This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on October 10, 2025. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.
ON the Walls
DJ Javier’s ambitious exhibition at MCA Santa Barbara is a must see. Bringing together this talented local artist’s dynamic creations spanning the fine art, graphic design, large-scale murals, and consumer goods arenas is quite a tour de force. And the energetic vibe and sentimental nods to his childhood raised in Goleta (the show title San Milano Drive is a reference to the street he was raised on) and his Filipino heritage and history feel like just what the community needs right now to bring us together. Ryan P. Cruz has a nice feature about the exhibition here, and it’s on view at MCASB (upstairs in Paseo Nuevo) through April 26, 2026. See mcasantabarbara.org for more information.
ON the (Big) Screen
Unlike many fans — including SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling — who first saw Michael B. Jordan on the breakout TV series The Wire, I was about 20 years late to that show, and binged it during the pandemic shutdowns. My first encounter with Jordan was at the 2014 edition of SBIFF, where he was honored as a Virtuoso for his role in Fruitvale Station. SBIFF also honored Jordan with the Cinema Vanguard award in 2019, for his double star-studded turns in two blockbusters, Black Panther and Creed II.
Jordan is back with a double-whammy once again, earning SBIFF’s Outstanding Performer of the Year Award for his impressive dual performance as twin brothers Smoke and Stack in Warner Bros.’ cultural and box office juggernaut Sinners. This is Jordan’s fifth collaboration with Director Ryan Coogler, whose first film as a director was Fruitvale Station (Jordan’s first starring role in film). Their other collaborations include Creed (Coogler executive produced but didn’t direct Creed II) and the two Black Panther films. Jordan will be honored on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at the Arlington Theatre. For more information on the 2026 edition of SBIFF, see sbiff.org.
ON the (Theater) Stage
Single tickets go on sale today for the return visit of the Tony Award–winning Best Musical The Book of Mormon from the Broadway in Santa Barbara series at The Granada Theatre. The show, which returns to town on February 24-25, 2026, is from the creators of South Park (Matt Stone and Trey Parker) and has a similarly irreverent sensibility. Since opening in 2011, The Book of Mormon has become one of the most successful shows in Broadway history, breaking the Eugene O’Neill Theatre house record more than 50 times. In addition to nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical and the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album, The Book of Mormon won five Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the N.Y. Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the Drama League Award for Best Musical, and four Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Musical. Tickets will be available at BroadwaySantaBarbara.com, GranadaSB.org or by calling (805) 899-2222.
Pick up this week’s print edition of the Santa Barbara Independent for our Fall Theater Arts preview with all sorts of fabulous productions heading our way, including multiple Jane Austen interpretations, which always put a smile on my face. Also worth smiling about are all of the great dance performances coming. Check out our Fall Arts Dance preview here. I can’t wait for State Street Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet (a dual premiere with Santa Barbara Symphony) next weekend, as well as The Great Gatsby Ballet. We step into the jazzy world of the Roaring Twenties with this new Broadway-style ballet by the World Ballet Company on November 23 at the Granada. Click here for a sneak peek.
Dinner theater is back in town with a few shows at Opal restaurant this month and next with A Dark and Stormy Night, an original murder mystery by local writer Joan Robb Fradkin. Enjoy a three-course meal at Opal and help solve the mystery! Read Maggie Yates story here.
Performances on October 15 and 22 are now sold out, with an additional performance added on November 12. Email Nancy Gutfreund for tickets at ngmft@aol.com.
ON the Bench
Thanks to the hard work of the Friends of the Santa Barbara Public Library, the Eastside Library will soon have a beautiful new hand-painted book bench. Themed around local author Janet Lucy’s book Makana is a Gift – Makana es un Regalo, beautifully illustrated by artist Alexis Cantú, the new bench will be a whimsical, functional piece of art that celebrates imagination, reading, and community spirit. Artist Ann Hefferman (who you have probably seen in action at the annual I’Madonnari celebration) has been hard at work interpreting Cantú’s illustrations onsite. Come celebrate the unveiling of the new book bench on Saturday, October 25, from 1-2 p.m. at the Eastside Library, 1102 E. Montecito St. Guests will enjoy light refreshments, have the chance to win one of ten copies of Makana is a Gift – Makana es un Regalo in a raffle, and purchase signed copies of the book.
ON the Podium
I attended a really fascinating, nuanced discussion this week on “Art × AI: Who Makes, Who Owns, Who Decides?” as part of the VADATalks series and a companion piece to the Brave New Work Symposium that was in town earlier this week (see story here). The event featured a lively discussion between “a philosopher of machine vision [Fabian Offert], a gallerist [Nathan Vonk], a Berlin‑based artist [Ulrike Kerber], an illustrator‑educator [Scott Anderson], and a media editor [Les Firestein],” and as promised, it was indeed a high‑energy, no‑jargon conversation. It was also a fundraiser to support this fabulous program at Santa Barbara High, a “school-within-a-school” that integrates rigorous academic coursework with project-based, career-focused art and design instruction, and is now working to raise funds to continue to improve their facilities. See vadasbhs.org for more information and definitely keep an eye out for the next VADATalks series. Previous topics have included “Beyond Light: Photographing the Unseen,” “Art, Design & Quantum Computing,” and “Serious Play.” And another equally cool part about this: The community volunteers also speak with students earlier in the day on the same subjects. See vadatalks.org for more information about the speaker series.
ON the Drawing Board
Artist Kathy Leader and Poet David Starkey are teaming up for a creative workshop, “The Poetry of Art//The Art of Poetry,” mixing mixed media with poetry and collage, on October 23 at the CAW. “In this unique workshop, we will be transforming art into words and words into art: a journey into mixed media with poetry and collage for all levels of experience. Explore the link between words, feelings, colors and imagery. If you have never written any words or made any art, this workshop will open up all kinds of personal expression ideas that will leave you feeling excited about processing your life’s stories through words and collage,” said Leader. Click here for more information and to sign up.
ON the Calendar
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Children’s Creative Project on Saturday with “Piece Time,” a family friendly celebration honoring five decades of community impact and inspiration through arts and education. Taking place on the Great Meadow at Santa Barbara City College (killer views), there will be live music from Mendeleyev, Spencer the Gardener, The New Vibe, Whatever Forever, and a surprise special guest. There’s also an art market, hands-on artful activities with Creative Network, Explore Ecology, Healing Justice, Summer Solstice Celebration, and many others, and a truly joyful day all around. Every ticket (kids are free, $15 for adults with a special Sunset Happy Hour from 5-7 p.m. for $45, including two drink tickets) also gets a handmade ceramic bowl from Empty Bowls — a special keepsake from one of Santa Barbara’s most beloved community traditions. Click here for more info.
For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events/.
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