The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture invites the community to the opening reception of Form and Frame: Abstraction, Community, and the Language of Art at Channing Peake Gallery.

The free event, in the County Administration Building, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, will be part of the 1st Thursday Art Walk, 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7.

Drawing on selections from the county’s collection of works by local artists, the exhibit encourages viewers to explore how artists use abstract imagery to build connections.

“Form and Frame speaks to the endless possibilities, variations, and creative avenues that artists use to make an image,” said Tom Pazderka, curator of the County Office of Arts & Culture. “Core elements such as line, form and color serve as tools for storytelling, community expression, and emotional resonance.”

The display was co-curated by Lyra Purugganan, who recently received their MFA from UC Santa Barbara.

“As an artist, this exhibition means a lot to me because it features local, practicing artists and exposes a wider group of people to contemporary art,” Pazderka and Purugganan said.
 
The Channing Peake Gallery provides a rotating platform for public exhibitions aimed at civic engagement and cultural enrichment. The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pazderka and Purugganan said.
 
For more on current county art exhibitions, visit www.sbac.ca.gov/current-gallery-exhibitions.