Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop

Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop The Community Arts Workshop is space for artistic endeavors and exploration—a "blank canvas" for arti

Opening Thursday at the CAW!Erik Solevad Nielsen Presents:Jami Joelle Nielsen:An Otherworldly, Rusty RetrospectiveAugust...
08/04/2026

Opening Thursday at the CAW!
Erik Solevad Nielsen Presents:
Jami Joelle Nielsen:
An Otherworldly, Rusty Retrospective
August 6-16
Reception: August 6, 5-9pm
Gallery hours 8/7 and 8/14 10am-5pm, or by appointment
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From the organizer:

Join us to celebrate the life and work of Jami Joelle Nielsen (1983–2025). Born in Kansas City, Jami Joelle (Jami Joelle Nielsen) was a self-taught eco-artist who lived, worked, and exhibited in Santa Barbara, California, and was a beloved member of the SBAC Outreach Committee and dear friend to many local artists. Her art combined a reverence for science, nature, and the human experience, challenging destructive patterns of consumerism through mixed-media collage, assemblage, and painting. She sought to create work that speaks to social and environmental concerns while fostering dialogue, education, and collaboration. This exhibition honors her vision of symbiosis, transformation, and hope.

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the rebuilding of Santa Barbara as the American Riviera, a community-wide c...
08/04/2026

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the rebuilding of Santa Barbara as the American Riviera, a community-wide campaign was launched in 2025 to celebrate the city’s rich tradition of public art. The project, titled “100 Years of Santa Barbara Public Art,” engaged the community in voting for their favorite public art pieces in Santa Barbara.

This initiative was designed to foster greater awareness and appreciation for the diverse array of art that enriches the city’s public spaces, from murals to sculptures and beyond. SBAC collaborated with Santa Barbara Beautiful, Gallery, and Design to promote and create a digital map of all of Santa Barbara’s public art within the city limits. See more 100 Years of Santa Barbara Public Art. View the map!
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This summer the Arts Collaborative is working to raise $10,000 in 8 weeks, to directly sustain and grow our programs. Each week we are featuring a program or story that represents our work. If you’d like to help, click the link in bio or go to sbartscollaborative.org/support.

Area Meeting will meet again on Tuesday, August 11th at the Community Arts Workshop. August’s Area Meeting will host a p...
08/04/2026

Area Meeting will meet again on Tuesday, August 11th at the Community Arts Workshop. August’s Area Meeting will host a panel discussion representing Slingshot / Alpha Art Studio, a nonprofit progressive art studio that supports the creative practice and professional interests of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Santa Barbara.

Area Meeting is presented by the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative and welcomes guest Moderator Lucy Bell (lucy). Bell will interview Gallery Director, Jessica Schlobohm, Studio Manager Kelly Bold Cottrell, and Teaching Artist Zoe Van Beurden. They will discuss the aspects of the program, its history, and the ethos of progressive practices to reveal more about this distinct and increasingly impactful sector of the contemporary art world. The discussion will be led by Lucy Bell, MFA UCSB, an artist working in painting, text, and social practice, queering traditions of ritual, memory and space.

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Area Meeting welcomes anyone who has ever craved deeper understanding of the artistic process. Whether you’re an avid gallery-goer left with lingering questions after a show, a fledgling creator in need of community insight, or a seasoned artist seeking fresh perspectives, Area Meeting breaks down the barriers that so often keep art appreciation at a distance, allowing attendees to trade insights, debate ideas, and consider new approaches.

Today at the CAW 4-10pm! Backyard Boogie is back. Lowriders, music, dancing, food, night market. More information at sbc...
08/01/2026

Today at the CAW 4-10pm! Backyard Boogie is back. Lowriders, music, dancing, food, night market. More information at sbcaw.org/upcoming, and DESMADRE.

We are so grateful to Alex Ramirez for organizing this event for the community, and grateful to be a part of it.

And we are so grateful to sponsors Validation and Artiste Winery & Gallery! Proceeds from bar sales go to support the Community Arts Workshop, which would not be possible without Validation and Artiste Winery & Gallery’s generous support.

Come out tonight and enjoy our community!
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Desmadre Media Presents:
The 5th Annual Backyard Boogie
Car Show, Music, Night Market, Food, and More
Saturday August 1st, 4-10pm
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From the organizer:
The Backyard Boogie is back for a fifth annual night of culture!
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Lowriders, art, curated night market, food, and more!
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All-vinyl DJ’s with special guest Funk Freaks.
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All Ages.
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Tickets $25-30.

This summer the Arts Collaborative is working to raise $10,000 in 8 weeks, to directly sustain and grow our programs. If...
07/15/2026

This summer the Arts Collaborative is working to raise $10,000 in 8 weeks, to directly sustain and grow our programs. If you’d like to participate, click the link in bio or go to sbartscollaborative.org/support.

Pictured here is a project from the early days of the CAW, in 2015, when many of the rooms did not have doors and windows yet. It’s a great example of the kinds of collaborations the Arts Collaborative supports. Youth Interactive commissioned local artists to create murals beautifying the heavy construction corridor on State Street during the building of the Hotel Californian, and the Arts Collaborative was able to provide space to create those murals at the still incipient Community Arts Workshop.

Matt Rodriguez created this stunning mural of downtown Santa Barbara, the original of which was purchased at a CAW event by a local patron, and donated to the Santa Barbara Airport where it has been displayed for many years. Matt is also an IMadonnari chalk artist, and is responsible for many Pianos on State designs. The baby grand piano also designed by currently resides baggage claim.

Matt’s public artwork can be found on our ArtZone Public Art map. We appreciate Matt’s continued collaborations with the Arts Collaborative.
Supporting SBAC gives us the resources we need to sustain our community’s artistic ecosystem.
Art

This Sunday at the CAW: a donation drive for SB school supplies!…From the organizer:CALL OUT to our SB community! We are...
07/14/2026

This Sunday at the CAW: a donation drive for SB school supplies!
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From the organizer:
CALL OUT to our SB community! We are fundraising for the SB School Supply Drive by hosting a Mini-Market and Donation Drive!
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Event details:
Date: Next Sunday, 7/19
Time: 12pm-3pm

Location: Community Arts Workshop (631 Garden St)
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We are encouraging monetary sliding scale donations and/or school supply donations at the door. No donation is too small! Come stop by and enjoy vendor pop ups, music, raffle, art, glamour portraits, coffee, baked goods, clothing, flowers, hand-crafted creations, and more!
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Huge thank you to our sponsor, Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative, for hosting us! And a special thank you to our supporters:
.infantil.sb .bydaniis
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Donate funds to:
Venmo: @ SBSchoolSupplyDrive
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/09db19bb2
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About the Organizer:
We are a local, grassroots collective fundraising for the 7th Annual 2026 Santa Barbara School Supply Drive! This is open to all K-12 local SB youth. For our 7th annual year, we aim to raise funds for school supplies to give back to the youth in our community.
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There is a real need for school supplies among underserved youth in Santa Barbara. Your contribution will go towards an abundance of school supplies such as backpacks, notebooks, binders, planners, pencils, pens, highlighters, folders, sticky notes, crayons, colored pencils, and more.
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Materials will be distributed to youth and their families on Saturday, August 1st at Ortega Park. We plan to create an empowering space that day, in collaboration with the Ortega Park Steering Committee, that will encourage youth through art workshops, youth activities, entertainment, and more.

Coming up at the CAW: two classes by Daniel Kanow, “Art4Grief.” More information and a signup link at sbcaw.org/upcoming...
07/09/2026

Coming up at the CAW: two classes by Daniel Kanow, “Art4Grief.” More information and a signup link at sbcaw.org/upcoming, link in bio.
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Help Sustain the Arts! Did you know that the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative partners with many organizations to keep o...
07/08/2026

Help Sustain the Arts! 

Did you know that the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative partners with many organizations to keep our arts community vibrant and thriving?

We are able to do this because of the generosity of numerous people. This summer our goal is to raise $10,000 in 8 weeks, that will go directly to help sustain and grow our programs.

The SBAC team maintains and operates the CAW, Ready to Hang, Pianos on State, Area Meeting, Opening Doors, the Community Arts Residency, and many other programs and collaborations that serve artists in Santa Barbara. 

If you’ve enjoyed any or all of these programs, we would appreciate your support! 

This Summer Fundraiser starts now and goes through Sept 1st. Click the link in bio to help us support artists in our community.

Any and all contribution levels are welcome.

Coming up at the CAW:Not Half Bad Theatre Company Presents:The Story of WarA Comedic One-Man Show! Back by Popular Deman...
07/08/2026

Coming up at the CAW:
Not Half Bad Theatre Company Presents:
The Story of War
A Comedic One-Man Show! Back by Popular Demand!
August 14th, 15th, and 16th at 8pm
Tickets $28
From the organizer:
After a sold out run in the spring, the Story of War is back. The Indy Award winning show returns for three nights. Join us before the show for a party in the CAW courtyard featuring everyone’s favorite animatronic, the world famous ZOLTAR! There will be wine, beer, snacks, and games starting at 7:15pm.

About the show: When Wathel Rogers, the inventor of animatronics, separated from the Disney company, he set out to create the greatest animatronic show of all time. His creation told the history of warfare, and he called it The Story of War. This is that show. Dillon Yuhasz takes you on a journey from the stone age to modern times as both man and animatronic robot in this strange tale of violence, greed, and dancing pirates.
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With questions e-mail: [email protected]

Solstice is hosting a yard sale this weekend at the CAW! Saturday July 11, 9am. Come on down!
07/07/2026

Solstice is hosting a yard sale this weekend at the CAW! Saturday July 11, 9am. Come on down!

Address

631 Garden Street
Santa Barbara, CA
93101

Telephone

+18053247443

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