Guests will ascend the iconic tile staircase in the heart of Santa Barbara to the Arts Terrace at Paseo Nuevo, starting in the Center Stage Theater with a short award ceremony, followed by an al fresco buffet dinner by culinary artist Loria Stern, and natural wines provided by Bibi Ji. Guests will have exclusive after hours access to MCASB’s current exhibition Sangre de Nopal/Blood of the Nopal: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Contemporary Art, the museum’s critically acclaimed contribution to the region wide Getty PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative. 

The Art Awards this year honor DJ Javier, Brian Calvin, Rosha Yaghmai, Spenser Jaimes, and Angel D’mon, on Sunday, November 3, 2024, starting at 4:00 pm.

Join us in celebrating the artistic excellence of these five artists and award recipients this year. DJ Javier is a Santa Barbara born, Filipino American artist and designer who will open his first museum solo exhibition next fall at MCASB. The Ojai based Brian Calvin is known for his innovative and iconic figurative paintings and will be developing a project for MCASB next year as well. Rosha Yaghmai, Los Angeles based artist had a major solo exhibition at MCASB in 2019, and continues to present compelling exhibitions of her beguiling abstract paintings and innovative sculptural forms. Spenser Jaimes is Šmuwič and Island Chumash, a documentary filmmaker who gives light to untold stories of his tribe. Angel D’mon is one of Santa Barbara's most well known and visible drag queens and social justice activists, and a true gift to our community constantly showing up for so many important causes.

It has been just over a year since MCASB reopened the museum and has already made major strides in the reimagining of the institution (and produced 16 exhibitions). MCASB is building a museum of the future that is accountable to the communities we serve, our arts workers, and most importantly the artists that are at the heart of everything at MCASB. The museum is thrilled to have recently welcomed the museum's new Co-Executive Directors, Dalia Garcia and Fabián Leyva-Barragán who bring new vitality and relevance and their shared passion for contemporary art. Join us in raising critical funds to support MCASB for our community!