••• Bonnie Rubenstein, formerly of Silo 118 gallery in the Funk Zone, and Irene Chan have partnered on a new gallery in Carpinteria, Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art, which they’ve nicknamed The Bean in honor of the location at 410 Palm Avenue, once the site of the Henry Fish Lima Bean and Seed Company. “We’re making efforts to feature work that’s unlikely to have been shown in this area,” says Rubenstein. “We actively seek out artists that have a point of view that is unique, thought-provoking, and hopefully cutting-edge.” The first exhibit—Unfold, showcasing L.A. artists Sijia Chen, Chiho Harazaki, and Kaoru Mansour—opens September 13. Bear in mind that the gallery will primarily be open by appointment and for events, “but it’s very easy to get an appointment as both gallerists also live in the Palm Lofts complex! Just call 805-576-6152.” Above: Harazaki’s “Crane,” washi tape on canvas.
••• The Bellosguardo Foundation posted the best look yet at the estate’s beach house complex.
••• Carpinteria is getting in on the action: the first Carpinteria Film Festival is September 5-7. “The festival will feature a diverse selection of films from around the Central Coast, including documentaries, short films, and feature-length films.”
••• Press release: “Surf ‘n Wear’s Beach House is proud to announce the official grand opening of the Santa Barbara Surfing Museum on September 3 from 3–6 p.m. at 10 State Street. The event will feature an extraordinary gathering of iconic surfboard shapers, including Renny Yater, Marc Andreini, Cooper Boneck of Mesa Surfboards, Bob Duncan from Wilderness Surfboards, and representatives from Pyzel Surfboards. Guests will have the rare opportunity to meet these masters of their craft while exploring the museum’s collection. Local Santa Barbara-area surfing world champions will also be attending. […] The museum’s exhibits include: Classic and groundbreaking surfboard designs that illustrate the evolution of surfboard shaping and performance; memorabilia, such as vintage photographs, personal items from surf legends, and artifacts that capture the spirit and nostalgia of the sport; unique treasures such as vintage ukuleles, surf magazines, accessories, and other cultural touchstones from California’s surfing heritage.”
••• The county’s Public Works Department reports that the construction contract has been approved for Phase II of the Modoc Multi Use Path. “This $6.5 million project will complete an 8-mile-long Class I (multi-use) path network from Isla Vista to Arroyo Burro Beach and the City of Santa Barbara. The new path will extend the existing Obern Trail from the western Encore Drive intersection to the intersection of Via Senda, where it will connect to the recently completed Phase I multi-use path section. The Board of Supervisors approved Phase I in 2022, and construction was completed in August 2023. […] Construction is expected to begin this fall.”
••• The terrific midcentury-style building at 411 E. Canon Perdido Street is indeed going to be converted to mini-storage, according to today’s Architectural Board of Review’s agenda. The same fate awaits the former Frontier building at the corner of Chapala and Canon Perdido.
••• No one identified the Where in Santa Barbara…? from two Sundays ago, so I posted the answer. The “motorcycles” sign is on the side of the downtown post office.
••• H. reports that, as promised, a Jared Darlington dog bench has appeared at the Douglas Family Preserve.
················
Sign up for the Siteline email newsletter and you’ll never miss a post.
Issues not topic but I hafta mention em; The modification of roadway smack in front of the SB Cemetery was unneeded & now inferior to what we had. The roundabout is great, but all else is tragic. Imagine, running traffic into a cemetery gate that is not open most hours.
2) this goes hand-in – hand in bad design with the Santa Claus roundabout which brings traffic to 3mph yet in 50ft traffic is expected to be at 55mph.
This might be old news.
Such a shame about 411 E. Canon Perdido Street. I live around the corner from there and it should absolutely be turned into housing! Any chance the mini-storage usage both there and the Frontier building are temporary until they can be converted to a much better use?
It’s very cost prohibitive to convert a building designed for another use into housing. The code upgrades to plumbing, hvac, fire sprinklers, windows/natural light, open space requirements, etc. usually make it so it’s more cost effective to tear down the building and start from scratch.
That’s a fair point. Hopefully, a teardown and rebuild will ultimately be the end result. I have to imagine a project like 800 Santa Barbara St. would be a more lucrative use of the land for the owner while also adding to the customer base to support downtown businesses.
Great news about the bike path. Get tons of use out of all of them riding with kids. Connecting them up is giving us a lot of places we can ride to. Already love riding the Modoc path up to IV, getting ice cream at IV drip with the kids, and heading back. Now we won’t have to drive the missing link.
And with e-bikes, gives teenagers and adults lots of places they can practically get on bike now.
So sad to see 411 E Canon Perdido expected to be turned into a storage unit. A great location that can support small businesses or be turned into housing to help the current housing crisis that Santa Barbara is facing.
I am sure there will be more backlash on this. Not a great place for a storage unit.
Is there a functioning restaurant in the location of the former Via Vai in the upper village? If so, does it have a name and what do they serve?
There is one in progress there, but it is not open. Here’s what I wrote last time you asked…. The restaurant is still happening; it has a kind of step-sibling relationship with S.Y. Kitchen. From the last big restaurant roundup: “S.Y. Kitchen’s Luca Crestanelli is opening an Italian restaurant in the former Via Vai space in the Upper Village: ‘The core idea is doing what we do best,’ he says. ‘Simple dishes made with high-quality ingredients. A relaxed and vibrant atmosphere. Comfortable space. Good wine. Good service. Hopefully we can get a liquor license.’” I wouldn’t expect it to open for some time.