Sullivan Goss is proud to announce a new addition to our lineup of artists. Starting in late October, Sullivan Goss began showing the work of one of Santa Barbara’s most beloved and prolific artists, Meredith Brooks Abbott. Meredith has a long and illustrative history in Santa Barbara and we are all very excited by the opportunity to show her work. You can currently find paintings by the artist in the de Forest Gallery inside our Arts and Letters Cafe, as well as in our “100 Grand” and “A Winter Quartet” exhibits in the Contemporary gallery.
To see her webpage and images of the works by the artist that are currently at Sullivan Goss click here.
Just in case you weren’t one of the 1000 plus people to visit the gallery on First Thursday, we have a new show of works by John Nava. John is perhaps most famous for his tapestries in the Our Lady of the Angels cathedral in downtown LA. John’s new show, called Facing West, is a group of paintings that present an updated version of mythical figures of Beauty. It is an amazing show, and we hope that you will come in to see it for yourself.
Slightly more than a week before the opening of this show, the artist was flown to Davenport, Iowa where he gave a talk about one of his tapestries which is currently on view right at the entrance to the Museum. John was nice enough to let us post some of his pictures from the trip on this blog. Who would have guessed that you might find such a stunning museum in Iowa?
The Figge Art Museum designed by David Chipperfield and sited overlooking the Mississippi River.
W Haiku | John Nava | Triptych | Tapestry, 114 x 240 inches | 2006
If you would like to try to win the $4,000 Hank Pitcher painting that we are giving away it is not too late. You can download part one from “The Case of the Missing Pitcher” link that is on the right of this web page. Because the prize is so big, we made the hunt very challenging and expect that we may not have a winner for a while yet. This means that if you start soon you can still easily be in the running for the grand prize.
John Nava recently sent in this fascinating short video which documents his intricate, multi-step process for the creation of this ethereal series of paintings. In the brief span of this video we get some wonderful insight into the artist’s complex creative process. These paintings will be part of John’s next solo exhibit which opens at the gallery on this coming 1st Thursday, November 5th. Now that you have seen some of what it takes to make these paintings, make sure to come in to see them in person.
Sullivan Goss has once again been named Santa Barbara’s favorite art gallery by the readers of the Independent. We’d like to thank all of our wonderful patrons for voting for us and for your continuing support. It has been a very big year for Sullivan Goss as we launched our groundbreaking SGTV program, hosted the Public Square art project, organized Art Helps to assist needy families in this tough economic time, and opened the Arts and Letters Cafe for dinner service the first time in many years.
Our next big project is the Great Sullivan Goss Treasure Hunt: The Case of the Missing Pitcher. Click on the link to learn more and help us spread the word by telling all your art and/or surf loving friends that they could win a $4,000 painting by surf icon Hank Pitcher.
For the passed year or so, we at Sullivan Goss have been experimenting with a variety of new ways to get the word out about our program. The most significant of these are the videos we now produce for our SGTV web page. The gallery staff work together to produce each of these videos and launch the new videos as part of our monthly E-Bulletin, which keeps our clients up to date with new shows and acquisitions. However, we do not stop there. It is our belief that these videos only become more valuable the easier they are to access. So we have been blazing trails when it comes to finding ways to distribute these videos and expanding our presence on the web. SGTV can now be found on over 15 different internet sites. I’ve included a list of some of these sites below and you can click on any of them to see the Sullivan Goss page.
We hope that these videos have made it easier for everyone to learn about our artists and their place within our local and national art history. If you have any comments or suggestions for us, please post them on the blog.
For the first time in ages Sullivan Goss had two contemporary art exhibits opening on the same night. Throw in an appearance by the popular Nicole Strasburg and you have a recipe for one very busy First Thursday, with the artists from all three shows in the contemporary gallery together at once. Curator Susan Bush found a moment during the evening to capture the event with few photos.
If you weren’t able to attend the opening, take a moment this weekend to stop in and see all of these great shows.
Robin Gowen addresses a captive audience.
Frank Goss and Robert Townsend
Robert Townsend, Susan Bush, Nicole Strasburg, and Robin Gowen
Recently, Frank Goss sat down with local artist, Robin Gowen, to talk about her sixth solo show at Sullivan Goss. The interview provides a wonderful insight into the artist’s creative process and how it has changed over the years. As you can see in the video the results are stunning.
The show is certain to draw a crowd during the artist’s reception when it opens during September’s 1st Thursday event. It will remain on exhibit until November 29th, so make sure to come in and see these wonderful works for yourself. Then come back here to post your comments and let us know what you think.
To watch the video you can click here or on the image above.
In our continuous efforts to make it as easy as possible to stay on top of all the exciting new developments at Sullivan Goss, we have embraced yet another media format. You can now get the latest updates through Twitter.
If you are signed on to your account, you can join our Twitter following by going to our Twitter site and clicking the “Follow” button under the Sullivan Goss logo.
If you do not have a twitter account, but would like to give it a try, it is very easy to get started. To sign up for an account click here, then head to our Twitter site to start receiving our tweets.
Within minutes you can get set up to be one of the very first people to get the gallery’s latest news on exhibits, acquisitions, and SGTV videos.
On June 1st a wonderful interview with Sullivan Goss artist Alia El-Bermani appeared on the “Painting Perceptions” website. The interview provides substantial insight into the artist’s process, palette, and choice of subject matter. You can find the website with the interview by clicking here.
You can learn more about the artist and see images of her work by visiting her page on our website.
Last Thursday, Martha Sadler of the Independent wrote a nice review of our contemporary ceramics show, “Strange Clays”. The show ran concurrently with the Contemporary Art Forum’s ceramics show “Expanded Fields of Possibilities”. You can read the review of both shows here.
You can view the video we produced for the show by clicking here.
If you haven’t seen the show yet, make sure to come in this week. The show will be up only until the end of the month. If you have seen the show, please post your comments here to let us know what you think
In celebration of our artist, Jack R. Smith’s collection Portraits of American Poets, we have put together a new AVB written by Robyn Allers. The AVB highlights the paintings, as well as the poets and poetry which inspired the work. The exhibit began its US tour in the Cornell Museum of Fine Arts at Rollins College in January.
Click on the picture above to watch the AVB. Then come back here to let us know what you think.
Earlier this month the gallery started a new program entitled “An Unlikely Pair”. This program allows visitors to the gallery the opportunity to see how works of art can “talk” to each other on the wall. Every two weeks a new staff member picks a new pair and provides an explanation of the connection that inspired them. You can find the wall dedicated to “An Unlikely Pair” just to the left of our cafe entrance. Since each pair is only up for a short time, make sure to come by often to catch each set. Just in case you missed them, I have included the first two pairs chosen by our Art Historian, Danielle Peltakian, and our Contemporary Curator, Susan Bush.
Please let us know what you think of the project by posting your comments.
“In choosing this pair from our collection, I was suddenly reminded of the similarities they hold to trends straight off the NY fashion week runways— a variety of textures, exotic patterns, beadwork and a panache of bold colors amid black. It’s all about the orange.”
“These two artists found a common ground in the painting of nocturnes. One artist was a well-schooled woman from the East Coast, the other was a self-taught man from the West Coast. One painting is from the 40s, one from the 50s. One declares a brilliant, natural beauty in the night, the other alludes to shadowy, suspect revelations of human life. Opposites in many ways, yet hauntingly similar.”
As you may have noticed, last week we made some small but significant changes to our home page. First of all, we have changed the name of this blog’s link to “News”. This change reflects our desire for people to see this blog as a place to find important information relevant to the gallery’s program and news about exciting upcoming events. At the same time, we want to continue to encourage people to contribute by adding their comments and insights. It is our belief that the more voices we add to these discussions the richer the conversation will be. One very clear example is the many enlightening comments we have had regarding Bentley Schaad from his former students. Each of these comments adds to the gallery’s scholarship on the artist and gives us a greater understanding of his career. The second change in the home page is a new link entitled SGTV, which is found on the top left of the page. Here you will find the collection of all our Audio Video Brochures (AVBs), which we have been producing over the passed six months. As new AVBs are created they will be posted on SGTV as well as on our YouTube Channel.
We hope that these changes make it even easier for you to engage with the gallery and be part of our continuing effort to promote Modern and Contemporary art.
And please stay tuned over the coming weeks for posts highlighting the new Sullivan Goss TV page, and new ways to experience this groundbreaking content.
As always, we hope you will post your comments to let us know what you think.
The anonymous creator of the Public Square and the staff of Sullivan Goss always intended for the Public Square to travel on beyond the walls of our gallery. Various proposals for its use have been put forward, but we are still scheming. No definite plans have been made.
One of the ideas floating around involves loaning the Public Square pedestal to various artists and photographers, to expand the concept of the project. As a prototype of that idea, artist Amanda McGinnis took on the idea and created a series of photographs called “Persona Study,” which we have turned in to a new video.
What do you think we should do with the Public Square after its last day in the gallery? Also, what do you think of the new video?
Over the passed few weeks Sullivan Goss – An American Gallery and The Arts and Letters Cafe, or more specifically co-owner Frank Goss, has recieved some wonderful press. First of all, Frank was featured as part of local magazine Dining and Destinations’ “Ten Locals at the Top”. The article gives a brief history of Frank’s professional career and a summary of some local highlights happening in the gallery and the cafe, including the aquistion of “The Santa Barbara Mission” by Edward Potthast and the summer dinner series “Opera Under the Stars“.
In addition, Frank was recently interviewed by Alyce Faye Cleese for her radio show on KZSB 1290AM. The show, entitled “My Favorite Things with Alyce Faye Cleese”, features interviews with many local movers and shakers. Her interview with Frank is roughly 25 minutes long and covers a range of interesting topics from the Beatles to Frank’s favorite painting of all time. You can find the interview, along with an archive of all of Alyce Faye’s interviews here.
What IS the Public Square project?
The Public Square is a community-oriented, participatory artwork created by an Anonymous Artist. The artist has prepared your stage, a simple gray pedestal emblazoned with four words: LOST, POET, HERO, MYTH. You are being asked to step up and be photographed on it as a living work of sculpture with the descriptive word of your choice.
How does one participate?
The Gallery is open for your modeling event from 11 – 5:30 daily until March 31st. Choose your wardrobe carefully and come down for your modeling session. Keep in mind that you will only get one shot.
Each photograph will be featured on LOSTPOETHEROMYTH.COM and may be pasted on the wall of our contemporary gallery. You can write up to 30 words explaining your choice. Which are you? Lost? Hero? Poet? Myth?
Sullivan Goss is pleased to present the inaugural exhibition from the Estate of Bay Area Abstract Expressionist, Hassel Smith. The AVB tells the story of his life and art and provides some clues about the large measured paintings featured in the photo above. Click on the image above to watch the AVB: Hassel Smith – Abstract Expressionist.
The exhibition is up through May 31st. Come see it and let us know what you think.
On January 24th, our artist Jack Smith celebrated the premier of the US tour for his Portraits of American Poets in the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College. Over the passed three years Jack has been traveling around the United States to paint portraits of many of our country’s most influential poets. The resulting exhibit, arranged by Sullivan Goss, is an illuminating collection of twenty-eight, six inch by six inch black oil paintings on copper. Jack was kind enough to send us pictures from the opening. Click on the images to see an enlarged version. Jack is pictured on the right in the first image below. To learn more you can visit the Cornell Fine Arts Museum’s website, here.
Let us know what you think!
Update (2/14/09):
And here is the poet Derek Walcott who came in to see his portrait just recently. To get the full story read the comment below by Robyn Allers, Director, Cornell Fine Arts Museum.
Sullivan Goss is proud to present a survey of contemporary ceramic sculpture. Included in the exhibition are artists Rebekah Bogard, Joan Bankemper, John Oliver Lewis, and Jesse Small.
Just yesterday the city put the finishing touches on a new park on Anapamu St. between the gallery and Coffee Cat – just across the street from the public library. The park, entitled “Jardin de las Granadas” (Plaza of the Pomegrantes), was finally completed with the installation of four wonderful new sculptures by our very own Aristides Demitrios. On February 5th (First Thursday), at 4:30pm the City of Santa Barbara Redevelopment Agency and the County Arts Commission will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Jardin and the permanent installation of the Solstice Murals next door on the Granada Garage. So before heading to the gallery to attend the opening of our Hassel Smith and Strange Clays exhibits on the next First Thursday, take a minute or two to visit these new additions to the city’s collection of public art. Then come back to the blog and make sure to comment to let us know what you think.Below you can see a sneak preview of the sculptures provided by our friend George Spitzer.
And the following are from San Diego photographer Christopher Payne who happened to be walking by during the installation. Christopher was gracious enough to volunteer to take some time to help us document the event.
The Sullivan Goss booth at the 2009 LA Art Show looked pretty wonderful, if we do say so ourselves.
Owner, Frank Goss, looking rather swanky just moments before the door opened to the Gala event on Wednesday night.
This year, a cultural group called GenArt teamed up with Angeleno magazine to sponsor a party in which art married fashion. We saw two beautiful young models in frilly dresses walking by this signature painting by Jesus Helguera and asked them to pose. They were models, so the pose was very elegant indeed.
I thought that this little vignette was especially nice. We paired the Richard Haines painting “August Moon” with Betty Lane’s “Wood – Quintet.” We rounded out the offering with owls by Aldo Casanova and ceramics by James Haggerty.
If you could fly over the LA Art Show, you would have seen a vast city of lights. All in all, it was a very good show.
Last week Starhine Roshell celebrated the release of her new book “Keep Your Skirt On” in our contemporary gallery. It was a smashing success and there are pictures up online of the event, which can be found here: http://www.santabarbara.com/events/photoblog/081209-starshine/
The Sarah House is having its annual holiday fund raiser, and they have a remarkable selection of art that they will be auctioning off. We were more than happy to help get the word out to Santa Barbara’s art lovers to rally behind this very worth cause. They have put pictures of the art online for you to look at here. I’ve posted the press release below which contains all the necessary information for those of you who are interested. —————————————————
Sarah House, our “Social Model” Hospice
Annual Fundraiser!
IMAGINE….It is Saturday, December 13th 2008
IMAGINE….You are arriving at the Woman’s Club at Rockwood dressed as …!
IMAGINE….Fine art, great entertainment, and excellent food.
IMAGINE….A night at the Artizan’s Ball, the annual benefit for Sarah House!
Discount Alert! Buy tickets at $85!
For tickets/donations call:
(805)882-1192
Over the past month I have been working on the construction of a 3D model of the gallery that can be viewed online. I’ve finished a working version an have posted it in Google’s 3D warehouse for all to enjoy. For those of you who are PC users, you can view the model on a 3D map within your internet browser or in Google Earth. For those of you who prefer Macs, you will have to use Google Earth for the time being. I have included our “Hecho in Mexico” show in the model so you can see how it actually looks in the gallery. You can find the model here.
Sullivan Goss has once again been named Santa Barbara’s favorite art gallery by the readers of the Independent. We’d like to thank all of our wonderful patrons for voting for us and for your continuing support. It has been a very big year for Sullivan Goss as we launched our groundbreaking 
