The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) will present an artists talk featuring David Ellis and Larry Vigon as part of its April Maritime Distinguished Speaker Series, 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16 at SBMM, 113 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara.
SBMM members are invited to a pre-lecture reception, 6:15-6:45 p.m. The program complements SBMM’s current exhibit, Aquean: Photographs, Paintings and Prints, on view April 9-July 26.
Tickets are free for Navigators Circle members, $10 for SBMM members, $20 for the general public, and $5 for students and educators with a valid school ID or email.
For tickets and details, visit sbmm.org, email reservations@sbmm.org, or call 805-456-8750.
Aquean is an evocative exhibit exploring time, tides and transformation through multimedia works that invite viewers to consider the sea as both subject and metaphor, SBMM said.
“Featuring photographs, paintings, prints, video, and mixed media, the show reflects the delicate balance between permanence and loss along California’s coastlines and the rhythms that bind what endures and what vanishes,” SBMM said.
During the April 16 program, Ellis will present Lobospheres: The Lost Souls of Point Lobos, an overview of his 20-year photographic project documenting wave-carved rock forms at Point Lobos.
Describing the work as “a celebration, an elegy, and a cautionary tale,” Ellis considers the series an expressionistic archive shaped by climate realities and the passage of time, giving voice to the landscape and reminding viewers of what is often overlooked.
Vigon’s talk will offer a brief history of his more than 55-year career, highlighting both his commercial and personal work.
An award-winning art director, designer, and fine artist, Vigon created some 200 album covers for artists including Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt, earning induction into the Album Cover Hall of Fame in 2020.
“We are excited to bring David Ellis and Larry Vigon together through both the exhibition and this special program,” said Dean Noble, executive director of SBMM.
“Their work reflects the emotional and environmental realities of the sea while reinforcing SBMM’s mission to connect our community to the ocean through art, education, and storytelling,” Noble said.
“Their work captures the power and fragility of the ever-changing California coastline,” said Emily Falke, SBMM curator and director of collections & exhibits. “In Aquean, the sea becomes a lens for time and change, reminding us that what endures and what vanishes are forever intertwined by the rhythms of the ocean.”
Together, Ellis and Vigon will share insights into their creative processes and the ways art deepens our understanding of the sea.
Through exhibits and educational programs, SBMM connects visitors of all ages to the stories, science, and culture of our coast and ocean.
Founded in 2000, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum presents and interprets the rich maritime history of the Santa Barbara Channel.