Big Betty Butia at Alameda Park

CJM::LA recently completed plans for the restoration of a small area of our local Alameda Park.  The project included the relocation of an existing non-functioning well in order to bring it back into operation and provide another much-needed water source for the Santa Barbara community.  As part of that restoration, our office worked closely with the City of Santa Barbara, the Historic Landmarks Commission, and the Parks and Recreation Commission to restore a small area of the park.  A few existing non-specimen trees were removed and replaced with beautiful new palm trees.  This park is a significant part of the open space network within our community, and historically has been home to hundreds of unique tree species.  We worked with Seacrest Nursery to select and install a unique specimen known as Big Betty Butia.  She is a Butia capitata, or Jelly Palm, and has a beautiful grey-green canopy.  Photos below::

Big Betty at Seacrest Nursery
Big Betty at Seacrest Nursery
Big Betty planted at Alameda Park
Big Betty planted at Alameda Park

DROUGHT RESISTANT: SUMMER ART SERIES FEATURING CATHY ELLIS

Shots From the Sky by Cathy Ellis, 2014

Shots From the Sky by Cathy Ellis, 2014

CJM::LA presents the first show in our series DROUGHT RESISTANT, featuring the works of Cathy Ellis.
Curated by Patrick Melroy, the show runs June 1, 2015 through June 30, 2015.

Cathy Ellis is known for her exceptionally competent compositions and dramatic color combinations.  Her development of subject matter reveals a thoughtful mind at work in the sloppy sticky edges of memory and mistake.  The work lures viewers into it, leaving room for them to fill in the back-story and to build the associations of meaning around the elegant and yet clumpy figures and landscapes.  Her work makes big noises about quiet subtle reflections.

Cathy Ellis received her BFA from Sonoma State University and her MFA from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2014.  She has exhibited nationally, including exhibitions at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Barbara, the Minan Gallery in Los Angeles, Cal State Channel Islands in Camarillo, 186 Carpenter in Providence, RI, the Sonoma Valley Museum in Sonoma, SFMOMA Artist’s Gallery, Trillium Press and Southern Exposure in San Francisco.  She is currently a Teaching Fellow at the College of Creative Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara, and the 2014 winner of the Howard Fenton Award for Painting.

The three artists in Drought Resistant, Cathy Ellis, Megan Mueller, and Jenalee Harmon, are contemporary experts within their individual disciplines and regularly show their work nationally. The series is curated by Patrick Melroy. The idea for DROUGHT RESISTANT came from a creative conversation between CJM::LA principal Courtney Miller and several artists within the community. The substance of the discussion surrounded the desperate need for more quality venues for contemporary art within the very rich cultural center of Santa Barbara. Miller engaged curator Patrick Melroy who in turn invited three artists who have persevered through the shortage of show space and continued to advance their artistic practice despite not having a lot of room to spread out. The title of the series was entirely the idea of artist Megan Mueller.

The opening will be on Thursday, June 4 at 5 pm in collaboration with the Downtown Organization’s 1st Thursday event.

CJM::LA is located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, visit our Contacts page for more info.

DROUGHT RESISTANT: Summer Art Series

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Courtney Jane Miller Landscape Architecture is sponsoring a summer art series at their Canon Perdido design studio. DROUGHT RESISTANT will feature the works of three women artists who maintain studio practices in Santa Barbara. Each artist will present their work via a solo show for one month during the summer from June to August. All three are contemporary experts within their individual disciplines and regularly show their work nationally. The series is curated by Patrick Melroy. The idea for DROUGHT RESISTANT came from a creative conversation between CJM::LA principal Courtney Miller and several artists within the community. The substance of the discussion surrounded the desperate need for more quality venues for contemporary art within the very rich cultural center of Santa Barbara. Miller engaged curator Patrick Melroy who in turn invited three artists who have persevered through the shortage of show space and continued to advance their artistic practice despite not having a lot of room to spread out. The title of the series was entirely the idea of artist Megan Mueller.

CATHY ELLIS, MEGAN MUELLER, and JENALEE HARMON will each present a solo show at CJM::LA this summer. Each show will open with a celebration in partnership with the downtown association’s 1st Thursday Art Walk. CJM::LA will have food and drink on hand at each reception and the artists and curator will be in attendance to discuss the work and the current state of the art scene in Santa Barbara. All art will be for sale.

THURSDAY JUNE 4TH, 5-8PM CATHY ELLIS

THURSDAY JULY 2ND, 5-8PM MEGAN MUELLER

THURSDAY AUGUST 6TH, 5-8PM JENALEE HARMON

 

CJM::LA is located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, visit our Contacts page for more info.

Santa Barbara Historical Museum | Artists of the Meridian

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The Santa Barbara Historical Museum is hosting a lecture on Thursday, April 9 at 5:30 pm entitled “Artists of the Meridian.”  The Meridian Studios were originally designed by George Washington Smith and Carleton Monroe Winslow in the 1920’s.  They have been home to a number of artists, creatives and architects over the years including Huguette Clark, Joe De Yonga, Catlin Phelps and Adele Herter.

CJM::LA’s Courtney Miller was lucky enough to work at #4 for her first two years in Santa Barbara, with the Office of Katie O’Reilly Rogers.  This is an incredibly beautiful collection of buildings and is still home to a number of exceptionally talented designers and architects.  For more info, click here.

Design Thinking | Fast Company

Fast Company

Read Full Article:
Design Thinking…What is That?

Retail Renovation | Santa Barbara Landscape Architect | CJMLA

Design thinking describes a repeatable process employing unique and creative techniques which yield guaranteed results — usually results that exceed initial expectations. Extraordinary results that leapfrog the expected.

Celebrating Two Years

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We are celebrating two years in business today!  And looking forward to a successful year.

Native Gardens Tour | SB Botanic Garden

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden will be hosting a tour of local gardens and communities that exemplify sustainable landscape practices.  The bus tour takes place on Sunday, April 9 and will explore the Santa Ynez valley and it’s environs.  For more info or to register, click here.

Kids Draw | Architectural Foundation

KidsDraw
The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is hosting it’s annual Kids Draw event over the next few weeks in April.  This fantastic event provides children with the opportunity to sketch buildings in our community, aided by local artists and architects.  Each year a calendar is produced with their drawings which provide a refreshing perspective on the built environment in Santa Barbara.  For more info, click here.

Ice in Paradise | Under Construction

Lara Cooper / Noozhawk photo
Lara Cooper / Noozhawk photo

Construction has recently begun at our Ice in Paradise project in Goleta, CA.  This ice rink project has been in the works since 1997, and will provide a beneficial amenity to the Goleta community as well as the Central Coast region.  We worked closely with HTG Architects, who specialize in ice rink design, in order to provide outdoor plaza space with opportunities for naming rights as well as a small garden area.  Our local news publication Noozhawk recently published an article with updates on the construction.  To read more, click here.

SANTA BARBARA | STATE OF THE CITY

The Chamber of the Santa Barbara Region will be hosting the annual State of the City Presentation this Friday, March 20, 2015.  Join us in reviewing last year’s milestones as well as plans for 2015.  The Mayor’s presentation is free and open to the public.  For more info, click here.

CLIMBING IN PLAYGROUNDS

Andris Zobs & Ian Glas

Read full Article:
Climbing in Playgrounds
March 3, 2015
THE FIELD

image: IDS
image: IDS

Playground designers and manufacturers have recognized that traditional post and deck structures and climbing events don’t fully satisfy the urge to climb that we all feel. In recent years, the industry has stepped forward to meet the challenge with climbing sculptures that have added a new dimension to playground activity, with more realistic surfaces, more challenging athleticism, and creativity in forms. New technology has enabled complete creative freedom; climbers are no longer limited to walls and boulders. Playground designers can now create expressive sculptures that combine the health benefits of climbing while also providing a venue for imaginative play.

Founded in 2005, Integrated Design Solutions (IDS) designs and fabricates custom sculptural landscapes and play features using a specially formulated polymer concrete shell that provides a durable, realistic surface suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. Driven to increase the play and climbing value of artificial rock, IDS has pioneered new material and sculptural techniques that bring an unprecedented level of realism to the market.

Coastal Housing Coalition | Annual Conference

The Santa Barbara Coastal Housing Coalition is hosting it’s annual conference at the Carrillo Recreation Center on Friday, March 20, 2015.  The theme for this year’s conference is “Housing Needs and Opportunities Revealed.”

The Coastal Housing Coalition is a non-profit dedicated to educating the public about the impacts of the lack of available housing that is within financial reach of our local workforce.  To read more about this organization, click here.