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Art Department
The newly opened exhibit Creative Currents: Student Expression in the Arts at UC Santa Barbara’s Sara Miller McCune Arts Library showcases decades of student creativity, spanning from 1960 to 2017. Curated by graduate student Carlyle Constantino, the exhibit highlights emotionally resonant works while exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the evolving role of curation in amplifying historically overlooked voices.
Amanda Harris, a UCSB Art major, uses painting to explore memory and healing. From childhood sketches to public art projects like Santa Barbara’s Painted Pianos on State Street, her work reflects a deep connection to nostalgia. As she prepares for a career in art therapy, she hopes to use creativity as a tool for healing and self-expression.
Meena Ki Kahani (Stories of Meena), a beloved animated series created by UNICEF in 1993, has become a cultural phenomenon in South Asia, addressing critical issues like gender inequality, child labor, and trafficking. Speaking at a UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities event, Indian scholar Jawa Jha highlighted the series’ profound societal impact. Jha believes the series shows how media can inspire social change.
Alice Madrigal, a 2023 UC Santa Barbara Art Honors graduate, is breaking ground in the art world with bold, colorful illustrations that explore identity and self-expression. Her work challenges societal norms of beauty and self-perception while celebrating body positivity and authenticity. Now preparing for her first New York City art show, Madrigal credits UCSB’s Honors Art Program for fostering her growth.
This fall, UC Santa Barbara's MultiCultural Center hosted Echoes of Empowerment, a student-led art exhibit showcasing creative work such as poems, collages, and paintings. The pieces in this collection convey resilience, hope, and the transformative power of art to mend and uplift the human spirit, a space for connection and inspiration for students of color and others who feel marginalized.
UCSB Film and Media Studies professor Mona Damluji recently discussed her journey into children's literature and the inspiration behind her socially-conscious works. Damluji published her debut children’s book, Together, in 2021, emphasizing the power of collective action. Her upcoming book, I Want You to Know, dives deeper into personal and political narratives. Written as a poem for her children, the book reflects on the generational effects of war, particularly in the Middle East, and explores themes of displacement and resilience. Damluji aims to open dialogue about complex histories, colonialism, and intergenerational trauma.
UCSB professor and artist Sarah Rosalena uses computer programming and hand crafting to interpret the stars. In an interview, she discusses representing Indigenous values and anti-colonialism through her art and her work at UCSB.
This spring, UC Santa Barbara students co-facilitated the creation of Originalia, an art showcase featuring the painting, sculpture, and interactive artwork of 11 students interpreting their experiences with reproductive biology. UCSB students Emilie Risha and Anastasia Senavsky described how they came together to express their passion for reproductive biology in an interdisciplinary manner.
Ph.D. student Letícia Cobra Lima created the recent exhibit at UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum, “A Box of One’s Own: Women Beyond Borders.” Through intricately decorated boxes, women express what womanhood means to them. Lima’s recent workshop 'Bring Your Own Box' invited the UCSB community to actively participate. Inspired by Virginia Woolf, this exhibit explores the use of artistic freedom and empowerment through the creation of these small, meaningful boxes.
This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creative student voices across the campus. The following are the winning submissions in the visual art category.
Discussing a career in public art spanning 30 years, Art Department professor Kim Yasuda presented the talk “Public Art and Campus Placemaking: Recentering the Artist in Communities of Practice” at UC Santa Barbara’s library, in conjunction with UCSB Reads 2024. Yasuda emphasized collaboration across disciplines and cultural advocacy in her efforts to connect students, scholars, and the public.
Musician and composer Gene Coleman spoke to a UC Santa Barbara audience about his work in Neuro Music. With compositions inspired by the brain’s auditory pathways, Coleman studies music from a neuroaesthetic perspective for creative production.
UC Santa Barbara’s art department recently welcomed artist Rodrigo Valenzuela, a professor of photography at UCLA to speak to students as part of the Visiting Artist Speaker Series. Valenzuela shared his portfolio of work, emphasizing economic, political, and social issues in the United States and in Chile, where he is originally from. He encouraged students looking to pursue a career in art.
This fall, UCSB’s Art Design and Architecture Museum is displaying work by Helena Arahuete, an artist and architect who aims to create work that collaborates with its surrounding environment and align with nature. The museum is free, and open to students and community members at UC Santa Barbara.
UC Santa Barbara’s art department recently welcomed artist, Matt Mitros, executive director of the Clay Studio of Santa Barbara, to speak to students as part of the Visting Artist Speaker Series. Mitros shared his portfolio of work, along with some personal stories and words of encouragement for students looking to pursue an art career.
Writing Program lecturer Christian Thomas recently developed UCSB’s first interactive, choose-your-own-adventure game for an undergraduate writing course. The game responds to the player’s choices, and exposes students to Rome’s rich history of art and archaeology,
Joy Harjo, the 23rd poet laureate of the United States, came to UC Santa Barbara recenlty for a poetry reading and Q&A session. She is the first Native American to hold the title of poet laureate and writes about colonization, love, fear and empowerment.
UC Santa Barbara 2023 graduate Nina Lopez choreographed three numbers for the Spring Dance Recital “VITALITY.” She was one of five senior students who choreographed the showcase. She recently sat down for an interview to discuss her background in dance and what the future holds for her.
UC Santa Barbara visual art student Dylan Buckley Delaney spoke in a recent interview about his Glass Box Gallery exhibit, "SECRET SHAPE.” Buckley Delaney told Han about how his exhibit captures transformative undertones, his childhood, personal artistry, and more.
Humanities and Fine Arts student intern Faith Harvey moderated a discussion to mark Mental Health Awareness Month about the links between mental health and arts and humanities. She was joined by panelists Ellen O’Connell Whittet, a UC Santa Barbara continuing lecturer in the Writing Program, and Breana Gilcher, a UC Santa Barbara lecturer in the Department of Music. During this hour-long Zoom webinar, the HFA faculty members discussed their own mental health experiences, trends in mental health they’ve noticed among UCSB students and what advice they would give those suffering from burn out.
