About Us

This website is offered as a public service by the Santa Barbara Visual Arts Alliance (SBVAA), a nonprofit organization. Founded in 2001, it has a mission to promote, locally, nationally, and internationally, the rich visual arts resources of Santa Barbara County.

In addition, SBVAA is dedicated to promoting opportunities for Santa Barbara artists, encouraging the creation of art, generating stimulating dialog about aesthetic issues, plus deepening the knowledge and the appreciation of all the visual arts.

Funded in part by the Santa Barbara Community Events & Festivals Program, this website uses funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. Also, SBVAA operates in cooperation with services provided by the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance.

Implementation:

As an umbrella organization, SBVAA brings together most of the various arts groups that function within Santa Barbara County. Currently this comprises about 100 members including museums, galleries, studios, art associations, universities, colleges and other visual art related organizations, plus many individual artists with studios.

SBVAA sponsors and manages this extensive public online database of Santa Barbara County art related events, art venues, art organizations, and artists who open their studios to public visits. The database is updated weekly and has grown to the point it attracts many thousands of online visitors who want up-to-date information about what visual art events may be seen in the local community.

To promote new artist opportunities, SBVA encourages the development of suitable venues to exhibit the artworks of local artists, and provides the liaison between the venue management, the artists, and art organizations.

Organization:

SBVAA consists of a working Board, supported by various outsourced functions provided by volunteers and part time subcontractors. The members of the Board volunteer their time to steer the organization and to each oversee some aspect of its operation. Click here for information on volunteering opportunities.