First Friday: Ebb & Flow + Abbott Square Preview Night

Soak in performances on a closed-down Cooper St and explore the Ebb & Flow Festival of river arts. Doodle on beach balls, and be the first to preview Downtown’s new public plaza and marketplace. And, as always, explore three floors of exhibitions for free, dance to live music and get hands-on with an all-ages art activity.

Explore more about Abbott Square at abbottsquare.org.

AUDITORIUM TALK | 6:30PM- 7:30PM | Auditorium | Camille Utterback will talk about her work Vital Current- Seeking the San Lorenzo.

ART ACTIVITY | 5:00-9:00PM | Atrium | Bubble Prints

LIVE MUSIC | 6:30-9pm | Cooper Street | Blue Summit, DJ Promo, Post Street Rhythm Peddlers,

PERFORMANCES | 6:30-9pm | Cooper Street | Taliha Scott/Dance Solo, Senderos, Modern Collective Dance Company.

Ebb and Flow Festival by the Santa Cruz Arts Council | 6:00-9pm | Cooper Street | Art activities, performances and kinetic sculptures.

ROCKIN’ RIVER FLOW | 5:00-6:00pm | Abbott Square | Join Hannah Muse for a special all-levels yoga class where our bodies are invited to move with mindfulness, like the ebb and flow of the river. Everyone is welcome – bring a mat if you have one. Celebrate the river of life flowing within!

FREE EXHIBITIONS | Explore three floors of exhibitions for free.

We Who Work; Prints and Tapestries by Hung Liu– What does “work” look like? Explore vibrant, mixed media portraits of laborers by Hung Liu. Learn about low wage work in Santa Cruz by Working for Dignity. Learn stories from workers in Santa Cruz County.

She Sang Me A Good Luck Song – Native American photographer Dugan Aguilar’s self-described purpose is to “show Natives alive and well.” For almost forty years, he has traveled across California to photograph gatherings where California Indian people meet.

Chamber of Heart & Mystery — Dive into this imaginarium for all ages. The Chamber of Heart and Mystery invites you to explore the mysteries surrounding the human heart. Staged as a fictional study for Dr. Cora X. Crux, renowned explorer of the heart and its mysteries, this exhibition is filled with curious objects and art work.

Vital Current- Seeking the San Lorenzo by Camille Utterback- Dip your fingers into San Lorenzo River history with Camille Utterback’s interactive installation. This large-scale river-shaped projection in the MAH lobby windows shows an ever-changing collage of historic and contemporary images of the San Lorenzo River. Explore the river’s history by “dipping” your fingers into the river via a touchscreen surface.

Movements for Change: Bob Fitch Photographs

New Section in History Gallery

Watsonville’s own Bob Fitch began his career as a photojournalist in 1965. Trained as a minister, he joined the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s organization, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference. During a long career, Fitch documented the U.S.’s civil rights movement in the South, as well as local activism. These powerful images reveal how communities organized for the cause of freedom.