Area Meeting, the dynamic gathering of artists, creators, and community members, will meet again on Tuesday, September 8th at the Community Arts Workshop. Area Meeting is designed as a rallying point for local creatives offering an invigorating evening of artistic presentations, lively discussions, and thoughtful feedback—plus a table of curated snacks that bring people together in the spirit of collaboration and inspiration.

September’s Area Meeting will host a panel discussion between the Community Arts Residency Selected Artists for 2025-26, Patrick Melroy, Tayllor Oyewole-Davis, Ademola Oyewole-Davis and the Arts Collaborative’s Executive Director, Casey Caldwell. Meet the artists who took on this challenge and hear their experiences and process of executing this program.  The panel will be guest moderated by Alex Lucas, Associate Professor of Print and Publication at UCSB. 

The projects in discussion are Transmission Station and Storytelling is the Revolution both using poetry, social engagement, analog technology, and storytelling as a means for building community, fostering genuine conversation, reckoning with social disconnection, and feeding relationships between disparate people and groups. 

Panelists

Patrick Melroy is a Santa Barbara-based social practice artist whose work often takes the form of interactive sculptures, analog systems, and public performances rooted in collective participation and shared authorship. A founding member of the influential Uppur Bunk Collaborative, Pullstring Press, MISC Workshop, and a charter member of Bottled Lightning Projects in Portland, OR, Melroy has exhibited work from Belgrade to Los Angeles, always with a deep commitment to audience interaction and unconventional settings. Melroy holds an MFA from the Department of Art at UC Santa Barbara and has taught studio art and social practice courses throughout the region, most recently at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Tayllor Oyewole-Davis is a seasoned educator, social impact strategist, and internationally recognized poet. As the Founder of Sisterhood (verb), Inc., Tayllor has worked to integrate the arts with community engagement, helping educational spaces create sustainable opportunities for art and the community to flourish. As Executive Assistant & Artist in Residence at The Riviera Ridge School in Santa Barbara, she cultivated arts-integrated programming and partnerships. Her teaching experience also includes serving as a Teaching Artist with Turn Around Arts, where she developed socio-emotional and arts-integrated curricula. A celebrated poet, Tayllor's work has been featured in anthologies and galleries worldwide and has performed at renowned venues globally. She has presented on national platforms, including the
National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference and the Mount Holyoke College Women of Color Trailblazers Leadership Conference. She has earned awards like the H. Elizabeth Braun Catalyst for Change Award. Tayllor holds an M.A. in Humanities and Social Thought from New York University and a B.A. in Psychology from Mount Holyoke College.

Ademola Oyewole-Davis is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, poet, writer, educator, and activist who has captivated audiences with his performances since age eight. His artistic journey has led him across the United States, with notable performances in Southern California and New York. Currently, Ademola is collaborating with his father, Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets, on a second album while also working on his debut solo project, "Lib(er)ation." With over seven years of teaching experience through organizations like Urban Word NYC and various independent and charter schools, Ademola is dedicated to fostering a conscious, critical, and creative learning environment. His mission is to empower students by giving voice to truth and power to justice.