Community members gathered recently at Jodi House Gallery to honor inspiring young artists at a reception and awards ceremony hosted by local environmental nonprofit, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.
For 22 years, Channelkeeper’s Student Art Show has celebrated the connection between young people and the ocean. Each 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 our community to protect it,” Channelkeeper said.
First place was awarded to Amber Ross for her ceramic sculpture titled “The Ocean’s Jellyfish.”
Second place went to Victoria Martinez for “Where the Waves Live,” a study of the texture and light of the ocean’s surface.
April Harper’s colorful “Egrets on the Lakeside” earned third place.
The Environmental Ethic Award went to Naomi Pearl for her mosaic piece called “The Broken Octopus.”
Two Juror’s Choice Award recipients were Camila Lucero Godory’s “Whispers of the Island Fox,” and Kalea Ellinwood’s “The Spiny Lobster.”
Receiving honorable mentions were Kassia Shive-Hamilton and Miriam Volgenau.
Local artist Solange Aguilar juried the show and selected the award-winning pieces. Of 110 pieces submitted, 55 were selected for the show.
“The students’ artwork was creative and insightful,” said Ted Morton, Channelkeeper’s executive director. “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.”
Each art submission was accompanied by a statement explaining the artist’s personal connection to the Santa Barbara Channel and the environment.
In her artist’s statement, first-place winner Ross wrote: “I’ve always been drawn to the beauty of jellyfish — their delicate but deadly form, their fluid movement, and their quiet mystery as they drift through the sea.
“I’ve tried to capture the paradox of their existence: the beauty and the tragedy. My jellyfish is polluted with microplastics and oil, a silent victim of our urbanized world, which shows both elegance and helplessness in the face of environmental crisis.”
“We often overlook the beauty in simplicity,” wrote second-place winner Martinez. “In Santa Barbara, that beauty lives in the never-ending rhythm of its waves — constantly crashing, inviting you to explore the incredible world beneath them.
“Our ocean is home to the unique species of the Santa Barbara Channel, which inspired me to represent it through an oil painting of waves in motion. I chose a large canvas to reflect the powerful feeling I get walking along our beaches.”
Together, the students’ artworks and statements convey a message of hope, Channelkeeper said.
“Every year we are amazed by the caliber of the student artwork, and we are inspired by the personal stories behind each piece,” said Penny Owens, Education and Outreach director.
“Channelkeeper is dedicated to protecting our local waterways and fostering environmental awareness and stewardship in today’s youth,” Owens said.
“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,” she said.
Over the past two decades, some 4,000 students have submitted art to Channelkeeper’s Student Art Show.
The show is sponsored by Trillium Enterprise, Inc. and the Goleta City Grant Program.