ON Culture | Score One for Habitat for Humanity, the Cat Ladies, and CADA

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This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on August 13, 2024. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

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ON the (Big) Screen

They say timing is everything, and that’s certainly the case with the Riviera Theatre’s CatVideoFest 2024 this weekend! For all of those single cat ladies out there — and everyone else with a sense of humor — the world’s #1 cat video festival is back with a compilation of the latest and greatest cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and classic internet powerhouses. Partnering with ASAP Cats, a nonprofit rescue organization that will get a portion of the proceeds, screenings take place on Friday, August 2, at 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, August 3, at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, August 4, at 1 p.m. and at 5:30 p.m. See sbiffriviera.com for details.

Speaking of the Riviera Theatre, one of the loveliest venues in town. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival recently announced that they will be using it to show a selection of 44 films for the 2025 Film Festival — taking place February 4-15, 2025 — and are selling a special Riviera pass that grants pass holders first admission to all film screenings at the Riviera Theatre; ahead of Platinum and Cinema Passholders. Passes went on sale August 1, and are currently $750. See sbiff.org for more info.

ON the Stage

Did you know SOhO is now celebrating 30 years of ownership by the Hansens, who do such a wonderful job of bringing all kinds of great shows to town? We’ll have more on this special anniversary later, but meanwhile, global artist Nattali Rize and her show-stopping band from Jamaica and Australia is one to keep on your radar. Known for being high-energy and uplifting, Nattali and her crew will take the stage on August 8 at SOhO. Click here for tickets and dinner reservations and click here for a look at her video for “One People,” which has amassed more than 8.8 million views on YouTube.

Show announcements are still trickling in for the Santa Barbara Bowl, including Clairo, with special guest Alice Phoebe Lou, coming our way October 7. Tickets are now on sale here.

Mark your calendars for August 10, when the Lobero Theatre will close off the streets from 3 to 7 p.m. and throw another free block party for all of us to enjoy. This year’s headliners are Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Ozomatli (keep an eye out for my story in next week’s paper), and last year’s headliner, Chubby Checker, is also returning later this month. On August 31, Chubby Checker and the Wildcats are Twisting for Good at the Lobero Theatre in a special show that benefits the work of the Daniel Bryant Youth & Family Centers, a critical youth program at CADA. Tickets are just $25, so you definitely don’t want to miss that one. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this Grammy Award–winning American icon at a price everyone can afford,” said Earl Minnis of Earl Minnis Presents, who is producing the event. “We decided to take a different approach with this event and allow ticket purchasers the opportunity to purchase an affordable ticket with the option of making a larger contribution.”  Donations are tax-deductible, and tickets and information can be found at  lobero.org.

Also coming our way at the Lobero this month are Jackson Browne (Aug. 4), Charlie Musselwhite and Elvin Bishop (Aug. 23), Christopher Cross (Aug. 28), and Toad the Wet Sprocket (Aug. 29). I’m looking forward to all of the above.

ON the Page

Santa Barbara has a new Youth Poet Laureate (I LOVE that we do this), recent Santa Ynez High School graduate Jasmine Guerrero Sevilla. Read one of her poems and learn about her in this week’s Poetry Connection column here.

From storytimes to art classes, to safer sidewalks and a fabulous new programmable space, Library Plaza is coming our way soon. The latest update from the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation had a great shot of some beautiful new oak trees being planted to highlight the expanded and new Mithun Storytime Square that will flow from the grand tympanum doors on the Anapamu Street side of the Library. Library Foundation Executive Director Lauren Trujillo writes, “The entire Michael Towbes Library Plaza will be open to the public as soon as the Santa Barbara Public Library receives approval to remove all of the fencing, emphasizing the commitment to providing access to Library services. This could still be as soon as late August. The official Grand Opening date, scheduled for Fall 2024, will be officially announced soon.”

I can’t wait to tell you all about it. For more information, visit sblibraryfoundation.org.

ON the (Small) Screen

We’ve got Olympic Fever at our house. I get choked up every time I watch anyone compete — especially our local athletes. In case you missed it, here’s Jim Buckley’s cover story on the Neushul family’s water polo dynasty and John Zant’s scoop on even more local Olympians. I don’t know about you, but every time I see an athlete walking on the field or the pool deck with headphones on, I’m always dying to know what their psych-up music is. My son’s water polo team at Claremont had some pretty bass-heavy rap beats going in their pregame playlist; but Team U.S.A. swimmer McKenzie Coan told the L.A. Times she listens to Britney Spears to pump up. Gymnast Simone Biles uses Taylor Swift’s song “Ready for It” as part of her floor routine, and based on the team’s gold-medal-winning performance, she most certainly was ready for it.

ON the Walls

Artist Michael Vilkin, a lovely man whom I got to know through an upcoming book project about his gorgeous house, has partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County on a benefit exhibition called Art for Humanity” Taking place  at Fox Wine Co. in the Waterline project in the Funk Zone August 4-8, the vibrant work includes four collections that visually represent the four pillars of Habitat’s mission and message: “Two-by-Fours,” “H.O.P.E. Letters That Spell Hope,” “All Roads Lead Home.” and “Building Community.” Michael and his husband, Steven, lost their home in the Jesusita Fire, so the message of building homes, communities, and hope that underlies the work of Habitat for Humanity is particularly near to his heart and flows out through his art. Habitat will receive a portion of the proceeds from the exhibition, as well as the work on MichaelVilkin.com in the gallery titled “Art for Humanity Fundraiser,” which is now available for purchase through August 8.

The exhibition opening event will be held in the Fox Wine Co. tasting room on August 4, from 3-6 p.m., with complimentary lite bites, and options to purchase select wines. The dog and kid-friendly courtyard will have live music from 4 to 6 p.m. as well. For more information on Art for Humanity, please visit sbhabitat.org/events.

ON the Calendar

You know I’ve got a soft spot for musical theater, and one of the best places to see it is under the stars in Solvang. Here’s Maggie Yates’s preview of the show, Cabaret, which is at the Solvang Festival Theatre August 2-25 (pcpa.org). (And if you want to stay overnight, check out my story on The Winston here. It’s walking distance from the theater and pretty much everything else in that charming little town.)

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