Curator & Collections Manager

CHRIS RUPP

As Curator and Collections Manager, I have filled my days at home preparing for the many exciting museum projects we have in store for the coming year. A large part of my time has been dedicated to organizing and preparing for the 5x5: Celebrating Ten Years exhibition & fundraiser. As Judy mentioned, our list of artists has been greatly expanded and it promises to be the BEST 5x5 yet! In my unofficial role as museum photographer and framer, I’ve had the opportunity to spend time intimately examining each of the works in the Perry Print Collection. In preparing these print images for our beautiful exhibition publication, I can tell you that this exhibition is not one to be missed! I have also been meeting regularly with artist Marie Schoeff to prepare for her exhibition this spring, which is sure to be a highlight of our season. There are many exciting things in store!
Earlier in the year we had the opportunity to partner with the Elverhoj Museum in Solvang to bring our Rembrandt print collection to their institution for an exhibition titled, Legacy of Decency; Rembrandt, Jews & Danes. The exhibition explored the connection between Rembrandt's relationship with his Jewish neighbors in Amsterdam and the compassion the Danes conveyed to their Jewish neighbors during World War II. While the exhibition ended abruptly, just two weeks after the opening, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, it is our hope that it will resume this fall and we will let you know when it does. I am making arrangements for our Rembrandt collection to travel again in 2021, first to the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in Portland and later in the year to the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi. 
The Covid-19 outbreak ended our Contemporary Masters exhibition earlier than expected and presented unique logistical challenges for packing and returning the work to Texas. However, the work is now safely back home and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to bring this wonderful collection of works on paper to our students and the Santa Barbara community.  
I am looking forward to teaching our annual summer ceramics workshop this July and we are working with the County of Santa Barbara to obtain approval to go forward and to make it a safe and properly socially distanced event!
While working from home presents unique challenges, it has also been very productive, while allowing me to spend more quality time with my family. I have used weekends and evenings to work on never ending home projects, including finishing an outdoor brick pizza oven, which we had the pleasure of indulging in wood fired pizza for the first time this past week! 

Sincerely,
Chris Rupp
Curator & Collections Manager