Westmont News

Santa Barbara residents Marshall Miller and Jennifer Markham have joined the Westmont Foundation, which cultivates ties between Westmont and the community.

Seventeen graduating art majors will display their capstone art projects April 7-May 7 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. A free, public reception opens “Primed: Westmont Senior Art Exhibition 2016” on Thursday, April 7, from 4-6 p.m.

Jupiter returns to the night sky for stargazers at this month’s free public viewing of the stars with Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope on Friday, March 18, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory.

David Cole, a biochemist at UC Berkeley for 36 years and a Westmont trustee for 12, died March 13. He was 91. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 2, at 2 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara, 1435 Cliff Drive.

Westmont music department provides a range of musical performances in the month of March, all free, unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact the music department at (805) 565-6040.

“Bonjour de France!” a family day celebrating French culture, includes fun activities, crafts, food, music and performances Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in and around the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The festival, which is free and open to all ages, will have food and items in the French Flea Market for sale.

Senior Christine Nathanson, star of Westmont’s production of “Euripides’ Electra” in 2014, directs “Tar and Feather” in Porter Theatre on March 4 at 8 p.m. and March 5 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The performances, which are free and open to the public, contain mature content.

Westmont musicians and composers offer a variety of events this week, all free and in Deane Chapel on Westmont’s lower campus. For more information, please contact the music department at (805) 565-6040.

About 100 semi-finalists begin arriving at Westmont Friday, Feb. 5, for the first Augustinian Scholarship competition that will award scholarships worth at least $35,000 per year to 30 applicants.

The Westmont College Orchestra performs at several Northern California cities Feb. 12-15 as part of its annual spring tour. The Orchestra Tour to Yosemite includes performances in San Luis Obispo, Sacramento, Nevada City and Oakhurst. Admission is free to all performances, although a goodwill offering will be taken.

Westmont’s Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts explores how higher education prepares students to make social change at its 15^th annual conference Feb. 4-6. The public is welcome to plenary sessions of the Conversation on the Liberal Arts, “From Inquiry to Impact: Social Transformation through Liberal Learning.”

Westmont has received a grant of $590,400 to establish Trailhead: Seeking God’s Call, a high school youth theology institute. Part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative, Trailhead seeks to encourage young people to explore theological traditions, ask questions about the moral dimensions of contemporary issues and examine how their faith calls them to lives of service.

Given the current political landscape, David Gergen offered a voice of optimism as he spoke to 170 people about his experiences as former adviser to four U.S. presidents on Nov. 20 at the Coral Casino. The luncheon was part of the Mosher Foundation’s series on Moral and Ethical Leadership in American Society.

Westmont kicks off the Christmas season with the 14th annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Kerrwood Lawn on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 5 p.m. Following caroling and the annual Pickle Address, a mystery tree lighter will throw down the massive switch that lights a 150-foot redwood tree, affectionately known for the past 10 years as the Pickle Tree. The event is free and open to the public.

The 11^th annual Westmont Christmas Festival, a popular family tradition in Santa Barbara, features early and contemporary holiday music Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. all at First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave. The Saturday evening concert has already sold out.

Tracy McKenzie, professor of history at Wheaton College, examines how Americans remember their national heritage on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 3:30 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge at Kerrwood Hall.

Tickets to the 11th annual Westmont Christmas Festival go on sale Thursday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. This year’s performance, "I Will Give you as a Light to the Nations," will be Dec. 4-5 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. all at First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave.