Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky
February 1, 2020 - January 31, 2021
Exhibition Extended!
Marc Muench, Figueroa Mountain Under the Milky Way on May 26, 2015, Photograph, Courtesy the Artist
Eric Merrell, Alternate Universe, 2014, Oil on canvas mounted on panel, Courtesy the Artist
The expanse of the open night sky has served as a source of wonder for artists, poets, and scientists across cultures and millennia. Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky celebrates the awe-inspiring beauty and mystery of the night across a range of media, including painting and photography, as well as poetry curated by Dan Gerber. Featured works range from astrophotography captured by Goleta’s Las Cumbres Observatory telescope network, to the nocturne paintings of early California artists Fernand Lungren, Lockwood de Forest, and more. Contemporary dreamscapes by Nathan Huff, twilight desert landscapes by Eric Merrell, and night sky photography, including recent works by third-generation photographer Marc Muench, are among the works encompassing the exhibition.
Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky also serves to illuminate the growing issue of light pollution – a modern phenomenon currently reported to impact more than 83 percent of the world’s population – and current local efforts to reduce its effects for the protection of nocturnal species.
Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky is curated by Stacey Otte-Demangate, Executive Director and Lauren Sharp, Assistant Director. Poet Dan Gerber has curated a selection of poetry to accompany the exhibition.
Generous support for Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky was provided by the Wood-Claessens Foundation and donors to the Patti Jacqemain Exhibition Fund. Grateful thanks to California Art Company, Dan Gerber, James Main Fine Art, Las Cumbres Observatory, Longoria Wines, Photo Printing Pros, Sullivan Goss Gallery, and the UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum.
Grateful thanks to our wine sponsor:
Digital Gallery | Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky
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Exhibition Press
Wildling Museum's Online Exhibit Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky, Explores Nocturne Painting, Astrophotography, and Light Pollution, Artfix Daily, April 5, 2020
Visiting Museums from Home: Getting Your Fine Art Fix Virtually, Santa Barbara Independent, March 30, 2020
Starry Nights exhibition showcases painting, photography, and poetry at Wildling Museum, Santa Maria Sun, January 28, 2020
Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky exhibit opening at Wildling Museum, Noozhawk, January 9, 2020
Starry Nights exhibition to debut in Solvang, Santa Ynez Valley News, January 6, 2020