Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s Third Thursdays

The past art projects from the summer classes.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is hosting an event, complete with music, raffles, free refreshments, and more. Every third Thursday of the month, guests are allowed free admission to the museum, a discount on merchandise, and free art lessons from five pm to seven pm. The entire event lasts from five to eight. Some events, such as the guest speakers who are there for half an hour starting at six, tend not to last for the whole three hours.

“Third Thursdays” have been going on for years. The museum is dedicated to the distribution of artistic knowledge regardless of ability to pay admissions expenses. Each class is based upon a current exhibit or guest speaker, causing the past summer to result in over a dozen different art pieces. The lessons are helpful for those looking to discover their preferred creative style. Museum artist Itoko said, “It’s not education, it’s experimentation.”

While the provided lemonade is nice to enjoy on any given day in Santa Barbara, the highlight is definitely the free art lessons, which are also available on every third Saturday. Guests of any age can receive a quick and rewarding lesson focusing on a unique style based in humanity’s history. Each week is different, so even if a certain style isn’t appealing, there’s always a chance that next week will be better. The lessons are a fun and helpful experience, and I am extremely grateful that I had the chance to participate.