Santa Barbara Airport - Painting Created by Artists with Disabilities

(November 26, 2018) PathPoint gifted an original painting created by artists with disabilities to the Santa Barbara Airport in appreciation for providing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. 

The large-scale painting, titled “Santa Barbara Airport” is an original acrylic and oil on canvas depicting the Santa Barbara airport with the main terminal, air traffic control tower and runway with planes, against the backdrop of the Santa Ynez mountains.  Created over a four-month period, Allan Kotler and Carlos Tunberg were the lead painters, with fine detail work completed by Carey Rosselle, Ramiro Ceja, Elena Zumbach and Cherie Gallagher.  All the artists are supported by PathPoint’s community integration services for individuals with developmental disabilities. PathPoint staff members, Alejandra Mendoza, Gil Addison, and Beth Wickholm, helped sketch the outline and assisted individuals on their parts of the large-scale painting, including the use of adaptive painting techniques.

“The Santa Barbara Airport holds an important place in our community, but many people might not know they also support inclusive hiring practices,” said Seth Miller, PathPoint vice president of South Santa Barbara County. “The airport relies on individuals served by PathPoint’s employment services to provide professional litter removal from the airport grounds.” 

Adults with disabilities often have difficulty securing steady employment, with 84% unemployed due to their disabilities. PathPoint provides training and employment opportunities to help individual with disabilities secure jobs in the community.

About PathPoint

PathPoint, a non-profit organization based in Santa Barbara, supports people in living the life they choose.  PathPoint partners with people with disabilities, people with mental health diagnoses, and young adults to pursue their hopes and dreams through strengthening workplace abilities, building life skills, and developing meaningful relationships.  Founded in 1964, it offers services in five Central Coast and Southern California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.  For more information, visit www.PathPoint.org. 

About Santa Barbara Airport

Santa Barbara Airport served nearly 711,000 passengers in 2017 and is the 13th largest airport in California. The airport is served by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Contour Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and United Airlines with 26 daily departures to ten non-stop destinations – Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle. SBA is a self-sustaining enterprise operated by the City of Santa Barbara.

 

Photo, courtesy of the Santa Barbara Airport, from left to right: PathPoint staff—Alejandra and Beth; PathPoint artists—Carlos, Allan, and Carey.