“Art has the power to change the community and can help to answer the questions of our time.” -Miki Garcia

As the executive director of the Contemporary Arts Forum (CAF) in Santa Barbara, Miki Garcia believes that art should be available to everyone—because whatever your age or culture, everyone is capable of expressing and critiquing art.

Founded in 1976 as a non-profit art space for local, national, and international artists and as a resource for the public, CAF seeks to educate audiences and to give everyone a chance to experience the benefits of art. The CAF provides emerging artists with a work space, a gallery, and a public learning environment where creative freedom is supported.

Garcia’s encompassing position – which includes chief curator and head of fundraising – is an extension of her artistic life, and she embraces her role of giving back to artists what they deserve; a voice and an opportunity.

After studying at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, The San Antonio Museum of Art, The University of Texas in Austin, and working for The New York Public Art Fund, Garcia was recruited to Santa Barbara in 2005. But it was her earliest educators that were her most influential.

Garcia’s father, an artist and teacher, bestowed on her an early appreciation for the arts, especially within the Latin community. Every summer her family traveled to Mexico to visit theaters, museums, and restaurants, and Garcia gained a deeper understanding and awareness of the culture around her.

“I am very proud to be Latina,” she says. “I was educated by my parents to have pride within the community and now that I am in this position, I am able to support creative people and let them know that this is possible.”
“For such a small town,” she says, “Santa Barbara has an overwhelming amount of cultural activities.”

At the Contemporary Arts Forum, Garcia says people of all ages and cultures are encouraged to participate. “It’s a very experimental place,” she says, “with a hands-on project atmosphere.”

Garcia believes that art has the power to answer the questions of our time and operates the CAF as a place to preserve the spirit and freedom of creativity. It inspires Miki Garcia to support people trying to find their own voice and vision and to help everyone to understand each other in this world of so many cultures.

The CAF features monthly bi-lingual lectures from industry powerful guests, affectionately dubbed “Platicas.” For more info. call (805) 966-5373 or email sbcaf@sbcaf.org