Dolphin Family

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Three massive, friendly bronze dolphins greet thousands of visitors each day at the end of Stearns Wharf. The Dolphin Family, or Bicentennial Friendship Fountain, has been a fixture of downtown since 1985. Sculptor James "Bud" Bottoms (1928-2018) won a city-wide contest to design a commissioned statue from the city of Santa Barbara. The Dolphin Family is at the heart of Santa Barbara's famed waterfront, so it is easy to think of merely as a tourist centerpiece. However, the Dolphin Family is the legacy of larger questions about Santa Barbara's past, especially with regards to colonialism and the resiliency of the indigenous Chumash communities. Sculptor: JAMES "BUD" BOTTOMS

Images

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Intro

Paragraph on Bottoms

Significance of Dolphin

Spanish Colonial Revival Questions

Cite This Entry

John, Emma. "Dolphin Family ." Clio: Your Guide to History. April 16, 2021. Accessed March 5, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/130803

Sources

Bolton, Tom. Bud Bottoms, Renowned Santa Barbara Sculptor and Environmentalist, Dies at 90, Noozhawk. September 24th 2018. Accessed April 15th 2021. https://www.noozhawk.com/article/bud_bottoms_santa_barbara_sculptor_environmentalist_dies_at_90_20180924.

Fessier Jr. , Michael. THE FOUNTAIN : In Santa Barbara by the Sea, Even Symbolic Dolphins Can Cause a Lot of Trouble , Los Angeles Times . March 16th 1986. Accessed April 16th 2021. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-16-tm-26502-story.html.

Remembering Bud Bottoms: A Legacy of Art and Activism , April 4th 2020. Accessed April 15th 2021. https://wildlingmuseum.org/news/remembering-bud-bottoms.