1910s. It also recounts friendships with Marcel Duchamp and Henri-Pierre Roché, and includes interviews with various art consultants, artists, and owners of art galleries who have exhibited Wood's art. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition, Pasadena to Santa Barbara: A Selected History of Art in Southern California, 1951–1969 and introduced by UCSB Critical Theory and Integrative Studies Professor, Colin Gardner. Free for SBMA Members/Regular admission for Non-Members Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  Email   Website

For visitors to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, docents are the institution's welcoming face and informed voice. A volunteer corps comprised of approximately 65 men and women from all backgrounds, docents support the arts by giving gallery tours to both adults and students. The Museum is currently looking for volunteers to participate in a training program that begins in September. Those interested in becoming a docent are encouraged to attend a Recruitment Reception and Tea on Friday, May 11 at 3:30 pm at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Docents at SBMA are also essential in integrating the art experience into the local student community, as many visit area classrooms to prepare students for upcoming Museum visits. Depending on individual interest, docents research and develop their own tours and can opt to be on teams specializing in the Museum’s permanent collection or various themes or special exhibitions. Benefits of being a docent include attending bimonthly lectures by Museum curators and noted visiting scholars, participating in off-site activities such as visiting other museums or other social events, and meeting others with a passion for art. The training course for provisional docents includes a full general course in Art History, and skill development in public speaking, research, and effective techniques for touring. Applications are accepted year round with classes beginning in September and continuing through early June. Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  Email   Website

Peter John Brownlee, PhD., Associate Curator, Terra Foundation for American Art highlights particular trends in painting and sculpture of the United States made during the century extending from the Second Great Awakening of the early 1800s to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Exploring the cultural contexts in which American art evolved during this period, the lecture touches on key historical developments as addressed in landscape, genre, still-life, and portrait paintings, as well as in selected sculptures, currently on view in Scenery, Story Spirit: American Painting and Sculpture from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Curator’s Choice is an innovative lecture series featuring prominent speakers hand-picked by the Museum’s curators. Distinguished experts offer fresh perspectives on the visual arts and provide stimulating opportunities for discovery to adults in the Santa Barbara community. This Curator’s Choice lecture is sponsored by the curatorial support group, Dead Artists Society. Mary Craig Auditorium Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  Email   Website

Photographer Enrico Natali will offer insights into his techniques and share his opinions about the blurring of private and public in his work. Mary Craig Auditorium Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  Website

Sunday, February 19, 3 pm What better way to spend a winter afternoon than a trip to sunny Italy? SBMA’s favorite Italy expert Nigel McGilchrist takes us on a virtual tour of each of the major regions of Italy, including Sicily, with his picks for greatest works of art and architecture in each region. Mary Craig Auditorium Free for SBMA Members/Free with Museum admission (Non-Members)   Email   Website

The Santa Barbara Quire of Voyces employs the sacred acapella choral music of the Renaissance to the modern age. The Quire is composed of professional singers from the Central Coast who volunteer their talents to present the highest quality of performance all in historic settings. The Quire will perform in Ludington Court as a part of 1st Thursday on December 1st at 6:30 pm.   Email   Website

This award-winning quartet was founded in Israel in 1997 and since then has won numerous awards, including the Grand Prize at the Melbourne Chamber Music Competition. ----- They have performed at the Louvre, Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, and twice at SBMA. ----- Mary Craig Auditorium $15 SBMA Members/$19 Non-Members Tickets may be purchased at the Museum Visitor Services desks, or by calling 963.4364 x400. ----- Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  Email   Website

Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith will speak about their new biography of Vincent van Gogh. They will talk about the revelations that emerged during ten years of research and the profound ways in which Van Gogh’s turbulent personal life, as well as his deep immersion in the art and literature of his era, helped shaped one of the signature imaginations in Western Art. 5:30 pm Mary Craig Auditorium Free for Museum Members/Free with Museum admission (Non-Members) ----- Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  Email   Website