A Perfect Pairing: Fine Dining & World-Class Art
If you’ve enjoyed lunch in The Dining Room at The Club during the last few months, you’ve likely noticed a vibrant new addition gracing its southeast wall. The large-scale artwork titled Trip to Topawa (2022) by contemporary Native American artist Ishi Glinsky, is on long-term loan from the Art, Design & Architecture (AD&A) Museum at UC Santa Barbara.
Trip to Topawa is an abstract painting composed of acrylic ink, oil stick, and matte medium on canvas that references Tohono O’odham Nation basket-weaving techniques and celebrates indigenous knowledge and artistic practice. The AD&A Museum elaborates
"Working in a variety of media, which includes painting, drawing, and sculpture, artist Ishi Glinsky investigates the traditional practices of his tribe, the Tohono O’odham Nation, as well as other North American First Nations to create contemporary homages to sacred events and customs. These investigations often consist of a close study of the history and significance of a craft tradition, the committed apprenticeship of its technique, and its assimilation or transformation within Glinsky’s artistic practice. In Trip to Topawa, Glinsky both studies and celebrates Tohono O’odham basketry by coiling and spiraling together indigenous knowledge to consider the
collision of different worlds.”
In the summer of 2023, the AD&A Museum’s Director Gabriel Ritter approached The Club & Guest House with a partnership proposal to have their recently acquired work installed in The Club’s main Dining Room on a semi-permanent basis
Not only would this painting bring a newfound dynamism to the dining room experience, but it would also serve as an ambassador to UCSB guests and faculty reminding them of the museum’s mission to stimulate research and support artistic practice through our permanent collections. - Gabriel Ritter, AD&A Museum Director
With enthusiastic approval from Club & Guest House stakeholders, the five-year loan agreement was executed, installation logistics were defined and the piece was perfectly placed on November 2, 2023, just in time for Parents & Family Weekend. At the time of display, the AD&A Museum was celebrating 60 years and The (Faculty) Club, 55 years, so the collaboration has been timely. This cross-campus connection showcases two long-standing campus legacies, the campus Arts District, and the eye-catching piece itself. In addition, it recalls a time when the former Faculty Club successfully hosted rotating art exhibitions by local artists. It also furthers the mission of HDAE’s Arts & Culture Committee, whose efforts enhance the warm and welcoming atmosphere of our campus communities by incorporating art and culture.
We hope you have an opportunity to admire this stunning painting in person – and stay for lunch!
Artwork Credit: Ishi Glinsky (b. Arizona, 1982)
Trip to Topawa, 2022
Acrylic ink, oil stick and matte medium on canvas
120 x 72 in
Photography Credit: Jeff Liang, UCSB