Free First Friday

Join us for a Free First Friday with extended hours from 11am-9pm.

When you struggle, how do you find strength?

Find power in the stories of boxers, Derby Girls, transgender performance artists and women skaters. These artists knit together body, mind, and spirit. They transform themselves through action. They fight social and familial expectations with strength. Bodies become a site for personal struggle and self-realization. Visit Strength & Struggle and our 3rd floor exhibition Wild Mushrooms & Functional Fungi for free on First Friday.

Enjoy live music, history talks, an all-ages art activity, and a bar.

Dance to tunes by The Plateau Dixieland Jazz Band. The Plateau Dixieland Jazz Band is a six-piece band from Santa Cruz, featuring trumpet, trombone, clarinet, drums, banjo-ukulele and string bass. Their set of music includes Dixieland classics like King Oliver’s “Doctor Jazz” (1927), That’s a Plenty, and Basin Street Blues.

Join local historians Ross Eric Gibson and James Mockoski at 5:30pm to discuss their efforts to restore “Mothers of Men” a nearly 100 year old silent film that was made right here in Santa Cruz County– complete with killer shots of downtown Santa Cruz in 1917.

At-a-glance

5:30pm: History talk with local historians Ross Eric Gibson and James Mockoski at 5:30pm to discuss their efforts to restore “Mothers of Men”

6:30-9pm: Dance to tunes by The Plateau Dixieland Jazz Band.

5-9pm: Enjoy an all-ages art activity, free exhibitions and a bar