Dear Colleagues,
We invite you and your students to join us at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to look, discover, question, and explore art through lively discussion, careful observation, and hands-on artmaking. Art is an invitation to be fully present. A visit to the Museum is an opportunity to connect with art, each other, and ourselves.
The art museum is a space in which to ask questions, to share ideas and to be wholly ourselves. In a time when technology and AI are much in the news, we remind you that art sparks creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation. In a time when social emotional learning is key to student well-being, we remind you that evidence shows that art making, and visiting art museums, can benefit mental health; supporting emotional resilience, helping us to understand who we are, and how we connect to others. We hope students of all ages and abilities will feel welcome and confident expressing themselves in the safe, open, creative environment of the Museum, and that you as teachers will see us as a resource for your classroom as well; a place for inspiring personal connection.
Through our Educator Open House, online lesson plans, special programs, and workshops we hope you will gain skills and find new resources to enhance your teaching. In addition to our regular offerings, we look forward to the opportunity to work with you to develop a program that best fits your curricular needs.
Courage, compassion, creativity, curiosity, and community; you foster all these qualities in your classrooms. We hope you find that they are amplified and nurtured by your connection to the Museum and to art.
So come visit us! Together let’s facilitate wonder, inspire creativity and share joy!
Sincerely,
Patsy Hicks
Director of Education
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Transportation Reimbursements Available
For more information on the Museum’s School and Teacher programs, please contact the Education Office at (805) 884-6441 or email education@sbma.net.
SBMA Education Donors
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our donors for their contributions to the Museum's Education Programs:
Nora McNeely Hurley Foundation
Audrey Hillman Fisher Foundation
George H. and Olive J. Griffiths Charitable Foundation
Stone Family Foundation
Anonymous
The Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation
Karen and Peter Brill
Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation
Hazen Family Foundation
Montecito Bank & Trust
Elisa and Marc Stad
Mary Lynn and Warren Staley
Michelle and Craig Taylor Foundation
Paul Absher, Justin Barce, Regan & David Barks, Marsha & Stephen J. Barr, Marianne Battistone & Philip Norwood, Alissa Beltran, Robin Bethlenfalvay, Gloria & Laurence Brockway, Karen Carson, Tracy Collins, Bonnie R. Corman, Ph.D., Shannon M. Crane & Mark K. Flores, Maria & John Cunningham, Michele DeCant, Dieter Doppelfeld, Diane & Leslie Ekker, Gail Elnicky & Rich Untermann, Diane Federle, Paul Finkel & Barbara Strauss, Susan Fractman, Elizabeth & Art Gaspar, Elizabeth Gaynes, Janet Goodman & James Liberman, Linda J. Gorin, M.D. in honor of Arnold B. Gorin, M.D. , Heather Green, Salli Harris, Kathy & Peter Hartz, Gillian Heald, Michelle Heckman, Wendy Henchy, Christine Hoehner, Jerome Hurowitz, Maren & John Lambe, Zoë Landers, Judy Lange, Susanne Lersch, Linda Stafford Burrows, Leslie Blake-Lobb, Kristi & Cole Lupoli, Loy Lytle & Sabina White, Rita Manning, Carmen Martinez, Robert Meloy,Nancy Michaud, Alcira Miller, Jodi Mitchell, Ayad Muhammad, Betsey Nash, Jennifer O'Toole, Linda & Gary Rick, Pam Riss, Elisabeth Rose & Owen Shapiro, Bettina Ross, Nalia Santiago, Judith Scheuer, Sharon Sheehan, Barbara Koutnik-Smith & Melbourne Smith, Charlie Stender, Deborah Talmage & Vince Deral, Brian Tappeiner, Karen & Jeff Tenzer, Marianne Tucker, David Unger, Anthony & Sophia Vassiliou, Nancy Vierbrock, DiAnne & Robert G. Voorhees, Julia Walden, Sherri West & John MacDonald, Michael Wilson, Eleanor Wilson & Russell Black, Sandra Wilson, Karen & Al Wintringham, Jeffrey & Erin Zuck, & donors to the 2026 Gilded Gala.
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