This is Chester Wilcox’s wood carving of a North American male kestrel. Bird Month is being jointly celebrated by the Santa Barbara Audubon Society and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road. Family-fun activities are taking place today at the garden.
The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@newspress.com.
TODAY
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, has reopened its permanent mineral exhibit of rocks and crystals that is on view in the small hall off the museum’s central courtyard. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. The exhibit, which opened April 22, is included in museum admission. Members are always admitted free. For others, prices vary from $14 to $19. For more information, visit sbnature.org/minerals.
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Santa Barbara Audubon Society and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, will jointly present family-fun activities at the garden throughout May, Bird Month, including “Family Bird Nest” on this day. Activities include guided bird walks, bird-themed Story Time, avian crafts, bird scavenger hunt, and more. Participants will discover why native plants are important to birds and how to create a bird-friendly garden. Reservations are required. To make them, go to www.sbbotanicgarden.org/visit/hours-reservations.
Noon to 5 p.m. “Clarence Mattei: Portrait of a Community” is on view now through May at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, which is located in downtown Santa Barbara at 136 E. De la Guerra St. Admission is free. Hours are currently from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and from noon to 7 p.m. Thursdays. For more information,
visit www.sbhistorical.org.
1 to 4 p.m. today and appointment on weekdays: “Holly Hungett: Natural Interpretations” is on view through May 20 at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara’s gallery, 229 E. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. The gallery is open 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and weekdays by appointment. For more information, call the foundation at 805-965-6307 or go to www.afsb.org.
7 p.m. Vocalist Julie Christensen will perform with guitarist Joe Woodard and bassist Steve Nelson at the Ojai Underground Exchange, 616 Pearl St. in Ojai. Ms. Christensen’s album, “The Price We Pay for Love,” was recently released. Tickets are $35. To purchase, go to ojaiundergroundexchangetickets.square.site. For more information, call 805-340-7893.
7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform its “Platinum Sounds” concert at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. The orchestra’s 70th anniversary program will feature Grammy-nominated American violinist Philippe Quint on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, Opus 64. And the symphony will showcase its own players performing Jonathan Leshnoff’s Concerto Grosso, previously commissioned for the symphony’s 60th anniversary. The orchestra will also perform Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Opus 68. Tickets cost $35 to $175. To purchase, go to granadasb.org
MAY 14
2 p.m. Free concerts take place at 2 p.m. Sundays through July 9 at Hitching Post Wines’ tasting room, 420 State Route 246, Buellton. For more information, visit hpwines.com.
3 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform its “Platinum Sounds” concert at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. The orchestra’s 70th anniversary program will feature Grammy-nominated American violinist Philippe Quint on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, Opus 64. And the symphony will showcase its own players performing Jonathan Leshnoff’s Concerto Grosso, previously commissioned for the symphony’s 60th anniversary. The orchestra will also perform Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Opus 68. Tickets cost $35 to $175. To purchase, go to granadasb.org. A pre-concert talk with Nir Kabaretti, the symphony’s music and artistic director, will take place at 2 p.m.
MAY 18
3 to 5 p.m. A recruitment reception for volunteer docents will take place at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. The year-long training course begins each September. For more information or to attend, visit www.sbma.net/docent or contact education@sbma.net.
— Dave Mason
