Exhibitions On View
Sangre de Nopal/Blood of the Nopal: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Contemporary Art is on view at MCASB until April 27, 2025
Sangre de Nopal/Blood of the Nopal: Tanya Aguiñiga & Porfirio Gutiérrez en Conversación/in Conversation at the Fowler at UCLA closes January 12, 2025
H??ng Ngô: Core Memory at MCASB Satellite at the Riviera Beach House has been extended through March, 2025
You are cordially invited!
Opening celebration: Sunday, October 6, 12:00 – 4:00 pm
12:15 pm – Exhibition walkthrough with curatorial team and artists
1:00 pm – Welcome
1:30 pm – Reception
2:00 pm – Live music by Banda de Viento San Jorge Río Frijol
The exhibition is made possible through a lead grant from Getty as part of the PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative. Additional funding is provided by the David Bermant Foundation, and Randy & Sofia Greif.
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara
653 Paseo Nuevo, The Arts Terrace, Santa Barbara, California
We hope you have been enjoying your summer thus far. We would like to share some exciting news with you:
MCASB is closed for summer holiday and for installation of our upcoming exhibition Sangre de Nopal/Blood of the Nopal: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Contemporary Art opening on Sunday, October 6, 12:00 – 4:00 pm.
Please note MCASB offices will reopen on September 3, 2024.
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Doors open at 6:30pm
Join us to celebrate!
A theatrical concert composed by Martha Gonzalez and Virginia Grise, featuring Martha along with members of Quetzal. The concert, based on their recently released album, is directed by Kendra Ware, where stories are interwoven with songs about sharp shooters and earthmovers, helicopters in the sky, urban quarantines and women that fly—from Helena María Viramontes’ epic novel, Their Dogs Came with Them. Reception & Record Sale to follow at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara.
Reception: Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara
Saturday, May 4, 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Join us for the launch party to celebrate the much anticipated issue seven of LUM Art Magazine! All are welcome!
Featured artists, writers, and contributors: Sandy Rodriguez, Sarah Rosalena, Madeleine Eve Ignon, Alex Lukas, Tom Pazderka, Kevin Clancy, Narsiso Martinez, Christina McPhee, Mayela Rodriguez, Evelyn Contreras, Anna May Wong, Ken Bortolazzo, Jane Hanedel, Teddy Nava, Julian Harake, James Glisson, Silvia Perea, Ricky Barajas, Sarah Cunningham, Kit Boise-Cassart, edited by Debra Herrick, and art directed by Arturo Heredia Soto.
We’ll be serving tamales, aguas frescas, pa-LUM-as thanks to Ysidro sake spritz, and other fun treats. No need to rsvp, just show up and bring your friends and family to join us in celebrating contemporary art and culture on California’s Central Coast!
Janna Ireland’s photographic practice is primarily concerned with the themes of family, home, and the expression of Black identity in American culture. In 2016, she began photographing structures designed by legendary Black architect Paul R. Williams. A collection of 250 of these photographs was published in the major 2020 monograph, Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View. These multiple aspects of Ireland’s work will be featured and interwoven across both venues.
Join us to celebrate life with Easter and spring season by painting at Paint at Paseo with Ita-Ink, a Santa Maria-based artist who loves to spread art in his community. By inspiring others to express themselves creatively, Ita-Ink will lead you through a 90-minute acrylic painting session designed for all ages and skill levels. All materials, including canvases, paints, aprons and brushes, are provided. Best of all, this monthly event is free!
View this email in your browser Please save the date for The Art Awards our new annual fall event to raise critical funds to support the important ongoing work of the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara to produce exhibitions and…
H??ng Ngô: Core Memory is an exhibition that synthesizes the artist’s reflections on her family’s time in refugee camps in Hong Kong and their experiences as new immigrants in the US. Woven throughout the exhibition is a series of cyanotypes created solely from sunlight and water at the edge of a body of water. An image of the weather and waves of the day, they are also stand-ins for the refugee body, battered by the elements and an artifact of their resilience. Read more >
In this season of gratitude, from all of us at MCASB, we wish you a restorative and contemplative time with friends and family.
We would like to take this opportunity to emphasize MCASB’s commitment to working towards a more equitable and accessible museum for all of those who call Santa Barbara County and the Central Coast home. The work of systemic change within established institutions is hard, disruptive, and complicated, but we are committed to doing it. And we can’t do it without the help of the community, funders, and other non-profit organizations that support positive changes for the community. We believe strongly that today more than ever institutions of the arts should support collective community healing through art and cultural events.
Our combined programs for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) seek to provide a more robust illustration of the true diversity of the Latinx experience in Santa Barbara County.
La combinación de nuestros programas para el Día de los Muertos pretende ofrecer una mejor ilustración de la verdadera diversidad de la experiencia Latinx en el condado de Santa Bárbara.
Recovering the knowledge of the past and the future
Lum Art Talk | In Conversation: Sarah Rosalena and Sandy Rodriguez
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara
Friday, July 28
5–7pm
Exhibition Tour with Sandy Rodriguez:
Sandy Rodriguez — Unfolding Histories: 200 Years of Resistance
Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara
Saturday, July 29
12pm–2pm, Tour begins at 12pm
MCASB is honored to present a Poetry Night in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture as part of our First Thursday events. The Laureate Series features local poets Lee Herrick, Madeline Miller, and special guest Solange Aguilar, hosted by Melinda Palacio (@poetpalacio).
MCASB tiene el honor de presentar una Noche de Poesía en colaboración con la Oficina de Arte y Cultura del Condado de Santa Bárbara como parte de nuestros eventos del Primer Jueves. La Laureate Series cuenta con poetas locales: Lee Herrick, Madeline Miller, y la invitada especial Solange Aguilar, presentada por Melinda Palacio (@poetpalacio).
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara will reopen this month to provide contemporary art and community-focused programming — as it has done since its beginnings as the Contemporary Arts Forum in the 1970s. We invite everyone to take part in MCASB and our collective project of critical thinking, cultural literacy, risk-taking, and discovery.
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El Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santa Bárbara reabrirá este mes para ofrecer arte contemporáneo y programación centrada en la comunidad, como lo ha hecho desde sus inicios como Foro de Arte Contemporáneo en la década de 1970. Invitamos a todos a participar en MCASB y nuestro proyecto colectivo de pensamiento crítico, conocimiento cultural, toma de riesgos y descubrimiento.
Sunday, March 12, 12pm – 4pm
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara
653 Paseo Nuevo, Upper Arts Terrace
Santa Barbara
Join us at the museum for the opening of Guatemala based artist Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín’s video installation Tejiendo El Paisaje (Weaving The Landscape). Pichillá Quiacaín (Maya Tz ?utujil) explores Western traditions of abstraction combined with textile traditions from his Mayan family history.
Featured in the MCASB exhibition This Basic Asymmetry
Strongly influenced by growing up in LA’s San Fernando Valley to immigrant parents from Mexico, Ruiz’s practice is a reflection of the DIY work ethic she was raised under, the vibrancy of Mexican cultural and artistic traditions, and her exposure to subculture and fantasy at a young age as a means to escape the realities of daily life.
Immerse yourself in contemporary art at the MCASB Winter Art Sale and Holiday Party, tomorrow, Thursday, December 7th, from 4-7pm. Enjoy drinks and bites while admiring stunning works by talented artists. Rub shoulders with fellow enthusiasts and celebrate the season in style. Don’t miss this unforgettable experience.
Cameron Patricia Downey:
Orchid Blues
September 17 – December 23, 2023
Opening reception: September 17, 12–4pm
Dear valued supporters, members, friends, and community partners,
With heavy hearts, we write to inform you that after 47 years of service to the Santa Barbara community the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) is no longer able to continue operating in its current form.
Since its inception in 1976 as the Contemporary Art Forum, MCASB has been a vital institution dedicated to the examination of the human condition. A safe space, supporting the voices and views of our community members, MCASB has provided a critical platform for the investigation of our pasts and our potential futures. From grassroots gatherings of artists and activists to educational programs created to support previously underserved communities within our county, MCASB has held at its core a person-first approach to service.
Adam Jahnke: Santa Barbara’s Department for Applied Geography
On view Thursday, July 7 to Sunday, July 17
MCASB, 653 Paseo Nuevo
MCASB is proud to present Santa Barbara’s Department for Applied Geography, an exhibition by Adam Jahnke. Through a reimagining of his bicycle experience in Southern California Jahnke has become interested in creating artworks that reflect and promote the bicycle as an avatar for art and life. This experience and framework are what he refers to as the Department Of Applied Geography (DOAG).
Dalan Moreno, Owner of Rascal’s Santa Barbara’s favorite vegan restaurant, leads a series FREE of presentations and demonstrations at MCASB.
On Sunday, June 26 Moreno will lead a class examining the oral history of masa, walking you through the steps of how it has been made, breaking down the history of this ancient process. The class will culminate in a presentation on how masa is made today followed by a tortilla tasting.
Save the date for two more demonstrations on Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, August 14.
Artist Talk | Lum Art Magazine Conversations | DJ Javier & Ryan P. Cruz
Thursday, June 23 | 5:30-6:30 PM
MCASB, 653 Paseo Nuevo
Join us for a FREE talk with artist DJ Javier and writer Ryan P. Cruz, as they discuss breaking through the noise in visual art and journalism, respectively, and the cultural contexts that have informed their work. Two Santa Barbara natives, both under 31, Javier and Cruz are part of the new crop of creatives that are helping to shape contemporary culture in the area.
This talk is inspired by the feature “Ba’hala ‘na: DJ Javier” published in the latest Lum Art Magazine, and written by Cruz, Lum Arts Writing Fellow.
Debra Herrick, Lum Editor-in-Chief, will moderate.
PRIDE! Date Night
Thursday, June 16, 6:00-8:00 PM
MCASB, 653 Paseo Nuevo
Join us for a date night for LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies in honor of pride month! Grab someone special and head downtown for a night out featuring art, drinks, and special discounts to Downtown Santa Barbara restaurants and bars. Enjoy a drink with us, make your own pride flag, and more! A walkthrough of the current exhibition will take place at 7 PM led by Alexandra Terry, Chief Curator.
Celebrate Chumash Earth Day 2022
this Saturday, May 21 from 10 am – 2 pm!
The public is invited to the annual Chumash Earth Day Celebration at Kitiyepumu’ Park, located on the Santa Ynez Indian Reservation.
Hosted by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Environmental Department this zero-waste event will feature activities for all ages including arts and crafts, a raffle, special appearances by Woodsy Owl and Smokey Bear, and a food truck with tacos and fry bread for sale.
There are only four days remaining to view This Basic Asymmetry featuring work by artists Patricia Ayres, Simone Forti, Miguel Angel Payano Jr., Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and Gabriela Ruiz.
This Basic Asymmetry presents the work of five artists whose practices make available their personal processes of introspection, creating a space for the viewer to reflect on their own relationship to their bodies and how that informs one’s perception of others. Addressing the dissonance in our reckoning between self and other, the works exhibited here accommodate space for mutual exploration.
Admission is always FREE! Click here to read more >>>
Laura Kaminsky & Mark Campbell in Conversation
Thursday, March 24, 4:30-6:00 PM
MCASB, 653 Paseo Nuevo
Join us for a discussion with Laura Kaminsky, composer, & Mark Campbell, co-librettist, of As One, the most performed contemporary opera in America today. This event is FREE, however, registration is required. Please click here to register now!
This event has been conceived of and is sponsored by, Opera Santa Barbara. Doors open at 4:30 pm to allow guests to view MCASB’s current exhibition This Basic Asymmetry. The panel discussion begins at 5:00 pm.
As One makes its Santa Barbara debut at the Lobero Theatre on March 25 & 27.
APPLY NOW!
Calling artists living and working in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties! Artists in the Tri-Counties are invited to submit their concepts for the Earth Day Mural 2022 via an online portal. Applications will be accepted until Friday, March 11 @ 5 pm PST.
Featuring work by Patricia Ayres, Simone Forti, Miguel Angel Payano Jr.,
Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and Gabriela Ruiz, This Basic Asymmetry is now on view through Sunday, April 17, 2022. Click here to read more about this exhibition.
Visit us today! Admission to all exhibitions at MCASB is free. Hours: Wednesday–Saturday 11 am–5 pm, with extended hours on Thursday until 8:00 pm. Sunday 12-5 pm. Visitor information >>>
Calling artists living and working in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties!
Following the success of the first Earth Day Mural, unveiled on April 24, 2021, the Community Environmental Council (CEC), Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB), and Paseo Nuevo are partnering once again to identify a local artist, or artist group, to paint a large public mural inspired by Climate Leadership and Earth Day.
MCASB’s Teen Arts Collective (TAC) is a hands-on program that makes the contemporary art world accessible for Santa Barbara students ages 15-18. Over the course of the program, TAC members develop visual literacy skills, strengthen leadership abilities, and begin cultivating their own creative networks through exposure to practicing artists and arts institutions in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles areas.
This will be accomplished through:
Meeting with locally and internationally acclaimed leaders in the arts
Field trips to local galleries, artists’ studios, and distinguished regional arts institutions
Workshops and discussions in weekly, after-school meetings
Planning and curating a culminating exhibition of TAC participants’ artwork
There are only four days remaining to view Rosha Yaghmai: Drifters at MCASB before it’s gone. Join us for the final days of this exhibition!
It has been an honor to host Rosha Yaghmai at MCASB and we are so grateful to our community for welcoming this exhibition. Thank you to all who have visited in person; your continued support makes it all possible. Click here to view our hours >>>
We are looking forward to seeing you at our next exhibition!
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) is pleased to announce This Basic Asymmetry a group exhibition featuring work by artists Patricia Ayres, Simone Forti, Miguel Angel Payano Jr., Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and Gabriela Ruiz.
Through internal sensation, emotion, and cognition we develop a fluid but strong sense of self that allows us to perceive the complexities and nuances of our personal experience. By contrast, it is only through external sensation, especially vision and observation, that we find the ability to develop an understanding of others, splitting our experience of self from others into an asymmetrical paradigm.
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara’s Annual Fundraiser is back!
Save the date for this captivating immersive art experience.
Join in a dynamic discussion led by @jerrygogosian about the art world, art market, and how museums continue to serve artists and their communities.
The event will come to life with an immersive installation designed by
Travis Hutchison, featuring a suite of virtual reality films of three legendary artists melding art, music, and innovation.
Please join us on Saturday, April 23 for the annual VADA DRAW fundraiser in support of Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts and Design Academy. The VADA DRAW will be a fun evening of art, music, and delicious food and drinks from Cape D’Or Wines, Ysidro Sake Spritz, and Apropos Catering. The exciting DRAW raffle features art donated by over 100 local and global artists, celebrities, and talented VADA students.
Join us at MCASB on Saturday, May 14 from 3-5 PM to celebrate the opening of the Teen Arts Collective exhibition Footprints!
MCASB is proud to present Footprints, a group exhibition by the 2022 Teen Arts Collective (TAC) cohort, on view at the Museum from May 14-29, 2022. As the global ecological footprint continues to grow at an alarming rate, these six young artists have united to explore environmental issues that not only affect them personally but also speak to the current state of affairs in their local and global communities. Addressing topics such as sustainability and the human impacts of climate change, Footprintsprovides a glimpse into each artist’s individual journeys of environmental awareness and accountability. TAC comprises six students from Santa Barbara, spanning several different schools and grade levels.
Teen Arts Collective is a hands-on program that makes the contemporary art world acces
Join us at MCASB for a date night for LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies in honor of pride month! Grab someone special and head downtown for a night out featuring art, drinks, and special discounts to Downtown Santa Barbara restaurants and bars. Visit MCASB’s current exhibition Through What Agency?, enjoy a drink with us, make your own pride flag, and more! A walkthrough of the current exhibition will take place at 7 PM led by Alexandra Terry, Chief Curator.
Try your hand at our new ‘donate-to-play wheel’ to win some fun prizes. Follow up your night of contemporary culture with dinner and dessert at one of our favorite nearby restaurants!
This event is FREE for all. Bar proceeds and donations from this event will benefit MCASB and Pacific Pride Foundation.
Over the past two weeks, artist Maria Arroyo and her supporting team from Slingshot / Alpha Art Studio have been busy at work completing her mural Nature Dream Windows. Selected by project partners Community Environmental Council (CEC), MCASB, and Paseo Nuevo from submissions from across Ventura, Santa Barbara, and SLO counties, Arroyo’s mural illustrates what Earth Day and Climate Leadership mean to her.
Nature Dream Windows will be revealed on Paseo Nuevo’s Instagram Live at 1:45 pm PST on Saturday, April 23, 2022, during Community Environmental Council’s Earth Day Celebration at the Arlington Theater.
You’re the reason we are looking so merry and bright!
Thank you all for supporting contemporary art and the artists whose passion compels them to create. It is you who challenges our team to bring our best selves in service to our visitors and our community.
We were inspired by so many enthusiastic visitors and supportive collaborators this year. Looking back brings as much wonder as it does gratification. Just take a look at our very first Earth Day Mural – it still takes our breath away!
The team at Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) is working on some truly fantastic exhibitions, events, travel, and educational programs for 2022. MCASB prioritizes accessibility for all, and maintains a steadfast commitment to free admission.
Please consider a year-end donation, which allows us to continue to bring you awe-inspiring, thought-provoking, and beautiful encounters with the art of our time. Our work is only possible because of your support.
Shop for unique holiday gifts crafted by artists and designers at MCASB’s Gift Studio Pop-Up Holiday Market.
Featuring FREE hands-on holiday craft workshops for the whole family, hot cocoa, and Happy Hour from 2:00-6:00 PM when you can shop with spiked festive drinks in hand, accompanied by a curated DJ set.
FEATURING: Augie’s Agave – Camille K Jewelry – Demi Boelsterli – Monica Epstein – Madeleine Ignon – SlingShot Art Studio – SWEETZER Gourmet Popcorn – Yellow Rat – Rhys Zemeckis
Shop for unique holiday gifts crafted by artists and designers at MCASB’s Gift Studio Pop-Up Holiday Market.
This two-day event will feature FREE hands-on holiday craft workshops for the whole family, hot cocoa, and a guided tour of Rosha Yaghmai: Drifters. Don’t miss Happy Hour from 4:00-6:00 PM when you can shop with spiked festive drinks in hand, accompanied by a curated DJ set.
FEATURING: Augie’s Tequila – Camille K Jewelry – Demi Boelsterli – Monica Epstein – Madeleine Ignon – SlingShot Art Studio – SWEETZER Gourmet Popcorn – Yellow Rat – Rhys Zemeckis Read more >>
Saturday, October 23, 2021
Member + VIP Walkthrough | 5-6 PM (Not a member? Click here to signup!)
Public Opening Reception | 6-8 PM
MCASB, 653 Paseo Nuevo, Upper Arts Terrace
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of artist Rosha Yaghmai, entitled Drifters, on view from Saturday, October 23, 2021, to January 9, 2022.
Visual distortion and disorientation evoke sensations of altered perception in the work of Rosha Yaghmai in which she mines her personal, familial, and cultural histories to unearth embedded meaning. Her sculptural practice posits the generative ability of ambiguity to stimulate recall, epitomizing the expansive and transformational promise of psychedelia. Experimentation with materiality and representation constructs an uncanny universe informed by Persian miniatures, ancient Iranian myths, trippy blacklight posters, and 1990s surf aesthetic.
View this email in your browser ELA x Uproot | Community Art in a Digital Age Panel September 29, 2021 | 5 – 6:30 pm PST Join us for a virtual conversation featuring Uproot Artist Coalition with artists Amanda (Mandy) Harris Williams,…
When was the last time you visited MCASB’s webshop?
View our LIMITED EDITION merch before we run out!
MCASB Membership provides crucial support for our groundbreaking exhibitions and programming.
Membership offers a variety of ways to deeply engage with contemporary art and explore its myriad interactions within society and culture.
Artist Talk | Virtual Residency in Contemporary Craft
August 19, 2021 | 10 – 11:30 am PST
Join us for a virtual conversation featuring emerging artists Becca Vasquez and Sespe Miller. Moderated by ELA Fellow, Sydnie Pace, the artists will elaborate on the artwork that they produced during their five-week virtual artist residency. The residency program was hosted by Pace, and is centered around contemporary craft.
Voting has opened for the Santa Barbara Independent’s Best of
Santa Barbara 2021 Readers’ Poll
2021 has not been easy, but MCASB persevered! From collaborating with local artists to record attendance for our recent exhibition, Shana Moulton: The Invisible Seventh is the Mystic Column, we have been actively working on enriching the Museum experience for everyone. But it doesn’t stop there! We look forward to sharing our plans for upcoming exhibitions, special guest talks, dinners, yoga, shopping events and more.
