Each year, the Arts & Culture Committee manages several recurring projects. A contest is run in the fall to commission a new artist for the San Miguel Stage mural, several walls are painted and added to the San Nicolas Residence Hall Stair Project, and National Music Week rolls around in May with a host of musical performances throughout the Dining Commons.
San Miguel Stage Mural
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, worked in collaboration 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 first mural was painted by Joseline Garcia. The mural project was assumed by the Arts & Culture Committee and in 2017, and 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 a different artist each year from submissions made in the Fall Quarter.
Please contact chirashima@ucsb.edu for more information.
2024-25 Muralist for the theme "Diversity" is Andrew Nim.
Watch Andrew's "Interview with the Artist", coming soon!
Mural Specifications: 4ft x 12ft (acrylic on wood)
Arts & Culture Fest
The Arts & Culture Festival celebrated it's 3rd year in 2025, thanks to the dedication, creativity, and hard work of the entire team. Every detail—from planning to execution—was handled with care and consideration for the student experience, resulting in a creative, artful day that was enjoyed by all who attended. Chalk, Paint & Lemonade, combined with Churros and popcorn served from the De Anza courtyard, added a fan favorite while sprinkling a little sugar and spice onto the festivities.
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Little Free Libraries
With a suggestion from Karla Burris and help from Manuel Herrera and his Grounds Crew, recently retired HDAE Graphic Artist Eric Zobel designed and built two tiny libraries for West Campus and Storke Family Student Housing community gardens. These were a gift from the HDAE Arts & Culture Committee to the many children in the area and were installed at a lower height for easier access. In early November, the A&C committee was approached by third-year student and San Rafael Resident Assistant, Shoshana Medved, with a project hatched through her participation in UCSB’s Environmental Leadership Incubator (ELI), a class designed to increase sustainability across campus, and the first of several little free libraries was installed in our residential housing areas. This initiative now continues under the stewardship of the Arts & Cuture Committee.