Launching Enhanced Educational Programming
New ART LEARNING LAB to house a slate of popular educational activities, after-school programs, camps, and workshops for children and adults
SANTA BARBARA — As the centerpiece of significant physical improvements of its facilities on State Street, Santa Barbara Museum of Art will host a grand opening of its new light-filled ART LEARNING LAB on Sunday, April 13 starting at 11:00am.
“Education is at the core of SBMA’s mission,” states Eichholz Family Foundation Director Amada Cruz. “The new expanded space for classes and workshops at the Museum is a game-changer. From the minute you walk into the light-filled white ART LEARNING LAB, you are immersed in a space for art-making with colorful pencils, crayons, sketch pads, and drawings on the wall.”
ART LEARNING LAB
The Art Learning Lab will increase the Museum’s educational space threefold, encompassing the current Family Resource Center and former Museum Store. Opening on Sunday, April 13–Free First Sunday at SBMA—this new space, located adjacent to State Street, will strengthen the connection between art making and the Museum’s galleries, fostering inspiration through direct engagement with original works of art. Expanded classrooms and a more welcoming entrance will provide a vibrant hub for creativity and learning for participants of all ages. The former store space will be divided into two areas: a large studio classroom and the new streetside location of the Art Learning Lab. The current Family Resource Center will become a second studio classroom and a shared prep area, storage, and office space for the Museum’s team of Teaching Artists.
Weaving with History
Inspired by the paintings of Gunther Gerzso on view in Ridley-Tree Gallery
Project materials: discarded frames, donated overstock shoelaces, recycled picture frames, torn strips of fabric from discarded clothes and household linens.
Reimagining the Ancient World Myth-Making Collage
Inspired by the Elliot Hundley exhibitions in Ludington Court and Davidson Gallery
Project materials: discarded postcards and foam core, old magazines, maps and museum publications, lost puzzle pieces and pins.
SBMA is committed to reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Read, Imagine, Play
Cozy corner for reading, game playing, and sketching your favorite curiosity in the Cabinets of Wonder
Extras section of Art Bar
Museum coloring pages and blank papers for sketching
Activities Sunday, April 13:
Bilingual Storytelling and Puppetry in the Galleries with Bright Torches
11 am – 12 pm
12 – 1 pm
1 – 2 pm
Families are invited to be part of a day of storytelling and art. Bright Torches, an exciting team of actors and educators from the UK, will offer a series of storytelling performances and puppetry based on Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, designed for families. Magic powers, a storm at sea, and an enchanting island lead us into the tale. The program will include puppet making and related story building in a combination of Spanish and English intended for children ages 3 – 7.
Studio Sunday
12 — 4 pm
Visitors of all ages are invited to participate in this hands-on informal workshop with SBMA Teaching Artists. Each month explore a different medium—clay, metal, ink, wood, photography, paper—inspired by works of art in the Museum’s collection or special exhibitions.
Art activity – Watercolor and oil pastel quadrant composition inspired by Rufino Tamayo’s Noche y Dia.
Looking Ahead and Educational Programming Highlights
Also starting in the spring, SBMA is moving its kilns to The Downtown Club on Canon Perdido Street in a strategic partnership that benefits both organizations in continuing to bring ceramics classes and camps to community youth. There are also plans to partner more extensively with the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens, the Santa Barbara Public Library, Lotusland, and other local organizations offering joint programs throughout Santa Barbara.
Starting in June, the always popular summer art camp will take place at both the Downtown Club and the Art Learning Lab.
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art remains steadfast in its educational mission, striving to provide innovative and inclusive programming that inspires creativity and lifelong learning. The expanded facilities and resources, coupled with a deepened integration of art and education, affirm SBMA’s role as a vital cultural and educational hub in the community.
With these changes, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art is securing its legacy as an essential community resource and an innovative educational center, dedicated to inspiring, educating, and engaging visitors of all ages. For updates on our educational programs, please visit our website at sbma.net.
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is one of the finest museums on the West coast and is celebrated for the superb quality of its permanent collection. Its mission is to integrate art into the lives of people through internationally recognized exhibitions and special programs, as well as the thoughtful presentation of its permanent collection.
Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA
Open Tuesday – Sunday 11 am to 5 pm, 1st Thursdays 5 – 8 pm
805.963.4364 www.sbma.net
Connect: Facebook | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube