July

Sharing Our Common Ground: Third Annual Asian American Film SeriesFridays, July 13, 20, & 27 at 7:00 PM

SBTHP continues “Sharing Our Common Ground: Asian American History in Santa Barbara County" with a three-part summer film series focusing on the Chinese and Japanese American communities. Each film will feature an introduction and highlights from the Presidio Research Center’s collection of local Asian American history.

During the late-nineteenth and twentieth-centuries the area in and around the Santa Barbara Presidio was occupied by communities of Chinese and Japanese, coexisting side by side in what was a unique and culturally rich neighborhood. SBTHP is currently conducting research and community outreach to develop an exhibit on Asian American history in Santa Barbara, with a special emphasis on the Presidio Neighborhood. In 2009, SBTHP launched “Sharing Our Common Ground” with a three-part community lecture series discussing the Asian American history in the Presidio Neighborhood and greater Santa Barbara area from 1860 to 1960.

Movies TBA
Alhecama Theater
914 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara
Free to SBTHP Members, $5 Suggested Donation for Non-members
For more information (805) 965-0093

August

Casa Cantina at Casa de la Guerra
Wednesday, August 1 to Saturday, August 4

Celebrate Fiesta where it all began as the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation presents the 11th annual Casa Cantina in the courtyard of the historic Casa de la Guerra. Part of the annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta celebration, from Wednesday, August 1st to Saturday, August 4th locals and visitors alike are invited to relax, sip a cold drink, and celebrate at the home of Fiesta - the Casa de la Guerra.

Wednesday, August 1 - Saturday, August 4 from 12:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Casa de la Guerra Historic House Museum
15 E. De la Guerra Street, Santa Barbara, CA
Refreshments served
Free for SBTHP members
For more information (805) 965-0093

Current Exhibits

A Legacy Set in Stone: Santa Barbara Stone Architecture, 1870-1940

An abundance of material, expertise and financing helped create a flourishing period of stone construction in Santa Barbara between 1870 and 1940. The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to present an exhibit of images, objects and stories honoring this distinctive period of craftsmanship in partnership with the Santa Barbara Conservancy. Featuring historic and contemporary photographs of some of Santa Barbara's most admired landmarks, stone working tools, and samples of stonemasonry.

Exhibit Dates: September, 3, 2011 - TBA
Saturday - Sunday, Noon to 4:00 PM
Casa de la Guerra
15 East De la Guerra Street, Santa Barbara
For more information (805) 965-0093

Nihonmachi Revisited: Santa Barbara's Japanese American Community in Transition, 1900-1940

Nihonmachi Revisited covers forty years of life in Santa Barbara’s Nihonmachi, or Japan Town, which was located on the Presidio site during the first half of the 20th century.  The exhibit includes rarely seen historic photographs donated by local families, accounts of life in Nihonmachi from members of the community, and beautifully reconstructed Japanese ceramics excavated on site by SBTHP’s Archaeological Field School.    

Daily, 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
For more information (805) 965-0093

Ceramics Rediscovered: Science Reshapes Understanding of Hispanic Life in Early California

Discover how ceramics were made, used and traded in early California with the newest exhibit at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park, Ceramics Rediscovered: Science Reshapes Understanding of Hispanic Life in Early California. Based on a decade-long investigation of ceramic production using archaeological evidence and scientific analysis, the exhibit offers a rare glimpse into daily life during California’s Spanish and Mexican periods (1769-1848). Featuring period artifacts and reproduction pottery, this groundbreaking exhibit traces the evolution of California’s earliest potters and the material culture they helped shape.

10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
FREE with museum admission, $5/adults, $4/seniors (62+),
Free/children 16 & under & SBTHP members
For more information (805) 965-0093

*This exhibit has been developed by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History,  Santa Clara University, California State Parks, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the University of Texas-Pan American. The exhibit received generous support from the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Memorias y Facturas

Based on the book Documenting Everyday Life in Early Spanish California, "Memorias y Facturas" offers a glimpse into life at the Santa Barbara Presidio between 1781 and 1810. Featuring transcriptions and translations of fifty-two memorias (requisitions) and facturas (invoices) for goods delivered to the Presidio, along with artifacts found on site,
"Memorias y Facturas" helps imagine life on the fringes of the Spanish Empire.

Exhibit Dates:
Daily, 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park (Northeast Corner)
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
For more information (805) 965-0093

*This calendar listing may not include all events and programs at SBTHP. Times and dates are subject to change. Please call (805) 965-0093 for more information. If you are interested in becoming more involved in programs offered at SBTHP, you may be interested in our membership program.