Community Invited to Celebrate Opening of Bloomberg Public Art Installation in Santa Barbara

The City of Santa Barbara, in collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture, invites the public to a community ribbon-cutting and opening celebration for the new Bloomberg Asphalt Art installation downtown. The event will take place on Sunday, May 17, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the intersection of State Street and Carrillo Street, the new location of the Santa Barbara Saturday Farmers Market.

Opening Celebration of Bloomberg Public Asphalt Art Installation
Sunday, May 17, 2026
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
State Street & Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara
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Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the art design is inspired by Zapotec and Mixtec artisanal weaving, which reflects the culture of the Oaxacan agricultural workers who help to make the weekly Santa Barbara Farmers Market possible.

Lead Project Artist Eduardo Jimenez, a Zapotec weaver, and Lead Graphic Artist Irene Ramirez, hosted a series of workshops at the Farmers Market to develop the design. The opening celebration will highlight local Oaxacan culture and feature live music and dance performances by Danza Flor Bonita, Grupo Folklórico Hauxyacac, Banda Filarmónica Narciso Lico Carrillo LA, and the artisan puppets of Oaxacreation Monos de Calenda.

The City of Santa Barbara was selected as one of ten North American cities to receive a $100,000 Asphalt Art Initiative grant. The project transforms the State Street and Carrillo Street intersection into a welcoming community gathering space that supports the weekly Farmers Market while enhancing safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

This project is funded through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative, a global program that provides grants to cities in using art and community engagement to improve street safety and energize public space. Through this initiative, cities across North America and Europe have implemented colorful roadway murals and pedestrian space enhancements that have been shown to increase driver awareness, encourage safer behaviors, and bring more people into public spaces.

The project was produced with the support of Friends of State Street, Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts and Design Academy (VADA), the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association (DSBIA), Santa Barbara Paint Depot, Delgado’s Quality Painting, PIP Marketing and Graphics, Graphic Ink, Strong Towns Santa Barbara, Oaxacreations Mono de Calenda, the Downtown Santa Barbara Certified Farmers’ Market, Santa Barbara Beautiful, as well as local Oaxacan community members and many talented area artists.

Community members of all ages are encouraged to attend and take part in this festive unveiling.

For more information, visit Bloomberg Asphalt Art Initiative.