The guarantee of a sale is never promised in the art world, neither is the space where it’s created and showcased.

At the La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts, where masterful sculptures, paintings, and photography fill the galleries walls and floors, 24 artists are celebrating.

This month marks the fifth anniversary for the three galleries that make up the LCCCA collective — located in the center of Santa Barbara’s La Cumbre Plaza, a once vibrant and bustling chain store-filled mall in its heyday — now a hodgepodge of art, food, health, beauty and other specialty and service providing retailers.

This anniversary is especially sweet for LCCCA’s collection of artists, whose backgrounds are as diverse as the art they produce.

Nurit Ruckenstein, a Romanian-born abstract painter whose art dominates the space at the Elevate Gallery, was on the cusp of becoming one of a dozen artist casualties last year when a rent increase threatened the organization’s viability.

“I would have lost half of my space and paid double the rent,” Ruckenstein recalls when the option to scale down to one gallery was discussed.

The gallery’s lease was up for renewal and mall management proposed the increase which would have doubled what each artist paid to display their works. After several negotiations, a new deal enabled LCCCA to maintain its three galleries and accumulate a new collection of artist members.

“If we went down to one gallery, we would have lost a lot of exposure and diversity, not to mention how challenging it would have been to have 12 artists in one space.”  

Ruckenstein, who’s been painting since the age of 10, is grateful that a compromise was reached. “It’s an amazing value given what rents are in this town.”

The LCCCA collection was the brainchild of Santa Barbara businessman Mike Cregan, who found inspiration after returning from a trip to New York in 2018.

“I was walking through the mall and noticing, as I had before, that it was a ghost town.  I began to think, “I don’t remember seeing any empty stores in mid-town Manhattan, why is that?”

Cregan, who is not an artist himself, but has a deep appreciation for it, got the idea that putting some art galleries in the empty spaces would help bring the mall back to life. 

“I approached the mall management and talked to them about the idea, and they liked it.  They asked, “Do you know some artists?”  “Yes.” “Can you put it together?”  “Yes.” Mike was excited about the opportunity but confesses, he didn’t know any artists. “I did know a gallery owner in Solvang, and he put me in contact with a few artists, who then told other artists, and it grew.”

Eric Saint Georges, an abstract figurative sculptor who hails from France, became one of those artists. “It’s very nice to say I have some work on display all the time.”

Saint Georges moved to the beachside town three years ago from Silicon Valley where he spent 35 years working as a successful engineer.

“I can tell people you can see my work at the gallery. It’s helped with building my network in Santa Barbara.”

On Friday, 30 artists, friends, and supporters alike celebrated the LCCCA’s fifth anniversary with an Art Walk featuring four open galleries — adding to the mix, the Voice Gallery, a place where guest curators lend a hand presenting exhibitions and supporting local nonprofit art groups.

The ArtWalk anniversary was a celebration and culmination of renewed faith, community spirit, and colorful layers of creative works.

“To be involved in the arts and aiding its creation and growth is deeply renewing to me,” says Cregan.

Since its establishment five years ago, the LCCCA has opened the doors to other creative spaces including the Voice Gallery, the Grace Fisher Foundation Inclusive Arts Clubhouse, and the Arts Fund Gallery. La Cumbre Plaza is at 121 S. Hope Avenue in Santa Barbara.