A group of 14 Santa Barbara County cultural institutions have come together to form the Santa Barbara County Museums Environmental Alliance to collectively raise awareness of environmental issues through a banner project campaign titled “Impact: climate change and the urgency of the moment”.
Members of the alliance include the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature in Solvang and the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art, 12 other museums in the region, a zoo and a botanical garden: Art, Design & Architecture Museum (UCSB), MOXI , the Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, Santa Barbara Museum of Contemporary Art, Old Mission Santa Barbara Museum, Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara Sea Center Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Santa Barbara Zoo.
The county-wide campaign, organized by participating members through September, will include public exhibits, special events and programs that address important issues across a range of disciplinary approaches, “allowing visitors to delve deeper their understanding through art, history, science, interactions with animals and in botanical gardens,†according to Stacey Otte-Damangate, Executive Director of the Wildling Museum.
Some events are set to coincide with April 22, Earth Day, which marks 53 years since the 1969 oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, which captured local attention and turned into an environmental movement in across the country who is honored each year.
Alliance partners will participate in the annual Santa Barbara Earth Day Celebration on Friday, hosted by the Santa Barbara Community Environmental Council and being held at the Arlington Theater.
“We are 14 institutions with a common vision,†said Steve Windhager, executive director of the alliance member Santa Barbara Botanical Garden. “We believe our collaborative work will inform and engage the public, while being a force multiplier for positive change.”
On the morning of January 28, 1969, an offshore oil rig in Santa Barbara caused a leak and blanketed the beach and wildlife in oil.
