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

Make the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History your first stop this weekend with FREE First Friday. Explore all three floors of the museum and make sure to visit the brand new exhibition, Silica / SiO2: Northern California Ceramics, on its opening night! This exhibition will honor the deep legacy of ceramic art in Santa Cruz County and the broader Northern California, while celebrating the new community of ceramists producing amazing work. While you’re here, check out the MAH shop and hangout among art and history! Then stay into the night dancing to live music out in Abbott Square. First Friday hours are 12-8pm. See you then!

Opening celebration and Artist Talk on Saturday, August 15, 2-4:30pm. Light refreshments will be served. Re/View: Alumni Exhibition ReView: UCSC Arts Alumni Exhibition, on view August 13-September 19, 2026, features Arts Division alumni from the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas. Curated by Valéria Miranda, the Sesnon’s Director, includes a wide variety of media and technique highlighting the diversity of contemporary practice of alumni who graduated from 1972 to 2025. The exhibition title alludes to the portfolio critique process and suggests ideas of reflection and reevaluation—whether revisiting past work, rethinking materials, or tracing how a practice evolves over time. This exhibition celebrates the creative path of artists who began their journeys at UCSC. United by shared roots yet defined by distinct paths, the participating alumni reflect the lasting influence of the Arts Division programs. Their works speak to the spirit of inquiry, experimentation, and perseverance that has long shaped the university’s artistic community. ReView presents an opportunity for the campus and larger community to see the professional practice of these artists who continue to build on the creative foundation that they received at UCSC and to inspire our current students, offering visualization of their own future artistic journeys after graduation. ReView offers a unique opportunity for returning alumni to celebrate their creative expressions while reconnecting with classmates and the university community. Admission is free and open to the public. Summer Gallery Hours: Thursday-Saturday, 1-5pm

This September we’re celebrating all things migration! Each changing seasons brings different species to the Santa Cruz region as they search for food, breeding grounds, and safe shelter. Explore our exhibits and join us as we dive into the fascinating phenomena of migration. Enjoy FREE admission to the Museum all day with special activities indoors from 5-8pm, featuring community partners, a collective art project, vendors, a bar and more!

Calvary presents four local artists at this mixed media event. Photographer and Marine Biologist Allison Gong will present her photographs of microscopic organisms from our local ocean. Pegatha Hughes and Sarabeth Clevenger will show paintings. Kathleen Tyger Wright will read from her short story “Weather Magic”. Take a tour of the historic sanctuary with Chris Perin. Join us for an immersive event.

First Fridays at The 418 Project 📅 First Friday of Every Month 5:00–9:00 PM The 418 Project | 155 River St. South, Santa Cruz, CA Join us for an evening of local art, live music, performances, and community. First Fridays at The 418 Project bring together artists, makers, musicians, performers, and neighbors to celebrate creativity in an inclusive and welcoming space. Browse original artwork, shop from local vendors, enjoy live performances, connect with local creatives, and experience everything The 418 Project has to offer. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. Are you an artist or performer? Vendor and performance opportunities are free! We’d love to feature visual artists, musicians, poets, dancers, filmmakers, comedians, and creatives of all kinds. Sign up through the link in our bio or contact us to get involved. Come experience the arts, support local creators, and be part of a growing creative community. We can also create a shorter version for Eventbrite, Facebook Events, or Instagram.

Join us in welcoming local photographer and furniture maker, Michael Singer! Light snacks and drinks will be available. Artist Statement Photography has been a passion of mine for many years. Most of my work as a full time furniture designer/maker requires a great deal of creative iteration, detailed planning, forethought, and technical deliberateness. Photography gives me a more spontaneous creative outlet as a way to balance all of that left-brain structure. Images can be captured anywhere, either carefully planned, or in the spur of the moment. And modern digital editing tools allow for the revisiting and re-contemplation of images after the fact, permitting even further creativity in their interpretation and presentation. My photographs range from the documentary to the interpretive. I strive to illuminate the inherent line, tonality, and rhythm of a scene, often through the use of black and white presentation. I also enjoy highlighting the graphic nature of images from both the built and natural worlds, often through abstraction.

Join us for HGP First Friday: September in Santa Cruz on Friday, September 4 from 6–8 PM at our Downtown Santa Cruz store! Spend an early September evening with us celebrating local art, good food, and community. Meet Capitola watercolor artist Eileen Butcher and explore a showcase of her beautiful, locally inspired paintings featuring scenes from around the area. While you take in the art, enjoy samples made from our HGP baking mixes, sip on tasty beverages, and browse our selection of handcrafted HGP products and goods from local makers. Come say hello, discover a local artist, try something delicious, and enjoy First Friday with us! 1338 Pacific Ave., Downtown Santa Cruz Friday, September 4 | 6–8 PM

Please Join, First Friday 9/4, for an intimate personal gathering, with Jay Blakesberg sharing his life, Between the Dark and the Light.

Head to Esplanade Park bandstand stage and see a movie on the beach ! The movie will begin at dusk . Bring your own low back chairs and blankets to get comfy . Consider bringing a picnic dinner or dining locally at Capitola Village . Just make sure you don’t bring any alcohol or dogs with you to the movie, as they are not allowed at Esplanade Park .