Santa Barbara Central Library Centennial: Historic Speaker Series Wrap-up

This year the Santa Barbara Public Library has been celebrating 100 years of the Central Library. As the revels wind down, be sure to catch the remaining, very popular Historical talks, and the Centennial Gala on Saturday, November 4.  The remaining Historic talks cover the spheres of art and architecture at the Central Library over the last 100 years. From early photography to the works of Kandinsky and O’Keefe, join the community in learning about the importance of art and how it has played a part in Santa Barbara, and at the library in particular.

Sunday, October 8 – Award-winning Architect Marc Appleton will discuss the architects and architecture of the Central Library located at 40 E. Anapamu Street. Architects will include Henry Hornbostel, Francis Wilson, Myron Hunt (who also designed La Arcada), Jerry Zimmer, and others.

Sunday, October 15 – Esteemed Oak Group Artist and Art Instructor Thomas Van Stein will talk about the art shown in the Faulkner Memorial Art Gallery from its first show in October 1930 to 1941, when the Santa Barbara Museum of Art opened. Picasso, Klee, Kandinsky, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keefe, Thomas Hart Benton, are just a few of the renowned artists that exhibited and sold their work in the Faulkner Memorial Art Gallery.

Sunday, October 22—Local Historian and avid photograph collector, John Woodward will reveal treasures from the Edson Smith Photograph Collection, containing early images of Santa Barbara from the 1870s-1940s. The Edson Smith Collection (over 1500 images) has been stored in a filing cabinet for decades and are just now getting digitized and made available to view online. 

Saturday, November 4 — Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation presents “Cocktails & Culture: A Centennial Celebration” at the Central Library. Enjoy literary cocktails, ample hors d’oeuvres, celebratory dessert and more while raising funds for the Santa Barbara Public Libraries. See the library in a new light! Call Ellen at 805.689.2448 for additional information

Sunday, November 5 — Jeremy Tessmer, Curator of Historic Art at Sullivan Goss, will discuss the development of Santa Barbara’s distinctive visual culture during its first Golden Age, c. 1915-1930. He will present images by artists like Colin Campbell Cooper, John Gamble, Edward Borein, Thomas Moran, Lockwood de Forest, Alexander Harmer, Alexander Herter, and others in a local and art historical context. These artists both reflected and defined the City as an emerging place of interest on the global map and their contributions continue to influence the art produced here today.

Information about Santa Barbara Public Library System locations, hours, events, and programs is available atSBPLibrary.org. All library programs are free and open to the public.