Art and Soul Among the Funk
Art & Soul Gallery Is Happily Hunkered in the Santa Barbara Funk Zone, for Now
Many art galleries in Santa Barbara go by the plan of a main-drag location, discoverable to walk-up traffic as well as regulars. The relatively young Art & Soul, one of the new galleries on (or off) the block in town, is more of the hidden-jewel variety.
To find the space, head down to the Funk Zone and the lower Santa Barbara Street zone within the Zone with the popular hotspots Fox Wines, the Nook, and the craft breweries Topa Topa and Lama Dog in the Waterline Building. Tucked cozily down a small alleyway next to Lama Dog, you find the artistic oasis of Art & Soul, identified by its colorful sign and a lean rusted metal figurative sculpture by Barry Dwayne Hollis, perched like a welcoming sentry by the front door.
Hollis is the current showcased artist, on a list of diverse artists going back a year-and-change in the gallery’s history.
The parties behind the operation, which involves a gallery, gift shop, and event venue, are Kim McIntyre and her 17-year-old daughter Bella DiBernardo, and the place is loosely based on a gallery where McIntyre grew up in the small coastal town of Ogunquit, Maine. Way out west on the “other” coast, in a spot situated about a block from the ocean, Art & Soul was born.
As McIntyre explains, “It is a mother-daughter independently owned business. Bella has been instrumental in all aspects of the business, from concept to creation. She works with me at the gallery, curating exhibitions, selecting merchandise, meeting with artists, organizing community events and workshops, and assisting during openings. She is also an exceptionally talented artist.”
Although the business started out in the vein of a gift gallery, McIntyre comments that “the space just really calls for big art and lots of community involvement. It gets beautiful natural light, and we try to keep the atmosphere welcoming. We believe that art should be accessible to everyone — not intimidating or off-putting — and we aim to break down the disconnect between art making and art selling.”
So far in the gallery’s history of monthly exhibitions, the list of spotlighted artists has been an intentionally varied one, from Hollis’s rustic rusted sculpture to post-impressionistic canvases by Mark Russell Jones to work of established artists Cecily Firestein and Diana Postel.
Among the events held in the gallery is hosting the local arts celebration of 1st Thursday, presenting “Conversations with Artists” and art workshops and events including “Cacao and Expressions,” linked to the Palma Colectiva. A weekly movement class, “Lil Movements” is taught by Lily Hahn Shining and plans are underway to enact outreach with local schools and retirement communities.
Speaking to the more immediate community and neighborhood surrounding the gallery space, McIntyre insists that “community is very important to us, and we love being a part of the Funk Zone. Our neighbors in the Waterline Building are all extremely supportive and a big part of our current success. Being in the Funk Zone, we are surrounded by people actively creating art, making it easy to support local artists and craftspeople.”
That said, Art & Soul will soon be migrating from its “hidden jewel” perch by the sea and headed to the more centralized profile of a gallery space on State Street, by the Arlington Theatre. A gallery-launching exhibition, opening December 12, will feature Santa Barbara artists Pedro De La Cruz, Sylvan Butera Rich, John Baran and Brad Betts. The current plan is to remain in the Waterline Building space through March, and look for a new Funk Zone location, in addition to the State Street profile.
McIntyre says, “We look forward to bringing our distinctive style of gallery exhibitions to the Arts District, and offering even more community workshops and events. We hope to encourage a greater revitalization of patronage of the arts, and to work with our new neighbors to support the continued growth and success of the arts in Santa Barbara.”
See artandsoulsb.com.
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