Upcoming Exhibition – COUPLETS by Slingshot Studio Artists

Upcoming Exhibition - COUPLETS by Slingshot Studio Artists

January 11 – March 8, 2025

Opening Reception – Saturday, January 11th from 1 – 3 p.m.

Curator’s Walkthrough – Saturday, February 8th at 2 p.m.

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

Alligator Fish (2015), by Michelle Oliner. 

Foam print with colored pencil on paper.

Altered Woman (2015), by James Jasper.  

Print with colored pencil on paper.

Robot Box (2022), by Tom Neumeyer.  

Glazed ceramic sculpture.

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the opening of COUPLETS, an exhibition featuring the work of Slingshot / Alpha Art Studio artists Michelle Oliner, James Jasper, and Tom Neumeyer. Slingshot is a progressive arts center that supports the creative practice and professional visibility of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Santa Barbara County. COUPLETS presents work from each of these artists across different media – printmaking, drawing, embroidery, and ceramics. An opening reception for the public will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on Saturday January 11, from 1 – 3 pm. All are welcome.

Slingshot’s Gallery Director, Jessica Schlobohm, curated the exhibition. She will present an informal tour of the exhibition and an introduction to the studio’s progressive practices, on February 8th at 2 pm.

COUPLETS takes inspiration from several different series of prints produced by Michelle Oliner during the past decade. These prints are created by drawing on a foam plate with a dulled instrument such as a pencil, pen, or sharpened dowel. After printing the plates, typically in black, she adds a colored pencil overlay to each successive print, creating a novel version.

The prints are presented as mated pairs to highlight the rhythm and meter of their relationships. The dynamics can be jarring, like a non-sequitur, but the totality is expressive and expansive, as the asymmetry invites a closer look and prolonged reflection.

James Jasper’s works on paper introduce another aspect to this discourse. His process is methodical but economical as he completes each composition in a single sitting, rendering his abstract portraits in permanent pen or thick, indelible charcoal, without hesitation. His meditations produce multiples (or series) that are linked through their shared referent – the image, subject, or themes his drawings point to in the world.

Jasper’s embroideries remain more mysterious as their designs seem to emerge from his memory, or other non-representational musings. Created sporadically over the course of many months, if not years, these works are defined by concentric rings of linear stitches and colorful patches of dense texture reminiscent of fields or farmland, seen from above.

Sharing these contemplative tones, Tom Neumeyer’s ceramic vessels belong to a more open-ended series. His strong glyphic markings mimic and dissect their ceramic shapes with deeply inscribed lines and grids that contain hidden figures, cryptic messages, and tessellating geometry. This visual theme is continually revisited throughout his practice in different media, providing a window into a complex world that is intricate and highly organized.

In its entirety, the exhibition presents the successive and repeated gestures of these artists’ sustained attentions. Their iterative approach reminds us of the unresolved nature of artistic practice and time. Actions or moments are strung together and made continuous even when asynchronous or lacking agreement.

Michelle Oliner, James Jasper, and Tom Neumeyer have been artists at Slingshot since the studio’s inception in 2013. During the 1990s, each made their way to the programs of the Alpha Resource Center (Alpha) where their individual artistic aptitudes were noticed and encouraged. Over the past decade at Slingshot, all three artists have developed their creative interests and individual practices with more focused attention.

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara office and gallery are based in the historic Acheson House at the corner of Garden and East Victoria Streets in Santa Barbara. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Art Gallery Holiday Closures

Art Gallery Holiday Closures

We hope you can come and visit the Kids Draw Architecture Exhibition on the following Saturdays;

November 16th & 23rd

December 7th and 14th

Please note that the Art Gallery will be closed on these holiday dates, below:

November 30th (closed for Thanksgiving)

December 21st (closed for Christmas)

December 28th (closed for Christmas)

January 4th (closed for New Years)

Kids Draw Architecture (KDA) program is designed to help the participants learn about architecture and the skill of drawing. This year, the sketch session took place at the Santa Barbara Mission. 

The 2025 Calendars will be available for purchase at the gallery opening, the AFSB office and local bookstores.

Announcement drawing by Aishani Mishra, age 11.

10/19 Exhibition Artist Walk-through – ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs

Artist Walk-through of ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs

Saturday, October 19th, 2024 at 2:00 pm

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to present an informal artist walk-through with Carolyn Hubbs on her exhibition ABSTRACTED, a series of abstract paintings based on plein air sketching in the Santa Barbara environs.

Join Carolyn Hubbs for a stroll around the gallery as she discusses the pieces in her exhibition. 

Reservations are recommended but not required: (805) 965-6307 or lydia@nullafsb.org

The Architectural Foundation Gallery is located at 229 East Victoria Street, in Santa Barbara at the corner of Victoria and Garden Streets. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Click here for the Santa Barbara Independent article written by Tia Trinh.

Click here for the article in The Voice, written by Isaac Hernández de Lipa. 
 
Click here for Carolyn’s radio interview with Elizabeth Stewart. 
 

Top Image Shown:

Tree Creating Itself
Acrylic on Board 
10″ x 10″

 

Exhibition Artist Walk-through – ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs

Artist Walk-through of ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs

Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 2:00 pm

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to present an informal artist walk-through with Carolyn Hubbs on her exhibition ABSTRACTED, a series of abstract paintings based on plein air sketching in the Santa Barbara environs.

Join Carolyn Hubbs for a stroll around the gallery as she discusses the pieces in her exhibition. 

Reservations are recommended but not required: (805) 965-6307 or lydia@nullafsb.org

The Architectural Foundation Gallery is located at 229 East Victoria Street, in Santa Barbara at the corner of Victoria and Garden Streets. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Click here for the Santa Barbara Independent article written by Tia Trinh.

Click here for the article in The Voice, written by Isaac Hernández de Lipa. 
 

Top Image Shown:

Tree Creating Itself
Acrylic on Board 
10″ x 10″

 

Exhibition – ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs

Past Exhibition - ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs

September 7 – November 2, 2024

Opening Reception – Friday September 6, 2024 5 – 7 p.m.

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

Press:

Listen to Carolyn’s radio interview with Elizabeth Stewart here.

Read Josef Woodard’s article in The Independent here

Read Isaac Hernández de Lipa’s article in The Voice here

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the opening of ABSTRACTED, an exhibition of abstract paintings based on plein air sketching in the Santa Barbara environs.

An opening reception will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on September 6th from 5-7 pm.

Carolyn Hubbs will give an informal walk-through of her exhibition on September 28th and on October 19th at 2 pm.

In her first solo show in Santa Barbara, Carolyn Hubbs presents vibrant abstract paintings in acrylic—jazzy compositions that evolve from her sketches of favorite locations in and around Santa Barbara. Her drawings simplify and reconstruct the natural spaces she observes outdoors. In the studio she transforms them into playful, complex rearrangements of shapes, colors and rhythms that move in and out of the picture plane. The exhibition includes several of Hubbs’ field sketches and corresponding paintings.
 
“Outdoors, I look for the strongest element (rhythm, color, line, shape) in the ‘scene’ that catches my interest and then develop everything else around it. Back in the studio I study my notes and then start to make a painting by rearranging everything and playing with the interactions of colors and rhythms. I like to use disruptions and disjunctions to give the whole picture movement. The picture is complete when, finally giving into the poetics of the unpredictable, I have built a whole new image that resonates with me. Sometimes they look totally abstract; sometimes more like landscape!”
 
Hubbs graduated from Mills College with a B. A. in art history and studies in photography and printmaking. Later, she studied at U.C.L.A. Extension School with Charles Garabedian. Her eclectic influences include jazz pianist Bill Evans, the 15th c. artist Sassetta, Stuart Davis, and Ellsworth Kelly as well as artist/teachers Colin Fraser Gray and Rick Stich. She has exhibited internationally, in Los Angeles, at the Elverhoj Museum in Solvang, and at Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara.

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara office and gallery are based in the historic Acheson House at the corner of Garden and East Victoria Streets in Santa Barbara. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Top Image Shown:

Tree Creating Itself
Acrylic on Board 
10″ x 10″

Bottom Image Shown:

Tide Lines
Acrylic on Board 
10″ x 10″

Last in Series of Exhibition Panel Discussions – TIMELY with Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp

Last in Series of Panel Discussions - TIMELY with Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp

Saturday, July 13, 2024 at 2:00 pm

Gallery opens at 1:00 pm

The Architectural Foundation Gallery is located at the corner of Garden and Victoria Streets in Santa Barbara.

Join us for a “TIMELY” event by Joan Rosenberg-Dent, porcelain sculptor and Caroline Kapp, experimental photographer.

You are invited to view their collaborative installation exhibition, TIMELY, and enjoy a lively panel discussion inspired by their collaboration.  Invited panelists include collectors, artists, and educators Paul Longanbach, David Gersh, Tony Askew, and Joyce Wilson.

This is the last in series of panel discussions. Seating is limited. 

The Architectural Foundation Gallery is located at 229 East Victoria Street, Santa Barbara at the corner of Victoria and Garden streets. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Top Image:

Artists Caroline Kapp (l) and Joan Rosenberg-Dent (R).  

Bottom image: 

TIMELY Exhibition postcard. 

Exhibition Art Talk – TIMELY with Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp

Artist Talk - TIMELY with Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp

 

Saturday, June 29, 2024 2:00 pm

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to present an artist talk with Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp on their exhibition TIMELY. 

Join Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp for a stroll around the gallery as they discuss their pieces in the exhibition.

Reservations are recommended but not required: 805.965.6307 or molly@nullafsb.org

The Architectural Foundation Gallery is located at 229 East Victoria Street, Santa Barbara at the corner of Victoria and Garden streets. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Click here for the Santa Barbara Independent article written by Josef Woodard.

Top Image:

Artists Caroline Kapp (l) and Joan Rosenberg-Dent (R).  

Bottom image: 

TIMELY Exhibition postcard. 

Exhibition – TIMELY by Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp

Past Exhibition - TIMELY by Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp

June 1- August 24, 2024

Opening Reception Friday May 31, 2024 5 – 7 p.m.

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the opening of TIMELY, an exhibition of porcelain, mixed media and photography by Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Caroline Kapp. An opening reception will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on Friday, May 31, from 5-7 pm. 

The porcelain sculpture of Joan Rosenberg-Dent and the experimental photographs and drawings of Caroline Kapp reflect and correspond with each other in remarkable ways. These artists first met by chance at the Channing Peake Gallery while picking up their work from a previous exhibition. Arriving at the same time in the Gallery, they observed their work hanging side by side and were struck by the strong visual resonances. After exchanging emails, then studio visits, over time they began to shape the idea of a two-person, collaborative exhibition.

“We found conceptual and visual similarities in our past creative works, as well as in our current themes. We were each independently exploring new work related to the concept of time: how time shapes our lives; how we shape the time in our lives; how time can leave visible marks on us and our surroundings. We asked the question: if our past work displays such an uncanny connection, what might future collaborations look like?”

Joan Rosenberg-Dent received her Master of Fine Arts degree at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She has taught at many universities including Pennsylvania State University, University of Michigan, and was Chair person of Ceramics and Glass at Ohio University. She currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council, School of Art and Design, at the University of Michigan. Her work is in several permanent museum collections.

Caroline Kapp is a visual artist known for her quietly surreal photographic compositions that combine experimental and digital processes. She studied at Cornish College of the Arts (BFA, Visual Arts) and the University of Washington (MFA, Photomedia). She has exhibited photography and video work nationally and internationally and has been selected as resident fellow at several institutions.

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara office and gallery are based in the historic Acheson House at the corner of Garden and East Victoria Streets in Santa Barbara. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Top Image Shown:

Caroline Kapp
Detail from Ellipse No. 2
Archival inkjet print
2018

Bottom Image Shown:

Joan Rosenberg-Dent
Birth / Infinity
Porcelain
2024

Exhibition – UNCOMMON GROUND by Scott Johnson

Current Exhibition - UNCOMMON GROUND by Scott Johnson

January 13 – March 9, 2024

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the opening of UNCOMMON GROUND, an exhibition of paintings and collages by Scott Johnson. An opening reception will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on Friday, January 12, from 5-7 pm. Johnson will present an Artist Talk on February 10th at 2 pm.

Johnson is the Founding Design Partner of Johnson Fain, an international, award-winning architecture, urban design + planning, and interiors firm based in Los Angeles, and a long-time mixed-media artist. His paintings and collages chronicle his interest in the interplay between rational thinking and intuition, which translates to a visual dialogue between geometric forms and free forms, between logical pre-planning and invention and spontaneity. Added to the mix are familiar elements from our current media landscape in conversation with more personal, inscrutable ones.

The artistic persona of this multi-talented architect blossomed during the Covid months as he layered fragments of photographs, snippets of text, acrylic paint, and oil stick atop one another to create depth and texture and to bury certain meanings while allowing others to emerge. The process is both additive and subtractive, reminiscent of the evolution of cities such as Rome, Tokyo, and New York, and a fitting source of his unique artistic energy and renewal.

Johnson states: I always seem to be drawn to a process of positioning one thing against another as a way to build tension in the artwork. Life offers us a universe of choices and we constantly navigate between differences, the outcome of which is our work and who we are. In many ways, it’s an exploration of self.

Scott Johnson attended Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. He is a past President of the AIA Los Angeles chapter, the past Director of the Master of Architecture Programs at USC and the author of numerous books including Uncommon Ground: Notes on the Visual Arts + Architecture (2021) and Inside Art (2023). In 2018, Johnson was a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome. He currently divides his time between Los Angeles and New York City and exhibits his artworks regularly.

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara office and gallery are based in the historic Acheson House at the corner of Garden and East Victoria Streets in Santa Barbara. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

All Images shown:

Black + Gray Works on Paper
23″x28″
Acrylic and sand on paper 

Exhibition – PORTALS by Sommer Roman

Exhibition - Portals by Sommer Roman

September 9 – November 4, 2023 

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

Opening Reception with the Artist

Friday evening September 8, 2023 from 5-7 p.m.

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition, Portals, a solo exhibition of two- and three-dimensional work by Sommer Roman. 

An opening reception will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on Friday evening, September 8th from 5-7 p.m. 

Portals is a solo exhibition that brings together various works from three different threads of Sommer Roman’s larger body of work: new textile-based wall sculptures and “Brain Scan” colored pencil drawings are paired with “Cell Portrait” ink drawings. This grouping of work sheds light on themes and forms that appear and reappear in Roman’s work repeatedly: namely, the biological cross- section and the circle.

In bringing these threads of her work together, Roman re-examines and re-envisions them as portals, portals that draw us into places of deep knowing and innate wildness within ourselves. Through evocative color, organic forms, materiality, and the universal circular form these unique, multifarious configurations invite viewers back to the realm of interconnectedness, playfulness, the wild feminine, and the body as potent sites of knowing and knowledge.

Sommer Roman was born and raised in California and has lived in France and on both East and West Coasts of the US. She received her BA from UC Santa Cruz (2004) and her MFA from UC Santa Barbara (2014). Roman maintains a multi-disciplinary art practice and exhibits regularly in group and solo exhibitions. She currently lives on the Central Coast of California with her two children and teaches in the Art Departments at Cuesta College and Cal Poly.

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara office and gallery are based in the historic Acheson House at the corner of Garden and East Victoria Streets in Santa Barbara. Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Images shown:

Internal Portal II, 2022
8″x8″x3″ Post-consumer clothing, paper clay

Brain Scan A, 2023 
22″x30″ Colored pencil on canvas

We are Here to Self Reflect, 2022 
22″x39″x7.5″ Fabric, paper clay, acrylic paint, mirror