The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture invites the community to a free closing reception for Fare Trade and Iconic Santa Barbara Papel Picado, 5-7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23 at Santa Barbara City Hall Gallery, 735 Anacapa St.

Fare Trade features photographs by Patricia Clarke and Brett Leigh Dicks that document taquerias and diners across Santa Barbara County and Western Australia.

Iconic Santa Barbara Papel Picado is a site-specific installation by Irene Ramirez inspired by local landmarks and traditions.

Together, the exhibits highlight the cultural significance of shared food spaces and the artistry embedded in familiar settings.
 
The closing event will also feature a live poetry reading organized by Santa Barbara Poet Laureate George Yatchisin, with readings by other local poets, including past poets laureate Melinda Palacio and Chryss Yost.

The readings will be ekphrastic works written in direct response to the exhibit, meaning poems that engage with and are inspired by visual art on view.
 
“Poets, ever on the lookout for inspiration, appreciate the keen eyes of other types of artists to open them up to new ways of seeing the world,” Yatchisin said.

“That’s why we are thrilled to turn our imaginations toward Patricia and Brett’s photographic compositions and Irene’s Papel Picado,” he said.
 
Photographer Clarke observed how the exhibit offers a broader lens on identity and belonging. “Taquerias expand our broader sensibility of not only what it means to feed oneself in America, but what it means to be an American,” Clarke said.

City Hall Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more on current exhibits produced by the County Office of Arts & Culture, visit www.sbac.ca.gov/current-gallery-exhibitions.