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A talk by Neal Graffy

Wednesday, April 8

Two opportunities!
11:00 AM TICKETS
5:30 PM TICKETS

In early December, 1846, “The Pathfinder,” Lt. Col. John C. Frémont, and his recently assembled California Battalion were encamped some 20 miles below Mission San Juan Bautista. Their goal? Head south and liberate Santa Barbara and then Los Angeles from the forces of General José María Flores and claim California for the United States. To do so, for the next twenty-five days Frémont and his men would embark on an historic march of 230 miles culminating in a Christmas Day descent from the Santa Ynez mountains in a torrential rainstorm. According to legend, Benjamin Foxen warned Frémont of a trap at Gaviota Pass and then led Frémont and the battalion safely over the “San Marcos Pass.”

Get Tickets!
https://www.sbhistorical.org/events/

A talk about the Californios

Thursday, March 26
5:30 pm-7:00 pm
Ticketed Event

Join historian Damian Bacich as he shares the story of the Californios: the individuals and families that formed California's unique culture, from early Spanish explorations to the era of the ranchos and beyond.
The first families that settled Alta California in the 18th century came with a thirst to start a new and better life for themselves and their children. In time, soldiers, settlers, and their descendants developed a unique connection to the land of Alta California, and a culture defined by hospitality, family, and self-reliance. They came to call themselves Californios, or hijos del país (sons of the land).

Tickets are HERE:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/californias-spanish-mexican-roots-tickets-1982321681512?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

William Shakespeare’s plays transcended their origins almost immediately. Even during his lifetime, his unforgettable characters and indelible lines were already escaping the stage – taken up by others and repurposed and circulated in diverse ways. While his plays have been performed continuously for over four hundred years, they have also left the stage behind to live on elsewhere.

Printers and publishers have reproduced Shakespeare’s words in every possible textual format and in numerous languages. Literary and visual artists have continuously adapted and reinterpreted them in various artforms. Musicians and choreographers have refashioned his stories into opera, ballet, pop songs, and modern dance. Meanwhile, filmmakers, television writers, and videogame creators have transformed them for modern screens. This exhibition explores the many forms and many afterlives of Shakespeare’s art – from a single scrap of his crabbed handwritten text to the digital media of the twenty-first century.

Infinite Variety was co-curated by David Gartrell, the Library’s Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, and Professor Jim Kearney, Department of English. The exhibition is on display in the Jackie Laskoff Exhibition Alcove, located in the Sara Miller McCune Arts Library (1st Floor, Mountain Side), and is co-sponsored by UCSB Library and the Department of English.

Palomazo Music Returns to Downtown Oxnard to Celebrate Music, Art & Culture

Oxnard, CA – Pipiripau announces the return of the Palomazo Music Series for its 5th season, featuring three intimate nights under the stars this May, leading into the 2nd Annual Palomazo Music Festival on June 13th. Both events take place at Heritage Square in Downtown Oxnard, now part of the city’s officially recognized Cultural Arts District.


Palomazo Music Series offers a one-of-a kind experience where audiences connect with artists through Q&A, stories, and live music. The series runs Friday nights from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, featuring artists from Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Oxnard:


• May 1 - The Mexican Standoff (Mexamericana w/ Punk Twist)
• May 15 - Carlos y Charlos (Música Norteña)
• May 29 - LaOX (Afro-Latin Fusion)


Series tickets are $20 presale until March 31st. Due to limited capacity, early purchase is highly encouraged, with the option to reserve a table for an enhanced experience.

As the series concludes, the Palomazo Music Festival closes out the season June 13th from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM., bringing together artists from Long Beach, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, Ventura, and Oxnard. Each previously featured in the Palomazo Music Series, including:

• Conjunto Zacamandu (Son Jarocho)
• Los Cool Arrows (Cumbia & Reggae)
• The Almighty Majestics (Vintage Rock & Roll & Soul)
• And TBD

In addition to live music, the festival debuts a new art gallery installation curated by Allee Amore and Sue Franco, highlighting local artists. Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite musicians from any era or genre, enhancing the immersive community experience.

About Pipiripau:

ounded in 2011 by brothers Rolando and Heriberto Rubalcava, Pipiripau is a contemporary lifestyle brand rooted in Mexican culture, celebrating heritage through apparel, art, and community events, including Palomazo, Panteón, and the new Palabras. In 2024, Pipiripau received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the West Ventura County Business Alliance for the Rubalcava brothers’ innovation and community

Rooted in community and guided by cultural wisdom, this one-day experience brings together cultural practitioners, holistic healers, educators, and mental health professionals for a day of deep learning, nervous system restoration, and meaningful connection. Through dynamic workshops, somatic and sound-based activations, thought-provoking panels and so much more.

Petty Party delivers a high-energy, heartfelt tribute to one of the most iconic catalogs in rock history. From the first chord to the final encore, the band captures the sound, spirit, and soul of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers with stunning authenticity—faithfully recreating the songs that defined generations. Expect a hit-packed evening featuring classics like “American Girl,” “Refugee,” “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” and many more.

Set against the beautiful outdoor setting of the Solvang Theaterfest garden, this concert is the perfect way to launch the summer series—an evening of great music, great vibes, and timeless songs that invite everyone to sing along. So don’t sit at home and have a pity party… come on out and join the Petty Party as they help kick off Music in the Garden with an evening of Tom Foolery.

The Oxnard arts community will launch Arts, Culture & Creativity Month this April with a vibrant celebration of the newly designated Downtown Oxnard Cultural District, bringing together artists, cultural leaders, and community stakeholders for a dynamic public kickoff event.

The Crop Hunger Walk has been called the "granddaddy of all walks" by the Los Angeles Times. The walks first began in 1969 and now they number in the hundreds and have raised millions of dollars to end hunger here in the community and around the world.
The main walk is approximately 4 miles, there is also a 20 minute guided campus stroll for those that prefer something shorter.

This is the 48th time that we will walk in the Conejo Valley, last year we had over 200 walkers and raised almost $40,000. 25% of the money is distributed to local groups fighting hunger: Manna and Harvest Food banks, Harbor House and Meals on Wheels. The rest is distributed by CWS Global here in the US and globally to fight hunger and provide disaster relief through local agencies.

Hunger is a growing problem, and reduced government support has led to a surge in clients for local organizations. Help us end hunger, nobody should go to bed hungry.

The nine diverse works of American art in this exhibition span from 1915 to 2020, representing a remarkable slice of American art history. This selection weaves together ideas of identity, childhood, and environment. Through diverse mediums, styles, and cultural contexts, these works offer insights into the personal, cultural, and artistic conversations that shape our world. This project is made possible through our remarkable partnership with Art Bridges, whose mission is to bring art out of storage and into communities across America.

Themes of both celebrated and forgotten identities appear throughout—from the mystery of Richard Prince’s Nurse Elsa to the individuality of Alex Katz’s Dark Glasses and the haunting imagery of Edouard Duval-Carrié’s Lost at Sea. Rachel Rose’s Lake Valley transports us to the bittersweet nostalgia of childhood, where memories feel both real and imagined. Pop culture and American consumerism are brought into the conversation with Robert Gober’s Untitled (butter), which turns the familiar into something strange. Frank Stella’s maze-like Cinema de Pepsi Sketch I and Max Weber’s Interior with Music explore color, shape, and detail in bold ways. Félix González-Torres’ participatory work Untitled (L.A.) and Alfred Conteh’s Malik and Marquis invite reflection on friendship, loss and human connection.

Together, these works explore social issues that feel especially relevant today in the American political landscape—ideas of home, belonging, community, and time. Each artwork tells its own story, but together they create a larger history and experience. This exhibition does more than reflect the world: it helps us understand it and imagine the future we want to create.

Passage Through, New York–based artist Peter Krashes’ first solo exhibition on the West Coast, uses paintings of old and new construction, atmospheric details of public meetings, and ordinary yet meaningful aspects of community work to focus on daily experience in an ever-changing world. For nearly two decades, Krashes was deeply engaged as a community activist, and this lived experience shapes the work throughout the exhibition. Passage Through turns our attention to interstitial spaces and events—what is found in between, at the edges of our awareness, in the overlooked, and in the margins of our vision.

In works like Fences and Trees and Sprouting Seedbomb, barriers divide spaces, block visibility, and keep people separate from one another, but over time, they also provide a place for plants to grow and for birds to roost.  In early works, scenes from community work, such as More Filled Seats Magnify the Message, grew from rallies and community-building practices, while State Attorney’s Public Meeting Notes emerged from the workings of government.  Krashes’ work highlights how a community evolves, and the people, voices, and actions over time that help shape it. 

Recent paintings made for this exhibition, including a series of mockingbirds in flight, recognize change as a constant in our neighborhoods while highlighting that resilience is possible over time. Working primarily in gouache, a medium Krashes describes as humble and open, the paintings leave room for uncertainty and possibility. In their directness, Krashes’ paintings reflect the context in which he lives and works in Brooklyn, yet they offer a passage of entry for any voice trying to make sense of our complicated world.