The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the opening of
FARE TRADE, an exhibition of photographs of taquerias in Central California by Patricia Houghton Clarke and lunch bars in Western Australia by Brett Leigh Dicks.
An opening reception will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on Friday, March 21st from 5 – 7 p.m. Drinks and appetizers will be provided, with a local taco truck on site serving tacos for purchase. Brett and Patricia will give an Artist Talk on Saturday, March 29, at 2 p.m. with Maria Salguero, a Senior Staff Attorney from the Immigrant Legal Defense Center. 10% of all art sales will be donated to the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund.
Photographers Clarke and Dicks have recently turned their reportorial lenses to vernacular architecture found on two different continents—taquerias in Central California and lunch bars in Western Australia.
The vivid colors and bold signage of these fast-food establishments situated on opposite sides of the equator are emblematic of how they similarly forge and fuel their communities.
Both are typically family-owned businesses that possess a dogged determination to withstand the corporate fast-food onslaught—an ethos that Clarke, who has lived and photographed in Santa Barbara for five decades, has long embraced:
“These are cherished places where one can find far more than basic nourishment. The sense of community and service, joyful music, bold decorations, and financially accessible meals expands our broader sensibility of not only what it means to feed oneself in America, but what it means to be an American.”
Dicks, a long-time resident of Santa Barbara, experienced a sense of dislocation after moving to Western Australia in 2019. He was attracted by the visual quirkiness and working-class vibe of the Lunch Bars there:
“Lunch Bars are uniquely Western Australia, mostly owned and operated by immigrants. In sustaining the working class, they offer hearty servings of tasty, filling food and community spirit in a state that has built itself on blue-collar values.”
In FARE TRADE Clarke and Dicks present examples of architecture that we may take for granted. The stark yet poetic compositions of each photographer ask us to look again and notice how the structure and character of each eatery is unique. Together, these photographers have created a compelling, cross cultural collection of images, each one brimming with vibrant hues and local flavor.
Patricia Houghton Clarke’s award-winning photography reflects her interest in culture, history, and human nature, and has been featured in exhibitions and publications in the U.S. and Europe. Her photographs of the 2007 Obama Presidential campaign and Election Night in Grant Park are included in the Barack Obama Presidential Library collection and the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center at the University of Chicago.
Brett Leigh Dicks is an American/Australian photographer whose work explores society’s sociopolitical impact on the landscape. His photography has been widely exhibited in Australia, Europe, and the United States and is included within the collections of major libraries, galleries, and museums around the world. He currently resides in Fremantle, Western Australia. Brett’s participation is supported by the Western Australian Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
