Santa Barbara Arts Fund

For 30 years The Arts Fund has fostered the creative arts in Santa Barbara County. We are committed to enhancing the education of a new generation of artistic talent through our Teen Arts Mentorship program. Since 2001, The Arts Fund has maintained a Community Gallery to highlight work created through these programs, to promote audience awareness of local artists, serve as an educational venue for workshops and artist talks, and to support other area organizations and artists that lack exhibition space of their own.

Originally incorporated as the County of Santa Barbara Art Associates, The Arts Fund was created in 1983 as a private, nonprofit corporation to promote, foster, and support art activities in Santa Barbara County and to facilitate the works of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. In the late 1980s, The Arts Fund evolved into an independent organization with its current mission of fostering opportunities in the arts for Santa Barbara County residents.

In the past year, The Arts Fund showcased 203 visual artists in our Community Gallery program; partnering with Santa Barbara Foundation, the Funk Zone Charrette Project and exhibition was organized, administered and executed by The Arts Fund and over 5,000 visitors saw the potential design future of the Funk Zone in our gallery. The Arts Fund doubled the number of students served through our Teen Arts Mentorship program by providing a first-ever summer mentorship. In addition to serving local students and teachers, our Community Gallery Program has provided crucial exhibition space for local artists encouraging collaboration through group shows. Located in the Funk Zone, the Arts Fund gallery is situated in a new, up-and-coming arts district in between Wall-Space Gallery and MichaelKate showroom.