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Arts Building

Introduction

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The UCSB Arts building was constructed in 1957, and contains the Department of Art, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, and the Art, Design & Architecture Museum. The building was designed by the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman and at the time it was built, was the largest building in Santa Barbara County. The two story building is sited along a sloping site overlooking the campus lagoon, with ocean views in the distance. A visitor can walk along the exterior corridors, framed by overhanging second floor walkways and topped with a red-tiled hipped roof. Courtyards are filled with places for students to sit and study between classes, some with tables and benches designed by art students and staff.

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Arts Building at UCSB

Arts Building

Art Museum in Arts Buildling

Art Museum

Walkway in Arts Building

Arts Building

Backstory and Context

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The Arts Building is an excellent example of the work Pereira & Luckman did in the mid 1950s on the UC Santa Barbara campus. The firm looked at the barren, treeless, windswept landscape and designed buildings with covered exterior corridors, concrete-block wind-walls, and sheltered walkways which helped the building stay cool in the hot Southern California sun. The building has four wings, each containing classrooms, offices, studios, the art museum, and storage facilities. Three academic departments call this building home: Art History, the History of Art and Architecture, and the Art, Design & Architecture Museum.

Renovations were done to the building in 2012, adding a glass walled exhibition space for Art students to display their creations, a research room for the Architecture and Design Collection, an event space for the Museum, and offices for the History of Art and Architecture department. Scattered throughout the building and courtyards are outdoor sculptures, created by artists and many are part of the Museum collection.

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