County of Santa Barbara Arts Fund to Move Out of La Cumbre Plaza

After three years of operating the Community Gallery space at La Cumbre Plaza, the County of Santa Barbara Arts Fund announced it would be transitioning out of the location when the current lease ends on June 30. The pop-up programming and events hosted at the space will continue in other locations going forward, as the Arts Fund embraces a “more flexible future,” according to Board President Jamie Dufek. 

“Our programs will continue — we’re not going anywhere,” Dufek said. “This is about reimagining how we engage with our community. We’re excited to take the Community Gallery model on the road and pop up in creative spaces across Santa Barbara County.”

The Arts Fund, which has been operating in the county for more than 40 years, relocated from the Funk Zone to La Cumbre Plaza back in 2021, and for the past three years, the community space has been home to public art installations, youth art workshops, and innovative exhibitions such as the Museum of Sensory & Movement Experiences, by artist Marco Pinter, which was open to the public through the end of June.

The transition comes just after the passing of Joanne Cooper Holderman, Arts Fund cofounder and longtime president and vice president of the organization, who was the driving force behind many of the arts initiatives and programs, such as the artist awards, mentorship program for teens, and opportunities for poetry and photography projects for students from elementary through high school.

In a statement sent out to the Arts Fund community, Dufek said that the transition feels “especially poignant” given the loss of the organization’s “irreplaceable champion and cofounder,” Holderman, just one month ago.

“She taught us that art isn’t contained by walls,” Dufek said. “It lives in every conversation, every collaboration, every spark of curiosity, and is brought to life through people and ideas.”

Dufek reiterated that the shift away from the La Cumbre Plaza location will not affect upcoming programming. “We’re simply reimagining how we meet you where you are,” she said. “As we honor Joanne’s legacy by carrying art into every corner of our community, I hope you’ll join in the next chapter — whether by mentoring a teen, attending a pop-up, or making a gift in her memory.”

She said that the Arts Fund would be taking a more “agile approach” going forward, offering the same Teen Arts Mentorships (with six free sessions this summer and fall), pop-up events at schools and public parks, and public art projects in neighborhoods across the county. 

“In Joanne’s spirit, we are ending one chapter and beginning a new chapter as we expand our programs throughout the county,” Dufek said.