Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara
About AFSB
Who We Are
Mission statement
The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara offers and supports a diverse array of programs serving both North and South Santa Barbara County. These programs provide educational opportunities for the public and involve participation and support from local architects and building professionals. AFSB seeks to promote quality in architecture, art, and design and to foster an understanding of excellence in the urban environment.
Vision Statement
To fill a gap in Santa Barbara County’s education system for art, architecture, and design and in doing so encourage awareness and appreciation of the built environment in our community.
In Memory of Lori Kari, AIA
Our friend and colleague Lori Kari, AIA passed away on July 16. Lori was Past President and current Board Member of the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara and a member of AIASB. Lori was one of the early visionaries to create the AFSB Scholarship Program and the Scholarship Awards Ceremony Reception honoring student recipients. Lori was also a strong supporter of the Kids Draw Architecture Program. She also volunteered in many community groups including serving on the Board of Santa Barbara Beautiful and the Santa Barbara Bowl. Her contributions to the community were immeasurable and she will be sorely missed.
AFSB Board of Directors
Brian Hofer, AIA
President
Born and raised in Southern California, Brian developed a strong interest in California architecture, including historical, cultural, and design aspects. He has a Master of Architecture degree from UCLA, and has been a practicing Santa Barbara architect for over 25 years. His small firm is active on residential, commercial, and institutional/healthcare projects. He’s a past President of the Foundation, and is the chairman and coordinator for the Foundation’s Architectural Walking Tours program.
Jeremy White, Ph.D.,AIA
Vice President & Professor
Jeremy has been in Santa Barbara county since 1998. He is an architect and a game designer, and a lecturer in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the co-editor of City Halls and Civic Materialism: Towards a Global History of Urban Public Space (Routledge 2014), and The Routledge Companion to Critical Approaches to Contemporary Architecture (2019).
Greg Rech, AIA, LEED A.P.
Treasurer
Greg is the current Treasurer and a past president of the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara. He began volunteering with AFSB in 2000 during the original planning, research and writing of the weekly Domingo Walking Tour and later became a docent for that tour for many years. Lately he has been volunteering with the AFSB Scholarship committee, a program that has awarded over $1.3 million to local high school graduates studying architecture or other related fields of design. The committee also recognizes the scholarship recipients each year with a reception in their honor. Greg is a licensed architect in Santa Barbara and a partner in the local firm of Architects West. He has been married to his lovely wife Ruth for nearly 30 years, has a son Christopher, daughter-in-law Marianne and a two beautiful granddaughters.
Ann Dwelley
Secretary
Ann returned to Santa Barbara in 2000 from the Boston area. A participant in the Radcliffe Institute program in Landscape History, she worked on varied projects, from researching the introduction of ornamental plants from Japan into commerce by the University of Massachusetts in the nineteenth century, to the appropriate varieties of apple trees to plant for the Alcott properties in Concord Massachusetts. She has run non-profit agencies in London, England, Wichita, Kansas, and the Boston area. In retirement, she is enjoying teaching and singing classical music and leading tours for the AFSB. She was drawn to the AFSB by the project to plan the domingo walking tour, and then taking grandchildren to the Kids Draw program.
Bay Hallowell
Artist
Bay Hallowell became enchanted by AFSB when she attended the Opening Reception for an exhibition of prints by Tony Askew in 2008. A few years later, she exhibited her own monoprints at AFSB. Soon, she was invited to join AFSB Gallery Committee, then the AFSB Board. She became co-chair of the Gallery Committee in 2016. Bay majored in Painting, Drawing, and Art Criticism at Bennington College (VT) and then became an education coordinator/curator at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA. This involved creating, teaching, and coordinating gallery, studio, and outreach programs, authoring publications for museum visitors and teachers, and a special guest appearance on Mister Rogers Neighborhood. After eighteen years at the Carnegie and after earning an M.A. in Education at the U. of Pittsburgh, she spent fourteen years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art where she developed teacher resources, became an art museum consultant and taught a required graduate seminar for art educators at the Tyler School of Art (Temple University). After arriving in Santa Barbara, she studied printmaking with Siu and Don Zimmerman, Linda Taylor, and Michael McCabe and began exhibiting her work. Bay is a member of the Santa Barbara Printmakers, Inkspots of Ventura, LA Printmaking Society, and Abstract Art Collective.
Tom Jacobs, AIA
Architect
Born in Eugene Oregon in 1951; attended Phillips Exeter Academy ‘69; Pomona College ’73 with a BA in History and Modern Languages. Attended Washington University Architecture Program in St. Louis for two years; transferred to the University of Oregon in ’76. Graduated from the University of Oregon ’78 with a MARCH. Moved to SB in 1978 and lived in Married Student Housing @ UCSB for two years. Worked with Garcia Architects, Don Sharpe, Andy Neumann @ Seaside Union and Warner & Gray. In 1995 cofounded Ensberg Jacobs Design with Cass Ensberg, FAIA.
Paul Rupp, AIA NCARB
Architect
Paul Rupp has been an enthusiastic Board Member of the AFSB and its mission for nearly 20 years since arriving from NYC to his wife’s home town. Paul is a senior designer, architect and manager, holds an NCARB certificate with 40 years of architecture firm experience with licenses in California, Nevada, New York and Washington State. He has designed and executed projects nationally and internationally. He has collaboratively designed and executed a wide range of project types and scales often working with some of the leading firms in the country as executive architect, design architect and as associate architect. His projects are often executed in carefully designed phases sometimes requiring over a decade of work. The bulk of his projects have been large scale, finely detailed, high finish projects with sophisticated building systems. As project architect and manger, Paul has provided project leadership to achieve American Institute of Architects Honor and Merit awards for Design and Execution on over $200 million in construction value. He often gives public lectures and tours of his projects including many sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, Architectural Foundations and other institutions and organizations. Paul attended the Cornish College Of The Arts in Seattle and earned his Bachelor Of Architecture Professional Degree from the University of Oregon. He is passionate about the transformational power of great design and the role of professional mentorship to have project team members perform at the highest standard possible. Paul also always maintains an art and design studio and produces fine art in a variety of mediums and design of decorative custom light fixtures, vessels, furnishings and fabrics. He utilizes both natural media and digital technology.
Kathy Koury
Children's Creative Project, Former Executive Director
Kathy is the former Executive Director of the Children's Creative Project, a post she has held since 1977. She was also one of the organization's founding artists. She created I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival in 1987, the annual Festival held at the Santa Barbara Old Mission as a fundraising event benefiting CCP arts education programs. Kathy has also volunteered for BEEP early in its inception and currently volunteers for KDA.
Jake Niksto, AIA
Architect
Jake is a Santa Barbara native who originally developed an interest in design while at Dos Pueblos High School, where he participated three years in the AFSB High School Design Competition. He went on to earn his BA in Architecture from Arizona State University before graduating with his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania. During his college studies, he was also a grateful recipient of an Architectural Foundation scholarship. Now, as a licensed architect and partner at Becker Henson Niksto Architects, Jake enjoys the opportunity to “pay it forward” and volunteer with the Architectural Foundation to mentor and teach the benefits of good design to the next generation of local elementary and high school students.
Selinda Tuttle, AIA
Selinda began her involvement with the AFSB in 2012. In 2014 she became a member of the Board of Directors and held the position of Vice President in 2018. Selinda first became interested in architecture and its history and preservation as a child. From there, Selinda went on to take drafting classes and architectural history courses through high school and college while pursuing her degrees in Art History and English. Selinda is married to attorney, Justin Tuttle and together they have four teenage boys, Jacob, Dominic, Benjamin and Mason. Prior to moving to Santa Barbara with her family she worked extensively in Special Education Advocacy and Law for non-profit agencies affiliated with the California State Office of Education.
In Memoriam Lori Kari, AIA
Architect
Lori Kari has been an active Board Member of Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara for the past several years, enjoying chairing the annual scholarship reception,and participating on other interesting community, arts, and education based committees. Lori Kari is a practicing Architect in Santa Barbara, specializing in residential new construction, along with remodels and additions in a myriad of styles. Lori studied Geography at UCSB, graduating with a Bachelors of Arts. The pursuit of Architecture developed while working in architectural firms in Santa Barbara for several years in the 1980’s. Lori’s interest in Architecture with education as an important basis for teaching about the importance of the built environment in people’s lives drew her to join the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara [AFSB]. Since 1991, she has been a supporting volunteer, past president, and current active board member. Other community involvement includes being an active Board member and facilities committee member of the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation [since 2001], along with active board participation on the Santa Barbara Beautiful Board, and supporter of Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary and Land Trust for Santa Barbara County. Other interests are yacht racing in the one design Harbor 20 fleet and cruising the Channel Islands, along with hiking, beach walking, and yoga.