Anonymous
Source: County of Santa Barbara
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture (www.sbac.ca.gov) is pleased to announce “Tiny Libraries on Tour,” sponsored by the County Arts Commission in partnership with the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. Six outdoor sculptural libraries by artist Douglas Lochner will travel to public libraries in Goleta, Guadalupe, Los Alamos, New Cuyama, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria from mid-January through April.
In 2019, the County Office of Arts and Culture commissioned Lochner to produce six brightly-colored, dynamic and functional public art “libraries” shaped as life-sized punctuation marks to be exhibited on State Street in Santa Barbara. The initial exhibition was produced by the City of Santa Barbara and Office of Arts and Culture in partnership with the Santa Barbara Public Library, Santa Barbara Beautiful, Downtown Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation and many community supporters, and is slated to return to State Street in summer 2020.
After the successful completion of the exhibition, the Arts Commission voted to fund the transportation of the sculptures to public libraries countywide. Each library will provide corresponding programming for the duration of the exhibition. Arts Commission Chair Dennis Smitherman shared that this project will “provide a platform for communities throughout the county to interact with and experience the power of public art.”
Lochner’s proposal was chosen through an open submission process juried by representatives from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Barbara; Arts Commission; Santa Barbara Public Library; Santa Barbara City College; Moxi; City Arts Advisory Committee; and The Book Den.
“We hope the Tiny Libraries enjoy the same popularity they had on State Street, and serve as a reminder that the Public Library is a gateway to even more books, as well as community education classes, digital content, and more that spark curiosity and further learning,” said Jessica Cadiente, Library Director for Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Carpinteria.
About the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture is a division of the County’s Community Services Department, serving as the local governmental umbrella for arts and culture projects and programs within Santa Barbara County. The Office represents a longstanding partnership between the County and City of Santa Barbara. For more than 30 years, both governments have shared resources and staff to maximize support for Santa Barbara arts and culture institutions, programs, initiatives and projects. For more information, go to www.sbac.ca.gov.
