Stone Soup at Arts Fund

StoneSoup11x17posterMost people have heard the story of Stone Soup, where “weary travelers enter town with nothing in their pockets and hunger in their bellies, but their pleas to local residents for food are rejected. Undeterred, they fill their pot with water and submerge a purported “magic” stone into it to attract the attention of the residents. The curious townsfolk are allowed to join the feast, but must contribute ingredients to supplement the dish. Before long, as residents bring food from their stores, a hearty soup has been created, and all are well fed and nourished.”

This age-old folk tale involves creative thinking, a con job and community sharing with disparate items brought together to create something for all to enjoy. The same is true of The Can(n)on Art Studios and the five studio mates— Elizabeth Folk, Rafael Gaete, Kimberly Hahn, Marco Pinter and James Van Arsdale—who created the work on view in this exhibition.

Established in 2010, The Can(n)on Art Studios in Goleta provides an affordable, open-floor-plan studios for local artists and a community-minded workspace. Periodically, the Can(n)on showcases guest artists, lectures, and open studios. Though there is this collective aspect to The Can(n)on, each artist produces unique work in diverse media, styles and conceptual frameworks that engage in the contemporary art dialogue. The show will include Folk’s video and sculptural work, Gaete’s abstract oil painting, Hahn’s photographic and Pinter’s interactive installations, and Van Arsdale’s mixed-media works and opening night sound/music performance. This exhibition features the work of active artists involved in the Santa Barbara contemporary art scene.

A public reception will be held at the Arts Fund Gallery (205-C Santa Barbara St.) on Friday, April 1 from 5-8 p.m. during the Funk Zone Art Walk, with a special performance by Heavy Cosmic Kinetic. The exhibition will be on view until May 21. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday-Sunday from noon-5 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on March 29, 2016.

AGORAPHOBIA: PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN INTERIORS at Sullivan Goss Gallery

Painting by Patssi Valdez, courtesy Sullivan Goss

Painting by Patssi Valdez, courtesy Sullivan Goss

Sullivan Goss presents AGORAPHOBIA: Portraits of American Interiors.  One of four new exhibitions scheduled to open this month, AGORAPHOBIA examines the idea of interior architectural space as portraiture, featuring paintings, photographs, and sculpture by a variety of mostly contemporary artists.

Artists included in this exhibition are: Anders Aldrin, Patricia Chidlaw, Pamela Enticknap, Robert Frame, Kimberly Hahn, Mark Lozano, Zack Paul, Richard Ross, Julius Shulman, Patssi Valdez and Mark Christian Wethli.

This will be the Sullivan Goss Gallery debut for Valdez, Ross and Hahn.

The exhibit opens on December 4 (1st Thursday) and runs through March 1, 2015. Sullivan Goss is located at 7 E. Anapamu St. in downtown Santa Barbara.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on December 2, 2014.