MUST DOs

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Pirates mural, $75, Dream Big Art, dreambigart.com; an Art From Scrap project; a sketch made at Kids Draw Architecture.

Reduce, reuse, recycle, and still get creative at ART FROM SCRAP, 805-884-0459, artfromscrap.org, which offers hundreds of donated treasures from which to create a fun masterpiece. • THE CHILDREN’S ARTWALK at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 805-682-4711, sbnature.org, gives more than 200 elementary students the opportunity to see their work in a proper exhibition every September.• The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, 805-965-6307, afsb.org, holds outdoor KIDS DRAW ARCHITECTURE sketch sessions every spring at landmark buildings, where local architects, artists, and designers assist and demonstrate drawing techniques to children of all ages.• YOUTH INTERACTIVE, 805-453-4123, youthinteractive.us, brings in artists, authors, and educators to provide a free after-school program that focuses on the arts, technology, and entrepreneurship.

[KIDS, Best of 2013]

Intentions

To RSVP to the Sleep Soiree, click here!

ROOMS & GARDENS 924 State St., Santa Barbara, 805-965-2424, roomsandgardens.com.

The

Tickets are $30 per person and must be purchased prior to the event through The Winehound, (805) 845-5247 . Tickets can be mailed or are available for pickup at the store’s new location in La Cumbre Plaza on State Street.

Photograph: Blue Caleel

SPIRITUAL Between the views, the peaceful vibe, and the music, I am always moved closer to my spiritual self after a visit to La Casa de Maria, 805-969-5031, lacasademaria.org.

EMOTIONAL A yoga session with Siddhi at Alchemy Arts Center, 805-899-8811, alchemyartscenter.com, connects me to my
inner Zenny.

MENTAL UCSB Art & Lectures, 805-893-3535, artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu, is my source of exquisite mind candy. The programs help me think differently and feel enlightened.

FOOD I go to Trattoria Mollie, 805-565-9381, trattoriamollie .com, for my all-time favorite Passata soup. When I had cancer, Mollie Ahlstrand’s soup was the only thing I wanted
to eat.

PHYSICAL There is nothing—absolutely nothing—better than hiking to connect my spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical lives. If I bring a few raw almonds, then I’m all set. Montecito Peak santabarbarahikes.com/hikes, is one of my favorite trails.

[HEALTH + BEAUTY, Best of 2013]

On Grace: Gap denim shirt, J. Crew jeans, Sam Edelman sandals. On Kelley: Chloe lace top, Rag & Bone jeans, See by Chloe sandals. Photograph: Morgan Ostrander

It’s a magical combination when a mother and daughter see eye to eye in the closet. Not only does sharing clothes become efficient, it makes shopping even more fun. Kelley Johnson and her daughter, Grace, not only share a passion for coconut water and cut-off shorts, but when it comes to their low-key Santa Barbara look of Chloé whites and organic tees, they are two peas in a pod.

Clockwise from top left: John Patrick organic tee, $80, and Rodin Olio Lusso perfume, $220, Barneys New York, barneys.com; Isabel Marant necklace, $275, Diani, 805-966-3114; See by Chloe sandals, $260, Dressed, 805-565-1253; J Brand cut-off shorts, $154, Nordstrom, 805-564-8770.

“Grace and I may have DIFFERENT CHOICES because of our ages, but we always KEEP IT CLEAN AND SIMPLE.”

[STYLE, Spring 2013]

Get your festivities stated early on Friday, May 10, with an afternoon Garden Tea Party (tickets: $35) in honor of National Public Gardens Day at the Four Seasons Biltmore Resort‘s Escala Gardens. The spring menu—specially prepared by executive chef Alessandro Cartumini and pastry chef Don Hall—includes a variety of finger sandwiches, scones, crumpets, delectable sweets, and perfectly brewed Harney & Sons tea in addition to a complimentary glass of champagne. Following the Garden Tea Party, the Biltmore is hosting a Mother’s Day brunch (tickets: $98/adult, $38/children) on Sunday, May 12, with lavish menu items including an omelet and breakfast bar, a seafood spread of chilled oysters and shrimp cevice, a carving station with rosemary crusted rack of lamb and truffle brioche-crusted veal. Be sure to save room for dessert items such as a chocolate fountain with berries and marshmallows, eclairs, tarts, and lemon meringue cake. For reservations, call 805-565-8232.

For an alfresco brunch (tickets: $75) with stunning ocean views, the restaurant at El Encanto is featuring a salad and hors d’oeuvres station, followed by a la carte entrees such as chef Patrice Martineau’s French toast with Nutella and banana custard, Kobe-style steak and eggs, smoked salmon scramble, as well as a dessert station with assorted French mini-desserts, and El Encanto’s famous floating island dessert. As a special token of thanks, mothers will go home with a sachet of El Encanto’s signature bath salts. For reservations, call 805-845-5800.

Travel over the Casitas Pass to the  Ojai Valley Inn & Spa  for a Mother’s Day brunch (tickets: $68/adult, $29/children ages 6 through 12) of hot breakfast items, customized omelets, mouth-watering sweet crepes, a carving station. and a dessert buffet. For reservations, call 888-697-8780.

For a kid-friendly feast (tickets: $85/adult, $42.50/children 12 and younger), head to the Bacara Resort & Spa‘s Miro restaurant, where moms can enjoy pancakes made-to-order by their little ones in the Kids’ Kitchen station in addition to the extensive brunch menu, which includes waffles and eggs benedict, savory farmers’ market salads, a cheese and charcuterie station, pepper-crusted prime rib, and more. After brunch, continue the day’s festivities with a Mommy & Me class or treat yourself to one of the spa specials. For reservations, call 805-290-1475.

Flee the nest and head to Canary Hotel‘s Finch & Fork (formerly Coast Restaurant) for a brunch (tickets: $75/adult, $25/children 15 and younger, free for children 6 and younger) that puts a modern touch on American classics with items such as lemon ricotta pancakes and macaroni and cheese made with aged cheddar, goat and ricotta cheese. Also included is a carving station with slow-roasted prime rib, grilled Skuna Bay salmon, and steamed  mussels, clams and oysters. For the not-so-early birds, Sunday is also prime rib night, which begins at 5:30 pm.

“The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.” – Andy Warhol

On Wednesday, May 8, at 5:30 and 8 pm, UCSB’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum is hosting a two-set concert series of American songs that reached popularity during photographer Andy Warhol’s swinging ’60s era. The musical ensemble—which includes UCSB alum and pianist Victoria Kirsch and sopranos Suzan Hanson and Shana Blake Hill—accompanies the museum’s current exhibit, “Fame and Mundane: Andy Warhol’s Photography.” The concerts present a comprehensive collection of music—think Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Lori Laitman—that reflect the theme of Warhol’s famed images as well as the inspiration behind them. –Brenna Bozigian

Tickets: $35/public, $10/UCSB students. To purchase tickets visit artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

The cactus garden at Lotusland

ALICE KECK PARK MEMORIAL GARDENS,
1500 Santa Barbara St., has a huge variety of plants but also some of the best big old trees, like the Dombeya.

COLD SPRINGS TRAIL, santabarbarahikes.com/hikes, has a babbling brook as well as great smells of sycamore and bay (don’t forget to take some leaves home for the soup pot).

THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT BILTMORE, 805-969-2261, fourseasons.com/santabarbara,
has fine specimen plants all over the grounds. Ask about the guided walking tour of the property.

Come hug a gigantic palm tree that is more than 120 years old at LOTUSLAND, 805-969-3767, lotusland.org.

Visit the redwood grove at the SANTA BARBARA BOTANIC GARDEN, 805-682-4726, sbbg.org—just for the majesty and magic.

[GARDENS, Best of 2013]

Photograph: Cara Robbins

COOL COLLABORATION

The hot whirlwind that is Santa Barbara’s art world has a cool center—a couple of artists who are also a couple. Together, Nathan Hayden and Hannah Rose Vainstein create experiences—installations, dance parties, salons, and
such—that challenge stodgy notions of what constitutes art.

The two met as art students at UCSB and discovered they shared similarly idyllic childhoods. Hayden’s early years were spent living in a log cabin in rural West Virginia; Vainstein grew up on seven acres at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains. These arcadian experiences clearly inform their joint perspective on life and play a big part in their art, which focuses on craft and the handmade. “They have an incredible DIY aesthetic that feels vintage and fresh at the same time,” says independent curator/art correspondent Yasmine Mohseni, who included Hayden’s pen and ink illustrations on paper and felt in a recent exhibition she curated at a Los Angeles gallery.

Both Hayden and Vainstein make their own art individually, but the real magic happens when they collaborate, as they do for local gallery exhibitions and events hosted by their virtual salon/studio/boutique/blog, the Lower Lodge, thelowerlodge.com.

As cutting edge as they are, the duo pays special tribute to influential local artists like Dane Goodman (former director of the Atkinson Gallery at Santa Barbara City College) and his wife, Marie Schoeff. “Both of us have felt connected with the elders of the arts community,” says Vainstein. “We’re part of a rich culture that’s in a dialogue with each other and wanting to make something special here in Santa Barbara.” –L.D. Porter

Check out Hayden’s show “Go Innocent into the Forest My Children,” opening May 3 at Jane Deering Gallery, 805-966-3334, janedeeringgallery.com 

NATHAN HAYDEN nathan-hayden.com.

HANNAH ROSE VAINSTEIN hannahvainstein.com.

Girl with Wildebeest Skull

“I’M OVER THE MOON!” says Santa Barbara-based photographer Michael Haber about his latest project, a collaboration with his 17-year-old daughter, Sophie, featuring images shot during a 2012 family trip to Kenya. The striking black-and-white and color photographs of people and animals range in size from 11-by-14-inch pieces “that everyone can fit on their wall,” says Michael, to large-format, four-by-eight-foot images to which family friend Trevor Gordon (an artist and Patagonia surf ambassador) sometimes added his painterly touch.

While clearly thrilled about his father-daughter collaboration, Michael is modest about his own achievements. A graduate of Art Center College of Design and a professional photographer for more than 22 years, he decided to move his family to Santa Barbara—a location he frequented for work—after a one-day visit here eight years ago. He credits his father for encouraging him to follow a creative path and likewise urges others to “go with your dreams; don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you love,” says Michael. “My father’s encouragement liberated me from a society so caught up with occupations that became an identity rather than a love for what you desire.”

Proceeds from the April 26 pop-up exhibit “Jambo Jambo Kenya Revealed” at the Hangar, 805-845-5000, hangarsb.com, will be donated to the Anne K. Taylor Fund, which encourages and assists individuals, communities, and corporations to conserve and restore biodiversity through economically and ecologically sound sustainable activities. –L.D. Porter

MICHAEL HABER michaelhaberphotography.com.