Mapping Santa Barbara’s Public Art

Did you know there are more than 100 murals and other artworks scattered throughout Santa Barbara? From historic murals dating back to the 1930s to mid-century modern gems and the vibrant street adorning today’s Funk Zone, the city functions as a kind of outdoor museum — no entry fee required. And now, thanks to a new initiative from Santa Barbara Beautiful (SBB) and the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative (SBAC), there’s finally an easy way to explore them all. 

A new digital tool — the Santa Barbara Public Art Map — offers an engaging look into the city’s collection of public murals and artworks. Complete with photos, locations, artist info, and clickable links to many of the artists’ websites, this interactive Google map celebrates the city’s creative spirit while making it all more accessible to experience in person. 

The idea took shape after SBB’s Annual Awards ceremony last fall, when Nathan Vonk — owner of Sullivan Goss Gallery and longtime board member of the SBAC — learned that SBB board member and fine artist Melinda Mettler had quietly documented every public-facing mural in the city. 

“When I heard there were 90 murals, I was astounded — that’s more than some cities that actively promote their public art,” says Vonk. 

Intrigued and inspired, he began thinking about how Mettler’s work could be developed into a broader resource. “I reached out to Melinda to start brainstorming how we could turn this into something engaging for the community,” shares Vonk. “And what better time than during the 100th anniversary of the 1925 earthquake — the event that started Santa Barbara’s transformation into the American Riviera?”

From there, Vonk and Mettler teamed up to digitize her photographs and capture other non-mural works, creating a custom map to spotlight the incredible array of art hiding in plain sight across the city. Such works include the historic murals inside the Santa Barbara Courthouse and Public Library; the Chumash petroglyphs in Painted Cave; murals on the outside of Trader Joe’s and Santa Barbara High School; sculptures within El Paseo; and mosaics along State Street — to highlight just a few.

To inspire people to explore these pieces, SBB and SBAC have joined forces to launch the 100 Years of Santa Barbara Public Art campaign. This months-long, community-wide celebration, aligned with the centennial of the 1925 earthquake, aims to encourage locals and visitors to discover the city through its art.

“We invite people to visit these mural and art sites and vote for their favorite pieces during a three-week window this fall,” shares Vonk. “At the end of the three weeks, we’ll have an awards ceremony announcing the community’s most popular piece of public art.”

While community engagement is a central goal, Vonk emphasizes that the deeper purpose is fostering pride in Santa Barbara’s artistic legacy. Building on that idea, the digital map also features “ghost murals,” or works that no longer exist but remain an important part of the city’s visual history. “Our hope is to document all the public art we have — and have had,” says Vonk. “How lucky are we to walk through history in this way? From WPA-era murals to Chicano tradition art to modern iconography, it’s all right here in our backyard. This project is about celebrating that legacy, one artwork at a time.”

Voting for the 100 Years of Santa Barbara Public Art campaign begins September 4 and runs for three weeks. The interactive map featuring more than 100 public-facing artworks is available online at sbartscollaborative.org/public-art-map. A separate Murals of Santa Barbara Map, available at bit.ly/4mNFdOO, can be found on both the SBB and the SBAC websites.