Join us for a special virtual program in honor of Ansel Adams on what would have been the iconic photographer’s 120th birthday. The public is invited to tune in to Ansel Adams: The Man Behind the Camera on Sunday, February 20, 2 – 3 p.m. via Zoom for an insightful presentation by photographer Alan Ross, Ansel Adams’ friend and former assistant.
Read MoreThe Wildling is thrilled to host Florencia Ramirez, author of Eat Less Water, for a special presentation and conversation with Steve Beckmen, the winemaker behind Beckmen Vineyards, at the Museum on Sunday, March 6, 2022, 3 p.m. as the Wildling Museum kicks off a year of climate-focused exhibitions and programming.
Following the program will be a book signing and environmental pop-up shop curated by Ramirez, along with a biodynamic wine tasting by Beckmen Vineyards for attendees.
Read MoreSeptember 25, 2021 - January 17, 2022
Third Floor George & Barbara Goodall Education Center
The Wildling is pleased to host the Sewjourners, a satellite collective of the Coastal Quilters Guild in the Barbara Goodall Education Center from September 25, 2021 - January 17, 2022. This community exhibition marks the Museum’s first textile-focused exhibition and is inspired by the artists’ various interpretations of trees, translating a range of species, textures, and seasonal transitions through the quilt medium.
Many of the quilts on view are also for sale through the Wildling Museum store.
Read MoreMay 14 - December 31, 2021
Online Student Exhibition in Collaboration with Solvang School
School field trips were put on pause over the last year, but the Wildling Museum was able to partner with Solvang School to bring art and nature to the virtual classroom. The partnership culminated in a new online student exhibition, Solvang School: Bird Studies, on view online May 14 - December 31, 2021.
Wildling Museum Executive Director Stacey Otte-Demangate worked with educator Erin Dunkle and middle school students enrolled in Solvang School’s Art and Science elective class to explore birding and the art of John James Audubon.
Read MoreThe Wildling Museum is thrilled to announce its new window art installation, Winter Wonder: Four Faces of Grass Mountain by artist Kiana Beckmen. The public is invited to enjoy the ongoing installation from Mission Drive, which is visible from the sidewalk all days of the week and illuminated at night.
Read MoreThe Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce an upcoming presentation with photographer Michael Miner on Sunday, December 12, 2021, 2-3:30 p.m. Miner’s demonstration and lecture will explore the art, craft, and technical aspects of large format black and white landscape photography.
The event marks the museum’s first in-person event since early 2020 and seating will be limited.
Read MoreWe look forward to welcoming you back to the Wildling’s annual Holiday Marketplace on Sunday, December 5, 2021, featuring beautiful unique handmade gifts by local artisans.
Woodworker Gabriel Bustamante, jewelry artist Anne Miller, copper artist Gretchen Foran, and glass artist Joellen Chrones will all be here with greatly expanded offerings than what we have in the store; and newcomer Lou Ann Smith will be selling her gorgeous pottery. Mark your calendars for this not-to-be-missed shopping event!
Read MoreOur Fall Fundraiser is back! Mark your calendars and tune in on Sunday, November 7 at 4 p.m. for another exciting evening filled with unique silent and live auction items, fun video content, the debut of our new documentary short, surprise guests, and more!
Read MoreApril 17 - October 3, 2021
Second Floor Valley Oak Gallery
Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County celebrates the outdoor treasures of the Central Coast. Local member artists of the Oak Group, SLOPE, and SCAPE were invited by the Wildling to participate in this juried invitational exhibition showcasing the healthful and beautiful trail systems in Santa Barbara County.
A key goal of the exhibition, in partnership with in partnership with Healthy People Healthy Trails and the Santa Barbara County Trails Council, is to raise awareness of the wealth of trails in Santa Barbara County and to inspire visitors and community members to explore them, while encouraging a healthier lifestyle. Trails highlighted in the show range across the county from Carpinteria Bluffs, Goleta’s Lake Los Carneros and Ellwood Mesa, to La Purisima Trail, among others.
Read MoreApril 17 - September 5, 2021
First Floor Main Gallery
Artists are observers and interpreters of what they see around them, whether it is a social concern, the natural world, the built environment or their own unique vision. Often artists work in series, exploring a particular topic as they deeply observe their subject over time. For artists, this repetition can serve both as a meditative practice and a means of learning and understanding.
In this exhibition, artists were chosen who create work in series, examining some aspect of nature. They may be examining patterns in nature or the same location over a long period of time. Some combine and recombine singular elements that accumulate into a fascinating and revealing artwork or body of work.
These artists have transformed their fascination with deep observations of their individual environments into works that help us to see the beauty in the details of our world, celebrating both quiet and dramatic moments in nature.
Read MoreThe Wildling's three-part series, Bio/Mass: Summer Artist Talks, will highlight six artists from the Wildling’s current exhibition, Bio/Mass: Contemporary Meditations on Nature, in conversation with one another – Karen Kitchel and Catherine Eaton Skinner, Scott Chatenever and Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, and Maria Rendón and Sommer Roman.
Register to attend online discussions with the artists on Tuesday, July 20; Tuesday, August 24; and Wednesday, September 1.
Read MoreMark your calendars! We're excited to welcome you to the Wildling's Summer Open House on Sunday, August 29, 2 - 6 p.m. Bring the whole family and enjoy free museum admission during event hours, a princess visit by Parties and Paint by Kate, activities, and more! We’ll also be hosting a food truck in our parking lot, so stick around for dinner.
Read MoreVisit the Wildling for a Plein Air Painting Weekend with artists Kevin Gleason and Libby Smith taking place Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Inspiring visitors to get outdoors is at the heart of the Wildling Museum’s current Valley Oak Gallery exhibition, Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County. Libby Smith and Kevin Gleason are among the 27 local artists featured in the show, which celebrates the outdoor treasures of the Central Coast. The two artists will be bringing their talents to the museum for live painting demonstrations, providing visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at how artists bring outdoor inspiration to the canvas.
Read MoreYou're invited to join the Wildling Museum in honoring our Wilderness Spirit Awardee, renowned underwater photographer Richard Salas on Sunday, June 6, 2021, 4 p.m.!
Richard has spent a lifetime under water, capturing amazing images of marine creatures large and small, plus has written and published three gorgeous books documenting his adventures. He is a passionate advocate for the oceans and their inhabitants, and embodies the values of the Wildling Museum. We are thrilled to be hosting Richard for this virtual tribute.
Guests will enjoy an inspiring virtual event featuring live and prerecorded tributes to Richard, as well as a live presentation by the man of the hour himself, along with some incredible underwater video footage!
Read MoreThis summer, enjoy new works by featured local artist Kelly Hine in the Wildling Museum Store! Hine is a self-taught artist and grew up in Santa Barbara before moving to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1988, where she finds her artistic inspiration during daily runs with her dog, Bear. She is a member of the Pastel Society of America and the Pastel Society of the West Coast.
More than 20 framed pastels showcasing local landscapes and subjects are now available in the Wildling Museum Store from June 4 - September 5, 2021.
Read MoreEarth Day 2021 is right around the corner and we look forward to celebrating with you! The Wildling has put together an activity guide for all ages to learn more about Earth Day and take part in this year’s event. Write your own haiku poetry, learn more about the origins of the first Earth Day in 1970, and more.
Then, on Thursday, April 22, 2021 be sure to tune in to Santa Barbara Earth Day’s online celebration, featuring a live poetry reading by our three “Why Earth Day Matters” poetry competition finalists. A huge congratulations to our three finalists, Gabrielle Terzian (Youth), Ruby Bargiel (Youth), and Jack Clymer (Adult), who will all share their work, joined in conversation with poetry judge Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate (2015 - 2017).
Read MoreThe Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce its April virtual program, Chuck Graham: Hidden Wonders of the Carrizo Plain, taking place Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 4 – 5 p.m.
Photographer and author Chuck Graham released his new book, Carrizo Plain: Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Carrizo Plain National Monument in January 2021. In his upcoming presentation with the Wildling Museum, Graham will share his experiences photographing the wild landscape, native flora and fauna of the Carrizo Plain over the last 15 years.
Read MoreThe Wildling is pleased to announce its March virtual program, Art Through the Window: A Conversation with Holli Harmon & Nicole Strasburg, taking place Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 4 – 5 p.m.
Artists Holli Harmon and Nicole Strasburg are the creative force behind the Wildling’s two new art installations. Both Holli Harmon: The Nature of Clouds and Wintering: A Fox Tale by Nicole Strasburg were designed specifically to be viewed from the outside-in during the Wildling’s mandated Covid-19 closure. In their upcoming presentation, the two will discuss their process and the work that went on behind-the-scenes while creating these site-specific installations.
Read MoreThis year, the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is thrilled to be sponsoring an environmental poetry competition with the theme “Why Earth Day Matters,” inviting writers to interpret Earth Day in a variety of ways. The competition is open to Santa Barbara County residents of all ages.
The competition is a celebration of Earth Day, taking place this year on April 22, 2021, and is intended to highlight the importance of standing up to protect the planet’s dwindling natural resources and working against the threats of climate change.
Poetry entries will be judged by poet Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, former Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara (2015-2017), and the top three poems will be announced and read at the annual Santa Barbara Earth Day virtual celebration organized by the Community Environmental Council (CEC).
Read MoreJoin us for the Wildling Museum’s February virtual program, Nocturnes & Envisioning the Night Sky: A Conversation with Nathan Huff & Nathan Vonk, taking place Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 4 – 5 p.m.
The expanse of the open night sky has served as a source of wonder for artists for centuries. In this conversation, artist Nathan Huff and Nathan Vonk, owner of Santa Barbara’s Sullivan Goss – An American Gallery, will explore some of the history of nocturne painting and how the night sky continues to serve as a rich source of inspiration for artists working today.
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