In Wildness: The Oak Group

January 25-March 22, 2019

Opening Reception: Friday, January 25, 4pm-6pm, H202
Artist Panel Discussion: Wednesday, February 27, 5pm, H11

Oak Group Exhibition at SBCC Atkinson Gallery Will Benefit Los Padres ForestWatch
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the San Rafael Wilderness, the Oak Group's exhibition In Wildnesswill open January 25th at the Atkinson Gallery at Santa Barbara City College. A reception will be hosted by the Gallery on January 25 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. so the public can meet the artists and Los Padres ForestWatch staff as well as other lovers of wilderness and art.

The show will feature new landscape paintings by members of the Oak Group highlighting the Wilderness Area in Los Padres National Forest. Oak Group artists are passionate about nature and are committed to preserving local lands for wildlife, recreation, ranching, and farming. Working with conservation groups and landowners, Oak Group artists record the beauty of these endangered landscapes to draw public attention and to help generate funds to protect them. To date, Oak Group sales of $3 million have supported these goals. A panel discussion featuring Oak Group artists will be held Wednesday, February 27, 5pm, in SBCC Humanities Building, Room 111.

Located in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara's backcountry, the San Rafael Wilderness was the first primitive area to be designated as wilderness under the Wilderness Act of 1964. The San Rafael is home to rare and endangered wildlife and among the wildest, most remote, and most rugged landscapes of California's central coast region. To earn permanent protection of the San Rafael Wilderness, local residents worked with members of Congress and conservation groups in Washington, D.C., laying the groundwork for citizen-based wilderness initiatives throughout the nation. Today, a half-century later, the San Rafael remains the largest permanently protected open space in Santa Barbara County, featuring landmarks like Hurricane Deck, Castle Rock, Manzana Creek, Sisquoc River, and Big Pine Mountain.

This art exhibition is inspired by the words of famed naturalist Henry David Thoreau, who wrote "In Wildness is the preservation of the world." A portion of the proceeds from each painting sold will benefit Los Padres ForestWatch, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of wilderness, wildlife, and clean water throughout the Los Padres National Forest, the Carrizo Plain National Monument, and other public lands along California's central coast.

Through legal and public advocacy, scientific collaboration, community outreach, and volunteer field work, Los Padres ForestWatch promotes sustainable public access and protects local public lands from oil development, commercial logging, and wildlife habitat degradation.Atkinson Gallery at Santa Barbara City College is a learning laboratory that promotes visual literacy and critical thinking. The Gallery hosts contemporary art exhibitions featuring international, national, regional, and student artists working in a wide range of styles and media.

The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College. It will be on display from January 25 through March 22, 2019, and can be seen during regular gallery hours noted on the website or by contacting the gallery for an appointment at 805.897.3484.

To purchase a painting or view our online gallery for a sneak preview of artwork featured in the exhibit, please visit LPFW.org/oakgroup, or contact Rebecca August at Los Padres ForestWatch at 805-617-4610 extension 5.
Featured artists: Whitney Abbott, Marcia Burtt, Chris Chapman, Bill Dewey, Rick Garcia, Carrie Givens, Kevin Gleason, Jeremy Harper, Ray Hunter, John Iwerks, Larry Iwerks, Linda Mutti, Rob Robinson, Ann Sanders, Richard Schloss, Skip Smith, Arturo Tello, and Thomas Van Stein
For more information: The Oak Group: oakgroup.org.
Los Padres ForestWatch: LPFW.org.
Atkinson Gallery at SBCC: gallery.sbcc.edu