Art Outreach: The Goodland Hotel's Latest Project Taps Nationally Renowned Artists

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
photos by Rony Alwin
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 6/17/16

The Goodland, a Kimpton hotel in Goleta, will debut its newest art collection next week.  It’ll feature six large scale pieces that represent myriad media and that were curated from celebrated artists from throughout the country.  It’s also a snapshot of a creative push by the local hotel to feature artwork inspired by Santa Barbara.

This guestroom at The Goodland became the pop-up studio for
New York City artist Michael Anderson (my pic)

“The important part of this story is not that we’re simply putting these fascinating pieces up on the walls,” says the Goodland’s Director of Programming, Lea Sindija.  “These artists became immersed in our community – they lived at our hotel, toured the area, ate at our restaurants, met locals.  What they created represents how Santa Barbara moved them.”

In fact, the artists became resident guests of The Goodland last month, checking in for more than a week.  Their rooms were turned into pop-up artists’ studios, where standard furniture like sofas and nightstands were replaced with work tables and easels, and where wall space was cleared to encourage the creative process.  Between May 12 and May 19, hotel guests and locals were given a chance to visit with artists and to inspect their works-in-progress throughout the day.  All artwork was completed by May 20 and, after framing is completed over the next few days, they’ll be installed throughout the hotel late next week.

Room 108 became a pop-up artist's studio

The nationally-renowned artists commissioned for this project were chosen because “they each have a reputation for works inspired by the surf, skate and street cultures,” Ms. Sindija says, genres that mirror well the Goodland’s own SoCal-chic, Bohemian vibe.  New York City native Michael Anderson, for example, is known for collecting street signs and posters from all over the world, shredding them, and reassembling them to produce large dynamic collages.  “I think this may be the only piece of art that features both Godzilla and Chewbacca together,” he said of his composition during a poolside DJ party held at the Goodland to celebrate the artists on May 19.  Entitled “Chewbacca’s Vacation,” it’s already hanging at the hotel’s popular Good Bar, says Ms. Sindija, “since it’s the one piece that didn’t need to be framed.”

Mr. Anderson’s temporary neighbors at The Goodland included Joseph Ari Aloi, aka JK5, whose well-known tattoo and graffiti art has been tapped by such companies as Nike; Pixote, a Brazilian native and long-time resident of New York City, who’s gained fame with his skateboarding and graffiti scenes; San Francisco-based Aaron de la Cruz, who specializes in stylized and technical abstract art; and Erin D. Garcia, from Los Angeles, who’s best known for oversize colorful installations of floating and overlapping shapes.

Michael Anderson's and his "Chewbacca's Vacation"

JK5 putting on the finishing touches

Aaron de la Cruz at work

The Goodland also procured a sixth piece of artwork from Jessika Cardinahl, a German-born artist known for her large-scale animal depictions who now lives in Santa Barbara; the large scale tapestry is made from hemp and silk.

The new acquisitions are the latest addition to The Goodland’s artsy ambiance, which already includes vibrant outdoor murals, a rotating art gallery near the front desk and a new record shop in the lobby.

The Goodland, 5650 Calle Real, Goleta.  805-964-6241. www.thegoodland.com.

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