Next Tuesday, March 27 at 6pm, don't miss Calculated Movements -- a fascinating lecture with choreographer and mathematician Karl Schaffer, Ph.D. He will illuminate how the artistic mind fuels the analytical mind (and vice-versa) by demonstrating the surprising connections between math and dance.  

Joined by four dancers performing his mathematical choreography, Schaffer will highlight his ideas with engaging visuals, multimedia, and playful audience interactions. He will also explore ways the seemingly divergent disciplines of math and dance inspire each other -- even addressing relevant, current topics and socio-political issues.

You will come away with a new understanding of the relationship between art and academics, realizing that no matter your natural inclination, the creative process is the fundamental fuel that drives human achievement.

Don't miss a revealing conversation over lunch with author/journalist Joyce Maynard on Wednesday, May 2 at 11:30am as she discusses her remarkable life and newest memoir The Best of Us. 

Maynard has been a published journalist since age 15. She shot to fame with her memoir At Home in the World, which details her love affair with the author J.D. Salinger. She went on to be a reporter for The New York Times, a syndicated columnist, and a regular contributor to NPR. She has written several novels, including To Die For -- which became a critically-acclaimed movie starring Nicole Kidman -- The Usual Rules, and Labor Day. The Best of Us charts the course of a whirlwind romance and a marriage cut short by tragedy; it is a life-affirming reflection on love and the experience of loss.

Author Katherine Maxfield will lead the conversation in the intimate, historic Villa. A delicious lunch paired with wine is included in your ticket purchase, and books will be available for sale.

Are you ready for a break from the meanspirited divisiveness that has permeated our politics lately? Let loose with us on Sunday, April 8 at either 3pm or 7pm at a hilarious performance by the Capitol Steps, the nation's foremost political comedy troupe.

Congressional staffers turned comedians, the Capitol Steps have slayed the country with their send-ups of the people and institutions that once employed them. Their sketch and improvisational comedy draws on all the foibles of the contemporary political scene -- an area that is certainly ripe and ready for parody. This show is so popular, we're offering two showtimes!

When you purchase your ticket, be sure to add Bistro Montalvo: for just $60 per person, you'll be served a gourmet meal of salad, roast salmon, seasonal vegetables, and dessert in the charming historic Villa. Bistro Montalvo begins shortly after the 3pm show ends and before the 7pm show begins, so you can add it to either performance. It's a perfect way to make your day at Montalvo complete!

One of the benefits of being a Montalvo donor is that you receive invitations to our exclusive ArtVentures. These local, national, and international trips to see art and meet artists are offered to certain donor levels, and we're excited about an upcoming local ArtVenture in Saratoga & Los Gatos on Sunday, April 8.

On this outing, we will visit the collection of Elena Lebedeva and Al Smith in Saratoga featuring contemporary Eurpoean and Chinese paintings, as well as local California artists. We will follow that with a visit to the home of Wanda Kownacki in Los Gatos, whose collection includes works by provocative artists such as Marilyn Minter's Satiated, pictured above. Guests will also be treated to a delicious lunch at the Kownacki home.

If you'd like more information about how YOU can be invited to join in this or other future ArtVentures, contact our Development Director Emma Moon at 408-961-5841 or emoon@montalvoarts.org.