UCSC Opera—Orpheus in the Underworld
2026-05-30 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-05-31 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
A rollicking and irreverent spoof of the Orpheus myth, Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld is most famous as the origin of the “gallop infernal”—the music now strongly associated with the can-can dance. This operetta follows the unhappy (and unfaithful) union of Orpheus and Eurydice, as the latter’s love affair with the god of the underworld results in Eurydice relocating to hell. Cowed by Public Opinion, Orpheus makes an attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld, but Jupiter’s involvement, along with many of the other gods of Olympus, complicates matters further.
The UCSC Orchestra ensemble and voice students are conducted by Bruce Kiesling, with direction by Sheila Willey.
Costumes by Brooke Jennings, wigs by Sharon Ridge, and set/lighting design by David Dunning.
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ADMISSION
– Attend in person at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall.
– General admission opera tickets available online through Eventbrite.
– Free for UCSC students (ticket required).
– Follow the Music Department on Eventbrite for notices and updates.
– Doors are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to event start time.
– Ticket holders not seated at least 5 minutes before the advertised start time may forfeit their ticket/seat and no refund will be issued.
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FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
– Th., May 28, 7:30 p.m.
– Fr., May 29, 7:30 p.m.
– Sa., May 30, 7:30 p.m.
– Su., May 31, 3:00 p.m. matinee
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PARKING
– Parking by permit, ParkMobile, or $11 cash/credit via the on-site parking attendant.
– Arts Lot #126 is the closest parking lot to the event
– Visitors with DMV placards or plates may park for free in DMV spaces, Medical spaces, or ParkMobile spaces without additional payment, or in timed zones for longer than the posted time.
– UCSC affiliates must purchase their permits before arriving at the event in order to receive their discounted UCSC rate. Attendants will only sell the non-affiliate-priced permits.
– More information provided by UCSC Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS)
—
This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Spring Exhibitions at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences
2026-05-31 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-03 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-04 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-05 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-06 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-07 12:00 - 17:00 | Institute of the Arts and Sciences, 100 Panetta Ave, Santa Cruz, United States
Visit the IAS, UCSC’s premier art galleries, for our spring exhibitions. On view April 10–August 16, 2026 are three diverse and interdisciplinary shows: Libia Posada: Everything is Going Right, the first US solo exhibition by the Colombia-based artist and medical doctor; Gina Athena Ulysse: A Redwoods Rasanblaj, a site-specific and immersive exploration of the Haitian kreyol conception of rasanblaj; and Ronaldo V. Wilson: There Are No Words, But Melodies, a mixed-media exhibition emerging at the intersections of Black poetics, performance, and visual art.
The IAS Galleries are open Wednesday-Sunday, 12 pm – 5 pm. Admission is free to the public.
Libia Posada: Everything is Going Right
Libia Posada’s first solo exhibition in the United States features installations, sculptures, and drawings meticulously constructed from surgical instruments, gauze bandages, crutches, used books, and domestic picture frames. The new and existing works in the exhibition powerfully stitch together the personal, social, and political disorders and afflictions that currently trouble the world, from the wars that resonate across the globe to the violences of aging in US prisons.
Gina Athena Ulysse: A Redwoods Rasanblaj: Origins & Disentanglements
The internationally-lauded work of humanities professor Gina Athena Ulysse is on view as a premier Faculty Spotlight Exhibition. The site-specific installation, produced in community from things collected, found, purchased and donated, centers on the Haitian concept of rasanblaj, a form of assembly and collage that transcends the formal use of materials to draw together people, spirits, and ideas.
Ronaldo V. Wilson: There Are No Words, But Melodies
Collage is both a material practice and a structural interrogation in the Faculty Spotlight Exhibition artworks by literature professor Ronaldo V. Wilson. In video, painting, and installation, layers and folds conceal and reveal, delving into the experience, both bodily and emotive, of living in times of violence.

Visualizing Abolition Screening Series: Beyond Access
2026-05-31 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-03 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-04 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-06 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-07 12:00 - 17:00 | Institute of the Arts and Sciences, 100 Panetta Ave, Santa Cruz, United States
On view in the IAS Screening Room is a selection of short films curated by Visualizing Abolition Visiting Faculty Fellow Dr. Pooja Rangan.
Prisons deny and censor the access of those trapped inside them—to information, to intimacy, to community, to meaningful work, to nourishment of all kinds, and perhaps most cruelly, to care. This program assembles a series of films, including works by filmmakers incarcerated in California as well as others without that lived experience. Together, these works confront the debilitating impacts of these restrictions and reveal how the disabling logic of the prison is extended to other institutional spaces (the hospital, the university), turning access into a scarce commodity by enclosing what should be held in common. Questioning the carceral and state-sponsored productions of disability and accessibility, the short films together reveal the courage of people working despite limitations to produce collective access for one another, described simply and beautifully by disability justice activist Leah-Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha as “revolutionary love without charity.”
Thanh Tran
Dying in Prison, 2022
HD Video (color, sound), 3 minutes
Courtesy of the artist
Carolyn Lazard
Pre-Existing Condition, 2019
HD video (color, sound), 6 minutes
Courtesy of the artist and Trautwein Herleth3
Anthony Alejandrez
Another Rainy Day, 2023
Phone video (color, sound), 3 minutes
Courtesy of the artist
Jordan Lord
After…After… (Access), 2018
HD Video (color, sound), 16 minutes
Courtesy of the artist
Rahsaan “New York” Thomas
Friendly Signs, 2023
Video (color, sound) 21 minutes
Courtesy of Tommy Wickerd, Empowerment Ave & System Impact Media

The Deep Read – A Conversation with Merlin Sheldrake
2026-05-31 16:00 | Upper Quarry Amphitheater, 15 McLaughlin Drive, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join us for a free, public conversation with British mycologist and author, Merlin Sheldrake, at UC Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater on May 31, 2026. He’ll discuss his New York Times bestseller, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make our Worlds, Change our Minds, and Shape our Futures with Associate Professor of History Benjamin Breen and the Deep Read community. Together, we’ll explore the dependence of all life—human, plant, animal, and beyond—on fungal networks and how the resulting interconnections provoke us to reconsider our understanding of existence, identity, intelligence, and more.

The Deep Read is an annual program of The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz made possible through the generous support of the Helen and Will Webster Foundation. We invite curious minds to think deeply about books and the most pressing issues of our contemporary moment.

Book Talk: Learning to Lead with Dr. Veronica Terriquez
2026-06-01 12:00 - 13:30 | Rachel Carson College Red Room
The Center for Labor and Community and UCSC Sociology Department welcome Dr. Veronica Terriquez for a discussion on her recently published book, Learning to Lead: Youth Organizing in Immigrant Communities. The event will take place on Monday, June 1 at 12pm at the Rachel Carson Red Room.
Children of immigrants make up more than one in four people in the United States under the age of thirty. Amid today’s multipronged attacks on immigrant communities and growing threats to democratic participation, these young people often encounter significant barriers to political participation. Despite these challenges, some children of immigrants and refugees engage in nonpartisan grassroots campaigns, addressing issues such as education, health, environmental justice, immigrant rights, housing, and voting rights. In Learning to Lead, sociologist Veronica Terriquez examines how youth organizing groups facilitate the civic and political engagement of low-income, second-generation immigrant adolescents, enabling them to collectively exercise power alongside their non-immigrant peers and adult allies.
About the Author
Dr. Veronica Terriquez is professor of urban planning, Chicana/o studies, and Central American studies at UCLA and serves as the director of the Chicano Studies Research Center. A sociologist by training, her research focuses on social inequality, civic engagement, health, and youth transitions to adulthood among Latinx and other diverse populations. She has extensive experience working with a broad range of community stakeholders, having partnered with youth, labor, arts, education, health and local government institutions. She is an expert in participatory action research (PAR), and has co-authored with colleagues and students over forty widely disseminated research reports on labor, community, and youth organizing. In 2021, she received the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education University Faculty Award and the American Sociological Association Award for Public Sociology in International Migration.

Community Day: Free Admission at the Arboretum
2026-06-02 09:00 - 17:00 | Arboretum, 122 Arboretum Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
The first Tuesday of each month, the Arboretum is open without charge to visitors. See dates and times UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden is open. NOTE: Due to limited parking at the Arboretum and the popularity of Community Day, we greatly encourage visitors to carpool, bike, walk or use public transportation as much as possible.

UCSC Chamber Music Concert
2026-06-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Audiences are invited to a free spring quarter chamber music concert featuring a variety of student ensembles.
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ADMISSION
– Attend in person at the Music Center Recital Hall at UC Santa Cruz
– UCSC Affiliates only
– Open seating (no ticket required).
– Doors are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to event start time.
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PARKING
– Arts Lot #126 is the closest parking lot to the event
– Visitors with DMV placards or plates may park for free in DMV spaces, Medical spaces, or ParkMobile spaces without additional payment, or in timed zones for longer than the posted time.
– UCSC affiliates must purchase their permits before arriving at the event in order to receive their discounted UCSC rate. Attendants will only sell the non-affiliate-priced permits.
– More information provided by UCSC Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS)
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This program is open to UCSC affiliates only.

Global Cafe: Spring 2026
2026-06-03 14:00 - 16:00 | Classroom Unit, Classroom Unit, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, Select a Country:
International Student Services & Programming invites you to our monthly Global Cafe, a space for all international-minded community members to connect. Swing by for some refreshments and an opportunity to meet other international students and scholars, as well as Global Engagement staff. Feel free to drop in at any time between 14:00 – 16:00 and stay for as long as you’d like.
Our spring Global Cafe dates:

Wednesday, April 8
Wednesday, May 6
Wednesday, June 3

UCSC Jazz Combos
2026-06-03 19:30 - 21:30 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join the UC Santa Cruz Jazz Combos for a spring concert. Directed by Charles Hamilton.
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ADMISSION
– General admission
– Free for UCSC students (ticket required).
– Tickets available here online through Eventbrite only.
– Follow the Music Dept on Eventbrite for notices and updates.
– Doors are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to event start time.
– Ticket holders not seated at least 5 minutes before the advertised start time may forfeit their ticket/seat and no refund will be issued.
—
PARKING
– Parking by permit or ParkMobile
– Arts Lot #126 is the closest parking lot to the event
– Visitors with DMV placards or plates may park for free in DMV spaces, Medical spaces, or ParkMobile spaces without additional payment, or in timed zones for longer than the posted time.
– More information provided by UCSC Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS)
—
This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Younger Lagoon Reserve Tours
2026-06-04 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-06-06 10:30 - 12:00 | Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060
Younger Lagoon Reserve tours are free and open to the public. Space is limited to 18 participants. Call 831-459-3800 or sign-up online. Virtual tours are available online.

Queer Connections: Reflective Art
2026-06-04 11:00 - 12:30 | Lionel Cantú Queer Center, Crown Lane, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
CAPS & Cantú Collaboration: Queer Connections.
Join us at the Lionel Cantú Queer Center for conversations facilitated by CAPS Providers.
Reflective Art: Discover your strengths through art while reflecting on the people, resources, and community that uplift you. Through creative expression, you’re invited to share, listen, or simply reflect—connecting with others in whatever way feels right for you.
You Belong Here: The programs and services described here are open to all, consistent with state and federal law, as well as the University of California’s nondiscrimination policies. Every initiative—whether a student service, faculty program, or community event—is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of all identities.
To learn more, please visit UC Nondiscrimination Statement or Nondiscrimination Policy for UC Publications.

52nd Annual Print Sale
2026-06-05 10:00 - 18:00, 2026-06-06 10:00 - 18:00 | Elena Baskin Visual Arts Center, Baskin Service Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
The 52nd anniversary of the UCSC Print Sale runs in conjunction with the Art Department’s Spring Open Studios. Hundreds of original prints will be for sale in a variety of media at this two-day event, including:

Woodcuts
Lithographs
Etchings
Photo-based prints
Screen prints
And more!

All proceeds benefit art students: 80% of proceeds go to the individual artists, and 20% goes to support the Print Studio (thereby back to printmaking students). This once-a-year event presents an extraordinary opportunity for students to display and sell their work to the public. The event also offers an opportunity to see the exceptional quality of the printmaking program and facilities at UC Santa Cruz.
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ADMISSION
– FREE and open to the public.
—
FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
– Print Sale: Two-day event scheduled for Fri. June 5 & Sat. June 6 from 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
– Open Studios: One day only, in conjunction with the Print Sale, on Fri. June 5 noon–4:00 p.m.
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PARKING
– Parking by permit or ParkMobile
– Arts Lot #126 is the closest parking lot to the event.
– Visitors with DMV placards or plates may park for free in DMV spaces, Medical spaces, or ParkMobile spaces without additional payment, or in timed zones for longer than the posted time.
– More information provided by UCSC Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS)
—
This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Spring 2026 Open Studios
2026-06-05 12:00 - 16:00 | Elena Baskin Visual Arts Center, Baskin Service Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Art Department students exhibit their art work throughout studios and classrooms at the Elena Baskin Visual Arts Center at UC Santa Cruz. The Open Studios event features student art work in a variety of media, including:
– Drawing
– Painting
– Print media
– Sculpture
– Photography
– Environmental art
– Electronic art/new media
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ADMISSION
FREE and open to the public.
—
PARKING
– Parking by permit or ParkMobile: Purchase a permit in advance at the TAPS office or use the ParkMobile app
– Arts Lot #126 is the closest parking lot to the event.
– Visitors with DMV placards or plates may park for free in DMV spaces, Medical spaces, or ParkMobile spaces without additional payment, or in timed zones for longer than the posted time.
– More information provided by UCSC Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS)
—
This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Science in the Neighborhood: The earthquake problem
2026-06-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Coastal Biology Building, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060
Science In the Neighborhood
A public lecture series hosted quarterly by the UC Santa Cruz Science Division
The earthquake problem
Presentation by Emily Brodsky, Professor, UC Santa Cruz
Q&A with Stefano Profumo, Associate Dean of Science, UC Santa Cruz
Register here.
Earthquake prediction has simultaneously remained both the central, unsolved problem in seismology and the issue that communities care about most—especially here in Northern California. Earth & Planetary Sciences Professor Emily Brodsky will discuss what we do and do not know about when earthquakes will happen. She will explain what we understand about the basic mechanics of faults and how drilling into faults has transformed our understanding of how earthquakes happen. Her talk will also explore how the machine learning revolution is powering a transformation in forecasting aftershocks, as well as look ahead toward the kind of instrumentation and approaches that offer the most promise for the next big advances.
The event is in-person only. Register here.
Friday, June 5, 2026 | 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Coastal Biology Building. Rm. 110
UC Santa Cruz Coastal Campus
130 McAllister Way
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
The screenshot below shows where to find the entrance of the Coastal Biology Building.

AA/PI/SWANA Year-End Ceremony
2026-06-05 18:00 - 21:30 | Merrill Cultural Center, 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Save the date and join the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center (AA/PIRC) on Friday, June 5th from 6-9:30pm at the Merrill Cultural Center! Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with our ceremony beginning at 6 p.m.
Come celebrate the graduating students who have contributed to the Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Southwest Asian & North African (AA/PI/SWANA) community at UCSC.
Our ceremony will include faculty and student speakers, awards, FREE cultural stoles for graduates as they cross our stage, and a food reception.
Graduate Registration

You Belong Here: The programs and services described here are open to all, consistent with state and federal law, as well as the University of California’s nondiscrimination policies. Every initiative—whether a student service, faculty program, or community event—is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of all identities.
To learn more, please visit UC Nondiscrimination Statement or Nondiscrimination Policy for UC Publications.

Berry U-Pick at the UCSC Farm
2026-06-06 09:00 - 12:00 | UCSC Farm, 152 Farm Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Come enjoy picking your own organic strawberries and/or blueberries at the campus farm! Our delicious, organic berries will be plentiful this spring and we hope you can come enjoy the bounty.
When: U-picks will take place on Saturdays from 9am to 12pm while supplies last. Blueberries will be available approximately through June, and strawberries will be available into the summer season. PLEASE NOTE that u-picks will not occur on Saturday, June 13 due to campus commencement ceremonies that will impact traffic and parking.
Where: Free parking will be available in the Hay Barn lot or lot 115/116 during u-pick hours. Please walk to the pinned location at the farm to pre-pay and collect your u-pick container(s). We will have directional signage displayed. There is one ADA parking spot on the farm. The UCSC Farm has uneven, hilly terrain. If you require accommodations to fully participate, please email agroecology@ucsc.edu and we will do our best to accommodate.
Payment: Credit card payments only (you will need a smartphone to scan a QR code and enter your card info manually).

First Saturday Tour at the Arboretum
2026-06-06 11:00 - 12:00 | Arboretum, 122 Arboretum Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
First Saturday Tours are a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Arboretum or to deepen your knowledge of the Arboretum’s plant collections. Each tour is a little different depending on the time of year, the interests of the tour guide, and the people who join in. For example, you might learn about the birds and mammals that make this land their home or about the amazing physical adaptations that plants have evolved to better deal with our extreme weather and climate conditions. Tours are free with paid admission.

UCSC Jazz Big Band
2026-06-06 19:30 - 21:00 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join the UC Santa Cruz Jazz Big Band for a spring concert. Directed by Charles Hamilton.
—
ADMISSION
– General admission.
– Free for UCSC students (ticket required).
– Tickets available through Eventbrite only.
– Follow the Music Dept on Eventbrite for notices and updates.
– Doors are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to event start time.
– Ticket holders not seated at least 5 minutes before the advertised start time may forfeit their ticket/seat and no refund will be issued.
—
PARKING
– Parking by permit, ParkMobile, or $11 cash/credit via the on-site parking attendant
– Arts Lot #126 is the closest parking lot to the event
– Visitors with DMV placards or plates may park for free in DMV spaces, Medical spaces, or ParkMobile spaces without additional payment, or in timed zones for longer than the posted time.
– UCSC affiliates must purchase their permits before arriving at the event in order to receive their discounted UCSC rate. Attendants will only sell the non-affiliate-priced permits.
– More information provided by UCSC Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS)
—
This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.
