Starting Here: A Selection of Distinguished Artists from UCSB

The Art, Design & Architecture Museum at UC Santa Barbara will present a large-scale exhibition that celebrates the legacy and continued vibrancy of the visual arts at UCSB. In association with the campus’s College of Creative Studies and Department of Art, “Starting Here” will show the work of 48 artists who attended UCSB from 1950-2010.

Through the artists’ works and experiences, the exhibition, which opens May 17, will chart changes in art and the teaching of art at UCSB, all the while highlighting the value of peer-to-peer and interdisciplinary learning. The exhibition will include book art, ceramics, drawing, painting performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video.

Opening in two phases the exhibition will be installed throughout the Art, Design & Architecture Museum and in the College of Creative Studies Gallery. The first phase will include the work of 16 artists, representing a modest overview of the range of accomplished artists who have attended UCSB.

This initial group will be augmented by an additional 32 artists in the second phase, opening June 28. The show is curated by Elyse Gonzales, curator of exhibitions at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum; Jane Mulfinger, professor and chair of art; and Kim Yasuda, professor of art. It will continue through August 10.

Also opening in May at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum is “Alter: Graduate MFA Exhibition.” The result of two years of intensive artistic engagement, the show brings together work by graduating MFA students. The name “Alter” is both a reference ot the artists’ own artistic transformation over the course of their studies at UCSB and an allusion to their individual practices, which incorporate alteration of bodies, nature, space, animals memory, sound or time. Works on view will include collage, drawing, installation, painting, photography, sculpture, sound and video.

Among the exhibiting artists are James Cathey, Cathy Ellis, Clare Little, Maria Rendon and Sommer Roman. The show opens May 17 and continues through May 29. An opening reception will take place at 5:30 p.m. Friday May 16.

A third show opening at the museum is the “Undergraduate Art Exhibition.” An annual event, the three-day show opens on June 12. A reception for the artists is set for 3 p.m. on June 14.

The “Undergraduate Art Exhibition” presents paintings, drawings, sculptures, videos, installations and other multimedia works selected by faculty in the Department of Art. Works included represent the talent, skill, hard work and dedication of undergraduate students in their respective fields.

The Art, Design & Architecture Museum is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free.