Honoring the Community Environmental Council and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
SUNDAY, May 19, 2024 | 11 AM - 1:30 PM
Grand Ballroom, Marriott, Buellton
Tickets are on sale now! Join us for our biggest bash of the year - the annual Wilderness Spirit Award Brunch!
Join us for a delicious brunch , mimosa and bloody marys, live and silent auction, artist demonstrations and art auctions, wine pull, & more!
Read MoreSATURDAY, APRIL 6TH, 2024 | 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)
Celebrate California Poppy Day with free admission to the California Nature Art Museum. Create your own flower crown or boutonniere, marvel at Leslie Franklin's collection of poppy vintage items & collectibles, enjoy poppy-inspired treats from Lindsay's Little Bakery. Be one of the first fifty guests to arrive to secure your free collectible sticker!
Read MoreLecture & Book Signing: "California's Changing Landscape: The Way of Water" by George Rose
FRIDAY, APRIL 12TH, 2024 / 4:30 PM–6:30 PM
At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)
Over 140 stunning photographs capture George Rose's expansive documentation of California’s complicated and dramatic water story. George began this project during the Covid-19 pandemic, just as the effects of drought were becoming increasingly visible. Then suddenly, California was hit with record-setting rain and snowstorms in early 2023. This onslaught of water effectively filled reservoirs and – at least temporarily – ended the drought.
Read MoreSUNDAY, APRIL 21ST, 2024 | 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)
Celebrate Native Plant Appreciation Month with native plants, coffee, and used books. Enjoy a large variety of native plants for sale from Yes Yes Nursery and Manzanita Nursery, be inspired by educational materials from Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, cozy-up to a cup of coffee from Coffee a la Cart, peruse a selection of used books benefitting Museum education, and get creative with a free planter-painting activity.
Read MoreSUN. MARCH 10TH, 2024 / 3:00 PM– 4:30 PM
At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum), Second Floor Valley Oak Gallery
While the topic of pollination in Santa Barbara County is both engrossing and essential, few are familiar with the actual processes of the phenomenon and the major pollinators behind it: bees, of course, but also hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and beneficial insects.
Join us for an inspirational and educational lecture with Richard Merrill at the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum) in the First Floor Wildling Gallery.
Read MoreChuck Graham’s Paddling Into a Natural Balance: Stories of Kayaking & Conservation Around Channel Islands National Park
FRI. JANUARY 26TH, 2024 / 4:30 PM–6:00 PM
Ten chapters and 170 photographs vividly describe conservation efforts observed from Chuck Graham’s kayak. In February 2021, after photographing a bald eagle on the cliffs surrounding Scorpion Anchorage, Graham was inspired to create this pertinent and breathtaking ode to Channel Islands National Park.
Read MoreHeadgames Trivia at Fig Mountain Brewing Co. Buellton | Bonus Round on California National Parks, Sponsored by the California Nature Art Museum
TUES. FEBRUARY 13, 2024 / 6:00 PM–8:00 PM
45 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427 | Second Floor
On February 13th 2024, the Museum will be sponsoring a bonus round of trivia on National Parks in California in celebration of the last week of our juried show, "California National Parks: Stories of Water."
Join us for a night of colorful competition, fun and food as we test your knowledge of some of the most beautiful natural spaces in our golden state. Our sponsored bonus round will include two free gifts from the Museum gift store, and will not affect players' overall trivia score.
March 2, 2024 – September 2, 2024
First Floor Wildling Gallery
We are excited to bring the important topic of pollinators to our California Nature Art Museum gallery featuring original art by Ava Roth, Elizabeth Weber, Susan McDonnell, Cynthia James, Sara Woodburn, and John Gould. Each artist brings a unique perspective to their pollinating subjects.
We are delighted to also be collaborating with the Cheadle Center For Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration at UC Santa Barbara. The Cheadle Center's contribution is focused on native bees, including high-resolution images of rare, local bees from the UCSB Natural History Collection and images of bees visiting flowers of native plants for an up-close look at their beauty and biodiversity.
Read MoreSeptember 14, 2024 - February 24, 2025
Reception: Sunday, September 15, 2024
First Floor Main Gallery
The California Nature Art Museum is pleased to announce its forthcoming exhibition, A Deeper Love: New Paintings Inspired by Coral Reefs, coming September 2024, featuring new work by artists Nansi Bielanski Gallup and David Gallup.
A Deeper Love will offer a thoughtful artistic examination of the life, sub-marine landscape, and human interaction with coral reef ecosystems. While deepwater corals may be found in virtually every part of every ocean in the world, tropical coral reefs have the most powerful impact on human existence. It is estimated that up to one billion people rely on tropical coral reefs for food and income.
Read MoreOctober 21 - November 12, 2023
Reception: Sunday, October 22, 2023, 2 - 4:30 p.m.
Second Floor Valley Oak Gallery
The Wildling Museum is pleased to partner with award-winning artist Mara Abboud in presenting Mara Abboud: Visions of Beauty, an exhibition and fundraiser supporting the Wildling on view from October 21 - November 12, 2023 in the Valley Oak Gallery.
Abboud has received international recognition for her brilliant innovation and unusual painting technique, working with acrylics on canvas and silk. Her painting style is uniquely her own, interweaving a palette of spectacular colors with fantasy designs, achieving a jewel-like tapestry effect reminiscent of tiles and stained glass.
Read MoreCANCELLED
Join us at The Wildling Museum on Saturday, October 14th, 1 – 3 p.m. for a memorable afternoon with exhibiting artist Elizabeth Criss, whose work is currently featured in Message in a Bottle in the Michele Kuelbs Tower Gallery. Criss will guide attendees in an upcycling art workshop transforming household plastic discards into an eco-friendly fridge fishscape inspired by her own underwater creations on view at the Museum.
Workshop participants will make two (or more!) of their own magnetic fish to take home, along with newfound skills to turn old plastics into artworks of their own creation.
Read MoreMarch 18 - September 4, 2023
Reception: Sunday, March 19th, 3 - 5 p.m.
First Floor Main Gallery
The Wildling Museum is pleased to announce its upcoming 2023 spring exhibition, Bird’s Eye View: Four Perspectives, on view from March 18 - September 4, 2023, featuring new and recent works by artists Chris Maynard, David Tomb, Shae Warnick, and Chester Wilcox. The public is invited to attend an opening reception on Sunday, March 19, 2023 from 3 – 5 p.m. at The Wildling Museum.
People live among more than an estimated 10,000 bird species worldwide. These animals uniquely inform the works of the four artists featured in this exhibition. Realistic wood carvings by Chester Wilcox, intricately shaped and carved feathers by Chris Maynard, a hand-crafted fabric bird doll aviary by Shae Warnick, and an immersive wetland environment installation by David Tomb all express the magic, mystery, and incredible diversity of the avian world.
Read MoreThe Wildling Museum invites the public to attend its third-annual free Summer Family Day on Sunday, August 20, 2023, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Visitors are invited to bring the whole family and enjoy free museum admission during event hours, an owl meet-and-greet, mermaid visit, nature-inspired art activities for all ages, and more.
Read MoreJoin The Wildling Museum on Thursday, August 17th, 4 - 5 p.m. for a special Zoom presentation by exhibiting artist Shae Warnick, one of four artists featured in Bird’s Eye View: Four Perspectives, currently on view at the California Nature Art Museum through September 4, 2023. Warnick will provide an inside look into her process and share more about her incredible work on view at the California Nature Art Museum, Aviary of the Reverend William J. Long, which features 260 stuffed bird dolls created by Warnick.
Read MoreSeptember 23, 2023 - February 19, 2024
First Floor Main Gallery
The California Nature Art Museum is pleased to announce its third juried exhibition – California National Parks: Stories of Water – a showcase of fine art inspired by the nine National Parks located within the state of California. This exhibition will be on view September 23, 2023 – February 19, 2024 at the California Nature Art Museum.
The goal of this exhibition is to bring awareness to the wealth of national parks to be found in California as well as the various forms of water that can be found in them, or evidence of a lack of water. Lakes, waterfalls, dew, rain, and fog are just some of the ways water makes its mark throughout these parks. And the impacts of a lack of water are equally important, as persistent drought is a major issue in California.
Cash prizes for first, second, and third place will be awarded at the opening reception to be held Sunday, September 24, 2023, 3 – 5 p.m. The exhibition will be juried by Nathan Vonk, owner of Sullivan Goss – An American Gallery in Santa Barbara, California.
Read MoreNovember 18, 2023 - July 8, 2024
Second Floor Valley Oak Gallery
The California Nature Art Museum is pleased to host California’s Changing Landscape: The Way of Water, a solo exhibition by renowned photographer George Rose on view November 18, 2023 through July 8, 2024.
Featuring more than 20 large-format documentary inkjet photographs of the Golden State, the exhibition showcases Rose’s recent expansive documentation of California's dramatic water story. His vast exploration of the state and its fraught relationship with water will culminate with the release of his forthcoming book of the same title, now available on our website and in the Museum gift shop.
Read MoreJoin us for an evening talk by historic preservationist Lansing Duncan who will present a free lecture, “Saving Sedgwick: A Citizens' Success Story” on Thursday, June 29th, 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the Tipton House, located at the UC Sedgwick Reserve.
His illustrated lecture will chronicle the fascinating and often-overlooked story of how local conservationists, university professors, artists, and others united in a grassroots effort to ensure that the entire Sedgwick Ranch became part of the University of California’s Natural Reserve System.
Read MoreLearn how UC Santa Barbara, alongside a community of visionary environmentalists, restored a former Goleta golf course back into a wetland.
The UCSB Affiliates and the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity & Ecological Restoration present a FREE community screening of Bringing Back Our Wetland on Thursday, June 1st at 7 p.m. at the Marjorie Luke Theatre. The 65-minute documentary captures a decade-long project to restore the upper Devereux Slough in Goleta to its natural state.
Read MoreMark your calendars! We look forward to welcoming you to the Craft House at Corque for our Wilderness Spirit Brunch honoring wildlife activist Beth Pratt on Sunday, May 21, 2023. Our famous Mimosa and Bloody Mary Bar will be back, along with all your favorite brunch fixings. Look forward to a special live auction and the presentation of our 2023 Wilderness Spirit Award.
Read MoreOur fourth annual online silent auction is LIVE until November 8th, 4 p.m.
We can’t wait to share relaxing getaways, unique jewelry, fine art, local wines and delights just for you. All proceeds benefit the Wildling Museum.
Read More
