Schedule set for Frequency festival in Santa Cruz

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History announced the lineup for Frequency festival in Santa Cruz, a biennial festival of light, sound, and digital culture, from September 21–24, 2023. The mostly free event, which first debuted in 2021, will once again activate the museum, neighboring gardens and plazas in downtown Santa Cruz with illuminated artworks, interactive technologies, and immersive experiences.

From kinetic sculptures and VR screenings to projection mapping and audiovisual performances, Frequency integrates a variety of media-based art into the urban landscape.

“Over four radiant nights, our museum campus will transform into a digital playground, encouraging audiences to rediscover familiar environments and interact with them and each other in new and exciting ways,” Robb Woulfe, executive director of the MAH, said. 

Frequency runs from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm each of the four nights and features dazzling artworks by a mix of local, national, and international artists and technologists. Projects include: original multi-site artworks by Belgian artist couple Tom and Lien Dekyvere that explore the relationships between organic and artificial structures; a series of larger than life geometric sculptures by HYBYCOZO with patterns and textures that draw on inspirations from science, math, and natural phenomena; an interactive public memorial and augmented reality film focused on Santa Cruz’s Chinatown by Huy Truong, Susana Ruiz, and Karen Tei Yamashita; an immersive projection installation with soundscape by Visual Endeavors; a collection of lighted sculptural prisms by Orlosky Studio; a luminescent, otherworldly biome by Liminal Space Collective; and a rooftop silent disco with glowing headphones by HUSHconcerts.

While all outdoor attractions at Frequency can be visited for no cost, there is a small entrance fee to the MAH, where some indoor festival artworks and programs will be hosted. Admission to the museum is $10 adults, $5 children (12 and under), and free for MAH members.

Frequency—which rotates annually with the MAH’s other biennial festival, CommonGround—supports the museum’s commitment to producing programs that extend beyond its walls and enhance the cultural vibrancy of Santa Cruz County. Many of the works are participatory or serve as natural draws to public spaces, sparking interpersonal connection through community storytelling and history-sharing. In addition to the core attractions listed below, the festival features a number of supporting programs and family activities hosted at the museum.

ABOUT THE MAH

The MAH is a thriving community gathering place that offers a full slate of art and history exhibitions, visual and performing artworks, public festivals, education and outreach programs, and cultural celebrations in collaboration with its many partners. It maintains a permanent collection of regionally significant art and artifacts, a research library, a historical archive, and historic sites including the Evergreen Cemetery, Octagon Building, and Davenport Jail.

It is also home to Abbott Square, a vibrant public plaza on the museum’s doorstep that offers food, social events, and year-round creative happenings.