Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara facts for kids
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| Established | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Location | 653 Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States |
| Type | Art museum; contemporary museum for the 21st century |
| Collection size | 3,500 square foot |
The Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) was a cool place in Santa Barbara, USA. It was all about showing contemporary art, which means art made in our time.
This museum was a non-profit group. Its main goal was to show, share, and explore new ideas in art and design. They wanted to help people think creatively and critically about art today.
MCASB covered many different topics through art. This included ideas about people, media, and even geography. They showed projects by single artists and by groups.
Each year, MCASB put on 8 to 10 new shows. They also hosted over 30 special events! Their main gallery space could hold three big exhibitions a year. Each of these shows lasted up to fourteen weeks. The museum would close for a short time between shows to set up new art.
Contents
History of MCASB
The MCASB started in 1976. It was created by artists and art lovers. They wanted a special place to enjoy new art. Back then, it was called the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum (CAF). It was an alternative art space focused on supporting and showing contemporary art.
In 1990, CAF found its first permanent home. It moved to the Balboa Building in downtown Santa Barbara. Later, in 2011, MCASB became part of a new area near the Funk Zone.
In 2012, the leaders of CAF decided to make a big change. They believed that education and design would help the organization grow. So, MCASB became its own independent museum. It was no longer part of CAF.
In 2016, the MCASB received a special award. It was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. This group helps museums that teach about contemporary art and new design ideas.
Museum Directors
Miki Garcia
Miki Garcia is an American museum director. She became the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara in January 2005. Miki grew up in Brownsville, Texas. Her parents were both artists and teachers. Being around art from a young age helped her choose her career.
She joined the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum (CAF) in 2004. At that time, CAF had not had a full-time director for two years. Miki used her skills in choosing art for shows. She helped MCASB grow a lot over the years. She helped turn it from a local art space into a well-known contemporary art museum. She was in charge of planning shows and public events. Her work earned many awards, including from the National Endowment for the Art.
Abaseh Mirvali
Abaseh Mirvali became the director of MCASB in August 2018. She took on this role when the Funk Zone area was growing.
Before MCASB, Mirvali worked as a curator. She was also an executive director in Mexico City at the Colección/Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo. Mirvali also helped with a big art show in Denver in 2013. She also advised the U.S. Ambassador for Culture and Education.
Mirvali said she was thankful to the people of Santa Barbara. She felt they were dedicated to their community and its history. She was happy to help them achieve their dream for MCASB's future. The MCASB team planned to work with groups in Santa Barbara and around the world. They wanted to show a wider vision of what a museum can be today.
Past Exhibitions
Free Play
The exhibition Free Play was at the museum from May 21, 2017, to August 20, 2017. Alexandra Cunningham Cameron was the director for this show.
Bloom Projects: Beatriz Olabarrieta, Ask the Dust
This exhibition was called Ask the Dust. It was designed by Beatriz Olabarrieta. It ran from November 11, 2018, to February 3, 2019.
This was Beatriz Olabarrieta's first big show in the US. The exhibition was like a story rather than a film. It aimed to connect drawing and writing.
The idea was to explore what is behind solid objects. It also looked at the 'dust' these things create, like the title suggests. Olabarrieta used 'voices' from different designers. These voices were like different parts of the artist's personality. They were key parts of the artworks. The show also used technology to show other sides of human nature.
Barry McGee: SB Mid Summer Intensive
SB Mid Summer Intensive was created by artist Barry McGee. This show was from July 1, 2018, to October 14, 2018. It showed many creative artworks from San Francisco. These included drawings, graffiti, and sculptures. McGee also showed works he made with others. This showed his creativity and passion.
Andy Coolquitt: …i need a hole in my head
The exhibition …i need a hole in my head started on May 18, 2018, and ran until March 7, 2021. Andy Coolquitt designed it. It included different types of art, like paintings, videos, and sculptures. The project aimed to connect different parts of two separate places. It also explored the idea of private and public spaces. The main idea was using abstract geometric shapes in design. The art in the show used many different household items.
Cecily Brown: Rehearsal
The exhibition Rehearsal was shown from January 28, 2018, to June 3, 2018. It was designed by Cecily Brown and planned by Claire Gilman. This was the first show of Brown's drawings. It had over eighty drawings of different sizes at MCASB.
The name Rehearsal comes from an Old French word. It means to repeat something many times to understand it better. This idea was shown in Brown's drawings. It showed her wish to see and react to images. Rehearsal was about looking at an image again and again. This helps you fully understand it. The show also explored new possibilities. The drawings made you want to follow the lines from start to finish. But the empty spaces in Brown's art were also important. The Santa Barbara Independent newspaper called Rehearsal "innovative."
2022 Closure
In 2022, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara (MCASB) announced it would close forever. This was because of ongoing money problems. Even though they tried different ways to raise money, the museum kept losing a lot of money for several years. This led to them not having enough money to keep running.
