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Bay Area–based artist Julia Goodman creates hand-formed paper sculptures from reused textiles, expanding the possibilities of handmade paper through a focus on sustainability, texture, and history. Drawing on the overlooked tradition of gathering rags for papermaking, she collects cotton bedding and t-shirts from family, friends, and thrift stores. These materials—embedded with traces of everyday life—bring forward the unseen labor of women and caretakers, past and present. Goodman tears and pulps the fabrics, forming and pressing them into shapes and textures that recall the moon, the imprint of her gripped hand, and the folds of bedsheets and t-shirts. Colors emerge directly from the original fabrics or by mixing together differently-colored fabrics—without dyes or pigments. In recent work, washes of watercolor respond to layered shapes and surfaces in her work.

For her exhibition at SLOMA, Goodman offers tactile, alternative ways to experience time. The wrapped sculpture An Unimaginable Unit of Time, begun in March 2020, marks the personal and collective passing of days during the pandemic. Each day, she formed an imprint of her grip in pulp along strips of torn bedsheets, resulting in a continuous line that ultimately stretched 0.95 miles. In Waning and Waxing, Goodman carves moon phases into large textured calendars, recording the eleven months she mourned her father and, years later, the nine and a half months of her pregnancy. Through handmade materials and labor-intensive rituals, Goodman’s work holds space for cycles of love and loss, connecting us to the rhythms of time.

Siji Krishnan’s paintings invite viewers into a world where memory, myth, and daily life intertwine. Working primarily on delicate rice paper, she builds up translucent layers of watercolor and oil to reveal figures, landscapes, and hidden details. Her images often feel dreamlike—ponds shimmering with light, grasses bending in the rain, or figures dissolving into their surroundings—suggesting the ways that identity, home, and belonging are shaped by both what we see and what lies beneath the surface.

The exhibition The Secret Place brings together recent works from Krishnan’s Los Angeles debut, alongside five new large paintings created in her studio in Kerala, India. In these new works, Krishnan replaces her more figurative elements with water, plants, and sky. The natural world of her home—backwaters, monsoon rains, and village ponds—becomes a central motif, a site of both refuge and transformation. Themes of fertility and motherhood, community, and renewal flow through her practice, informed by her experiences of raising a child and the shifting boundaries between self and environment.

Krishnan’s art asks us to look slowly and closely. Small details emerge—an animal, a flower petal, a shadow of a figure—like secrets discovered over time. Both intimate and expansive, her paintings transcend cultural and geographic boundaries, embodying the Upanishadic (ancient Indian sacred philosophical texts) philosophy vasudhaiva kutumbakam: “the world is one family.”

THRILLER 2025
Saturday, October 25th
Halloween Dance Party 2:00pm / Thriller Performance 3:00pm

Every year, World Dance for Humanity hosts Santa Barbara’s Thriller event, a FREE family-friendly dance party and performance. It's part of “Thrill the World,” a global event that happens each year on the Saturday before Halloween. On that day, about 100 dancing Zombies will rise up at the Courthouse Sunken Gardens, casting away inhibitions to create a SPOOKTACULAR community experience! All ages and abilities welcome!

Practices are ongoing!
Wednesdays 6:00pm, Oak Park Stage
Saturdays 9:45am, Beach (Chase Palm Park Soccer Field)

Thriller Info with PRACTICE VIDEOS: https://worlddanceforhumanity.org/thriller/

Santa Barbara Symphony- Bella Italia

Saturday, March 28, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 29, 2026 | 3:00 PM
The Granada Theatre

Attend "Conversations with KUSC" with on-air personality Jennifer Miller Hammel
Saturday Pre-Concert Chat | 6:30-7:00 PM
Sunday Pre-Concert Chat | 2:00-2:30 PM

A five-century survey of Italian classics. From Vivaldi’s perennial The Four Seasons, to Puccini’s youthful Capriccio Sinfonico (an early working of tunes to later appear in La Bohème!) to Respighi’s thunderous The Pines of Rome with brass blazing from the four corners of The Granada Theatre. And discover a recent, lively concerto by Christian Carrara inspired by the dazzling Red Ferrari Accordion.

The Artists
Nir Kabaretti, Conductor
Hanzhi Wang, Accordion

Repertoire
VIVALDI | “Winter” from The Four Seasons
CRISTIAN CARRARA | Red Ferrari Accordion Concerto
(co-commissioned by Santa Barbara Symphony, Orchestra della Toscana, Musica Insieme – Bologna, Richmond Symphony Orchestra & FVG Orchestra)
PUCCINI | Capriccio Sinfonico
RESPIGHI | The Pines of Rome

For more info and tickets, visit: https://thesymphony.org/concerts-events/orchestra-concerts/bella-italia/

Join guest artist Emily Adams as she helps you create a stylish and useful apron! Choose a bib apron or a half apron with the option to customize your pockets to hold gardening tools or cooking utensils. Join us for a tutorial from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. if you have little or no experience using a sewing machine. All materials and tools are provided. Ages 13+.

Meet the founders of award-winning Catedral Mezcal and learn about how this small batch, artisanal mezcal is made in Oaxaca Mexico. Mezcal tasting and specialty cocktails made with Catedral Mezcal available for purchase. Limited edition Catedral Mezcal Cowboy Hats available.

Through the experience of some who served, this course examines the US Agency for International Development, the greatest tool America ever had for doing great humanitarian good while building diplomatic goodwill. We’ll look at USAID projects as they changed lives around the world and increased America’s strategic influence. We’ll explore how taxpayer dollars spent were an investment in our security and will consider ways we might move forward following the dismantling of the agency.

Christine Sheckler’s 27-year USAID career included posts in Pakistan, Tbilisi/ Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, and Belarus. She served in Ebolaravaged Sierra Leone, wartime Iraq, and Egypt during the Arab Spring. Christine also worked in USAID’s Office of Civilian–Military Cooperation. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, she helped launch and oversaw USAID’s Civil Society programs throughout Russia and the former USSR. In earlier years, she followed her Peace Corps tour in Liberia with a four-month solo crossing of the Sahara Desert. She is co-chair of USAID Alumni Outreach and is a board member and immediate past president of World Affairs Council—San Diego.

Bee Bloeser lived in West Africa, the Middle East, and Native American nations supporting her husband’s global health work and in her own work in speech pathology. She is the author of the acclaimed historical memoir Vaccines & Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War. This is her third VISTAS presentation.

Vistas Lifelong Learning provides intellectually stimulating courses to Santa Barbara area residents, covering topics in history, public policy, science, philosophy, and more. The organization is committed to enriching lives and fostering a vibrant community of curious minds.

Join us for a hands-on creative workshop led by Guest Artist Sondra Weiss where kindness comes to life through art and words! Children and families will design handmade cards and appreciation notes for the people who make our community special, from teachers and mentors to local helpers, favorite restaurants, and nonprofits. Using colorful collage materials and thoughtful writing prompts, we’ll craft messages that spread gratitude and joy throughout our town. Together, we’ll celebrate caring connections and help our community shine a little brighter, one card at a time. All tools and materials are provided.

Join us for the 10th Annual Santa Monica Playhouse BFF Binge Fringe Festival of FREE Theatre, Oct 14 – Nov 16, the only FREE Fringe Festival in the nation, offering over 36 plays, workshops and family-oriented events. What’s on for BFF SATURDAY matinees?

Oct 18: ATYPICAL GRACE- Marilynn runs a weekly support group for parents of children struggling with learning disabilities – challenges related to ADHD, math, reading and more. These parents are as diverse as their children’s needs, but Marilynn meets them with empathy, while also exploring her own journey of forgiveness and breaking generational patterns. Written & Performed by Maria Fagan Hassani, Director, Developer & Character Coach Heather Dowling; Produced by Jessica Lynn Johnson; Acting Coach Christinna Chauncey Rated: 12+

Oct 25: WILL POWER SHAKESPEARE HOUR - The California Shakespeare Company perform scenes, sonnets and soliloquies from the greatest plays by the world-famous Bard. All ages are invited, especially students, teachers and anyone who enjoys great theatre and great literature. The show is followed by a 60-minute Shakespeare workshop. Come for the show, stay for the workshop; or just come for one or the other.

Nov 1: JANE AND THE MAGIC ALBUM– A fun and educational musical for kids and families about Jane, a girl who discovers a Magic Album that brings to life historical figures like Shakespeare, Einstein and Sally ride. Almost full, but the show also live-streams throughout the festival. Streaming link can be found at SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com – great for all ages.

Nov 8: tHis Is Very IMPORTANT – Rahvaunia Johnson’s powerful, award-winning rollercoaster of “edutainment”—emotionally raw, surprisingly funny, and deeply moving. HIV is just one part of a larger story about love, stigma, identity, and resilience. You'll laugh, cry, relate—and leave forever changed. Created, Written & Performed by Rahvaunia Johnson. Directed by Jessica Lynn Johnson Rated 16+

Binge on Theatre this Fall – give your couch a rest!

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are supported in part by generous grants from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the Ahmanson Foundation and Playhouse PALS.

Join us for the 10th Annual Santa Monica Playhouse BFF Binge Fringe Festival of FREE Theatre, Oct 14 – Nov 16, the only FREE Fringe Festival in the nation, offering over 36 plays, workshops and family-oriented events. What’s on for BFF SATURDAY AFTERNOONS?

Oct 18: MAFIA ANONYMOUS: THE WOMEN SPEAK - Nella leads a women’s Mafia Anonymous group — a place where secrets unravel and stories are finally spoken. Rumors have long circulated that Nella’s father did business with the Mafia. She’s here to set the record straight... or is she? Pina brings to life the voices of many, as she channels the raw, untold stories of women entangled in the shadows of organized crime — with humor, grit, and heart. Written & Performed by PINA – Fiction Based on Truth. 21+

Nov 1: RAG DOLL ON A BOMB SITE – A BFF MUSICAL SELECTION - On opening night of The Threepenny Opera, Kurt Weill demands the show be canceled—Lotte Lenya’s name is missing from the program. Desperate to perform, she relives her traumatic past through emotional songs and haunting dances. Sung. Danced. Lived. But will it be enough to change his mind? “Shelley Cooper weaves a poetic spell that really does create a sense that you’re watching Austrian-American actress Lotte Lenya make her way in 1928 Berlin.” Book, Lyrics, Composer, Choreographer & Performer Shelley Cooper; Director & Developer Kelsey Miller; Developer & Producer Jessica Lynn Johnson. 16+

Nov 8: ADOPTED BY APPALACHIANS – Featuring Special Agent Fox Mulder from The X-files to serve as mentor and partner to our young detective in her investigation, and Appalachian Queen Dolly Parton as the musical narrator, this show turns the Whodunnit genre on its head. A Mystery Solo show set in a time before DNA technology, AKA the 90's in the rural South, that follows a young detective who wants to believe in the paranormal but gets sidetracked by the real life cold case to uncover her true identity. Written & Performed by Paulina Combow; Produced by Jessica Lynn Johnson; tech/art Producer Luis Villanueva. 13+

Binge on Theatre this Fall – give your couch a rest!

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are supported in part by generous grants from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the Ahmanson Foundation and Playhouse PALS.