Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara
Art Gallery
Upcoming Exhibition - the taut and the lush
by Madeleine Ignon
September 6 – November 1, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, September 5th from 5 – 7 p.m.
Artist Talk: Saturday, October 25th at 2 p.m.
transition (2025), acrylic and oil on panel
foot n’ plenty (2025), oil and acrylic on panel
The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the opening of the taut and the lush, an exhibition of recent works by Madeleine Eve Ignon.
An opening reception will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on Friday, September 5th from 5 – 7 p.m. Ignon will give an artist talk at the gallery on Saturday, October 25th at 2 p.m.
Using a phrase borrowed from friend, artist, poet, and mother Kathleen Loe, the taut and the lush describes two modes of being within the state and space of motherhood, and two ways of making marks. Expanding on Ignon’s earlier concerns and themes, these multimedia works were made during Ignon’s pregnancy and the first year and half of her daughter’s life, when she was contending with a new reality—daily paradoxes of the mundane and the miraculous, the ordinary and the life-changing. Incorporating painting, stitchery and more, Ignon attempts to convey the surreality, the emotional landscape, and the splitting of self that come with becoming a parent for the first time.
Ignon is a multimedia artist and graphic designer. Her work explores the ways painting, graphic design, and craft can be combined, both conceptually and formally. She has been awarded residencies at Starry Night Program (Truth or Consequences, New Mexico), Vermont Studio Center, Drop Forge & Tool (Hudson, New York), Spring Creek Project at Oregon State University, and has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work has been featured in LUM Art Magazine (a publication she has also written for) as well as Carpinteria magazine. She teaches graphic design at Santa Barbara City College and art at UC Santa Barbara’s College of Creative Studies. She earned her MFA from UCSB in 2019. She is one-half of the experimental curatorial collaborative Beta Epochs, and was a 2023–24 artist-in-residence at Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve in Ojai, CA.
Find Madeleine’s work online at madeleineignon.com or on Instagram @madeveart
The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara (AFSB) seeks to promote quality in architecture, art, and design by fostering an understanding of excellence in the urban environment. The AFSB offers diverse programs serving Santa Barbara County that provide educational opportunities for the community with participation from local architects and design professionals. Learn more at afsb.org.
Art Gallery
The Art Gallery / Conference Room of the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is a dynamic space within a historic setting for curated exhibitions of contemporary art, photography, and design. Four solo exhibitions and one group exhibition are presented annually.
Local artists, architects, photographers, and designers are invited to submit work created in a wide range of content, mediums, and styles. Drawings of local landmarks from the Kids Draw Architecture (KDA) program are featured in November and December.
Our Friday evening Opening Receptions with the artists are open to all. On Saturday afternoons the Gallery is open for visitors to contemplate exhibitions at their leisure. Throughout the year, we offer Workshops and Art Talks designed to foster creativity and dialogue.
To apply for an exhibition:
Read AFSB’s Gallery Mission & Guidelines, then email your CV, Artist Statement, Website, and 3-6 JPGs of your Artwork to the AFSB Gallery Committee Chair, Bay, at bayhallowell@gmail.com.
The Gallery Committee reviews submission several times a year; there are no set deadlines to apply. If there is interest, you will be scheduled for a Studio Visit. The Gallery Committee will notify you if you are selected.
Note: Exhibitions are scheduled approximately one year in advance.