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SANTA BARBARA, CA — Art at the Lugo will present Ancestral Sketches, a new body of work by Santa Barbara artist Raul Audelo, during Downtown Santa Barbara’s First Thursday Art Walk at the historic Lugo Adobe.
The exhibition explores ancestry, memory, cultural continuity, and identity through a series of contemporary paintings inspired by Indigenous, Mexican, and Mexican-American histories and visual traditions. Blending portraiture, symbolism, and storytelling, Ancestral Sketches invites viewers into an imaginative dialogue with the past while reflecting on the shared humanity that connects generations across time.
Built around 1830, the Lugo Adobe is one of Santa Barbara’s oldest surviving structures and remains an important part of the city’s Pueblo Viejo historic district. The adobe is connected to the influential Lugo family, one of California’s founding families during the Spanish and Mexican periods. In 1923, preservationist Bernhard Hoffmann and renowned architect George Washington Smith restored the property and added the now-iconic Meridian Studios, a Spanish Colonial Revival creative complex designed specifically for artists and sculptors. Over the decades, the studios housed numerous influential creatives, including sculptor Ettore Cadorin and celebrated Western artist Joe De Yong, continuing a longstanding tradition of art, architecture, and cultural expression within the space.
Hosted within this historic setting, the exhibition is presented in partnership with Britt Jewett and Studio 7, Architecture & Allied Arts, whose stewardship of the Lugo Adobe reflects a continued commitment to preservation, thoughtful design, and Santa Barbara’s architectural legacy. The collaboration carries an added personal connection for Audelo through his younger cousin, Misael Contreras, who is part of the firm, creating a meaningful bridge between family, creativity, architecture, and place.
A special moment during the evening will include the formal public presentation of a featured painting recently added to the Garcia-Correa Collection. The collection reflects a longstanding commitment to preserving and uplifting works connected to Mexican culture, campesino identity, labor, history, and artistic expression.
The presentation comes alongside the Garcia-Correa family’s recent donation of an important collection of Mexican prints to the Art, Design & Architecture Museum at UC Santa Barbara, reflecting an ongoing commitment to cultural preservation, artistic stewardship, and greater visibility for works grounded in heritage, memory, and community.
The evening will also feature performances by acclaimed cellist Borah J and beloved Santa Barbara musician, actor, and cultural performer Luis Moreno, a longtime participant in many of the region’s most cherished traditions rooted in Mexican and Early California heritage. Together, their performances will help shape the atmosphere of the gathering and deepen the evening’s themes of reflection, connection, memory, and cultural exchange.
Set within one of Santa Barbara’s most historically significant adobe structures, Ancestral Sketches brings together art, music, architecture, and cultural storytelling in an evening centered on legacy, stewardship, creativity, and connection.
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, a portion of proceeds from the exhibition will support the Suicide Awareness Bike Ride, along with a donation to the Brain Injury Association of America. The contributions reflect themes of healing, resilience, and community care that are woven throughout Audelo’s artistic practice and personal journey.
Event Information
Art at the Lugo: Ancestral Sketches
A Series by Raul Audelo
Part of Downtown Santa Barbara’s First Thursday Art Walk
Location: Lugo Adobe, 116 E De La Guerra, Santa Barbara, CA
Date: June 4th, 2026
Time: 5-9pm
