SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1ST, 2024 | 10:00 AM–4:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum for our 13th Annual Holiday Marketplace on Sunday, December 1st 2024, from 10AM – 4PM. This free admission day invites visitors to enjoy one-of-a-kind shopping featuring talented local artisans and unique gifts that celebrate nature, wildlife, and the outdoors. Plus, browse prints and books by select artists on view in the current exhibitions, which will also be free to enjoy. This event will also include a free family-friendly papercraft activity from 10AM-12PM!

November 24th | Kid Craft Art Workshop - Sea Star Sushi Plates at the Museum, with Community Clayworks

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH, 2024 | 3:00 PM–5:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum & Community Clayworks for an art workshop at the Museum, creating sea star sushi plates (can be used for other scrumptious somethings!). Students will create their very own sea star with bumps, knobs, and unique lines and patters, and then paint their pieces with colorful underglazes. After firing and clear glazing, completed pieces will be available for pick up in-person at the Museum or can be shipped by request (for an additional fee).

Past Programs/EventsRachel MetzNovember 24, 2024Kid Craft, Kids, Workshop, Community Clayworks, Art Class, Coral Reefs

November 2nd | 5th Annual Fall Fundraiser & Auction

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND, 2024 | 3:00 PM–5:30 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Our silent auction returns this autumn with relaxing getaways, unique fine jewelry and art, local wines and dining experiences, and more! All proceeds benefit the California Nature Art Museum.

Past Programs/EventsRachel MetzNovember 2, 2024Fundraiser, Silent Auction, Fall Silent Auction

October 20th | Short Film Screening: “The Santa Barbara Channel: Three Examinations Into Life Offshore" with Mimi deGruy

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20TH, 2024 / 2:00 PM– 3:30 PM
At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

CANCELLED, due to unforeseen circumstances. A collection of footage taken from three films aired on National Geographic, the BBC, and PBS highlights the importance and untamed beauty of marine life just beyond the coasts of the Channel Islands, and in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Join us for an inspirational and educational short film screening and Q&A with Mimi deGruy in the Second Floor Valley Oak Gallery.

October 13th | Kid Craft Art Workshop - Woodland Wind Chimes at the Museum, with Community Clayworks

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13TH, 2024 | 3:00 PM–5:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum & Community Clayworks for an art workshop at the Museum, creating oak woodland wind chimes. Participants will create a wind chime featuring falling oak leaves and/or tiny woodland creatures, and then paint their pieces with colorful underglazes. After firing and clear glazing, completed pieces will be available for pick up in-person at the Museum or can be shipped by request (for an additional fee).

Past Programs/EventsRachel MetzOctober 13, 2024Kid Craft, Kids, Workshop, Community Clayworks, Art Class, Oak Woodland

October 6th | Artist Meet-and-Greet with Julia Laraway

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 2024 / 10:00 AM– 12:00 PM
At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

In celebration of the midway point through the sensational “California, Quilted: Wild in the Oak Woodland” textile exhibition, Julia Laraway will be at CalNAM on Sunday, October 6th 2024 from 10:00AM-12:00PM for a free artist meet-and-greet.

December 8th | Adult Art Workshop - Winter Gourd Workshop, Painting & Weaving

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8TH, 2024 | 10:00 AM–2:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum & Artist Kathy Badrak for an art workshop on Sunday, December 8th 2024 from 10:00AM- 2:00PM, creating colorful, natural bowls out of gourds. Participants will paint their gourds with alcohol ink and learn to weave a rim on the gourd using a variety of botanical materials.

Past Programs/EventsRachel MetzOctober 2, 2024Workshop, Art Class, Kathy Badrak, Gourds

January 3rd | Kid Craft Art Workshop - Coastal Art & Poetry Contest Submissions, Creating Together

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3RD, 2025 | 11:00 AM–1:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum for a Kid Craft art workshop on Friday, January 3rd 2025 from 11:00AM- 1:00PM, creating artwork for submission to the California Coastal Commission’s annual K-12 Art & Poetry Contest. Students will be provided with paper, graphite pencils, colored pencils, markers, watercolors, brushes, construction paper, glue, and crayons. While the workshop will be primarily self-led, CalNAM staff and volunteers will be available for support at all times.

Upcoming Programs/EventsRachel MetzOctober 2, 2024Kid Craft, Kids, Workshop, Community Clayworks, Art Class, Coral Reefs

January 12th | King Tides Tidepooling Walk at Gaviota State Beach

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12TH, 2025 | 2:00 PM–4:00 PM

At Gaviota State Beach with the California Nature Art Museum

Join the California Nature Art Museum for a tidepooling walk at Gaviota State Beach on Sunday, January 12th 2025 from 2:00PM- 4:00PM, searching for intertidal creatures that will be visible due to the extra low “King Tides.” Participants can expect to see species such as ochre stars, gooseneck barnacles, sunburst anemones, and shore crabs, and maybe - if the group is really lucky! - small fish or an octopus!

Free for members and children, $10 for non-member adults.

Upcoming Programs/EventsRachel MetzOctober 2, 2024Community Clayworks, Workshop, Art Class, Coral Reefs, Ocean, Waves

February 23rd | Adult Art Workshop - King Tides Wave Sculptures at the Museum, with Community Clayworks

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD, 2025 | 3:00 PM–5:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum & Community Clayworks for an art workshop on Sunday, February 23rd 2025 from 3:00PM- 5:00PM, creating wave sculptures in celebration of this winter’s king tides. Participants will learn to sculpt a cresting wave and paint their pieces with colorful underglazes. After firing and clear glazing, completed pieces will be available for pick up in-person at the Museum or can be shipped by request (for an additional fee).

Upcoming Programs/EventsRachel MetzOctober 2, 2024Community Clayworks, Workshop, Art Class, Coral Reefs, Ocean, Waves

March 16th | Adult Art Workshop - Natural Perfume-Making: Forests & Florals

SUNDAY, MARCH 16TH, 2024 | 1:00 PM–4:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum & Artisan Perfumer Susan Farber for an adult art workshop on Sunday, March 16th 2024 from 1:00PM- 4:00PM, creating unique and nature-based scents inspired by forests & florals of California. All participants will take home a custom-made fragrance and guide on the procurement process.

September 29th | Kid Craft Art Workshop - Story Time & Scrub Jays

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2024 | 2:00 PM–3:30 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum for a Kid Craft art workshop on Sunday, September 29th 2024 from 2:00PM- 3:30PM. Young participants will enjoy a special story time reading with artist Julia Laraway, whose work is exhibited in the Second-Floor Valley Oak Gallery from July 14th 2024 - January 13th 2025, and will also create their own “quilted” scrub jay with colorful felt pieces.

Past Programs/EventsRachel MetzSeptember 29, 2024Kid Craft, Kids, Workshop, Art Class, Julia Laraway, Textile Arts, Quilting

September 27th - 29th | Santa Cruz Island, 2-Night Stay at UC Field Station

FRI. SEPTEMBER 27TH - SUN. SEPTEMBER 29TH

At the UC Field Station on Santa Cruz Island, with the California Nature Art Museum

Join the California Nature Art Museum for a two-night trip to Santa Cruz Island on Friday, September 27th 2024 - Sunday, September 29th 2024. Guests will be staying in the dorms at the UC Field Station, which cannot typically be accessed by the general public.

Throughout this trip, guests may enjoy fully-included, structured activities such as hiking, species identification, nature journaling, swimming, and travel through the use of the on-island vehicles.

September 24th | CalNAM Sponsored Trivia Night

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2024 | 6:00 PM–8:00 PM

At Fig Mountain Brewing Co., 45 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427 | Second Floor

Join the California Nature Art Museum and Headgames Trivia for a special bonus round of trivia on coral reefs in celebration of the opening of our latest exhibition, "A Deeper Love: New Paintings Inspired by Coral Reefs." You can expect a night of colorful competition, fun and food as we test your knowledge of one of the most precious and in-need-of-protection places in the ocean. Our sponsored bonus round will include two prizes from the Museum gift store.

Join Us in Bringing a World-Renowned Thomas Dambo Troll to the California Nature Art Museum!

Coming Soon, February 2025

Michele Kuelbs Tower Gallery

The California Nature Art Museum will host Thomas Dambo to build his first permanent troll in California at the beginning of 2025! Thomas Dambo is an internationally renowned Danish artist and recycling activist who is celebrated for his imaginative and colossal sculptures made from recycled materials. Specializing in creating enchanting wooden trolls, Thomas Dambo breathes new life into discarded resources, showcasing the boundless potential hidden within our world’s trash cans.

Upcoming ExhibitsRuben MislangSeptember 23, 2024Thomas Dambo

California Coastal Commission: K-12 Coastal Art Contest, '06-'23

September 18, 2024 - February 3rd, 2025

Third-Floor George & Barbara Goodall Education Center

The California Nature Art Museum is excited to host California Coastal Commission: K-12 Coastal Art Contest, with selected pieces spanning 2006-2023.

Every year, the California Coastal Commission (CCC) hosts an art & poetry contest for students in grades K-12, which highlights the unique beauty and importance of the California coast and ocean. In this selection of past winning pieces on display in the George and Barbara Goodall Education Center, visitors are invited to enjoy the artistic visions of twelve student artists from all over the Golden State.

Current ExhibitsRachel MetzSeptember 18, 2024California Coastal Commission, Student Art, Kids, Ocean

A Deeper Love: New Paintings Inspired by Coral Reefs

September 14, 2024 - February 24, 2025

Members-Only Artist Reception: Sunday, September 15, 2024 (3PM-5PM)

First-Floor Wildling Gallery

The California Nature Art Museum is pleased to announce its forthcoming exhibition, A Deeper Love: New Paintings Inspired by Coral Reefs, featuring new work by artists Nansi Bielanski Gallup and David Gallup.

A Deeper Love offers an artistic examination into some of the ocean’s most vibrant, ecologically productive, and fragile landscapes, worldwide. “While it may be easy for most people to walk outside and appreciate nature in the hills, forests, or meadows where they live, it is much harder to visit a coral reef fifty feet below the surface of the ocean at the edge of civilization,” state Nansi and David. “By sharing what we’ve seen, what we’ve learned, and what has inspired us, we hope to make the world’s coral reefs a little more present in the hearts and minds of our community."

Current ExhibitsRuben MislangSeptember 16, 2024Nansi Bielanski Gallup, David Gallup, Coral Reefs, Ocean

Yosemite: Sanctuary in Stone

March 8, 2025 - September 1, 2025

Members-Only Artist Reception: Sunday, March 9th, 2025 (3PM-5PM)

First-Floor Wildling Gallery

The California Nature Art Museum is pleased to present Yosemite: Sanctuary in Stone, a solo exhibition by award-winning nature and landscape photographer William Neill, coming to our first-floor gallery March 2025.

Featuring more than 40 photographs and spanning over 41 years (1982-2023), this magnificent exhibition showcases Neill’s extensive and longstanding dedication to the beauty of one of California’s first National Parks, celebrating everything from its grand vistas to the tiniest and most intimate details.

August 25th | Wild Talk: "Pollinators of Santa Barbara County" with SBWCN

SUNDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2024 | 3:30 PM–5:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum), Second Floor Valley Oak Gallery

Join the California Nature Art Museum & Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network for a co-hosted Wild Talk on pollinators of Santa Barbara County on August 25th 2024, from 3:30PM-5:00PM.

Free to attend, and reservations are not required. Ticketed reception with light food and drinks to follow.

August 10th | Free Admission: End-of-Summer Family Day

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH, 2024 | 10:00 AM–3:00 PM

At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)

Join the California Nature Art Museum for a free-admission, end-of-summer Family Day on Saturday, August 10th 2024, from 10AM – 3PM. This annual event invites visitors to bring the whole family and enjoy free admission to the Museum, and participate in a variety of art-and-nature inspired activities.

Create your own bee-themed hanging wall art, make friends with a lizard, snake, or tortoise from Mahni’s Reptiles, enjoy a free hand or cheek painting, wonder at live honeybees in an observation hive from Santa Barbara Hives, and shake paws with an adoptable pet from SYV Humane Society!

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