Art Foundation of Santa Barbara

Every year the Santa Barbara Club turns into an art gallery for two weeks with artworks loaned from their members’ collections or work they have done themselves. There was an opening reception with champagne and hors d’oeuvres followed by dinner. The public was welcome to buy tickets as well. 

To name a few of the entries was an Ansel Adams on loan by Scott Tevis, a Peter Max on loan by Robert Dibley and Laurie Small, Laurie MacMillan showed several of her own works, a Ralph Waterhouse on loan by Gillian Launie, and Katherine Murray–Morse loaned a couple of her own. There were almost 40 on show.

The Santa Barbara Club has an art collection of their own but they always look for more so you can be an “Angel” donor by buying one of the paintings that have been hung on the “Donor Wall” and then you give it to the Club. Some examples of artists on display are Edward Borein, Richard Schloss, Thomas Van Stein, and Ann Sanders.

The temporary exhibit was hung by Diane Waterhouse, wife of artist Ralph Waterhouse. It was in every nook and cranny so you needed to wander about. An added attraction was a lecture “New Life for Old Art” by Scott Haskins, who is an artist, art restorer, and conservator who works in his Santa Barbara laboratory and around the world.

Scott worked with conservators, technicians, and specialists to prepare the mural “Portrait of Mexico Today” by David Alfaro Siqueriros for the move from Los Angeles to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in 2002. He also helped with conservation work once it was installed. You may remember it is to the right of the museum entrance. He’s also written a handy guide titled, “How to Save Your Stuff from a Disaster.” That means earthquakes and fires. Scott has art pieces sent to him from all over the world for repair.

What is the Art Foundation? It’s a non-profit whose purpose is to educate the public in the work of artists with special focus on Santa Barbara County and the Central and South Coasts of California, and a special focus on the collection at the Santa Barbara Club. Keith Mautino Moore is president of the Board of Trustees and there is an advisory board as well.