Exhibition Details
Show: April 3rd - 27th 2025
Reception: April 12th, 1-3 pm
Workshops: See below for details and tickets
Local artist Mitra Cline invites the community to join a unique art show that combines traditional crafts and digital art at Cypress Gallery. The show, called "Cuckoo's Mixed Reality Nest," is inspired by how cuckoo birds make their homes in other birds' nests, showing how we all depend on each other to create and grow.
Visitors can take part in the show in several fun ways. Try on handmade paper masks and take photos that will be shown on a digital picture frame in the gallery. Create your own art using colored sand and small objects in paper bowls. All the artwork—including masks, bowls, and cards—can be either spread out on the walls or neatly stacked together, showing how art can both expand to fill a space and pack down small.
A special highlight of the show is a colorful bicycle trailer that serves as a tiny mobile art studio. Painted with traditional folk art patterns inspired by rosemaling (Norwegian flower designs) and Viking art, this working studio shows how artists can create anywhere while caring for the environment.
"Just like cuckoo birds need other birds' nests, artists need each other and their community to create something new," says Mitra Cline. "This show is about working together and sharing ideas, whether in person or online."
You can join in by:
Trying on paper masks and taking photos of yourself or friends
Curating with objects provided, photographing new nests
Trying augmented reality, see the art on your walls at home
Joining the workshop, making a mask
Picking a guide card from the Santa Barbara Treasures Oracle
The show can be experienced both at Cypress Gallery and online through ArtPlacer, making it easy for everyone to enjoy the art in whatever way works best for them. (The real and virtual are complimentary and not the same.)
Gallery Parties
April 3rd, 5-8 pm - First Thursday evening event featuring small arts and crafts.
April 12th, 1-3 pm Artist art opening on a Sunday afternoon at the Cypress Gallery.
Workshops
April 13th, 1-3 pm Mask Making Workshop: A two-hour session at the Cypress Gallery where participants can paint and customize paper masks. The workshop fee is $20, and supplies are provided. Max 10 for ages 16 and older.
April 26th, 2-4 pm Virtual Gallery Making Workshop: A two-hour virtual session via Google Meet, priced at $15. Participants will make a gallery or room design with their images. Donation tickets are available.
