You might see yourself or someone you know at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum’s newest pop-up exhibit.
Until Oct. 19, the museum is showcasing digitized archive photographs of the Hispanic and Latino culture in Santa Barbara from the 1960s to late 1990s.
Some of the pictures include workers at the former La Tolteca Tortilla Factory on East Haley Street in 1986 to photos of men admiring low riders at a car club in 1982, showcasing what life looked like then.
“We thought this would be a nice opportunity to show a lot of community photos in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Dacia Harwood, executive director of the museum.
The pop-up exhibit was created in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, held annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Michael Montenegro, founder of Chicano Culture SB, co-created the exhibit with the library and helped plan Thursday’s launch event. When imagining his vision for the event, he considered Santa Barbara places such as the Eastside, Westside, State Street, Milpas Street and San Andres Street, words such as Chicano, and murals.
“I just love Santa Barbara so much that I focus on the Chicano, Chicana, Hispanic, Latinx, whatever you want to call it, type of perspective of history and culture,” he said.
Harwood said her favorite part of the exhibit is seeing people recognize themselves, friends or family in the historical photos.
“We are looking at a lot of not only beloved community photos that people recognize but a lot of shots that were taken that weren’t used, and so it is fun to have you know so many community members walk in and say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s me,’” she said.
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum showcased the sounds and sights representing Chicano culture on Thursday to kick off the exhibition.
Montenegro planned the entertainment for the First Thursday evening event, including Mariachi Reyes, dance group Xochipilli De Santa Barbara and band Freddy Castro & Friends. The museum courtyard also flaunted two low-riders, a 1957 Chevy Bel Air and a 1961 Impala.
“If I am going to book a band, I am going to book one of the most famous historical families with deep ties, so it was a no-brainer,” Montenegro said.
However, Montenegro said this year’s annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration feels heavier amid immigration raids across the country, affecting even his family.
“I am still standing on my righteous rock of, ‘I need to tell these stories,’” he said. “I need to tell this history because Chicano history is American history.”
The exhibit will be available for viewing until Oct. 19 at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, 136 E. De la Guerra St.
