- Home
- News Grid
- Local News
- Green Hawk
- Politics
- School Zone
- Youth Camps
- Nonprofits
- Missing Pets
- Multimedia
- Arts
- Movies
- Outdoors
- Sports
- News Releases
- Columnists
- Blogs
- Opinions
- Classifieds
- Advertise
- Donate
- Partners
David Bisol: Santa Barbara’s Man of History
Some of us hear our calling quite young. David Bisol was one of them.
Growing up in Goleta, he initially thought the area had very little history, until a memorable book on the Rancho Dos Pueblos crossed his path in seventh grade. He read it enthusiastically and began identifying sites mentioned in the text.
“I felt connected to my community,” Bisol said. “I had a sense of being for the first time.”
Today, Bisol is the executive director of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. He vividly recalls his first trip to the museum and subsequently joining as a junior historian. About the same time, he began following the historical writings of author Walker A. Tompkins. The two developed a lifelong friendship and later collaborated on several occasions.
Bisol’s family has lived in the area for generations. In fact, his paternal grandmother was a Cota — for which the downtown street is named. Bisol attended UCSB and majored in history, with a minor in business.
Bisol worked as the museum curator for 17 years before taking the reigns as executive director three years ago. He said he loves the people of the museum and cites their thirst for knowledge as inspiring.
Looking forward, Bisol said he wants to shatter the traditional impressions of a historical museum.
“I don’t want us to be a repository for old objects,” he said. “Instead, we offer perspective on Santa Barbara’s history.”
Bisol is actively collecting diaries — a priceless vehicle to interpret history — and other items that demonstrate the soul of the city.
Asking someone such as Bisol about his favorite piece in the gallery is like asking a mother to name her favorite child, but he narrowed it down to three items: a portrait called Gingi (which promotes the current exhibit), an ornate Chinese shrine and a WPA-era model of Mission Santa Barbara, which also happens to be a working radio.
While the Santa Barbara Historical Museum traditionally has been a first stop for visitors looking to get an overview of the city’s history, it is in the process of creating programs that build on the third- and fourth-grade curricula in local schools. Bisol wants to engage Santa Barbara children early on and have their stories captured as part of the archives. He said a connection to the city and their heritage may even help reduce youth delinquency.
The museum recently joined the age of social media with Facebook and Twitter accounts. Bisol was approached by staff members about the idea and embraced it wholeheartedly.
“We want to be a resource that appeals to all ages, which means we have to keep up with the way people communicate today, and that includes Twitter,” he said.
When asked to say something special about Santa Barbara history, he retorted, “We have an artistic heritage, which is more enriched than any city of our size nationwide.”
He said the vast patronage of vacationing East Coast barons helped seed and build the thriving art community, adding that “Santa Barbara is an internationally recognized brand, and therefore we have a responsibility to be an internationally recognized historical museum.”
Clearly, Bisol loves his job. He gave a detailed tour through the collection and told story after story about anything that caught this reporter’s eye. Interesting tidbits include: The hottest day on record was 134 degrees; the legendary Zorro was originally a Santa Barbara-based bandito who certainly robbed the rich, but little evidence stands that he gave it to the poor. Apparently that version was another Hollywood ending. Bisol also noted that the single largest migration of man was part of local history: the California gold rush.
The museum will host a new exhibit this month titled “Portraits in Paradise: The Photography of Carolyn and Edwin Gledhill, 1906-1944.” It will open at 5:30 p.m. Thursday with a presentation by the couple’s grandson, David Gledhill.
Click here to learn more about the exhibit and the museum.
— Noozhawk contributor Jenn Kennedy can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Click here to see more of her work.
Comments
Noozhawk's comments are moderated, but by posting here you accept your responsibility to follow our rules.
- No abusive, defamatory or libelous attacks. In plain English: No personal attacks.
- No vulgar or discriminatory language.
- If you do not follow these rules, don't be surprised if your comment is removed.
- Please use the Report Abuse button on offensive comments.
- Share what you know, ask about what you don't. Give us your eyewitness accounts, observations, background and history. Tell us what else you want to know about the story.
- Stay on the topic, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK, and forgive people their spelling errors.
Noozhawk's intent is not to limit the discussion of our stories but to elevate it. Thank you for your respectful participation. Click here for our complete Terms of Use.
Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.
» on 02.08.10 @ 10:31 AM
Good to see that the Museum is doing a photography show; they seem mostly to have devolved into being an art museum doing art exhibits, They must have a collection downstairs that is more than paintings. Hope Mr. Bisol brings some of those artifacts up to the light of day.
» on 02.09.10 @ 12:27 PM
I am happy to see that the community is recognizing the great fortune of having David Bisol at the helm of SBHM. His knowledge of our local history is amazing. History comes in multiple media and he is utilizing all to give us a true picture of our past.
More Local News »
House Poised to Vote on Historic Health-Care Bill Sunday
As Democrats scramble for last-minute votes, Capps touts legislation's reforms
Does Local Currency Make Dollars and Sense for Santa Barbara?
Economic hardships fuel questions but you may not know we've tried it here before
Phil Wyatt Builds High-Tech Company with Low-Key Approach
Wyatt Technology's founder and CEO serves as a steady guide for his staff in pinpointing a niche in laser-based instruments
Santa Barbara Airbus Picks Up and Moves to New Location
The company will have more legroom at its new home on Technology Way in Goleta
Residents Get Look at Master Plan for Santa Barbara
An open house kicks off a public-comment period designed to help shape the future of the city
Weather: Fair 52.0º
Search Noozhawk »
