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Tours

1. Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises Arts & Culture

   hdae.ucsb.edu/art-culture

   Stops

   1. Anacapa Residence Hall: Succulent Garden

      Artists: Students & The HDAE Grounds Team
      Media: Garden
      Location: Anacapa Residence Hall
      
      The succulent garden was the brainchild of former Residence Halls Association Programming VP Addison Luria-Roberson. It started as an idea for a simple planter box in the Manzanita Village area. It grew into a beautiful succulent garden at Anacapa when Addison became a Resident Assistant. Eric Zobel helped facilitate the project but completion wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance of Grounds Superintendent Manuel Herrera. He and his team prepared the area, and Addison and 24 students planted the succulents. The Residence Halls Association and the Anacapa Hall Council funded the plants. The successful completion of this beautiful garden is an excellent example of tenacity, flexibility, and collaboration.

   2. Little Free Library Santa Cruz

      Artists: Isabella Brillantes, Student
      Media: Acrylic on wood
      Location: Santa Cruz Residence Hall Exterior

       

      The A&C committee was approached by third-year student and San Rafael Resident Assistant, Shoshana Medved, with a project to install Little Free Libraries in our Housing areas. It was an idea hatched through her participation in UCSB’s Environmental Leadership Incubator (ELI), a class designed to increase sustainability across campus. Shoshana joined the A&C committee as a student representative and worked with Residential Operations Project Manager Ashley Cohen to acquire approval and  coordinate with the maintenance team who handled the installation. 

      Shoshana’s idea brought together collaborative support from ELI, local non-profit Art from Scrap, and the Arts & Culture Committee to bring LFLs to UCSB’s Residence Halls.

      The Santa Cruz Little Free Library was painted by Isa Brillantes, a first year student at UCSB.

   3. HDAE Admin Offices: "Everyday People"

      Artists: John Trevino, UCSB Student Class of 1995
      Media: Painting
      Location: Main HDAE Office, 1501 Residential Services 
      
      

   4. San Nicolas Residence Hall: "From the Lagoon"

      Artist: Ansel Adams, circa 1962-1968
      Media: B&W Photography
      Location: San Nicolas Residence Hall Lobby

   5. Little Free Library San Nicolas Residence Hall

      Artists: San Nicolas Residence Hall students
      Media: Mixed & Recycled
      Location: San Nicolas Residence Hall exterior

       

      The A&C committee was approached by third-year student and San Rafael Resident Assistant, Shoshana Medved, with a project to install Little Free Libraries. It was an idea hatched through her participation in UCSB’s Environmental Leadership Incubator (ELI), a class designed to increase sustainability across campus. Shoshana joined the A&C committee as a student representative and worked with Residential Operations Project Manager Ashley Cohen to acquire approval and  coordinate with the maintenance team who handled the installation. 

      Shoshana’s idea brought together collaborative support from ELI, local non-profit Art from Scrap, and the Arts & Culture Committee to bring LFLs to UCSB’s Residence Halls.

       

   6. San Miguel Residence Hall: Stage Murals

      Artists: Riqui Martinez (Environment 2022), Adrew Nim (Diversity 2025), Sophia Kachkeran (I love UCSB 2024), Grace Lindsay (Community 2023)
      
      Media: Acrylic Paint
      Location: San Miguel Residence Hall Exterior Stage
      
      The San Miguel Residence Hall Stage Mural was conceived in 2014 by the Residential Housing Association (RHA). Their vision was to provide a medium to showcase student art in the community. Andrea Vargas, a UCSB alumna and former housing staff member, collaborated with RHA and Residential Operations to make it happen. She devised a concept to frame and display four murals that would be rotated out one by one each year. The Arts & Culture Committee assumed the mural project and in 2017, the Committee worked with Sydni Baker, a UCSB Alumna, to define four themes for the different sections: the environment, I love UCSB, community, and diversity. The A&C Committee continues to manage the project and selects an artist each year from submissions made in the Fall Quarter. 

   7. San Miguel Residence Hall: "Zobel's Zen Garden"

      Artist: Karla Burris, Eric Zobel & the HDAE Grounds Team
      Media: Garden
      Location: San Miguel Residence Hall exterior
      
      Gifted by the HDAE Arts & Culture Committee, this garden is a space for students to visit when they need an outdoor quiet study area.

   8. Ortega Commons: "The Odyssey"

      Artist: Howard Warshaw
      Media: Fresco
      Location: Ortega Commons (view through windows from the exterior walkway)
      
      The mural was painted in the late 1950s by Howard Warshaw, a professor at the College of Creative Studies. It was his visual interpretation of the epic poem by the Greek philosopher Homer. The story (and painting) chronicles the journey and adventures of Odysseus as he returns home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Warshaw felt this would be an appropriate theme for students venturing on their journeys from home, college, and beyond.
      
      The 76-foot wall above Ortega's dining room offered an incredible 'canvas.’ Warshaw volunteered to paint the mural free of charge, agreeing that it be displayed as long as the building remained standing. The University agreed, and a contract was signed and dated.
      
      He began with design sketches and color studies (see WARSHAW: a Decade of Murals in the UCSB Arts Library). Painting started in 1958 and continued into the early 1960s. He spent almost four years on the catwalk above the dining room, painting at all hours of the day and night. Upon completion, an ecstatic Warshaw penned an enormous signature on the final section. He would later return to pen a smaller version which remains today on the far right of the painting.
      

   9. Ucen: "Concierto de Aranjuez"

      Artist: David McCutchen
      Medium: Mural
      Location: UCen 
      
      
      In 1974, UCSB alumni, David McCutchen set out to paint the essence of Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concerto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra” in a mural in the University Center. It is located on the main floor near the administration office. In the coming year, the mural will be transformed into an interactive piece where viewers can listen to the individual movements of the music and follow along as a beam of light traces over the representational art.

   10. UCen: "History of the UCen"

       Artist: Kristi KirkPatrick
       Medium: Triptych
       Location: UCen Admin offices
       
       This triptych depicts the creation and history of the University Center. From an old army barracks to a thriving student union, this artwork honors the creation and development of the UCen through the architecture, dedicated leadership of our directors, and the thousands of people who made this possible over the last 58 years. 

   11. The Club & Guest House: Neon Banners

       Artist: Unknown
       Media: Neon Sculptures
       Location: The Club & Guest House
       
       

       You may view the neon banners  and Ishi Glinksky's artwork while enjoying lunch at The Dining Room at The Club during the academic year: theclub.ucsb.edu/Dine
       
       The Club’s historical significance can be traced back to 1963 when according to UCSB Historian Robert Kelley, “Professor Steven Horvath gave UCSB a challenge: to build a Faculty Club which would be appropriate to such a campus, a Club that would provide a center for faculty and community activity and collegiality, and a distinguished venue for greeting and entertaining UCSB's friends, visiting scholars and public figures.” The Campus Lagoon was sited as the ideal location for its serene beauty and wide vistas.
       
       In 1966 the original Faculty Club building committee was chaired by Horvath and tasked with engaging an architect who could provide the Santa Barbara campus with a building of distinction: contemporary with a nod to California’s popular and high-art architecture. A nationwide search resulted in their selection of Berkeley architect Charles W. Moore and his associate William Turnbull, Jr.
       
       To accommodate a limited budget, Moore changed his original plan three times. Through a gift, a low-interest university loan, a private donation of $125,000 from Santa Barbaran William H. Joyce and faculty donations, the building’s $600,000 construction costs were funded.
       
       In May 1967, construction of The Faculty Club began, and by June 1968, the soaring structure was completed, marked by the high shed-roofed towers and dramatic use of light and space, then emerging as the signatures of Charles Moore.
       
       For decades The Faculty Club endured as the “living room” of campus. To preserve its presence on campus, its Board of Directors partnered with Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises to embark on an extensive renovation and expansion in 2014. Reopening in 2017 and rebranded as The Club & Guest House, the facility now boasts a modernized design by acclaimed architects Moore Ruble Yudell. The Club & Guest House is proud to have achieved LEED silver certification for its sustainable and energy-efficient construction.
       
       Offering an all-inclusive guest experience with fine-dining luncheon settings, a 34-room, boutique hotel-style Guest House, private meeting areas, state-of-the-art conference spaces and an outdoor terrace for special occasions, The Club & Guest House welcomes guests to dine, stay, meet and gather in an architectural icon—newly expanded—in the heart of the UC Santa Barbara campus.
       
       

   12. The Club & Guest House: Trip to Topawa, 2022

       Matt Mullican (b. United States, 1951)

       Untitled (The Elements), 1985
       Oilstick on canvas (diptych)

       Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Yoel Haller, 2005.003.001

   13. Little Free Library: Manzanita

       Artist: Ella Carrigan
       Media: Acrylic on wood
       Location: Manzanita Village Grounds

        

       My name is Ella Carrigan and I am a fourth-year Art Major. Throughout my time here at UCSB, my artistic horizons have expanded with my interdisciplinary coursework, ranging from digital media and video to traditional drawing and painting classes. A lot of my recent work has been informed by living near the ocean, and capturing the beauty of the water and all the creatures within, as you can see with this library! I’ve felt connected to the ocean all my life, and my art reflects this.

        

   14. Carrillo Laundry Room: Photograph

       Artist: Matt Perko, Photographer
       Media: Digital
       Location: Carrillo Laundry Room (View from the exterior)
       
       Campus Point at low tide.

   15. Little Free Library San Clemente

       Artist: Ishneet Kaur
       Media: Acrylic on wood
       Location: San Clemente Village Grounds

        

       Hi! My name is Ishneet Kaur. I am a 2^nd year PhD student in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB), UCSB, working to understand the morphological and molecular complexity of large sulfur bacteria, the “giants” of the bacterial world visible to the naked eye. Outside the science and research world, I am an art enthusiast and have been painting ever since I could hold a brush, learning and exploring different mediums with every brushstroke. It is a grounding activity that has stuck with me through different phases of life. So when I saw the Little Free Library initiative advertisement and their lookout for someone to paint one for the San Clemente Villages community, I had to apply! I liked the “I <3 UCSB” theme and instantly knew what I wanted to paint. The first thing that comes to mind about UCSB is the beautiful ocean, blue skies, and mountains, so I tried to paint it on the library box. It was a perfect little art project for me that catered to both- the joy of painting and serving the community, and I enjoyed the process a lot.

   16. San Clemente Villages: "Optimism Eternal"

       Artist: Luciano Tempo (gift of Barry Colwell)
       Media: Bronze
       Location: San Clemente Villages Encino Quad
       
       The top section of the sculpture, a female shape with her hands toward the sky, expresses hope and gratitude. In contrast, the lower area is reminiscent of the Eastern serpent biting its tail as a symbol of eternity, a beautiful marriage of concepts. This sculpture stood as an anchoring piece in the artist’s garden in Carmel, California, where his main gallery was.

   17. Storke Apartments: "The Women"

       Artist: UCSB Student
       Media: Metal/Wood Sculpture
       Location: Storke Family Student Housing Apartments
       
       In the late 1980s, Janet Vandevender offered this statue created by a UCSB student artist (name unknown) to Richard Frost for Family Student Housing. The sculpture features a single seated figure, titled “The Women."

   18. Mesa Road Laundry Room: Sealife Wall Art

       Artist: Eric Zobel
       Media: Multimedia Wall Art
       Location: Mesa Road Laundry Room

        

       UCSB Housing's laundry room makeover provided an opportunity to refresh the wall art. In the Family Student Housing Apartments, Eric Zobel (retired) donated illustrations from his personal stock of digital assets to enhance the wall space. By blending art with the natural sciences, Eric's Santa Barbara area Wildlife and Sealife display provides education through an accessible medium.

       Read more

   19. Laurel Walk Laundry Room

       Artist: Eric Zobel
       Media: Multimedia Wall Art
       Location: Storke Laurel Walk Laundry Room

        

       UCSB Housing's laundry room makeover provided an opportunity to refresh the wall art. In the Family Student Housing Apartments, Eric Zobel (retired) donated illustrations from his personal stock of digital assets to enhance the wall space. By blending art with the natural sciences, Eric's Santa Barbara area Wildlife and Sealife display provides education through an accessible medium.

       Read more

   20. Storke Apartments: Tiny Library - Rocket

       Artist: Eric Zobel
       Media: Woodwork
       Location: Storke Family Student Housing Apartments
       
       With a suggestion from Karla Burris and help from Manuel Herrera and the Grounds Team, former HDAE Graphic Artist Eric Zobel designed and built two free little libraries for West Campus and Storke Family Student Housing. They were installed in each community garden, one in the shape of a rocket ship and the other a medieval castle.

       These gifts were from the Arts & Culture Committee to the many children in the area were installed at a lower height for easier access. 

       In 2025, the little free library at Family Student housing was moved from the community garden to the children's playground area to make it accessible to all of our residents.

   21. West Campus Apartments: Tiny Library - Castle

       Artist: Eric Zobel
       Media: Woodwork
       Location: West Campus Family Student Housing Apartments (Garden area)
       
       With a suggestion from Karla Burris and help from Manuel Herrera and the Grounds Team, former HDAE Graphic Artist Eric Zobel designed and built two free little libraries for West Campus and Storke Family Student Housing.

       The library at West Campus is a medieval castle. These gifts are from the HDAE Arts & Culture Committee to the many children in the area and were installed at a lower height for easier access. 

       In 2025, the little free library was moved from the community garden to the children's playground area to make it accessible to all in the community,