From time to time, ocean science runs squarely into art, literature, film, and more. From film previews to book signings, these evening activities are a relaxed and informative way to experience ocean and nature-inspired art and media.
Past activities include spectacular photographic shows, film previews, book signings and talks from authors, mixed media work as well as presentations. Join us for formal presentations or informal meet-and-greets with artists and authors throughout the year.
A Perfect Day for an Albatross
Sunday, April 29, 2018
1:30-4 PM
1:30 Presentation – La Feliz Room
2:30 Book and Art Signing – Exhibit Hall
3:00 Book Reading – La Feliz Room
3:30 Art Making Demonstration – Exhibit Hall
Albatrosses spend nearly all of their lives over open ocean, traveling thousands of miles to find food. Instead of flapping their immense wings, they dynamically soar above the sea. This, coupled with their formidable wingspan, grants albatrosses the ability to fly hundreds of miles every day at sustained speeds of 50-60 miles per hour. Their commitment to their mates and care of their young make them an extraordinary species.
Author and artist Caren Loebel-Fried fell in love with albatrosses while spending five weeks on Midway Atoll, where approximately three quarters of the world’s Laysan albatrosses make their nests. She was captivated by this mysterious bird, inspiring her to write the new beautifully illustrated children’s book, A Perfect Day for an Albatross.
Loebel-Fried is here in Santa Cruz from her home in Hawaii for a special afternoon—behind the scenes with this exciting project. The afternoon includes a presentation, book and art signing, book reading, and art making demonstration. She has also re-created the colorful, tradition-style art from the book as a new exhibit, which will open for the first time that Sunday in the Seymour Center.
INTO AFRICA
A New Presentation by
Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom
© Frans Lanting / lanting.com
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Two Shows: 3 PM or 7 PM
Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, CA
Join us for a new presentation by renowned photographer Frans Lanting and his partner, Chris Eckstrom, about the wonders of wild Africa. During many journeys over the past 30 years, they have documented the wildlife and natural heritage of some of the most celebrated landscapes on earth.
INTO AFRICA is based on Frans Lanting’s landmark exhibition of the same name, which was produced as a partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the National Geographic Society, with support from the World Wildlife Fund.
Proceeds from this show will benefit the marine science education and conservation programs of the Seymour Center.
Tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets and in person at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center.
Ticket Prices: Seymour Center member $20 / General Admission $25 / Gold Circle – SOLD OUT
Please be aware there are two shows 3 PM and 7 PM. Buy tickets to the show you wish to attend. Tickets are not interchangeable between shows. Thank you.
Ocean Sponsors
Jo Lynne and Fred Jones
Coastal Sponsors
Film Screening:
Of the Sea: Fishermen, Seafood, and Sustainability
Sunday, December 17, 2017, 2-4 PM
On December 17, the Seymour Center held a special film screening followed by an engaging discussion. The film, Of the Sea, tells the story of five California fishermen and demonstrates how seafood choices can influence ocean sustainability. Today, small scale fishing is a rare and challenging profession, and fewer fishing families remain in the industry. Struggling to revive a fading way of life, American fishermen and entrepreneurs are creating new models for responsibly produced seafood. In the film, we learned from fishermen about the salmon, black cod, sea urchin, crab, and squid fisheries along the California coast. Melissa Stevens, co-producer of the film, hosted a question and answer session following the film.
The Edge: The Pressured Past and Precarious Future of California’s Coast
By Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs
Presentation • Book signing • Reception
Friday, November 3, 2017, 6:30 – 8 PM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Join Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs for an entertaining evening immersed in the magic of the coast—as they discuss their new book, The Edge: The Pressured Past and Precarious Future of California’s Coast. Everything is fair game for these two popular speakers, from personal adventure to science, nature, conservation policy, history, and more. Book signing immediately following the lecture.
Kim Steinhardt is a former administrative
law judge turned coastal writer and marine wildlife photographer whose upcoming National Geographic book features his unique sea otter photos and storytelling.
Gary Griggs, distinguished professor of Earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz, has written or co-authored 10 books about the coast and coastal issues and is a frequent resource for news media on questions of climate change, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and related issues.
- Open to the public
- Doors open at 6:00 PM
- Seating is limited, first come, first served
UC Santa Cruz Satellite Reef Opening Reception
Thursday, May 4, 2017
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center
The UC Santa Cruz Satellite Reef is the latest whimsical and fantastical result of hundreds of people crocheting for months with huge quantities of colorful yarn and unfettered imaginations. UC Santa Cruz students, faculty, and staff stitched alongside community members from across Santa Cruz County to raise awareness about ocean health.
Join the crocheters responsible for this wonder, the Institute of the Arts and Sciences, and the Seymour Marine Discovery Center on Thursday, May 4. Celebrate their collective efforts and gaze upon the stunning results of hours of loving labor combined with skeins and skeins of yarn.
The exhibition is collaboratively produced by the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and the Institute of the Arts and Sciences.
PLEASE RSVP HERE
This event is free and open to the public.
Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom present
JOURNEYS TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
Chinstrap penguins on iceberg, Pygoscelis Antarctica @Frans Lanting
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Two shows: 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, CA
Online ticket sales ended, Friday, February 10, 2017 at 5 PM, PST.
THANK YOU FRANS AND CHRIS!
This was a special presentation by renowned photographer Frans Lanting and his partner, Chris Eckstrom, in celebration of the Ends of the Earth. Frans and Chris returned recently from another journey to the Antarctic with fresh impressions about a remote part of the earth few people have seen with their own eyes. They regaled us with their images and stories about the natural and human history of the contested Falkland Islands, the spectacular wildlife gatherings of South Georgia, and the frozen grandeur of the Antarctic continent. They paid tribute to early explorers like Sir Ernest Shackleton and his heroic Endurance expedition–an epic story of leadership and survival that unfolded in the frozen seas of the Antarctic one hundred years ago.
All proceeds benefit the marine science education and conservation programs at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab.
Admission Prices:
Seymour Center Member – $19.00
General – $23.00
Gold Circle – $40.00
Tickets on sale at:
Brown Paper Tickets
or
Seymour Marine Discovery Center’s Ocean Discovery Shop
OCEAN SPONSORS
Jo Lynne and Fred Jones
COMMUNITY SPONSORS
Shirley and Allen Ginzburg
David Morrell, Santa Cruz County Realtor, Century 21 M&M and Associates
UC Santa Cruz Satellite Reef Crochet Workshops
COME PARTICIPATE IN THE UC SANTA CRUZ SATELLITE REEF
OPEN TO ALL… NOVICES TO EXPERTS!
Come learn the techniques of hyperbolic crochet and be part of UC Santa Cruz’s Satellite Reef. Crocheters at all levels of experience are welcome, from novices to experts. No prior crochet skill is needed, but if you are experienced you’ll pick up the possibilities quickly. Materials will be provided, although experienced crocheters are encouraged to bring their own.
The Institute For Figuring’s Crochet Coral Reef is a spectacularly beautiful, artistically complex, and socially powerful way to bring people together around a devastating ecological challenge—the survival of the coral reefs and marine ecologies throughout the world. Since its first public showing in 2006, the Crochet Coral Reef has been exhibited in twenty countries and seen by over half a million viewers. 
The UC Santa Cruz Satellite Reef is the newest addition to the IFF’s world-wide reefing network.
The UC Santa Cruz Satellite Reef will be exhibited at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center beginning in May 2017.
UC Santa Cruz Satellite Reef Crochet Circles at the Seymour Center
Friday, March 3, 2017 — 2 to 4 PM
Friday, April 7, 2017 — 2 to 4 PM
For more crochet circle opportunities at UC Santa Cruz, please visit the Institute of Arts and Sciences website.
Sponsored by Institute of the Arts and Sciences
Below are examples of past events.
Artwork, photography, or exhibit openings
Running the Numbers, Chris Jordan (mixed media, traveling exhibit)- Tiny Drifters, Laura Beach (educational and graphic presentation of diatoms)
- Sea Otters from Bryant Austin (photography)
- Radiographs from the California Academy of Science
- Peregrine Falcons from Glen Nevill (photography)
- Underwater in Black and White, Art Hazeltine (photography)
- Whimsical Visions of Undersea Life, Ket Tom-Conway (watercolor paintings)
Film openings or sneak previews
- Coastal Clash
- A Seal’s Life
- Keiko, Beyond the Headlines
Book signings
- Terrie Williams, “The Hunter’s Breath”
- Gary Griggs, several titles
- Todd Newberry, “The Ardent Birder: On the Craft of Birdwatching”
- Marc Shargell, “Wonders of the Sea”
- Lucy Spellman, “The Rhino with the Glue-on Shoes, and Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets”
Other special events
Presentations by photographer and conservationist Frans Lanting
Commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake
Please check our calendar for current offerings.
