Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.
On Friday, June 27, 2025, the ARTS District of Santa Barbara will sponsor a 3D Chalk painting by renowned artist Rod Tryonin front of the Santa Barbara Central Library, as part of THE GREAT QUAKE event on June 28-29, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Santa Barbara’s great earthquake.
The 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake, which subsequently helped shape the future of Santa Barbara in significant ways, resulted in the deaths of 11 people and caused significant damage to downtown buildings including the San Marcos Building at the corner of Anapamu Street and State Street. Cracks in the pavement appeared along Cabrillo Boulevard as a result of the temblor.
Santa Barbara residents responded quickly and in a variety of ways to the Earthquake, including with moments of humor, and this artwork invokes that spirit. In a nod to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel THE LOST WORLD, Rod Tryon’s piece will depict the ground opening up and revealing a lost world of dinosaurs and other extinct creatures. THE GREAT QUAKE event, created and presented by EQ25, https://eq25.org is a community-wide celebration of the centennial of this momentous and defining chapter in the history of Santa Barbara, and the ARTS District is proud to participate with EQ25, by sponsoring this wonderful and entertaining piece of art
Last month the ARTS District collaborated with Children’ s Creative project and I Madonnari to bring a whimsical chalk painting by Ann Hefferman to the street in front of the Arlington Theatre. This latest sponsorship and collaboration with THE GREAT QUAKE event continues the work of the ARTS District to bring art in its many manifestations into our everyday lives in delightful and unexpected ways.
The ARTS District’s larger mission is to support Santa Barbara arts and economy by promoting public awareness of its locally-focused, arts-oriented downtown neighborhood as a vibrant art, cultural and creative district through special events, community outreach, and collaborative marketing efforts. For more information visit http://www.artsdistrictsb.org
