Fare Trade & Iconic Santa Barbara Papel Picado

This exhibition collaboration brought together two photographic series- Taquerias by Patricia Houghton Clarke and Lunch Bars by Brett Leigh Dicks. The photographs explored the cultural richness and community significance of neighborhood food establishments in the Santa Barbara region and their counterparts in Western Australia. Though separated by thousands of miles, these two bodies of work reveal these geographically distinct locations’ shared values around food, place, and belonging.

Irene Ramirez’s contemporary reimagining of papel picado celebrated Santa Barbara and honored the city’s rich diversity and evolving cultural landscape with a respectful nod to papel picado’s Mexican roots. The designs included agave plants, skaters along the shoreline, weddings at the courthouse, the Chromatic Gate, the Channel Islands, the Stearns Wharf dolphin fountain, a surfboard, and a whale tail symbolizing migration along our coast. The use of sturdy fabric reflects the resilience and strength of our community.