Sarah York Rubin bubbles with enthusiasm for the arts. Her passion is contagious.
She urges everyone to expand their perspective of art and culture. In fact, she thinks you may be an artist and not even know it.
“Art is everywhere,” Rubin said. “Walk downtown and around your neighborhood to enjoy the brilliant murals made by local artists, the businesses selling beautiful artisan goods, the talented chefs creating lovely meals.
“Let’s broaden our lens and intentionally appreciate the art all around us that connects us.”
Rubin, 42, sees her role as Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture as a great opportunity to support every art organization and artist in town.
“Beyond entertainment and economic impact, art is critical for everything from mental health to public safety,” Rubin said. “Creative and cultural expression uniquely help us understand and care for ourselves and each other.”
She encourages artists to learn to advocate for themselves.
“It can feel vulnerable to say you are an artist,” said Rubin. “Earning a living in creative practices can be difficult. You have a vision that no one else can see but that you see value in.”
One of the first things her organization did when she stepped into her new position in 2016 was to change the name from the Santa Barbara Arts Commission to the Office of Arts and Culture.
“It’s important for people to understand that the local government is supporting the arts,” Rubin said. “There are so many artists and culture participants. Our mission is to recognize their validity and for us to find a way to embrace them all.”
As part of a 40-year-long partnership, the Office of Arts and Culture administers the grants for the City and also serves as a State-Local Partner. The City sets aside money for community events, festivals and the sustainability of nonprofit arts organizations.
“Art in Santa Barbara is robust because of these funds,” Rubin said. “Pianos on State Street is an example. Our community is so special because we have a high value for the arts.”
Rubin is proud of her team’s work on a recent $5 million grant from the State to initiate a regional creative workforce development in art. This program is like AmeriCorps in that it pays participants for a year’s living expenses to help nonprofits and other community organizations promote and establish a wider scope of art.
This unique program pushes the boundaries of typical art by including a variety of components like prosocial work addressing climate change, social justice, housing and health access. A participating nonprofit receives 20 percent for administration costs if they hire these artists in residence and $20,000 to fund a materials budget.
The first thing most people notice about Rubin is her high energy. “There are so many opportunities to expand and celebrate the arts in Santa Barbara,” Rubin said. “And so few hours to do it.”
Rubin brings an impressive background to her work. She grew up near Ann Arbor and attended the University of Michigan, spending a semester abroad in Spain where she enrolled with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, which placed her on an organic farm in Zurich.
She cofounded the Washington D.C. Indie Music Festival, which she ran successfully for two years.
Rubin received a Fulbright Fellowship from Carnegie Mellon in 2006 to teach American media in Hong Kong. Upon her return, she became the executive director of the Hillman Center for Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, which she ran from 2008 to 2016.
During that time, she pursued an executive certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University’s School of Public Policy, to which she would commute four hours from Pittsburgh. She was also hired to create a biography gallery for the permanent Warhol Museum.
Among her multifaceted accomplishments are recording cartoon voice-overs for MTV and Comedy Central, developing and hosting syndicated public radio talk shows about contemporary authors, teaching, and deejaying, which she’s also done professionally.
“I brought eight crates of records with me across the country when I moved to Santa Barbara,” Rubin said. “As a deejay, I work primarily with vinyl.”
Rubin’s message for Santa Barbara artists is “stop volunteering to do things for free.” She also encourages other community members to value the labor of our artists by not asking them to do work gratis.
In her spare time, Rubin likes to travel with her husband, especially to Baja California. They share a love of people all over the world. She loves live music and walking on the beaches and preserves with her creamy white yellow lab, Raffles.