From the waves to the redwoods, it's all happening here.

Join us Friday August 7th, from 6:00-9:00pm for the astrophotography of Christian Ryun! Up for August & September Meet The artist while enjoying wine & refreshments in our beautiful Loft! Message from the artist: My name is Christian Ryun and I am a photographer based in Santa Cruz, CA. In middle school, I worked all summer to afford my first camera. From dragonflies to water drops, that little camera opened the door to a lifelong love of photography. I found my passion in astrophotography through the Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017. Something that awe inspiring really grabbed a hold of me and I have been hooked ever since. In addition to photography, I have also been backpacking around the Western US for over 20 years. It was only natural that some of the darkest skies I could find for astrophotography would be in the backcountry!

Thread Bare: Erotic Textiles Make your way to LGC Friday August 7th from 6-9pm for a collection of suggestive pieces from local sewists, weavers, knitters, crotcheters, and embroidery artists. Ranging from the lighthearted to lewd, this collection is sure to be entertaining and titillating. Featuring works by Amanda Payne Ann Altstatt Arden Rosenthal Bobby Gordon Colette Rabin Derek Pratt Haley Ricci J Atencio Juliette Saux Lisa Sprinkle Martabel Wasserman Pete Brook Sophie Bassett LGC is an inclusive space and all are welcome, be aware of adult themes when bringing in younger viewers. 115 river st S Next to Mobo Sushi

The August show features Gelli, Mono, and Relief prints with PATT participants: Bob Rocco, Andrée LeBourveau, Ann Miya, Lu Lee, A V Pike, Jane Gregorius, Susan Gilchrist, and Cindy Haug, and guest artist Margitta Dietrick.

Friday, August 7 | 6:00–8:00 PM 1338 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz We’re excited to feature local artist Pegatha Hughes, whose beautiful acrylic paintings inspired by family, flowers, and landscapes will be on display throughout the evening. About the Artist:For over thirty years, Pegatha was an outdoor watercolor and acrylic landscape painter. Today, she primarily works with acrylics, drawing inspiration from her own photographs of family, flowers, and landscapes. Pegatha lives in Scotts Valley with her husband, Paul. You can explore more of her work at www.pegathahughes.com. Featured Tastings:We’re also excited to welcome Taste of the Levant, sharing handcrafted, small-batch Mediterranean flavors made right here in Santa Cruz. Inspired by their heritage, their delicious creations are a wonderful way to experience the rich flavors of the Mediterranean. Learn about our mission and explore our handcrafted products. Shop unique goods from local artists and makers. Connect with your community and enjoy a relaxing summer evening. We hope you’ll join us for an evening of art, great food, and community. We can’t wait to see you!

Currently, Cat Alley Street has local artist Harry Hat displaying his fun, whimsical drawings/painting on our walls, along with other pictures that fit our aesthetic. Cat Alley Street is a swanky 1920s themed vampire nightclub, located at the Catalyst upstairs. We have a full bar, beautiful lounge, and great DJs playing electronic dance music Thursday thru Sunday, usually with no cover. This venue is 21+. Occasionally we have live jazz or bluegrass in the Sun Room. The bar & lounge open at 6pm, DJs start at 9. We will soon have food service at the Catalyst downstairs food counter, which can be brought upstairs. Our intention is all about creating an atmosphere that feels beautiful, safe, and genuinely welcoming.

First Friday Santa Cruz & Radius Gallery present a special exhibition! The Art of Flowers – Call for art and fresh floral designs Calling all floral designers, 3D vessel crafters (must hold water), and artists working in a variety of 2D and 3D media with a theme of flowers – we’d love to see non-literal, abstract and surreal work! Performance art welcome! Application is open to all Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey & San Mateo county artists. Up to two original works can be entered on the same form for consideration. No prints or reproductions please. Submissions will be reviewed and selected by the exhibition curators. APPLY HERE IMPORTANT INFO: Exhibition Location: Radius Gallery | 1050 River St #127, Santa Cruz,CA Exhibition Dates: August 6-16 Opening Reception: August 6, 6-8pm First Friday: August 7, 5-9pm Open Gallery Hours: Wed-Sun, 12-5pm Other special events TBA Application Deadline: July 3, midnight Application fee: $25 Acceptance Notifications Sent: July 10 Art Delivery: July 29-30 Florals designed in gallery: August 4-5 Commission on Sold Work: 60/40 (Artist/Gallery) Curated by Ann Hazels & Bree Karpavage. Contact: Bree Karpavage – [email protected] with questions.

Join Us to Hold Grief, Witness, and Care for Gaza’s Children 36 handmade quilts. 720 infants remembered. Watching from a distance—in a country whose government is implicated—was not bearable. So community members stitched with care, imagining the babies who should have been wrapped in these quilts. We’ll reflect, witness, and grieve in solidarity that moves us toward greater responsibility. Light refreshments will be served.

“Confluence”: where separate currents meet. This exhibition pairs the work of Santa Cruz artists Susana Arias and Glenn Carter, on view August 7 through September 13 at M.K. Contemporary Art Gallery. “Confluence” is exhibited alongside of 25+ local and regional artists whose work we adore. We will be hosting live, improvisational jazz music from the talented musicians of “the Leftovers”

After a brief hiatus from first friday, Kraken Art Studio & Gallery is back—and we’re still Kraken! Join us for our August First Friday as we reopen our doors and welcome the community back into our creative space. Browse artwork by John Martinez, Mark Perry, and Beverly Connelly, explore our working studio, and enjoy an evening of art, conversation, and downtown Santa Cruz. We’re excited to be back and look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones.

Confluence: where separate currents meet. The exhibition brings together two distinct practices, each shaped by its own materials, process, and point of view - meeting at a single point within the gallery. Carter's work begins from a place of not knowing, letting intuition guide the encounter between material and chance. Arias describes her work as primitive contemporary, presenting her sculptures as if they belonged in a history museum - objects that carry the weight and presence of relics. Together, their work forms a quiet conversation about what separate paths can become when they meet. "Susana and Glenn each bring such a deeply distinctive artistic voice to their work," said Rose Sellery, exhibition curator. "Confluence explores the fertile ground where two creative currents meet. Their work remains unmistakably their own, yet in conversation with one another it reveals new layers of meaning, beauty and possibility." Confluence is shown alongside work from more than 25 local and regional artists whose work the gallery is proud to represent, reflecting M.K. Contemporary's ongoing commitment to the Santa Cruz arts community. The exhibition opens with a First Friday reception on August 7, featuring live improvisational jazz from The Leftovers. The public is invited to attend.

Pole Fitness 101 is more than just aerial training. Get movement training you’ll use for life! ✅Pole technique with dance & fitness modules ✅Functional conditioning ✅Mobility & flexibility training ✅High level Xpert Xpole certified (L1-L4) ✅FRC certified Mobility Specialist (FRCms) Drop in on one class or attend the fully programmed module for 7 weeks! Fridays 6 pm. www.ohanastudiosantacruz.com

A documentary screening about mischief and theft at Walt Disney World, including the half-million-dollar animatronic heist. Followed by filmmaker Q&A.

Artisans & agency is delighted to feature the luminous paintings of Brian Rounds for the month of August. His plein air paintings of Santa Cruz woodlands and coasts are the perfect way to wrap up the summer and head into fall. We hope you can join us on August 7 from 6-8pm, to admire his work and meet Brian Rounds in person. A word from the artist… Art has the power to instill in us a sense of belonging. When I was growing up in California, rapid suburban development resulted in a dichotomous landscape — places of commerce intermixed with patches of land left somewhat wild. While the grid of technology and commodity provides many benefits, the forests, creeks, and trails present something indispensable: contact with what is ancient and nameless. My landscape paintings offer a sanctuary, a meditation, a place where one can lose oneself in the contours of nature. I seek places that inspire me with harmonies of composition, tone, and color, and there begins the process of building a small reflection of the world before me—an absorbing task urged on by the gradual and changing passage of light. Through the act of painting outdoors, I hope to express the unique and mysterious pull that landscape holds when we take time to feel a connection to it. Not unlike the American luminists, who explored nature’s mysteries by rendering light and color in spatially expansive landscapes, I strive to make light palpable and offer the viewer a sense of wonder and engagement with the natural world.