Collectors’ Clinic

Join the Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library for our upcoming Collectors’ Clinic! Please show off your treasures to local experts. We are especially eager to learn about private collections in the community that relate to California history. We can help identify media, the maker, and the date as well as help provide historical context for your family heirlooms and valued objects, and participants will meet a range of volunteer specialists and benefit from their knowledge and experience.

Date: Saturday November 9th, 10am-1pm; Timed Entry on the hour/ RSVP Required – www.sbmal.org/events.

Location: Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library, 2201 Laguna Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Free parking on site. Walk up the main stairs at the front of the mission, turn left on the portico, and look for the SBMAL table.

Cost: $10 entry fee with $5 per object, limit of 3.

Members of the SBMAL upon entry can bring their first item for free, with $5 for each additional item, limit of 3.

Not a member? Join before buying your entry ticket, or purchase a membership at the registration table; your ticket cost will be applied directly to a membership. Membership levels and more details are located here — https://www.sbmal.org/membership.

Our Experts: For this inaugural clinic, we will have experts on the following: Franciscan history, Mission history, rare books and manuscripts, European and American paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture, contemporary art and ceramics, decorative arts, African art, Hopi art, Native American artifacts, and California history.

What to Expect: Patrons will be greeted by Jack Clark Robinson, OFM, Director of the Archive-Library and Andrew Walsh, Collections Manager.  They will assign visitors to a specialist. Patrons will then be directed to the expert within the hour of their ticket. Consultations will range from 5-15 minutes. Our experts are not appraisers, but can offer information and identification on your treasures as well as steering collectors to resources for more research on the historical context of each artifact and art work.  Experts will be able to assess condition and recommend safe and proper ways to store and handle objects.

Timed entry is required to help direct the flow of traffic. To provide an opportunity for as many people to participate as possible, each person will be limited to 3 items. We hope to hold more of these clinics next year, so if you cannot attend our inaugural event, be sure to save some treasures for future visits!

All items must be transported and handled by collectors only – including wrapping/unwrapping and viewing.

SBMAL is not able to provide any assistance with the transport of objects. Privately owned artifacts are not insured while on our premises.  Please bring someone with you if your objects are large or heavy.  We cannot provide carts or hand trucks.​​

Experts List

We have asked several scholars in the region to be part of this inaugural event; we are grateful to them for volunteering their time to help SBMAL in its mission to connect California history with the present and the future.

Our Specialists:

• Fr. Joe Schwab, OFM – President of Old Mission Santa Barbara

Expertise in Franciscan history, rare books, maps, archives and manuscripts.

• Dr. Judy L. Larson – Director of the Art Museum at Westmont College; SBMAL board member

European and American paintings, drawings, prints; decorative arts; Australian Aboriginal art.

• Chris Rupp, MFA – Curator at Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art

Contemporary art, ceramics and decorative arts, African and Hopi Nations art

• Dr. John Johnson: Curator Emeritus of Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, SBMAL board member

Expertise in Native American artifacts, especially Chumash and other regional Californian tribes.

SBMAL staff will be overseeing the event. We will have our business cards readily available for visitors to connect with us in the future.

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Click here to RSVP.

———— The Fine Print ————

All conversations at the event are solely the opinion of that expert. This is not an authentication or appraisal service. SBMAL takes no responsibility for details provided by selected experts. All consultations as part of this event are meant to be in good faith and for educational purposes only.

SBMAL staff will provide a list of several regional conservators and appraisers if patrons decide to pursue those avenues independently.  SBMAL does not endorse nor take responsibility for scholars, appraisers or conservators whom collectors may wish to contact. 

All attendees will be added to SBMAL’s free digital mailing list unless they opt-out with SBMAL staff via email or on site.