UCSB Arts & Lectures Cancels In-Person Events from February-May 2021

UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) regrets to announce that, with the pandemic causing national and international artists to cancel their tours and with the continued restrictions on public gatherings, A&L’s in-person events scheduled for February-May 2021 have been canceled.

“Since the pandemic began, I have said that we can’t and won’t return to live events until it’s fully safe for all,” A&L Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta M. Billeci says. “We are heartbroken. But we are still adapting, still innovating, still looking for new ways to educate, entertain and inspire.”

Arts & Lectures is in the process of reimagining 2021 and will announce a fresh, creative and exciting virtual lineup in early January. It promises to be new and different while including some familiar faces. A&L is also hard at work building what a remarkable 2021-2022 season, marked by the excellence and variety the community expects from Arts & Lectures, and presented in a manner that honors and respects artists and audiences both.

“As subscribers and ticket buyers, you have trusted us to deliver the very best in arts and culture, and we’re honored by that trust,” Billeci says. We will never take it for granted.”

Since shutting down live events in March, A&L has:

• Reinvented our public programs, continuing to bring of-the-moment artists and thinkers into our community – from their living rooms to yours.
• Served struggling families and others with Movies Under the Stars In Your Cars, free at the local drive-in.
• Reached more than 120,000 people with free ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! programs this fall.
• Served 5,300 students from local schools with virtual arts and culture programs. 
• Distributed a thousand free copies of Dr. Vivek Murthy’s Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World to aid local families and the health care community facing the public health effects of loneliness and isolation.

The commitment of patrons and subscribers to Arts & Lectures in these uncertain times has been an inspiration.

“Please stick with us! Dream with us of the exciting concerts and public events we will all enjoy when it’s safe to do so,” Billeci adds. “I promise: you won’t regret it!”

A&L aims to make the ticket return process as simple as possible. Patrons have three options for unused tickets:

• Donate: Convert the balance of any remaining tickets to a donation to Arts & Lectures. Your support is even more meaningful as we navigate this challenging moment.
• Event Credit: Keep your funds on account with Arts & Lectures, to use toward future ticket purchases. Credit held on account will remain valid through June 1, 2022.
• Refund: We will process a refund to your original form of payment.

Arts & Lectures has reached out to all ticket purchasers. Please contact the A&L ticket office with questions or for more information. Ticket Office: (805) 893-3535, MON – FRI / 10AM – 5PM, or info@artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.