Dear Friend of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art,

In addition to an exceptional variety of exhibitions, many from our own permanent collection, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) offers dynamic education programs for students, families, and the community. Family programs alone reach over 3,000 families each year, and are interactive, multi-generational, and help participants understand language, cultural history, and art.

One such program is English Language Learners (ELL). ELL nurtures self-confidence by providing students an opportunity to transfer their language to a different context and to reinforce existing skills while building new vocabulary. When parents, children, students, and teachers visit the Museum together and engage in meaningful conversation under the influence of great works of art, they experience the Museum as an accessible place where interpretations and opinions are welcome.

I am sure you will agree that art provides a means of positive self-expression for all of us. This is especially true for language learners. Art helps to build the confidence needed for language development and creating artwork provides an equally valuable opportunity for self-expression. Students and others who might struggle with language can be liberated by the power to express thoughts and ideas through art which can serve as a launching point for discussion and sharing of stories.

In addition, SBMA offers other free family programs such as Free Family Days (Museum-wide celebrations that focus on an exhibition or a cultural celebration, such as Día de los Muertos), family gallery tours, Family 1st Thursdays, Studio Sundays on the Front Steps, interactive family guides, and activities in the Family Resource Center.

As our outreach has grown over the years, so has our commitment to new levels of excellence in all we do. We strive to present exhibitions of even greater international significance to the community and provide exceptional education programs to people of all ages – creative, innovative programs aimed both at and beyond the art itself, and that make a real difference in people's lives.

Your gift makes all of this possible. Please make your contribution to the Museum Fund for Excellence today.

Sincerely yours,

Larry J. Feinberg
Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Director

P.S. Please click the link below to contribute online or to print and mail your tax-deductible contribution to SBMA's Museum Fund for Excellence today. I hope I can count on your new or renewed support. Your gift does make a difference.