Congratulations to Middle and
Upper School Art Teacher Dug Uyesaka,
whose work will appear in a mid-career
retrospective at the Westmont Ridley-
Tree Museum of Art in Santa Barbara.
The installation, which will run October
20, 2016 through January 14, 2017, will
include a variety of paintings, prints,
and assemblage from Dug’s childhood
through the present day.
“Artists can be unassuming about their
work and Dug seems reserved when it
comes to promoting his art,” says Judy
Larson, director of the museum. “But
the art itself is anything but quiet. Dug’s
assemblages and collages exude a boldness
that ‘packs a punch.’ His prints, drawings,
and paintings range from expressions of
untapped energy to nuanced poetry. There
could not be a better time to feature Dug
Uyesaka’s work. Career-wise, his work is
as good as it gets!”
Dug grew up as a third-generation
Japanese American in Clovis, California,
just outside of Fresno, nestled in the San
Joaquin Valley. Coming from a blue collar
agricultural background, he says he never
The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art
is one of Santa Barbara’s most esteemed
galleries. It seeks to educate students and
the larger community about the power
and value of the visual arts in our world
through physical, critical, and spiritual
engagement with the creative process and
its result. Visit www.westmontmuseum.org
to learn more.
Laguna Art Teacher Dug Uyesaka featured at Westmont's Ridley-Tree Museum of Art
EAST MEETS WESTMONT
anticipated pursuing a career in art—most
specifically, art education.
“I always loved drawing and making
things with my hands,” he says. “I’d never
even been to a museum until I was in high
school. My family definitely had concerns
about me pursuing something like art as
a career.”
But eventually, Dug’s passion won
them over, and he went on to pursue
an arts degree at UC Santa Barbara in
1975. He has been a staple in the Santa
Barbara arts community ever since, later
taking up freelance graphic design and
even working with a local film production
company as he continued his craft. He
also taught afterschool art programs and
art workshops. Still, it wasn’t until he
joined Laguna’s staff in 2000 that he felt
comfortable wearing the hat of a teacher.
“The university art curriculum was
not as career-minded then as it is now,”
he says. “I felt I had nothing valuable to
share as an art instructor at such a young
age. But now—many years later—I see the
incredible value that art provides to our
children. Art allows you to imagine and
create, and to develop the craftsmanship
to actually execute your ideas. Most of life
is problem-solving, and art allows students
to do that hands-on.”
In 2009, Dug received the Laguna
Blanca School Faculty Excellence Award
in addition to a William T. Colville
Grant. In 2010 he received an Arts Fund
“Art is the light, joy,
and energy in our
everyday lives.”
of Santa Barbara, Individual Artist Award
for Collage and Assemblage. For him, the
Westmont exhibition allows for the added
thrill of sharing with his students the
artwork that he created in his youth.
“Art is the light, joy, and energy in our
everyday lives,” Dug says. “It enhances
everything around us, and I am so grateful
to share my art with my kids here at
Laguna, at Westmont, and throughout the
greater Santa Barbara community.
An opening reception will be held at
Westmont's Ridley-Tree Museum of Art
on October 20 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. (free
and open to the public). Laguna English
Teacher Charles Donelan, Ph.D. will be
writing the catalogue for the installation.
Exhibit runs October 20, 2016
to January 14, 2017.
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