Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts and Design Academy Reaches Midpoint on New Design and Art Studio

The 3,350-Square-Foot Studio Will Be Hub for Seamless Exchange Between Digital and Analog Art Forms

The Art & Design Studio is set to be complete by May 2024. | Credit: Callie Fausey

Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts and Design Academy (VADA) is currently at the midpoint of a major journey to double its campus space and revamp its old buildings. Standing at 50 percent completion, the program’s new Design and Art Studio is on schedule to be fully realized by May 2024.

Daniel Barnett, the program’s director, and Mat Gradias from KBZ Architects, recently gave a tour of the unfinished facility, showcasing its bare bones on Tuesday, November 7. Once operational, the 3,350-square-foot studio will be a hub for the seamless exchange between digital and analog art forms, Barnett said.

VADA Director Daniel Barnett called the new building a “major upgrade for the whole campus.” | Credit: Callie Fausey

Barnett used virtual reality to walk through a digital model of the completed facility. Against a backdrop of a clear blue sky and a forest of conifer trees — “We’re in Oregon instead of Santa Barbara if you look at the background,” Barnett joked — the 3D rendering of the building came to life. The digital representation added vibrant red walls, expansive glass doors, and distinctive “VADA” lettering missing from the real, raw framework sitting outside.

The studio was designed with input from VADA’s industry partners, ensuring that it mirrors the work environments of the future for the program’s students while addressing issues of overcrowding and inflexible classroom spaces.

Digital renderings show what the campus will look like once the work is completed. | Credit: Callie Fausey

It’s expected to be a multifaceted facility, offering dedicated areas for student exhibitions, an interactive community space with shaded seating for lunch and leisure, an amphitheater for instruction, a modern computer lab, “critique walls” for constructive feedback, and, most importantly, an open environment that fosters a culture of collaboration both within and outside the classroom walls. It’s designed to amplify natural lighting and create a comfortable, flexible work environment for all students.

The transformation of the space, which once accommodated two aging portable classrooms, comes with a price tag of $7.25 million. It’s been made possible through a $2.2 million state grant, approximately $1.2 million from the district designated for replacing portables, and generous contributions from private donors.

However, there is still a need to raise an additional $3 million for the second phase of modernizing existing classrooms, which the VADA community is actively trying to raise. To learn more about their Capital Campaign, visit vadasbhs.org/capital-campaign.