The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History will offer free admission to its newest exhibit during a First Friday event Oct. 4. (Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History)
SANTA CRUZ >> This Friday, Oct. 4, businesses across Santa Cruz will open their doors for First Friday. Here are Santa Cruz Local’s top picks for the evening:
Look to the skies
- When: 5-8 p.m., Friday Oct. 4
- Where: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History 1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
Learn from space photographers, astronomers and other stellar enthusiasts at this outdoor event, then head inside for free admission to the museum’s newest exhibit, Out of this World: Looking to the Stars.
Celebrate community
- When: 6-9 p.m., Friday Oct. 4
- Where: Homeless Garden Project shop, 1338 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley and District 1 Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings are set to be among those celebrating a $150,000 state grant for the Homeless Garden Project to continue its job training program for unhoused people. Browse the shop’s teas, candles and other products and see paintings from artist Wendy Ballens, while you sip local beer and wine and sample produce from the Homeless Garden Project’s farm.
Get a sneak peek
- When: 6 – 8 p.m., Friday Oct. 4
- Where: Santa Cruz Art League, 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz
Saturday marks the start of Open Studios Art Tour, a countywide event with more than 300 artists opening their doors. The tour is Oct. 5-6 in North County, Oct. 12-14 in Mid-county, and Oct. 19-20 in South County. Friday, check out a selection of the art on offer and pick up a guide book to plan your tour.
Tour the Tannery
- When: Times vary on Friday Oct. 4
- Where: Tannery Arts Center, 1050 River St. Santa Cruz
Wander the Tannery Arts Center on River Street and check out:
- 5-8 p.m. Radius Gallery #127, With ROYGBIV, an exhibit with seven artists that tours visitors around the color wheel.
- 6-9 pm. Printmakers at the Tannery #107, with artists Lu Lee and Margaret Niven.
- 5:30 p.m. – 12 a.m. River Studio #116, with a posthumous exhibit of sculptor and painter Fanne Fernow.
- 6-9 p.m. Apricity Gallery #104, with paintings and prints from Sarah Bianco.
See art with a message
- When: 5-7 p.m., Friday Oct. 4
- Where: Institute of Arts and Sciences, 100 Panetta Ave., Santa Cruz
Two artists will use performance, sculpture and sound to comment on prisons and immigration. Sculptor and artist Caleb Duarte’s will perform with a 13-foot sculpture of a prison surveillance tower. Experimental composer and artist Guillermo Galindo will use a bicycle wheel found at the United States-Mexico border to play a theremin, an instrument that uses electromagnetic disturbance to produce otherworldly sounds.
Questions or comments? Email [email protected]. Santa Cruz Local is supported by members, major donors, sponsors and grants for the general support of our newsroom. Our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Learn more about Santa Cruz Local and how we are funded.