Railroad Art Benches
As part of the Lower State Street Revitalization improvements in the 00-300 blocks, the Agency worked in coordination with the Visual Art in Public Places Committee and the City's Arts Advisory Committee to include public art. A call to artists was sent out and a competition was held. Local artist Blair Looker-Ridenour was selected. The artist designed and manufactured tiles for two corner benches at State Street and Yanonali Street near the railroad crossing. She also designed tiles for the walls on both sides of the benches. The bench tiles depict the Coastal Daylight and Coastal Starlight trains as seen through the arches of the railroad depot building. The wall tiles portray scenes of landscapes and seascapes as if viewed from the windows of a train. Titled "I Took a Trip on a Train", the artist's work captures the concept of ebb and flow, marine environment, and local railway history.

Cabrillo Art Benches
Built in conjunction with the new public restrooms at the corner of Garden Street and Cabrillo Boulevard, adjacent to the Visitor Information Center, two ceramic tile benches, designed by local artist Hank Pitcher, provide not only vital, but also beautiful and artistic amenities for waterfront visitors.

Example of Cabrrillo Art Bench

State of the Art Gallery – 2000

As a component of the State Street Sidewalk Improvement Project, several concrete pads have been created to accommodate temporary, but recurring installations of public art on State Street. Working in collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, the Redevelopment Agency has provided $65,000 for each of the two exhibitions of the "State of the Art Gallery" installed to date. On display from May through November 2000, the gallery's inaugural exhibition featured several dynamic sculptures by premier artists: Deborah Butterfield, Jim Dine, Robert Hudson, Bryan Hunt, and James Surls.

State of the Art Gallery – 2001

The 2001 State of the Art Gallery featured six pieces created by southwestern artist Luis Jimenez. The gallery was a wonderful compliment to the State Street environment, drawing people to the project area and helping to further define the City's Cultural Arts District.

Spanish Danceers by Luis Jimenez

State Street Art Bench - 600 Block

Early on in the development of Phase III of the State Street Sidewalk Improvement Project (between Cota and de la Guerra Streets), the Agency Board expressed a desire to include an art component in the design. Working with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission and a budget of up to $12,000, the Agency released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a public art "bench project" on State Street. Several submittals were received and ultimately Donald Davis, a local Santa Barbara sculptor, was selected to design the bench. Initially, it was anticipated that the "art bench" would be primarily rectangular in form, with the details and/or materials providing the defining characteristics. As it turned out, that early notion could not have been more off the mark. Mr. Davis had envisioned a distinctive brick form rising up from the sidewalks, thus adding a third dimension to the brick streetscape. The asymmetrical, two-piece bench design, with curved surfaces and complex interlocking pieces, would contrast with the simple and more regimented basket-weave sidewalk pattern, while also complementing it through the use of the same materials. The bench design received emphatic support and approval from both the City Arts Advisory Committee - Visual Arts in Public Places (VAPP) and the City's Historic Landmarks Commission. Work on the bench began on April 18, 2002 when the internal concrete forms were poured. Over the subsequent weeks Mr. Davis, working in the field with a team from Lash Construction, Inc. (general contractor), cut, sculpted and assembled the approximately 850 bricks that went into the bench. Located on the east side of State Street's 600 Block, next to the bus stop at the paseo entryway between Pelican Pete's and Zelo's, the bench is an outstanding example of both public furniture and public art!

Downtown Organization Holiday Art
The Agency Board provided the Downtown Organization with a $6,000 grant that was used to assist in the construction and installation of three public, holiday art pieces. The pieces would be located along State Street in the Cultural Arts District and would act as another special holiday season attraction for the Downtown Business Community and the Central City Redevelopment Project Area

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