Bryce Belinski: How long have you been coming around the Funk Zone?
Karen Lehrer: I moved in here in 2016. I've have lots of studios over the years in different places, but I moved in here in April of 2016. aNd basically, ir was a 2 year lease and they said well, we’re going to tear the building down. I don't like this carpet and stuff, so I just said I’m gonna screw it up, I’m a slob when I paint! I didn't want to spend the money to rip it out and stuff
BB: Yeah carpet for an artist is not ideal! What was this building originally?
KL: It was a bakery. Outside was where the bread was, my studio was a loading dock. If you look just outside the building, you can tell where the racks are.
BB: I was talking to someone over at Silo Gallery about that actually…
KL: Bonnie?
BB: Yeah! So, how have you seen the Funk Zone evolve over the years?
KL: Well I can’t speak for before I got here really. It was industrial, there were the fish places, not retail, but where they bring the fish in. It was over by where the Lark is now. I’m not the person who understands or knows the history- John does! Apparently Loquete ?? aerospace started down here. The reason I found it was: I was working in a studio that was very tiny, and I wanted to start painting bigger. There was a gallery party over at Cabana Home, and I went because I know them. And Barb was there, that’s how I met Barb (insert full name and website) and she said “I have a studio down here, do you wanna see it?” and I was like “yeah! I didn’t know anyone with a place down here.” and she said “oh! The space next door is about to become available!” and that was this. There was some kind of business in here, and they moved out, so I moved in!
BB: This is a great space.
KL: Yeah I have an ocean view and a mountain view!
BB: yeah so you’ve been here for also 7 years then?
KL: Yep
BB: Amazing, lucky you. What does the current Funk Zone culture mean to you?
KL: Not much, to be honest. I really don’t like it. You know, before the pandemic, there was a lot more cohesion. There were other people around the corner here on Mason St. Sadly, one of the really cool people passed away. You know there were a lot more of the artists getting together. There was Jan, who is now head of the 10 West gallery (https://www.10westgallery.com/) doing the Funk Zone art walks. There was always a show every year at Michael Kate furniture(https://michaelkate.com/) and we would get interviewed and there was this whole more Funk Zone situation going on. There was the Arts Fund up the street, which is now a beer or wine place…
It’s sort of like the soul has disappeared in my opinion, and it’s turned into an alcohol place. But you know, there’s still artists here, and we’re acquainted with each other but my rendition of it is that, when people are working down here, they come work here and leave! Like me, I pull in, come, I leave. It’s not a party, it’s not like people are having community gathering. If I say something like “I have a studio in the Funk Zone” people say “oh how wonderful!” and I say “yeah…” and they think there must be so much community here and have these visions of what’s going on now, but it’s not part of it.
BB: But it used to be like that a little bit more?
KL: Not really, but there was a little more cohesion because we did the Funk Zone artwalk. That was really fun. And I’m sure that there’s not that much space because the people that own the property can charge a lot of money and then they have all these alcohol places coming in. So then there’s the problem of- I used to love to paint on the weekends, I don’t even come down here (on the weekends) anymore! It’s just a bunch of screaming, yelling, there's the trolleys that have the buggies…it’s kind of obnoxious. I mean, I don’t mean to be a downer on it, but yeah…it’s great during the day!
I mean we’re all acquainted with each other, are there parties…? Well, if there are, I’m not invited to them.
BB: What do you know about the impending development?
KL:It's horrible, it’s horrible, it’s horrible. I don’t know how they’re going to get it passed, I really don’t. The Coastal Commission is a huge issue right here, because we are in the floodzone, we’re in the tsunami zone..they can't dig down, i mean there was the city or the county put new water lines in or something a couple years ago and honestly, they were digging maybe 18 inches and the water from the ocean, you know, the water table was right here and it was all flooded. So I don't really know understand how they can get away with it. I mean there's other large buildings that are multi-storied, it used to be vegans, it's the one kind of by the lark. But those were older buildings,it's not the current standards for architecture.
BB: That might be positive for fighting this development (SOMOFunk)...
KL: It’s only positive for us if there are people who are going to allow it to not happen.
I was on the Zoom meetings with the architect, the landscape architect, and other people on the project and at first, before I heard what they had to say, I was so excited because it was primarily a woman team and I wanted to support women. But honestl;y once I heard them talking and listened to their ridiculous story of what they were doing in this square block, I thought: these people are in dreamworld.they obviously don't live here. They want to have these alleys not “paseos” that go from santa barbara st over to grey, like this romantic idea, which is going to be a perfect haven for the homeless people. Which is good for the homeless people, but i dont know how many people want to live in that place.
BB: it seems like it caters to progressing this more touristy component of the funk zone. Santa barbara needs more housing but this development is not going to be affordable.
KL: It's not going to be affordable. On the Zoom, I asked the question: how are you going to prevent this from being rented to everybody and their brother in LA county who wants to come here and have a beachfront property. Their answer was baloney, they said “oh, um, they’re going to have to prove that they work here”..... Now… how are they going to do that?
BB: Exactly…yeah it might just be a bunch of second homes too.
KL: That's what I think….but, who am i?
BB: What do you think the Santa Barbara community needs more of? In general or from an artist's perspective?
KL: I think it's already lost its chance. It’s slipped away.
BB: When was the last time you had a sense of Santa Barbara as being a bit more of an artist hub?
KL: Ooh I don’t think it’s an artist hub…i think the pandemic took a big hit on everything. You know, most artists don't have the resources financially to keep in any place like this, this used to be industrial. So of course, that's how the cycles of how cities evolve..there's the cheap neighborhood that used to be the funky, industrial zone, then the artists move in, then everybody think its a hip, groovy place, then they all (other establishments) move in, you know, bars restaurants and galleries and then it dies. So, I have some acquaintances that are here that are artists and are looking for space and want to create a little hub area. But where?
BB: What do you think the SOMOFunk development would signify both for your work and for the community of Santa Barbara?
KL: The plans according to what I've seen most recently, their proposal, really is an idealized idea in the minds of people who aren't actually artists, to include artists. They said they were going to include artists but you know what, they didn’t include anyone who is in this building. So they’re full of baloney! They were talking about “oh, the artists this…the artists that…” and I raised my hand in this zoom call and was like, “excuse me, i'm right there, right in the prominent location, no one interviewed me!” They’re just full of baloney!
This square block, I believe, is a huge hub of the Funk Zone. So that means that all the artists that are in this square block, which are quite a few…I can think off the top of my head at least 10-12 people, are tucked around in here. Everyone is going to have to disappear. It’s going to take a lot of the soul away. What does it mean for SB Community/ I think it's just further going to make this a tourist location for eating and drinking, cause they're going to put in a couple of restaurants. I mean what else could it be? They’re going to take the view away!
There's a wonderful illustration that I saw today in the (@keepthefunksb) instagram where it shows the building with the line of the geography of the mountains, and how's it's just going to cut off. Whoever did it did a magnificent job of the illustration (**insert illustration credit here**). Anyways, so, I just think there won't be much art going on down here.
What do you think?
BB: I mean, that exactly..this warehouse building is already lowkey like you said. How I began even speaking to you today. In my generation, Ive mostly seen it as a beer and wine place already. And now I have the privilege through this project to see more of the roots of the funk zone. And it's digging, you know.
KL: Yeah its not real obvious
BB: yeah, and from my perspective too, I grew up here, and went away, I was living in Portland most recently, and that was the first time I got into what a local arts scene was really like. I was doing a lot of pop-ups, gallery stuff up there, and so coming back to Santa Barbara, a place i care so much about, a place where i see both a lot of beauty and potential… you know, we could have more of an active scene. I want to uplift that in santa barbara. So yeah, doing this project has been really cool, as disheartening as the development is, hopefully we make any move possible to retain a culture or see how it might shift to another place. I will say that its been pretty cool actually in the pandemic to see a lot more pop-ups coming around.
KL: you mean like, craft fairs? There's the one at the Presidio…
BB: Yeah! And my friend Chelsea Willett (@chelseawillett_designs), she's working with Brittney and myself on this project, she curating one at Lama Dog all the time.
KL: Really? How do you know about these things?
BB: Honestly it’s just instagram. A lot of people in my generation that are artists rely heavily on stuff like social media.
KL: I’m on instagram all the time but don’t see that stuff! Maybe I better get on yours!
BB: It's a good tool
KL: Jan Zigler did so much for us down here. It's just in her soul that she really wants to do something with the whole art scene. When the Arts Fund moved…it’s so bad that the Arts Fund moved…the arts fund was such an anchor for this community. They had shows! Not it’s kind of over there…and it’s kind of over by La Cumbre. And it's sad! But Jan did a lot working with MichaelKate. You need someone to herd the artists! I can tell you right now, I'm not going to organize anything, I’m not that person. Jan did a lot and I'm really grateful for her. It was when I first moved in here and didn't know anything that was going on with the Funk Zone. Over by where Silo is right now, Michael at the time, he would do shows there. I would come down with Dug and the other Michael. It was sort of like a really hidden thing. It was like one night I said to my husband “Let's go out in the Funk Zone there's something, you know at the time you kind of felt like you were in discovery. And clearly I’m here, so to me it's not hidden. But other people come…there's tourists and whatever, and they think it's like a hidden thing. Barbara Lawson is doing a lot to try to make something happen down here. She started this second Saturdays thing and there were some other people involved in it.