Now at the CAW
The Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative Presents:
Area Meeting
A Place for Creative Exchange
Tuesday, August 11th, 6-8pm
$12
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 Artist 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. 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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Panelists
Kelly Bold Cottrell received her BA in Liberal Studies with a minor in Visual Art from Cal State Monterey Bay and has worked for Alpha Resource Center since 2013. She has been the Studio Manager at Slingshot since 2020, where she oversees daily studio operations and serves as case manager for each enrolled artist.
Jessica Schlobohm studied at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, before completing her degree at the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara. She earned a BA in Studio Art with an emphasis in sculpture, then went on to receive an MFA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths, University of London. She has been the Gallery Director at Slingshot since 2021, where she oversees artist representation and community engagement.
Zoe Van Beurden is a Santa Barbara-based artist who blurs the boundary between memory and environment through painting and drawing. She received her BA in art from UC Santa Barbara and currently works as the Lead Teaching Artist at Slingshot / Alpha Art Studio, supporting the creative practices of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
After a short break and snack, the post-break panel will include Dylan Long and Madison Gobbell, current artists working at Slingshot Art Studio.
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.
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: nothalfbadtheatre@gmail.com
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
From the organizer:
Join us to celebrate the life and work of Jami Joelle Nielsen (1983–2025). Born in Kansas City, Jami Joelle was a self-taught eco-artist who lived, worked, and exhibited in Santa Barbara, California. 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.
Santa Barbara Printmakers Presents:
Intermediate Relief Printmaking Two-color Printing with “Flexicut" Blocks
Saturday August 15, 2026 10 am - 3 pm
Take your printmaking to the next level by creating 2-color relief prints.
From the organizer:
Learn designing for 2-color prints, carving techniques, creating a key block and a color block, registration, and printing techniques.
Introduction to Relief Printmaking or prior relief printmaking experience is required.
The Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative Presents:
Artist Studio Survey
Tell us about your art and the space you need to create it.
The Arts Collaborative is venturing beyond the walls of the Community Arts Workshop to study the possibility of affordable artist studios in Santa Barbara.
With the rise in costs for both housing and commercial space, artists are being priced out of historic areas like the Funk Zone and struggling to find replacements.
The SBAC has rallied a small group of community leaders to study the need, the possibilities, and the methods for facilitating more affordable studio space for artists. Our group wants to hear from artists themselves to understand the realistic needs of our artistic community for creative work space.
Participating in this survey directly supports our ability to make this effort a reality.
We so appreciate your time.
Jennifer Bi Presents:
Portrait Drawing Class
5 Mondays 6-9pm Aug 17-Sept 14
Skilled Instruction on the Fundamentals
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From the organizer:
Where do your eyes go first in any figurative artwork?
What makes a portrait look three-dimensional?
In this 5-week deep dive on portrait drawing, we'll first identify *what* we're drawing: the anatomical structures that make up the human head. Then, we'll put that to practice by drawing from a live model.
We will build from 5-10 minute sketches to a 1-hour long complete portrait.
Lectures, demos in charcoal, and individual feedback will be offered. A variety of drawing materials/paper will be provided, though you're welcome to bring your preferred drawing tools. Bring a notebook to take notes!
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Mondays 6-9pm, Aug 17, 24, 31, Sept 7, 14 2026
Location: Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden St
Tuition: $300
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Jennifer Bi is a figurative artist and sculptor based in Santa Barbara. She studied fine art drawing and sculpture at Academy of Art in San Francisco in 2024.
Examples of her work can be found at www.jennifer-bi.com
Slingshot / Alpha Art Studio Presents:
Slingshot Art Fest
An event filled with art, music, fashion, and community-collaboration
Saturday August 29th 10am - 4pm
From the organizer:
Join us at SB CAW for Slingshot Art Fest.
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An event filled with art, music, fashion, and community-collaboration.
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Featuring work from over 20 Slingshot artists, +Koth, Dante Elephante, Alpha Thrift, and Rest Stop beverage service.
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Free Admission. All ages.
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Slingshot / Alpha Art Studio is a nonprofit progressive art center that supports the creative practice and professional interests of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Santa Barbara County.
More information at slingshotart.org.
Santa Barbara Studio Artists Presents:
SBSA 25th Annual Open Studio Tour
Driving tour to 24 artist studios in Santa Barbara County
September 5-7, 11am-5pm
Opening Reception September 4th, 5-8pm at the CAW
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From the organizer:
Tickets are on sale for the Santa Barbara Studio Artists’ 25th annual Open Studios Tour, taking place Labor Day weekend, Saturday, Sept. 5 through Monday, Sept. 7., from 11 am to 5 pm daily. Tickets are $25 and available online at www.SantaBarbaraStudioArtists.com. (Children under 12 are free.) Tickets and tour maps will also be available at the reception and throughout the holiday weekend at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden Street.
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This year’s Silver Anniversary tour begins with an Opening Reception and Preview Exhibition on Friday, Sept. 4, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW). In honor of the 25th anniversary, the evening will feature a special retrospective of memories from the past quarter-century. Guests will also enjoy an exclusive “first look” at representative works from all 24 participating artists, providing the perfect opportunity to curate a custom tour route for the weekend ahead.
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The SBSA’s Open Studios Tour is a renowned Santa Barbara tradition, where participating artists raise yellow flags over their studios to welcome visitors from across the region and, indeed, from around the world.
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This year’s tour showcases a diverse array of disciplines, including sculpture, contemporary abstract painting, symbolism, paper art, and assemblage.
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Featured artists for 2026 include:
Danuta Bennett – Contemporary Abstract & Symbolic Realism
Eric Saint Georges – Sculpture
Cynthia Martin – Contemporary Abstract
Leslie Ekker – Sculpture & Assemblage
Marilyn McRae – Paper Art
Susan Tibbles – Painting & Assemblage
Sarita Reynolds – Contemporary Abstract
All 2026 Participating Artists by Neighborhood:
Santa Barbara & Montecito: Misa Art, Danuta Bennett, Ann Shelton Beth, William Dalziel*, Jeanne Dentzel*, Leslie Ekker, Karen Fedderson, Brian Kuhlmann*, Kathy Leader, Paulo Pereira Lima*, Cynthia Martin, Sarita Reynolds, Joan Rosenberg-Dent, Francis Scorzelli, Susan Tibbles, Brian Woolford.
West Santa Barbara, Hope Ranch & Goleta: Pamela Benham, Marilyn McRae, Jean Range*, Nurit Ruckenstein*, Eric Saint Georges, Ann Sanders, Marlene Struss, Gerry Winant.
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With questions call: (805) 280-9178
Use the CAW
The CAW collaborates to empower and provide affordable space for art projects of all kinds. Have an idea? Use the CAW.
The Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative works to maintain the CAW as a "blank canvas" for as wide a diversity of arts uses and users as possible, providing space and collaborating with project initiators to make their ideas a success for the benefit of the broader community, and supporting and cultivating collaborations between artists and arts organizations, community groups, the business community, non-profit organizations and the entire community.
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Find out more about how you can use the CAW here:
The SBAC facilitates the use of the CAW by artists, nonprofits, and community groups of all types; fostering exploration, conversation, collaboration, and connection to further its mission to sustain and grow all forms of the arts in Santa Barbara. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the users’ own, and do not necessarily represent those of the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative. The SBAC welcomes all in the work to sustain and grow the unique cultural ecology of our community.