ON Culture: Art in Unexpected Places

To receive Leslie Dinaberg's arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

ON the Walls

Presqu'ile — the lovely family-owned winery in Santa Maria with excellent pinots and arguably the best mezze platter around — kicked off an awesome artistic collaboration last weekend with the Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND),  a nonprofit that brings site-responsive, accessible, contemporary art to California. The ginormous, open, bunker-like space, once designated for wine-making but deemed too geographically complicated, has morphed into an awesome exhibition space, with Santa Barbara County–based artist Cole Sternberg earning the first show with his installation along the high embankments. 

Sternberg's series of large-scale works were made in such an interesting way, where he literally incorporated the dirt of the winery and the neighboring waters into his paintings. Monumental in scale, his paintings are contextualized by the bunker's unique confluence of the built and natural environments. The process is quite fascinating and we'll have a full story on the exhibit in an upcoming issue. Meanwhile, the installation will be on view through September 20 and is well worth the drive.

Always worth a gander for an amazing overview of the Santa Barbara scene, MCA Santa Barbara's Arte Del Pueblo features work by 200 artists in this show, which is open to anyone who wants to participate. Among the notable works is a whole series of paintings by artists from Corazón del Pueblo, the Cultural and Creative Arts Center of the Santa Maria Valley, as well as pieces by Pecos Pryor, Kimberly Hahn, Barbara Hershberg, and Cynthia Martin, among many others. We'll have a full review in an upcoming issue.

Martin Mull — who was well known as an actor (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; Arrested Development; Mrs. Doubtfire), comedian, and musician — is also quite an accomplished painter (he studied at the Rhode Island School of Design). His close friend Steve Martin has teamed up with contemporary art heavyweight Ann Philbin to bring a new exhibit to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art: Martin Mull: The Joys of Indoor/Outdoor Living, set to run next year from June 27 to October 17, 2027. The work is really interesting, with a kind of edgy nostalgia to it. Read more here.

A companion to the annual Butterflies Alive! experience at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, which is always so fun, inside the museum you can also find The Collectors: A Life in Lepidoptera, exploring the passion for collecting and studying butterflies and moths among naturalists, artists, and collectors from the early eighteenth century to the present day. On view through September 7, “The art on display dates from a time when artists and naturalists began to see insects as a serious object of study,†says Maximus Gallery Curator Linda Miller. “The lives of these collectors reveal not only the beauty and mystery of butterflies, but the development of scientific thought over past centuries.â€Â  For more information, visit sbnature.org/maximus.

ON the Stage

UCSB Arts & Lectures announced its 2026-2027 season on Monday, and it looks like another stacked lineup of talent. Among the artists I'm most excited for are the incomparable Bernadette Peters, two evenings and two different programs with The Joffrey Ballet, and Pico Iyer interviews with John McEnroe and Margaret Atwood. We'll have a full story later this week, but series subscriptions go on sale Monday, June 15. You can check it all out here.

One of Santa Barbara's favorite performers, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is set to make her Broadway debut this fall in Other Desert Cities with Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Joe Keery, and Lily Rabe. According to Deadline, this is the first Broadway revival of Jon Robin Baitz's Tony Award–winning play, and will be directed by Tony Award winner John Benjamin Hickey. The official story synopsis: “Every family has a secret. Not every family survives it. On Christmas Eve, the sunlit Palm Springs home of a politically connected family becomes a battleground of memory, loyalty, and legacy when a daughter returns with a memoir and the power to expose the explosive truth they've kept hidden. As the past comes into focus, the question isn't just what happened, but who owns a family's story, and what is the cost to tell it.â€

Chris Thile — who we've seen many times on stage here is Santa Barbara as part of the Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and as a collaborator with Yo-Yo Ma, among other luminaries — was recently appointed as music director of the 81st Ojai Music Festival, taking place June 10-13, 2027. Next year's festival will include the world premiere of an Ojai-commissioned mandolin suite by Andrew Norman; Cécile McLorin Salvant, Sullivan Fortner, and Chris Thile premiering a new version of Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera; Edgar Meyer and Caroline Shaw featured as composers and performers; and the Festival debut of resident ensemble East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO).

The 80th Festival takes place this weekend through June 14, under the leadership of music director Esa-Pekka Salonen. Read Joe Woodard's preview here.

ON the Page

I recently read Susan Orlean's The Library Book,  after hearing her speak at the Santa Barbara Literary Festival. (Side note: She was terrific and now has a house in town.) The Los Angeles Public Library, which the book is about, will host Luceros y Penumbras:The World's Largest Pop-Up Book in the rotunda of the Richard J. Riordan Central Library on July 11, as a centerpiece of the building's 100th anniversary celebration. I've always had a certain affection for pop-up books, even making a few versions in my craftier days. At the centerpiece of this particular exhibit is a newly commissioned, towering work by Los Angeles–based artist and printmaker Daniel González. Described as “an ambitious feat of scale and storytelling, it is designed to surpass the current world record for the largest pop-up book, which has a footprint of roughly 18 by 29 feet when open.†The title refers to the1926 building's “light of learning†architectural theme and the resolve to keep that beacon shining. The opening date of Luceros y Penumbras: The World's Largest Pop-up Book coincides with Central Library's July 11 free, day-long festival to celebrate 100 years in Los Angeles. Designed for all ages, the Centennial Festival will offer music, workshops, author talks, community booths, giveaways, six Central 100–themed exhibitions on view, and more. 

ON the (Big) Screen

To infinity and beyond! Our favorite Toy Story characters are back in theaters with Toy Story 5 opening on June 19. In honor of this occasion, The Arlington Theatre is holding Andy's VIP Backyard Bash, a special VIP patio party starting at 3 p.m. Tickets ($20) to the all-ages party include a goodie bag, trivia participation, kid-focused activity options, and access to purchase specialty drinks. Click here for tickets.

ON the Web

I'm a little late to the party, but country-pop artist Naomi Jane is showing her Santa Barbara roots in this video for her song Pumpkin Eater, which transforms the hook, “Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater,†into a satirical, pumpkin-laden road trip. Equal parts modern folk tale and revenge fantasy, the visual follows Naomi on a playful quest that appears to stretch to Ireland, though the entire video was filmed in Santa Barbara County. Check it out here. 

ICYMI

Jatila van der Veen reviews Meredith Ventura's recent dance show, Disco Elysium.

Joe Woodard takes a look at Westmont's annual Tri-County exhibit Altered Realities.

Xavier Pereyra gives the scoop on Lord Huron at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

Samantha Eve reviews ETC's Every Brilliant Thing.

Bloomsdayis back, at Alhecama Theatre this time, on June 16.

ON the Calendar

It's hard to imagine a better pairing than wine and music, and we get both, with WineStock: The Fess-tival at Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard this weekend. The lineup on Saturday, June 13, kicks off with Ashley & The Winos at noon, featuring Fess's daughter Ashley Parker Snider on vocals and son-in-law Tim Snider on drums, joined by Gunther Baumgartner, Bern Baumgartner, David Prichard, and Don Logan playing an eclectic mix of classic rock, alternative and country from the '70s, '80s and '90s. Then at 2:30 p.m. they've got The Goodlanders, a Santa Barbara band playing a variety of '60s, '70s and contemporary soft-rock hits. Lead singer Greg Brallier is a longtime Goleta resident and musician who also is a member of The Tearaways. Following them at 5 p.m. is Neon Blonde, a Ventura- and Santa Barbara–based band that features covers of late '70s and early '80s post-punk/alt-dance with authentic renditions of the genre's best bands including The Clash, The Cure, The Kinks, The Police and Depeche Mode. Third Window Smashburgers will be available to purchase and show tickets are just $10, with $2 from each ticket donated to the nonprofit CARE4paws. Click here for more information. 

For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events/.