Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum
CAF
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DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
Miki Garcia, Executive Director



Dear Art Lover,

For 31 years, CAF has been an arena for the presentation, documentation, critical discussion of, and support for the visual arts.  Our aim is to expand and educate the audience for contemporary art and to involve a diverse community by offering innovative educational and exhibition programming to the Central Coast region primarily free of charge.  Consequently, all of our Exhibitions and Public Educational Programs adhere to the same notion that art should be accessible to all.

Serving over 30,000 visitors annually, CAF is fortunate to be situated at the heart of downtown Santa Barbara in Paseo Nuevo.  This mall complex attracts an estimated one million plus visitors a year.  Coupled with free programming, our highly visible location makes for an easy and approachable experience for those visitors who may not have a specific interest in or prior connection with art museums and galleries.

After some years of internal restructuring, CAF is poised to deliver programming that is motivated by a fundamental commitment to supporting the most innovative expressions of art today.   This program is diverse in media, point of view, gender, ethnicity, and scope.  Through a broad range of exhibitions, CAF provides vital support to living artists in need of critical attention.  Not simply a location for passive viewing, CAF also acts as a forum for dialogue through educational programs, lectures, tours, workshops, and so much more.

I welcome you to the virtual home of CAF and hope that it will inform, enlighten, and prompt you to visit us in person.  Contemporary art possesses the power to positively engage children and adults alike, fostering self-esteem, social awareness, critical thinking, and collaboration.  CAF is the leading the way in this dynamic engagement with art in the tri-counties and beyond.  We hope you will use this Web site to find ways for YOU to engage with us in some of the most experimental, thought-provoking, and interactive art of our time.

Engage. Explore.  Experience the art of our Time. 

Kind regards,

Miki Garcia

Executive Director
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