Latine artists and cultural institutions across California are confronting the legacy of labor leader Cesar Chávez following allegations of his sexual abuse. Murals are being removed or replaced, artists are withdrawing work featuring him, and institutions are canceling events, as the community processes a profound collective trauma tied to a figure central to their identity and activism.
Rod Lathim presents "LIT: Love, Illumination, Transcendence," a solo exhibition of neon light sculptures at Art & Soul Gallery in Santa Barbara, opening February 5, 2026. The show features repurposed vintage instruments and found objects transformed into illuminated works, alongside the launch of Lathim's autobiographical book "Finding the Divine Child - A Journey of Spirit, Light and Art." The exhibition runs through March 1, 2026, with accompanying events including guided visualizations, a book signing, and an artist talk.
Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson's video work *Soap Opera*—a recording of his durational performance *Santa Barbara: A Living Sculpture*—is on view for the first time at i8 Grandi in Reykjavík. The original performance, staged at the V-A-C Foundation's GES-2 House of Culture in Moscow from December 2021 to February 2022, featured Russian and Ukrainian actors reenacting episodes of the American soap opera *Santa Barbara*, which had been a cultural phenomenon in post-Soviet Russia. The production was halted at episode 81 on February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Graduating Master of Fine Arts students from UC Santa Barbara are presenting their work in the exhibition “Fault Lines” at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum from May 23 to June 7. The show features seven artists—Tiffany Aiello, Alexis Childress, Hope Christofferson, Emily d’Achiardi, Negar Farajiani, Vivek Karthikeyan, and KeyShawn Scott—whose works explore physical and conceptual boundaries through installations, sculpture, video, painting, and public art. Themes include queer and neurodivergent identity, systemic racism, consciousness, and the interplay of fact and fiction.
Mark Russell Jones, a Central Coast native, presents his large-scale ethereal paintings in an exhibition titled "Hearing the Quiet" at Indah Gallery, located within the Roblar Winery vineyard in a converted hay barn in Santa Ynez Valley. The artist describes his work as exploring the space between abstraction and representation through layering and reduction, evoking memory and atmosphere rather than fixed depictions.
UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum presents the MFA Thesis Exhibition titled "it’s about time," featuring works by four graduating artists: Lucy Bell, Austin McCormick, Autumn Nicole, and Rose Schlossberg. The show runs from May 17 to June 1 and includes video, sculpture, painting, and immersive installation that examine the relationships between time, memory, and materiality. Curatorial text by doctoral student Kristin Yinger frames the exhibition as a parenthetical pause that contains the artists' experiences during the MFA program.
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, has announced an open call for local artists to submit works for "Post-Wild: Nature in the 21st Century," a juried exhibition at the Betteravia Art Gallery in Santa Maria. The online submission window runs from January 19 to February 15, 2026, with no application fee; selected artists will be notified in early March, and a public opening reception is scheduled for May 21. The exhibition seeks small-format works across mediums—including traditional and digital art, photography, and conceptual pieces—that address themes of environmental change, urbanization, and human impact on natural spaces.
The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art is hosting "Re-Encounter," the annual senior art exhibition featuring works by 14 graduating students. The showcase highlights a diverse range of mediums, including salvaged wood paintings by Kailea Najera, ceramic floral sculptures by Makena Wick, and an immersive installation by Arianna Rheault that processes childhood trauma. The exhibition serves as a formal conclusion to the academic year, blending personal narratives with spiritual themes reflective of the institution's background.
Santa Maria's Betteravia Art Gallery will host a free opening reception for a new exhibition exploring how contemporary artists depict, interpret, and challenge ideas of nature in the 21st century. The event takes place on Thursday evening and is supported by the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.
On May 7, the community gathered at Jodi House Gallery for a reception and awards ceremony hosted by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, celebrating the 23rd Annual Student Art Show. High school students from Carpinteria to Goleta submitted 120 pieces interpreting the Santa Barbara Channel, with 50 selected for the show. Awards were juried by Meagan Stirling, Associate Professor of Art at Westmont College. First place went to Aricin Marshall for his ceramic sculpture *Tide Bound – Hollister Ranch*, second to Josefa Olivio for *Channel Islands Fox*, and third to Jocabed Carranza for *After the Tide*. The Environmental Ethic Award was given to Maria Rojo for *Insufferable Freedom*, and the Juror’s Choice Award to Madeline Adler for *Sea Life vs. Pollution: The Ongoing Battle*. Honorable mentions included Sophia Lam, Alejandro Miranda, and Camila Sandoval.
The Betteravia Art Gallery in Santa Maria, California, is opening a new group exhibition titled "Post-Wild: Nature in the 21st Century" on May 21, 2026. The show features 54 works by 34 artists selected through an open call, spanning photography, painting, ceramics, and digital media. The exhibition was co-curated by Laura-Susan Thomas, a professor at Allan Hancock College, in collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.
Maker House, a nonprofit ceramic arts studio, is hosting a spring student gallery exhibition titled "In the Making" from April 17 to May 17. The show features work from students of all levels, highlighting techniques like hand-building, wheel throwing, and sculpture, with select pieces available for purchase. A special reception on April 26 will allow the public to meet staff and students.
The Brill Family Foundation has reopened its call for art submissions for the upcoming exhibition "Symbiosis or Schism: The AI Human Odyssey," extending the original June 13 deadline to August 12. The exhibition invites artists from Santa Barbara and Ventura County to submit AI-themed artwork, with selected pieces displayed from October 2-12 at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop. Selected artists may also be considered for grants of up to $5,000, with organizers seeking works that visually address the theme and highlight the creative process involving AI.
The Brill Family Foundation has issued a call for artist submissions from residents of Santa Barbara and Ventura County for an upcoming AI-themed exhibition titled "Symbiosis or Schism: The AI Human Odyssey." The show will run from October 2-12 at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop, with selected artists eligible for grants of up to $5,000. Submissions are open through June 13.