The Santa Barbara Museum of Art Women’s Board thanks all who
participated in our fundraising series -

Monday Evenings, March 25 & April 29, 2024

University Club of Santa Barbara

1332 Santa Barbara St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

A Dinner/Speaker Series Benefitting the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Join us for a festive cocktail hour, music, delicious dinner and enlightening art related talk by acclaimed speakers at the beautiful and historic University Club of Santa Barbara

Sponsorship and Underwriting Opportunities are available
Scroll down for speaker bios and topic information

Speaker  and Topic Information

March 25, 2024

Vian Sora, Visual Artist

In conversation with James Glisson, SBMA Curator of Contemporary Art.

Vian Sora’s resilience and diverse life is expressed beautifully through her art.

Born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1976, Vian Sora lived through multiple wars, growing up under a dictatorship. This remarkably resilient woman has turned her pain and experiences into fascinating works of art which she shares with us all.

When Vian moved out of her native country in 2006, she crossed the border into Turkey, where she stayed and studied printmaking in Istanbul. She then spent some time in the U.K. In 2009, she ventured to the U.S., embracing the emotionally complex challenge of living in the country that invaded her own. Now living in Louisville Kentucky, she turns out a prolific amount of well received work from her own atelier.

Along this courageous path, she also earned 2 college degrees: one in computer science and one in business administration. Vian’s intelligence, complexity, pain and passion can all be witnessed in her creations of various mediums. Her shapes and suggested subject matter, reveal tension and searching. The use of gorgeous color combinations though, give the viewer a sense that all of this has fallen into a place of understanding. This genius style allows the audience to linger a while, enjoying the palette as they decipher the story. One repeated image that particularly stands out to me, suggests an anatomical heart which pumps life into many arteries that weave through the work.

Vian has moved many, as revealed in a massive list of exhibitions worldwide. Her work is preserved in several collections, both public and private, including museums and embassies. She has been awarded several residencies and grants.

We are grateful and fortunate to have Vian Sora share her life’s work and diverse exeriences with us.

April 29, 2024

Invitation to Follow

Special Sponsorship Opportunities are Available

Topics and Speaker Information – coming soon

For more information call 805.884.6428

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