SANTA BARBARA - WELCOME TO THE AMERICAN RIVIERA

THERE’S BEAUTIFUL… AND THERE’S SANTA BARBARA

There are seaside escapes. Then there’s a gentle crescent of California coast connecting breathtaking beaches, soaring mountains, verdant vineyards, elevated enclaves and friendly, eclectic communities. Where the sea and the mountains feel as one, the sun feels more golden, and the valleys overflow with a bounty of color.

Santa Barbara is located 92 miles north of Los Angeles and 332 miles south of San Francisco, spanning 100 miles of pristine California coastline. Considered the northernmost point of Southern California and located on the Central Coast, Santa Barbara is known as The American Riviera® thanks to its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, rich heritage, world-renowned food-and-wine scene, stunning natural beauty and near-perfect weather.

Consider yourself warned — Santa Barbara has wanderlust written all over it. And once you set foot in this fair city, you’ll want to come back again and again. Enjoy Santa Barbara’s year-round, Mediterranean-style weather on sandy beaches. Follow the bike path that parallels the ocean and stretches from one beach to the next. And when you’ve found the perfect landing spot, drop your bags and go for a dip in moderate temperature waters. Fancy something a bit sportier? Head out toward the Santa Barbara Channel on a stand-up paddleboard or kayak.

Across the harbor, visit Stearns Wharf, where you can go wine tasting in the only wine bar that sits over the ocean where you might just catch a glimpse of dolphins playing in the water. Wander the streets of uptown and downtown Santa Barbara, where you’ll find boutiques, trusted name-brand stores, locally owned restaurants and cafés, and a generous dose of culture. Stroll through one of California’s oldest outdoor arcades, Paseo de la Guerra. Spend a day of refinement in art museums and galleries. Discover the incredibly rich history of the Presidio Neighborhood and visit one of Santa Barbara’s oldest original homes in Casa de la Guerra.

Santa Barbara Aerial View

At night, be entertained under the stars with a concert performance at the Santa Barbara Bowl, located right at the base of The American Riviera® or catch a live theater show at the Ensemble Theatre Company at New Vic. Visit The Funk Zone, a storied area located between the Pacific Ocean and Highway 101 that is home to artisanal restaurants, wine-tasting rooms, award-winning craft breweries, distilleries in renovated warehouses, and tucked-away galleries.This area also serves as the epicenter of the Urban Wine Trail — a self-guided trail of 20+ tasting rooms pouring Santa Barbara County wines, which makes getting to know this world-renowned wine country fun and easy.

From foodie joints in The Funk Zone to historic streets in the Presidio to irresistible storefronts on State Street, explore Santa Barbara’s beautiful, eclectic neighborhoods and get ready to be wowed.

SANTA BARBARA’S ARTS & CULTURE SCENE:

Old Mission Santa Barbara - Photo by Mark Weber

Few cities of Santa Barbara’s size can match the quality and diversity of its artistic and cultural offerings, which include some 50 museums and galleries and a wide range of performance venues hosting world-class theater groups, opera and dance companies, chamber orchestras, a symphony orchestra and more.

Funk Zone 5 - Photo by Max Whittaker

After a multi-million renovation, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art is revealing a new, expanded, multi-floor wing in summer 2020, which will house photography, Asian art and other exhibits. To open the new wing, the museum will host an exhibit on van Gogh and his influences,"Through Vincent's Eyes," in October 2020, and arts and performing arts organizations throughout Santa Barbara will be putting on van Gogh-themed events.

If you’re looking for an artsy hotel, the Indigo Santa Barbara has a small gallery with rotating art and is currently collaborating with an arts foundation in Ojai. Another hotel with a fantastic art collection is the bohemian and beachy Kimpton Goodland Hotel.

County Courthouse Interior - Photo by Mark Weber

Besides annual arts events and festivals, Santa Barbara offers time-tested standbys: monthly 1st Thursdays, when galleries extend their hours and downtown streets become outdoor stages, and Sundays year-round, when Cabrillo Boulevard transforms into a seaside celebration of local arts and crafts during the Santa Barbara Arts & Crafts Show.

Discover more: www.santabarbaraca.com

KARIN AGGELER

"Art has always been an important part in my life. Growing up I spent much of my time drawing and painting. After moving to Santa Barbara from Munich, Germany, in 1963, I developed a career in ceramics.

As a professional potter, I sold my work to shops and galleries throughout the US , Canada and Europe. When Braille Institute opened their facility here, I coordinated the Arts and Crafts Program and taught ceramics there, in addition to my own studio work.

After a rewarding career of over thirty years in ceramics, I found myself returning to my first love, Painting. This medium opened up more exciting ways of artistic expression for me. I often return to the world of my childhood, the mountains and valleys of Bavaria, having been formed by the colors, relationships and shapes of the landscape in southern Germany.

Today I continue to be inspired by textures, colors and shapes, and these find abstract expression on my canvas. While my art comes from my own moods and emotions, I aspire to create works that join the viewer in a dynamic, continuous conversation. I aim to create vibrant paintings, open and abstract enough to embrace the visions and experiences of the viewer."

www.karinaggeler.com

SHILOH SOPHIA

Shiloh Sophia lives life as a great adventure! A renaissance woman who communicates her philosophy through paintings, poetry, teachings and entrepreneurship.

For 25 years she has dedicated her soul-work to the study and practice of creativity as a path of healing which provides access to consciousness. As a curator and gallery owner, she has represented her own work, as well as hundreds of women artists.

By the age of 40 she achieved incredible success through being in the top ten percent of sales for contemporary artists in the U.S. Her prolific intuitive painting process led to a desire to teach and provided the foundation for the groundbreaking work on how Intentional Creativity® can give voice to the soul.

Her method of ‘creating with mindfulness’ has reached tens of thousands of students who have gained insight into the hidden self. Her work is taught widely, at the University in MA and Phd programs, the United Nations CSW, and by hundreds of Certified Teachers and Coaches. At the core of her work is a belief that the right to self express is one of the most basic human rights – “We have a right to know how to access what we think, feel, believe and to express it in our lives”.

www.shilohsophiastudios.com