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″

 

10/17 Presentation & Panel – Second Life: Building Community Around Preservation and Adaptive Reuse in the California Desert

Second Life: Building Community Around Preservation and Adaptive Reuse in the California Desert

Thursday, October 17th, 2024 at 5:00 pm 

The Hub at the Community Environmental Council

The panel will consist of Sidney Williams, Susan Secoy Jensen, and Leo Marmol. 

Refreshments will be served at 5:00 pm, followed by Presentations and a Panel Discussion at 5:30 pm. 

Tickets are $10 and available for purchase here. 1LU/HSW

This event comprises a series of presentations followed by a panel discussion analyzing the impact of preservation and adaptive reuse projects in the California desert. These projects not only extend the lifespan of architecturally significant structures but also, more significantly, foster public commitment to preserving and celebrating the region’s modern built identity—a dedication that stands out prominently in the area.

Spanning from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea, the Golden State’s desert stands as a symbol of architectural pride. Region-wide events like Modernism Week attract hundreds of thousands of architecture and design enthusiasts annually, contributing to the local fascination with the built environment. Nonprofits such as the Palm Springs Modern Committee, Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, Palm Desert Preservation Foundation, and others play a crucial role in raising awareness about the region’s architectural significance and mobilizing both public and private sectors to preserve it. As grassroots organizations driven by ecological concerns rather than profit, they actively oppose development plans that threaten social structures and environmental richness.

Towns like Palm Springs and Palm Desert, akin to Santa Barbara and Montecito, boast strong architectural identities. Architects across these urban centers grapple with similar challenges: balancing the preservation of local character with evolving functional and aesthetic needs. Preservation efforts, including adaptive reuse projects, emerge from this balance, offering insights for new construction in these historically rooted towns.

The event aims to highlight preservation stories led by grassroots organizations in the California desert. These efforts, by engaging the public, have nurtured feelings of belonging, optimism, and pride in architecture, which provide valuable insights for Santa Barbara’s architects and the broader public.

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″

 

Current Exhibition – ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs

Current Exhibition - ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs

September 7 – November 2, 2024

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

The Architectural Foundation Gallery

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″

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

Save the Date – 2024 Scholarship Reception & Awards Ceremony – June 18, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Save the Date
2024 Scholarship Reception & Awards Ceremony this June

Join us in honoring the 2024 AFSB Scholarship recipients this upcoming June.
This is a celebration of higher education as we recognize and award Santa Barbara County students pursuing college-level studies in architecture and related fields.
Thank you to the sponsors, members, and volunteers that make this annual event happen.

Meet past Scholarship Recipients here.

Kids Draw Architecture 2024 Sketch Session at Old Mission Santa Barbara – Sunday May 19, 1-3 p.m.

New Date: Kids Draw Architecture (KDA) Sketch Session at the Old Mission Santa Barbara

Sunday May 19, 2024

Join us for on May 19th from 1-3pm at the Old Mission Santa Barbara on 2201 Laguna Street to draw with local architects and artists, materials provided! We will also be accepting mailed in drawings of the Old Mission Santa Barbara through June 21, 2024. See additional information below.  

Saturday and Sunday Architectural Walking Tours

Saturday and Sunday Architectural Walking Tours
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Saturday "Sabado" Tour leaves from the City Hall steps at de la Guerra Plaza

Sunday "Domingo" Tour leaves from Anapamu St. across from the Public Library

Learn about the Lobero Theatre on the Saturday "Sabado" Walking Tour.

Learn about the Bank & Trust Building on the Sunday “Domingo” Walking Tour. 
Click here for more information on the Walking Tours.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Architectural Design Competition!

2018 Santa Barbara County High School
Architectural Design Competition Winners

  Name School Grade
First Place Vivian Zhan Dunn 12
Second place Sullivan Israel Laguna Blanca 11
Third Place Lucy Cao Laguna Blanca 10
Honorable Mention Blanca Diaz St. Joseph’s 12
Honorable Mention Theo Soderman Dos Pueblos 11