The Art of the Surf

Santa Barbara's Maritime Museum celebrates the rich history of surf culture in Southern California

WORDS Ninette Paloma

Greg Gora understands the value of a perfectly positioned cultural institution.
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"Every day we get to experience the life and activity of our thriving waterfront," says Gora, executive director of Santa Barbara's Maritime Museum in the heart of the Santa Barbara harbor, "so what we fill the museum with inside is a direct reflection of what happens just outside of our doorstep."

This month and throughout the summer, among the deep-sea diving suits and vintage lighthouse photographs that have dazzled visitors since the museum's opening over two decades ago, a new exhibit celebrating the history of surfing and the evolution of surfboard design will descend on the beloved Central Coast institution.

"You don't have to be a surfer or even a surf enthusiast to appreciate the roots and impact surfing has had on our coastal communities," Gora emphasizes. "Putting this together, I learned so much about the role surf culture has played in our area, and it is truly a story of jaw-dropping courage." 

Part art exhibition, part multimedia collaboration, HERITAGE, CRAFT & EVOLUTION: Surfboard Design 1885 - 1959, is the result of a years' long effort between Renny Yater, one of the first commercial surfboard shapers of the 1950s; fine artist John Comer; and painter and surfboard shaper Kevin Ancell. The exhibit itself presents a rich story of surfing and surfboard development, illustrated by replica boards tricked out with oil painting vignettes of some of the area's most storied beaches. From longboards to elaborate canvases in soothing sunset palettes, the beautifully laid out space will lead viewers on a visual journey that dates all the way back to 1885, when the three Kawananakoa Brothers from Hawaii first introduced Californians to the challenging art of longboarding.

​​As part of the museum's complimentary line-up of programming, a book talk, video presentation, and Q & A with Vicky Durand, author of Wave Woman: The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer and Heather Hudson, producer of 93 Letters from Marge and The Women of the Waves films will take place in the museum’s Munger Theater on Thursday, July 29 at 4 pm PDT.