Holidays and Horizons light up December’s 1st Thursday

Visit Downtown Santa Barbara for an evening filled with Free art, culture, music and fun! 1st Thursday on December 2nd will include more than 30 cultural art venues eager to show off exciting new exhibits, welcoming artist receptions, intriguing demonstrations and energetic live music.

The holiday season has arrived just in time for this month’s 1st Thursday programming. Start your festive frolic at Divine Inspiration Gallery to view a winter show of recent works by Jim Granito. Stroll down to Sullivan Goss to celebrate the opening of the 2nd annual holiday show 100 Grand, featuring 100 paintings in one room, along with a wonderful winter salon of work from the gallery’s collection. Make your way across the street to the Faulkner Gallery for a holiday show with over 60 pieces, paintings and sculptures by members of the Santa Barbara Art Association and enjoy live holiday music while you peruse the art. Wander down to CASA Magazine for Holiday Spirits, a juried show with paintings, prints, sculpture and more and see how local artists catch the spirit. Wrap up your holiday 1st Thursday venues at Wall Space Gallery where Into the Light will be on display to show us how winter, with its shorter days, holiday season and days filled with family, use light as a pathway to keep us moving forward.

Keep your eye on the horizon as you close out your 2010 1st Thursday experience. Stop into Couch Santa Barbara to view a selection of photos taken along a journey to the Pacific Islands, Australia and Southeast Asia. Head over to Blue Lotus to see glass sculptures inspired by the beautiful and dynamic nature of the Santa Barbara mountains and sea. Check out Formal Abstraction at Bella Rosa Galleries where the paintings explore formal abstraction as it relates to the landscape, and give Gallery 113 in La Arcada Court a visit as their artist of the month travels the globe in search of scenes that can transport viewers away from their everyday concerns to places filled with light, color and beauty.

While 1st Thursday offers extraordinary exhibits and paintings indoors, be sure to check out the performance art and live music outdoors. Holiday Horns will help to bring the spirit of the season alive with a wide variety of classic Christmas carols at the corner of State and Anapamu streets. The Santa Barbara Revels will present highlights from this year’s production The Christmas Revels: A Victorian Celebration of the Winter Solstice on the Border’s patio, and stop by the Holiday Tree Decorating station while you are there to help trim two community holiday trees with handmade ornaments. Keep your eyes peeled for the Santa Barbara Lamplighters, an a cappella caroling quartet, as they stroll along State Street and sit down in Center Court at Paseo Nuevo to celebrate the season in true holiday fashion with Lux and the Santa Barbara Holiday Carolers.

All of these attractions and many more are FREE during 1st Thursday on December 2nd. With over 30 stops on this month’s 1st Thursday map, there is sure to be something for everyone. For more information and a complete listing of the specific programming offered at each gallery as well as all public performances and interactive exhibits, go to www.santabarbaradowntown.com