2007 Fall Arts Preview – Visual Arts

Although school has started and dusk falls earlier, autumn in Santa Barbara differs little from summer, in terms of both clement temperatures and the abundance of intriguing offerings on view by local and international artists.

Ordinary to Extraordinary: FSA Photographs from the 1930s

A selection of candid black-and-white images from the County Arts Commission’s permanent collection highlights the iconic Depression-era Farm Security Administration work of 10 photographers, including Jack Delano, Walker Evans, and Dorothea Lange. Through their empathetic lenses, these photographers documented American life during the 1930s-one of the nation’s most disheartening periods. Shows through Fri., Oct. 26; open Mon.-Fri., 8am-5pm. Channing Peake Gallery, County Administration Building, 1st Floor, 105 E. Anapamu St. Call 568-3994.

Ray Strong and Richard Haines

This fall, Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery runs two solo shows concurrently that celebrate the legacy of the artists they feature. In the Mayhew Gallery, the vibrant landscapes of Oak Group founder and Santa Barbara art community legend Ray Strong will be on display, while works from the estate of the late American modernist painter Richard Haines will be shown in the Messick Gallery. Shows through Sun., Oct. 7; open every day, 10am-5:30pm. Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery, 7 E. Anapamu St. Call 730-1460 or visit sullivangoss.com.

Ed Inks: Sculpture Garden

Westmont College’s Reynolds Gallery opens its fall season with sculptures by Ed Inks, chair of the Santa Barbara City College art department. Westmont’s second annual outdoor sculpture exhibit will feature five oversize metal compositions, linked by the concept of being inside and outside. Shows through Thu., Dec. 13; open Mon.-Fri., 10am-4pm and Sat., 11am-5pm. Westmont College Reynolds Gallery, 955 La Paz Rd. Call 565-6162 or visit westmont.edu/reynolds_gallery.

Casson Demmon: A Retrospective

Selections of artist and gallery owner Casson Demmon’s paintings, drawings, and photography, with pop imagery ranging from carnival workers and lettuce fields to self-portraits, span the past decade. Shows through Sat., Sept. 29; open Tue.-Wed., noon-5pm, Thu.-Fri., noon-9pm, Sat., 9am-2pm, and Sunday by appointment. Gallery Ocho, 1221 State St., Ste. 8. Call 965-3054 or visit galleryocho.com.

Selden Spaulding: Large Oils

The late, Santa Barbara-born modern artist Selden Spaulding devoted his lifetime to painting, creating abstract canvases by dropping diluted paint from above to produce rich, multicolored patterns. In later years, the artist expanded into landscape painting. Thu., Sept. 6-Sat., Sept. 29; open Tue.-Sat., noon-5pm. Patty Look Lewis Gallery, 25 E. De la Guerra St. Call 965-2525 or visit pattylooklewis.com.

Ra°l Soruco

Frameworks’ new El Paseo location opens with a grouping of abstract oil paintings and monotypes by accomplished Oaxaca-based painter and lithographer Ra°l Soruco, whose collectors include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico, Oaxaca’s Rufina Tamayo Gallery, and Ted Turner. Thu., Sept. 6-Wed., Oct. 31; open Tue.-Fri., 10am-5pm and Sat., 11am-3pm. The Frameworks/Caruso-Woods Gallery, 813 Anacapa St. Call 965-1812 or visit carusowoods.com.

Sarah Plain & Small

Multimedia artist Sarah Woodward incorporates human-art exhibits, photography, clowns, multimedia projections, face-paintings, and balloon animals in the interactive art show, F:ACE. Fri., Sept. 7, 5-8pm. Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, 4567 Telephone Rd., Ventura. Call 258-8094 or visit sarahplainandsmall.com.

True Metier

Celebrating the artistic talent and potential of the winners of CAF’s annual open call to tri-county artists, this exhibition features works from Christine Gray, Bob Mask, Team Hyperbole (Kiel Johnson and Steven Soria), and Ethan Turpin, and emphasizes the idea that being an artist is a calling for the truly gifted individual. Sat., Sept. 8-Sun., Nov. 4; open Tue.-Sun., 11am-5pm and Sat., noon-5pm. Contemporary Arts Forum, 653 Paseo Nuevo. Call 966-5373 or visit sbcaf.org.

The Poetry of Nature

This exhibition features a selection, borrowed primarily from private collections, of the subtle, reflective landscape paintings and masterful lithographs for which renowned artist Russell Chatham is famous. Sun., Sept. 16-Sun., Jan. 6, 2008; open Wed.-Sun., 11am-5pm. Wildling Art Museum, 2329 Jonata St., Los Olivos. Call 688-1082 or visit wildlingmuseum.org.

The Hidden Face of Gold

Human Rights Watch of Santa Barbara joins forces with Antioch University, UCSB’s Global and International Studies Program, and Orfalea Center to present a photography viewing, reception, and discussion of gold mining in the Congo. Photojournalist Marcus Bleasdale traveled with Human Rights Watch researcher Anneke Van Woudenberg to the Congo, where they witnessed an industry in which warlords profit while workers suffer. Wed., Sept. 19, 5:30pm. Center Stage Theater, 751 Paseo Nuevo. RSVP by Sept. 14: Call 284-4232 or email manassh@hrw.org.

Gerald Incandela: Equine Expressions

In his first West Coast solo exhibition, photographer Gerald Incandela communicates the exquisite agility and powerful presence of the horse in a selection of dramatic, insightful, large-format photographic drawings, using a unique process in which he applies developer with bold, painterly brushstrokes, exposing only certain elements of the print. Thu., Sept. 20-Sun., Nov. 4; open Tue.-Sun., 11am-5pm. Edward Cella Art+Architecture, 10 E. Figueroa St. Call 962-5900 or visit edwardcella.com.

PAIRED

Featuring rare still lifes, nudes, and family portraits by photographic pioneer Imogen Cunningham, her son Rondal Partridge, and their friend Horace Bristol, this exhibition focuses on the shared appreciation of these acclaimed 20th-century California photographers for the simplicity of form and composition in photographic art. Fri., Oct. 5-Fri., Nov. 16; open Tue.-Sat., 10am-6pm, by appointment. East/West Gallery, 714 Bond Ave. Call 963-4041 or visit eastwest-gallery.com.

Works in Clay

Cowinners of the Arts Fund’s 18th annual Individual Artist Award in the ceramic art division, Nina de Creeft Ward and Laura Langley, will display their work. Tue., Oct. 16-Sat., Nov. 10; open Tue.-Sat., 1-5pm. Call 965-7321 or visit www.artsfundsb.org.

Gritty Brits: New London Architecture

In its sole West Coast engagement, this exhibition showcases a new generation of London-based architectural firms, active primarily in and around the city’s postindustrial, multicultural East End, that engage with the vibrant diversity of contemporary urban culture in their approach to architecture. Thu., Nov. 1-Sun., Jan. 20, 2008; open Wed.-Sun., noon-5pm. University Art Museum, UCSB. Call 893-7564 or visit uam.ucsb.edu.

Everyday Luxury: Chinese Silks of the Qing Dynasty

Showcasing more than 100 exquisite examples of Chinese costumes and textiles dating from 1644-1911, this exhibition includes official “dragon robes,” women’s dress, theatrical garments, and related accessories from the museum’s acclaimed collection, and examines the imagery, forms, techniques, and functions of these opulent textiles in the context of their cultural background. Sat., Nov. 10-Sun., Feb. 17, 2008; open Tue.-Sun., 11am-5pm. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. Call 963-4364 or visit sbmuseart.org.