On May 7, the community gathered at Jodi House Gallery to honor inspiring young artists at a reception and awards ceremony hosted by local environmental nonprofit Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.

For 23 years, Channelkeeper’s Student Art Show has celebrated the connection between young people and the ocean. Every spring, high school students from Carpinteria to Goleta are invited to create and submit their interpretations of what the Santa Barbara Channel means to them. With its colorful array of shapes, textures and patterns, the artwork produced by these young artists celebrates the remarkable beauty and biodiversity of the Santa Barbara Channel, and it also inspires the community to protect it. 

Meagan Stirling, artist, associate professor of art, and art department chair at Westmont College, juried the show and selected the award-winning pieces. She was impressed by the caliber of the artwork and by the students’ meaningful artist statements. Of 120 pieces submitted, 50 were selected for the show. 

“The students’ artwork was creative and insightful,” said Channelkeeper Executive Director Ted Morton. “I really enjoyed learning about the motivation behind the students’ pieces, and I was impressed with how well they expressed their personal connection to Santa Barbara Channel.” 

First place was awarded to Aricin Marshall for his stunning ceramic sculpture titled Tide Bound – Hollister Ranch. Second place went to Josefa Olivio for Channel Islands Fox, a beautiful scratchboard. Jocabed Carranza’s After the Tide painting of a lone mussel earned third place, while the Environmental Ethic Award went to Maria Rojo for Insufferable Freedom, a ceramic turtle caught in plastic. The Juror’s Choice Award was given to Madeline Adler for her hermit crab sculptures depicting Sea Life vs. Pollution: The Ongoing Battle. Honorable mentions were given to Sophia Lam for her print Garibaldi Fish, Alejandro Miranda for his piece For Cod’s Sake, and Camila Sandoval for Mugshots.

Many of the art submissions were accompanied by powerful statements explaining the artists’ personal connection to the Santa Barbara Channel and the environment.  

In his artist’s statement, first-place winner Aricin Marshall wrote, “As someone who has grown up here for most of my life, I take pride in the community and culture around me. That includes the entire coastline and the opportunities it provides… . My piece shows large water columns engulfed in kelp, coral, anemones, and all kinds of sea life, all mounted upon a rock—a rock that is trapped. Trapped by the ropes of lost fishing nets, likely dragged off a commercial fishing vessel trolling the channel. I think that, like this rock, sometimes we can become trapped and tied down by something in our own lives, forcing us into the same rhythm over and over. I hope my piece can remind us of the beauty so close to our homes, yet so often forgotten in our day-to-day lives, actually getting us to take action and enjoy the beauty we have before it’s gone.”

Jade Escoto wrote: “Inspired by the Santa Barbara coastline, this ceramic piece becomes a small, living reef where starfish stretch across soft blue currents, anemones bloom, and jellyfish drift. Every texture is meant to reflect the intricate beauty of tidepools, places that feel calm and balanced, yet are incredibly fragile. The colors, soft blues, seafoam greens, and touches of vibrant life show how these environments are meant to look, full of movement, color, and diversity… . Like looking into the reef, Quiet Reef invites you to slow down, look closer, and care a little more before these ecosystems and their colors exist only as a memory.”

Together, these creative works of art and meaningful statements convey a message of hope. 

“Every year we are amazed by the caliber of the student artwork, and we are inspired by the personal stories behind each piece,” said Education and Outreach Director Penny Owens. “Channelkeeper is dedicated to protecting our local waterways and fostering environmental awareness and stewardship in today’s youth. Seeing the artwork celebrating the natural beauty of the Santa Barbara Channel and the artist statements by the students gives us hope that our future is in good hands.” 

Over the past two decades, more than 4,120 students have submitted art to Channelkeeper’s Student Art Show. 

The show is sponsored by Trillium Enterprise, Inc. and the Goleta City Grant Program and received in-kind support from Frame Up.