News — California Nature Art Museum

UPDATE: Private, Appointment-Based Shopping Offered Wednesdays through Sundays at the Wildling through 12/23

UPDATE (December 6, 2020): Due to new regional stay-at-home orders, and in the interest of public safety and that of our staff, the Wildling has revised its holiday shopping weekend scheduled for December 11 - 13th to change it to private, appointment-based shopping.

Every Wednesday – Sunday, we are happy to accommodate private parties for shopping (or pick-ups of items ordered online) through December 23, 2020. Please call (805) 688-1082 to set up a private shopping appointment or shop our new store online here for all of your holiday needs. New items are being added to our online store every day, so if you haven't visited in a while, please check back! Please don’t hesitate to contact Julie Mock at julie@wildlingmuseum.org with any questions.

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangDecember 11, 2020Holidays, Holiday Marketplace

Beth Pratt: The Wild Wonder of California—and Beyond

Join us on Wednesday, December 2, 4 - 5 p.m. via Zoom for a fun conversation with conservation leader and author Beth Pratt as she shares tales of wild wonder from California and beyond. Enjoy photos and videos from her extensive encounters with animals including pika, frogs, mountain lions, bears, and more! She’ll talk about how we all need to be a part of fostering a coexistence ethic with wildlife, and what we can do in our own backyard to help wild animals thrive.

Beth will also lead participants through a couple of the exercises from her new book, I Heart Wildlife: A Guided Activity Journal for Connecting with the Wild World. Be sure to come with questions about your wild neighbors!

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangDecember 2, 2020Beth Pratt

James Hines: Urban Wilderness & the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Overpass

Join us on Thursday, November 12, 2020, 4 - 5 p.m. for a virtual Zoom presentation by James Hines, Conservation Director for the Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club.

While serving as an activist for a wide range of conservation issues in the region and beyond, Hines’ presentation will largely focus on plans for the Wildlife Overpass at Liberty Canyon, a wildlife crossing planned in Agoura Hills that will provide a safe way for wildlife – including mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, deer, and many other species – to cross the eight-lane 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills.

20/20: A Retrospective

November 7, 2020 - February 14, 2021

Second Floor Valley Oak Gallery

Wildling Museum of Art and Nature will mark its 20th anniversary with a special exhibition celebrating the Museum’s 20-year history in the Santa Ynez Valley. 20/20: A Retrospective will showcase 20 works spanning two decades of exhibitions representing one work for each year of the Wildling Museum’s history.

Nature Takes the Wheel: A Public Art Project with Upcycled Hubcaps

Nature Takes the Wheel marks the Wildling Museum’s first public art initiative in collaboration with the City of Buellton Arts and Culture Committee. The installation features more than 55 upcycled hubcaps on view now at the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden and on display in the Wildling Museum’s windows through October 31, 2020.

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangOctober 31, 2020Buellton, Stacey Thompson, Public Art

20th Anniversary Virtual Fundraiser - Join Us in Celebrating 20 Years of Art and Nature!

Help us celebrate 20 years of art and nature! Grab a glass of something delicious and join our first ever online fundraising event on Friday, October 16, 2020, 5 - 6 p.m.!

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangOctober 16, 2020Fundraiser, Digital Programming

Critters of the Tri-County Region: 2020 Photography Juried Competition

September 1, 2020 - January 10, 2021

Juried Online Exhibition & Competition

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to present its 11th nature photography competition. Our 2020 competition highlights the native critters that call the Tri-County region home.

Winners from both the adult and youth categories will be displayed in an online exhibition through January 10, 2021.

Past ExhibitRuben MislangSeptember 1, 2020Photography, Photography Competition

Looking Beyond the Pandemic: An Online Collaboration with Allan Hancock College

August 25, 2020 - February 7, 2021

Juried Online Exhibition in Collaboration with Allan Hancock College

The Wildling Museum is delighted to collaborate with Allan Hancock College this summer featuring highlights from adult education instructor Michael Messina’s photography class. The students’ photography was first intended to be a Barbara Goodall Education Center exhibition, but with the intrusion of Covid-19, it has now evolved into an online Wildling exhibition.

Over the course of the spring semester, Messina’s class persevered online, adapting to Zoom and learning new skills and methods as they completed their course while navigating the pandemic, culminating in this virtual exhibition documenting various scenes of nature and wildlife captured as close as the students’ own backyards, as far as Africa, and as deep as beneath the ocean’s surface.

Community Exhibits, Past ExhibitRuben MislangAugust 24, 2020Allan Hancock College, Photography

Holli Harmon: Musings of Califia and Beyond

The Wildling is thrilled to welcome artist Holli Harmon for our next Zoom presentation on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 4 p.m. Harmon previously exhibited at the Wildling Museum as part of The River's Journey in 2018 and on July 31st, she opens a new exhibition at Santa Barbara's Sullivan Goss Gallery featuring her most recent body of work, Califia.

We'll talk to Harmon about her artistic process and enjoy an up-close look at her many different techniques, including monoprinting, oil painting, mixed media, and more.

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangJuly 29, 2020Holli Harmon, Digital Programming

Nic Stover: Adventures in California Nature Photography

Join us for a spectacular presentation by nature photographer Nic Stover on Tuesday, July 14 at 4 p.m. via Zoom!

Stover, whose work was highlighted in the Wildling Museum’s 2019 Celebrating the National Lands of California exhibition, will lead a discussion about his work capturing California’s Central Coast and beyond, including some of our state’s most iconic parks and landscapes.

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangJune 29, 2020Nic Stover, photography, Digital Programming

James Studarus: Chasing the Northern Lights

Join us for a breathtaking presentation by night sky photographer James Studarus on Wednesday, June 24 at 4 p.m. via Zoom!

Studarus, whose timelapse video footage of the Aurora Borealis is included in our Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky exhibition, will lead a discussion about his experiences traveling the northernmost parts of the globe to capture the glow of the Northern Lights across Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Norway, and beyond.

Remembering Bud Bottoms: A Legacy of Art and Activism

April 4 - December 31, 2020

Tower Gallery & Online Exhibition

Opening concurrently with 20/20: A Retrospective, is the Wildling Museum’s inaugural Tower Gallery exhibition featuring Remembering Bud Bottoms: A Legacy of Art and Activism. The exhibit features sea life sculpture works by the Santa Barbara artist locally-renowned for his iconic Dolphin Family sculpture installed at the base of Stearns Wharf in downtown Santa Barbara.

Past ExhibitRuben MislangApril 4, 2020Bud Bottoms

CANCELLED: Noontime Concert with Opera Santa Barbara

Join the Wildling for a special Noontime Concert in the galleries with Opera Santa Barbara on Wednesday, March 25, 12 - 1 p.m.

This free concert will feature selections from Opera Santa Barbara’s upcoming production of Charles Gounod’s Romeo & Juliet and will include performances by Opera Santa Barbara’s four Chrisman Studio Artists: Julia Metzler, soprano; Kelly Guerra, mezzo; Chandler Johnson, tenor; and John Allen Nelson, baritone.

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangMarch 25, 2020Opera Santa Barbara, Noontime Concert

CANCELLED: Deborah Kalas: The Wild Herd

Join us for a special presentation on Sunday, March 15, 2020, 3 - 4:30 p.m. by acclaimed equine author and photographer Deborah Kalas as she shares her background and highlights from her new book, The Wild Herd: A Vanishing American Treasure.

Books are available for purchase from the Wildling Museum Store.

Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, Elephant Seals & Cambria Day Trip

Join the Wildling on a day trip in partnership with Buellton Parks and Recreation to visit the incredible Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, see Elephant Seals on the coast, and enjoy stops in the creative towns of Cambria and Harmony on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangFebruary 11, 2020Piedras Blancas, Elephant Seals, Cambria, Harmony

Valentine’s Perfume-Making Workshop with Susan Farber

Just in time for Valentine’s Day! Join us on Saturday, February 8, 2020 for a unique natural perfume workshop at the Wildling Museum, led by artisan perfumer and owner of Sol Aromatics, Susan Farber, MFT.

Two sessions offered: morning workshop 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or afternoon workshop 2 - 4:30 p.m.

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangFebruary 8, 2020perfume, Valentine's Day, Susan Farber

Noontime Concert with Opera Santa Barbara

Join the Wildling for a special Noontime Concert in the galleries with Opera Santa Barbara on Wednesday, February 5, 12 - 1 p.m.

This free concert will feature selections from Opera Santa Barbara’s upcoming production of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino and will include performances by Opera Santa Barbara’s four Chrisman Studio Artists: Julia Metzler, soprano; Kelly Guerra, mezzo; Chandler Johnson, tenor; and John Allen Nelson, baritone.

Past Programs/EventsRuben MislangFebruary 5, 2020Opera Santa Barbara, Noontime Concert

Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky

February 1, 2020 - January 31, 2021

First Floor Main Gallery

The expanse of the open night sky has served as source of wonder for artists, poets, and scientists across cultures and millennia. Join us in celebrating the awe-inspiring beauty and mystery of the night across a range of media, including nocturne painting and photography, as well as poetry by Dan Gerber.

Solvang School: Inspired in Nature

February 6 - May 31, 2020

Third Floor Barbara Goodall Education Center

Inspired in Nature, features photography by 29 Solvang School Yearbook and Media students. The students, grades 7 – 8, were inspired by American transcendentalist writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s quote: “All good things are wild and free.” Students turned their lenses to nature, many finding inspiration in their own backyard with subjects ranging from pets and family members, to local landscapes and sunsets captured in both color and black and white.

Closing Weekend: Celebrating the National Lands of California

Join the Wildling for the closing weekend of Celebrating the Naitonal Lands of California on Sunday, January 19, 2020, 3 - 4:30 p.m. as we sit down with featured exhibition artists Patricia Hedrick, James Hodgson, Alan Sonneman (First Place), and Nancy Yaki (Third Place) for a fascinating panel discussion.

Learn about the artists' individual processes and inspiration, as well as their own personal experiences in California's national lands.

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