In a place as beautiful as Santa Barbara, anywhere you look seems to be perfectly curated. From State Streetโs Spanish-style architecture and lazy palms, to the beaches at the end of every leaf-shadowed street, Santa Barbaraโs aesthetics are truly unbeatable. If its amazing locale and tangible history werenโt enough, SB downtown is suffused with and surrounded by hundreds of feet of beautiful street art.ย
All over town, from just outside my favorite coffee shop to the last thing visitors see as they walk through the terminal at the airport, Santa Barbara is varnished with some of the most awesome pieces of urban art that I often feel are overlooked.
As a lover of visual art, I wanted to share my favorite easily accessible pieces and encourage you to make a day of it! Sometimes it’s just too nice of a day to spend inside a museum, so why not grab a coffee and appreciate what the amazing local artists have created for all to see?
Downtown Designs
Starting off strong with a bev from my favorite cafe, Handlebar on Canon Perdido Street, walk towards State Street and two doors down, you will stumble upon an amazing mural by DJ Javier titled โThe Year of the Dragon.โ His vibrant, pop-art-ish dragon functions as an ode to Santa Barbaraโs historically Asian American district, as well as an eye-catching place to pause and soak up the sun.ย
Historical Odes
Just a few blocks away is the iconic Santa Barbara Courthouse, complete with a stunning set of gardens that are definitely worth a stroll through if you have the time. Just inside, however, its grandeur continues with the massive installation called the Mural Room, dating back a good hundred years older than DJ Javierโs 2024 installation. These four murals, painted by Daniel Sayre Groesbeck in the 1920s, depict, as the Santa Barbara Independent calls it, a โhighly romanticized conception of Santa Barbara history.โ Despite Groesbeck’s failure to address all aspects of our local history, his attention to detail and classical style is guaranteed to make you catch your breath, as will its size, measuring in at a shocking 6,400 square feet.ย
To continue with another location just off State Street, another favorite public art piece is located just inside the Santa Barbara Public Library, called โDon Quixote,โ and according to them, it was commissioned in 1959 and was painted by Channing Peake and Howard Warshaw. They chose to depict scenes from the famous novel in order to highlight Santa Barbaraโs Spanish history in a distinctly Cubist style.ย
Funky Funk Zone
Moving away from the older pieces, the last stops on my tour are Santa Barbara 3.0 and California Garden. Both of these massive murals are located in what has to be my favorite area of Santa Barbara downtown, the Funk Zone. Already full of quirky art and bustling with creativity, these two murals, although very different, capture the essence of the Funk Zone. By this point, I typically stop in at Dart Coffee for an empanada or (in the interest of honesty) another chai, and continue to explore.
Santa Barbara 3.0, tucked between 28 and 22 Anacapa Street, was a collective effort including the Youth Interactive, Colette Cosentino, and Nathalie Gensac, reported by the Santa Barbara Independent. Completed in 2013, this mural is a Surrealist ode to the iconic Santa Barbara Mission, celebrating the architecture of Santa Barbara as well as providing a canvas for budding artists in the area.
Sticking with the theme of Dada, Brad Nackโs California Garden illustrates the natural world on a macro scale; his mural spans the entirety of the wall of 132 Santa Barbara Street, blooming into life across the entire block.ย
Conveniently, this tour leaves you in one of the best places for a quick bite to eat or a wander through the many beautifully curated boutiques and surf shops nearby, as well as the perfect atmosphere to soak up as much creativity as possible. Most importantly, not only is this an fun thing to do with friends or just when you need a moment alone, but it is also an incredible way to appreciate all of the artists and art that make a beautiful place truly exceptional.ย