The Arts Fund has announced the opening of DEAR AMERICA, a free pop-up show of Santa Barbara youths’ opinions on gun violence in the United States developed into artwork and written pieces.
The show, curated by Charlotte Wall and supported by The Arts Fund, will be 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8, at TheArts Fund Community Gallery, 205-C Santa Barbara St.
DEAR AMERICA will feature work by Sammi Atherton, Katie Buckley, Cooper Jasiorkowski, Lily Linz, Evan Sherman, Wilson Sherman and Wall.
“The idea behind Dear America, came to me after participating in my high school, Santa Barbara High’s, walkout against gun violence, specifically school shootings,” said Wall. “As a young adult, I felt powerless and anxious about the school shootings going around the nation.
“School shootings were making the media headlines, but what about the amount of gun violence that happens in American affecting the youth’s safety and the rest of the citizens each day?
“With this overwhelming amount of distraught, I felt the need to pour the energy into art and sense that other kids felt the same way,” Wall said.
“Emma Gonzalez, a Parkland survivor, who got up in front of hundreds of thousands of people to speak about gun violence, inspired me to take the leap on this project,” she said.
“So here I am today: curating an art show that consists of young artists on the topic of gun violence/gun reform in the United States. The show will consist of art pieces, as well as written pieces by each artists,” Wall said.
“My goal for this show is for these young adults to share their opinions, feelings, emotions, fears about school shootings and other gun related events. It is also a place for us to come together as a stronger community and stand against this cause as a greater whole,” she said.
The Arts Fund was established as a nonprofit in 1983. Its mission is to create, fund and administer programs and projects that foster the arts for the people of Santa Barbara County; to act as a catalyst which maximizes the effectiveness of arts resources and to nurture collaborative relationships with other arts organizations.
Today, The Arts Fund administers five core programs to support its mission: Teen Arts Mentorship Program, Public Art Program, Community Gallery, Guest Curator Program, and Funk Zone Art Walk.
The Arts Fund received the 2018 Leadership in the Arts Award from the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission for its”Significant impact on the arts and culture of our region through innovative thinking and exemplary commitment to promoting sustaining, and advancing our quality of life through the arts. ”
For more information, visit www.artsfundsb.org or e-mail info@artsfundsb.org. To learn more about how to support The Arts Fund, contact Torrie Cutbirth, executive director, at torrie@artsfundsb.org.
— Torrie Cutbirth for The Arts Fund.