It's been four weeks since we canceled Arts & Lectures' spring events, and we are all continuing to work remotely and shelter at home. As our friend Pico Iyer reminds us, "Not moving around is the only way we can see what truly moves us." And it's good to know that we can still be moved by the creativity and ideas of artists and thinkers like those featured below.

Don't miss the announcement below about our new Online Student Ambassadors program. If you've had the opportunity to interact with our student employees then you'll know how thoughtful, articulate, energetic and fun they are. Now, they're reaching out to their fellow students on our behalf, and they are inspiring us just as they are inspired by the work that we do together. 

We hope you’ve been enjoying our digital series! Please share, comment and participate as we remain your program, your community, your Arts & Lectures. 

With deep appreciation,

Celesta M. Billeci

Miller McCune Executive Director

Human rights hero Bryan Stevenson has been a tireless advocate of the pressing need to confront racial bias at every point in the American justice system. Over the past three decades, Stevenson and his Equal Justice Initiative staff have won reversals, relief or release from prison for over 135 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced.

Watch Stevenson's TED Talk, "We Need to Talk About an Injustice," which inspired one of the longest and loudest standing ovations in TED's history.

 As we endeavor to reschedule Stevenson's return to the Santa Barbara stage, here are some resources you can use to stay engaged with his work. 

An effervescent quintet hailing from Charleston, S.C., Ranky Tanky has become a global ambassador of Gullah music and culture. After rescheduling the group's Santa Barbara debut from January to April so they could attend the Grammys, we cheered them on as they garnered a win (their first-ever!) for Best Regional Roots Music Album. Unfortunately, their rescheduled date was among the events affected by COVID-19. So until we can finally see them in person, we're having a "Good Time" with their joyous and dance-worthy single.

What is Gullah? Glad you asked. Gullah people are direct descendants of Central and West Africans who were enslaved on plantations of the lower Atlantic coast. The relative isolation of these plantations led to the creation of a unique culture with distinctive crafts, language, foodways, music and more. 

Please consider a gift to help us through this challenging time.  

This spring, we were anticipating the world premiere of a new work spearheaded by violinist Jennifer Koh, but in this new reality, we are watching her create an entirely different project. Described as a "prodigious builder of musical bridges" (Los Angeles Times), Koh is doing what she does best – bringing her music community together to create something unique and brilliant: Alone Together.

Koh asked 21 composers with some level of financial security to donate a short new work and to nominate 21 freelance composers for new commissions funded by her artist-driven nonprofit Arco Collaborative. (Fun fact: one of the composers is Sarah Gibson, a lecturer in composition at UCSB!) Now on week three of performing these works live on Saturdays via Instagram and Facebook, Koh is also archiving previous Alone Together videos on YouTube alongside a selection of composer statements.

UCSB students are a vital part of Arts & Lectures, and chances are you've interacted with them while purchasing a ticket or attending a show. In reality, they contribute to every A&L department – from finance to front of house – and while public events are on hold, we want to make sure our student employees are still employed, still gaining valuable professional experience and still engaging with the arts. 

Introducing the Online Student Ambassador (OSA) program, a new initiative from A&L, by students, for students! 

Led by A&L's UCSB student employees, the new OSA program will use platforms envisioned and created by our more than 50 student ambassadors to deliver content that educates, entertains and inspires their UCSB peers through arts and ideas. Stay tuned for updates!

Get to know some of the Online Student Ambassadors