Opening Date Set for Wildling Museum in Solvang

Solvang, CA ~ The Wildling Museum, where art and nature meet, has moved to Solvang and will celebrate with a public grand opening on Saturday, August 24; museum open from 10am to 5pm with special programs from 11am-3pm.

The Wildling moved into 1511-A and B Mission Drive in Solvang over the winter holidays. Their offices and gift store have remained open to the public since mid-January and they have continued to keep a busy calendar of programs at off-site locations. As August nears they are focused on the work needed to complete the renovation. “Besides determining and ordering things like flooring and store cabinetry, we are also knee-deep in organization for the five exhibitions we will be opening our new facility with,” stated executive director Stacey Otte.

These opening exhibitions are possible because the new space has almost tripled the amount of gallery space as the old facility in Los Olivos. They will feature a retrospective of the past 40 shows they have hosted, the winners of their annual nature photography competition, the watercolors and ceramic sculptures of California native plants loaned by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, a small selection of sculptures by Bud Bottoms, and student art of the night skies done by third-graders in the Santa Ynez Valley.

The Wildling is finishing their fundraising campaign to pay for the renovation of the new facility. Only $65,000 remains to be raised for the $125,000 campaign. If you’d like to invest in the new facility which will be a great resource for the Santa Barbara County community, send a tax-deductible donation to The Wildling Museum, 1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463 or donate online via their website at www.wildlingmuseum.org. Other ways to help prepare for the opening include volunteering, if you have time to lend a hand call 805-686-8315 to learn more.