Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara back onstage

 Music Academy of the West

1070 Fairview Road, Montecito 

The Montecito Academy will present its first concert with performers and audience together since the start of the pandemic.  The outdoor concert, which will celebrate the accomplishments of academy alumni and faculty artists,  is scheduled for July 10 at the Miraflora campus. 

for more information, call 805-695-7929.

to purchase tickets, go to:  musicacademy.org/return-to-miraflores

(information from the SBNewspress and Music Academy website)

Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration 2021

 

ANNOUNCING SUMMER SOLSTICE 2021 FESTIVTIES

2021's Summer Solstice Celebration will be a myriad of different festivities. The community can enjoy "Blooming Gardens" of pop-up art installations that the Solstice Artists and the entire community will be creating on the exterior of homes, local businesses, and notable sites to bloom all over town! We will also have an amazing inflatable garden, with works from the iconic, long time Solstice Artist, Pali X-Mano in the plans as well! All of which you can visit at your leisure in June. We are working very closely with Santa Barbara County Public Health and Safety to ensure we comply with all of the recommended guidelines with respect to current and projected COVID-19 restrictions. Although sadly, we can't have the regular parade or festival this year, we have been given the green light to expand our event in other ways. ​ In collaboration with TVSB, we will be producing an hour-long segment, Summer Solstice Celebration Virtual State Street Parade, to be filmed at the Community Arts Workshop and broadcast on cable TV around June 27th. In addition, we will again be producing a locally crafted virtual parade. The Summer Solstice Celebration Virtual Community Parade will be released on the Solstice YouTube Channel on June 27th. It will include the Virtual State Street parade as well as all community video and photo submissions. Also keep an eye out for other pop-up activities as well that will be happening come June!

Visit our NEW website to see what's in store for this year!

Butterflies Alive makes its annual return to the Natural History Museum of Santa Barbara, May 29 through September 6.

 

Source: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is thrilled to announce the opening of its beloved summer exhibit Butterflies Alive! on Saturday, May 29 in the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion. Featuring 1,000 live butterflies, the exhibit will be open through Monday, September 6. The Museum’s indoor and outdoor exhibits are open Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and reservations are required for admission at sbnature.org/tickets.

One of the Museum’s most popular exhibits, Butterflies Alive! features a dazzling variety of butterflies, from local favorites like the Monarch to exotic varieties like swallowtails, longwings, Gulf Fritillaries, and Malachites. Various butterfly species cycle through the pavilion throughout the summer, so no two visits are the same.

Beautiful flowers and foliage provide butterflies with plenty of nectar and roosting space. In this tranquil garden atmosphere, guests can discuss butterfly behavior and biology with trained volunteer interpreters. If the record number of people interested in joining the Butterflies Alive! volunteer team is anything to go by, the pavilion is going to be a particularly popular place this summer.

Last year, the Museum’s indoor exhibits were closed during Butterflies Alive! but this year, with indoor exhibits open concurrently, guests can see pavilion-bound butterflies emerge from their chrysalides in the Santa Barbara Gallery’s emergence chamber. Those interested in more behind-the-scenes peeks can check out the video series that followed last year’s butterflies from pupae to pavilion. The full series hosted by Butterfly Pavilion Senior Manager Kim Zsembik is available at sbnature.org/magic-window and features—in addition to close-up views of every stage of the butterfly life cycle—guest appearances by the Museum’s entomologist and a Q&A with Zsembik about what it’s like to work with butterflies.

“We are excited to invite Members and guests back to our Butterfly Pavilion this summer. After so much positive feedback last year, we’ve kept our socially distant pavilion similar to 2020, allowing families and guests to peacefully explore the pavilion in nine butterfly zones. Guest favorites like Malachite and Swallowtail butterflies are not to be missed,” shared Zsembik.

The Museum currently requires online reservations to limit the number of guests on campus at one time. Although face mask guidelines are quickly changing, face masks are currently required for anyone three years or older and must cover your nose and mouth at all times while on Museum property indoors and outdoors.

Those interested in helping the butterflies have a wonderful stay at the Museum this summer are invited to sponsor a butterfly. Opportunities range from $50 to $10,000 and sponsorship includes recognition on the exhibit’s Wall of Wings.

To learn more visit sbnature.org/butterflies-alive.