Bryce Belinski: Tell me about your life as an artist in Santa Barbara, when did you start?
Madi (Loud Flower): Lets see, story time is that I moved to Santa Barbara at the end of 2016 from Portland, Oregon. I just sort of was floating around trying to learn more about what Santa barbara was and what to do, and really quickly got drawn into the Funk Zone. I was doing a lot of quilting, dying fabric, sewing, and quilting. I always had printmaking as a background from college but was more sewing at the time. I ended up getting linked up with Ryan and Katie Lovelace and the Gordons and people that are in the building that's next door to where Trim, Ryans store, was. They had some open studio space so I started renting some space in there. I moved into the Funk Zone as an artist in the middle of 2017 and doing quilting, sewing, a little bit of planning and drawing.
While I was at that spot I got really inspired to start doing more community organizing events and trying to shake things up a little bit. I started a vending machine that I sold art out of called Snack Gallery out of Muni Wine. So I was all around that neighborhood in the building in a rad little studio space on the building across from Muni. That's where I launched Snack Gallery, which was so fun and will be coming back I just don't know how or when or where..
BB: Yes why did it leave?
LF: Well the first thing that happened was the microburst, it was basically a 2 minute long hurricane that came through the Funk Zone in the Fall of 2017 I think it was September and destroyed our building. My windows blew out and our roof blew off, it really affected the Funk Zone in a major way. My studio was basically destroyed after that and I left but I was still doing Snack Gallery. That thrived through 2019, so snack gallery launched in fall of 2018, all of 2019 was snack gallery throwing events at Muni, getting more involved in the Funk Zone, and then covid hit and the tasting room shut down and we didn't know what was going to happen, you know, after 6 months or so of not knowing, we closed Snack Gallery and took the vending machine out. It is now in my driveway but it will come back soon
BB: stay tuned!
LF: Now I have really just enjoyed being in the funk zone a lot because of these markets at Dart Coffee Garden i have been putting on at Dart garden.
We currently are in my studio space that's right behind elsies. I moved in here and started screenprinting, I had two other women who were in this studio space and it was Andi Modungo- who does laxy eye, and ana delaney- who is an amazing artist and graphic designer. Ana and i started loud flower together, so in the summer of 2020 we started just ding screenprinting designs and random projects when then turned into a business which is now Loud Flower.
BB: And why the name “Loud Flower”?
LF: Loud Flower came from this desire to really speak out and be firm and loud and make an impression, make a mark, but also have a delicacy and sort of a gentleness as well. Also definitely humor, and goofiness is in the whole ethos.
BB: And you’re wearing one of your designs… what’s up with this one?
LF: This one came from- I was inspired by tattoo flash sheets and I wanted to make a design that featured promoting being a weirdo and embracing that as part of who we all are. I had recently gotten this tiger tattoo and (the rest are) all these other objects are those that I’ve pulled from my life. I have this little wooden watermelon in my kitchen…yeah and then just going the design of a tattoo flash sheet.
BB: I feel like that style is really taking off right now.
LF: Yeah so the Dart Markets have just been so amazing- we did a few sporadically through 2021 and the beginning of this year. But starting in july of this year i've done one or two every single month. And it’s been so rewarding, and people are so excited. We feature between 12-15 vendors usually at every market. The vendors love it, and it’s just this warm, welcoming environment.
Customers give that feedback a lot! That the garden is a place that feels really welcoming and warm and safe. Specifically one of my vendors, Nina, from Wild Moon Collection, who has vintage and recycled clothing, her customers specifically said that they feel comfortable shopping for clothes there. We make a makeshift dressing room…and people just love being able to come. They get their coffee, donuts, empanadas, whatever, and it turns out to be this multi-hour thing. They sit, and chat, and walk around, and talk to people. It's much more of a community event than a sell sell sell, don't interact with the vendors, type of market.
BB: (9:58) In your history of involvement in the Funk Zone, what has Dart Garden represented to you?
LF: Honestly, just community. I know that is a pretty blanket, simple answer, but I mean- Dart is where i love to do business meetings, love to gather with friends, love to bring people together for markets, music. Erika and Carter have been so welcoming and awesome in wanting to (host). Earlier in the summer, when I was trying to get some dates on the calendar, they were just like “how about this weekend or this weekend or this weekend..?!” I think it’s like, because we don’t know exactly the future of that space, we want to get as many in as possible
There's one tomorrow from 9-3 (Nov 10) and our last one of the year is Dec 10, which will also be 9-3 on that Saturday. I definitely want more to happen in the future we just don't have them on the calendar, especially because we don’t know what will happen.
BB: Can you shed a little light on the history of Dart Garden? I know it has gone through several stages of what it’s been…
LF: I don’t know it that well, and I could be totally wrong…but I think it was originally just a residential home for decades, and then it became a community garden/farm- The Funk Zone Farm- and now on the property is of course dart’s arden hangout zine, and then of course the Green Studio.
BB: What is the Green Studio?
LF: It is a house, which is now a studio space. Eria, who runs dart, is in there, and maybe 2 other people. Tomorrow is second Satuday in the Funk Zone, so that studio space will be open you can go and learn all about it. A bunch of other art studios will be open, so you can just go take a tour of the Fuk Zone and learn about people's studios.
So I don’t know the history that well, so we should talk to erika!
BB: With the potential development, what do you think placing a building there would signify- from yours and the community perspective?
LF: I mean, the overwhelming reaction is literal devastation. People come to the market and are gushing about it, and we say “well, did you know…? Go follow Keep the Funk and here are some pamphlets…” and people are just like, so gutted that that loss might happen. I think because that block holds so many kind of like random, small, go-down-an-alleyway and find that space, I think that really would just change everything, and it would push out so many individuals. To think that there could be a parking garage where there is currently an open space with gorgeous trees and a community gathering space is really heart wrenching.
BB: Yeah…that's the word on the street. To think about not seeing that view, too, and how much would feel way more enclosed.
LF: exactly, yeah, way more enclosed, block out so much more sunlight. And it’s funny because Santa Barbara is so strict with building codes, and so strict with how things look, and any new structure has to look this specific way that matches the city.. Which, you know, has its pros and cons, but then to have this massive, massive structure take over the one part in the city that is supposed to you know, “be funky”. And I’m sure there is lots of local history and I am still very new to the area.
BB: Yeah I want to connect with the artists in the studios that would be compromised by this development as well, because that is an important part of the story to hear.
LF: Of course they say it is going to be affordable housing, but that doesn't mean anything. Of course we do need more affordable housing here, but the funk zone is not where that should be.
BB: and not where it is realistically going to go…
LF: not where it’s realistically going to go! It’s not realistically going to be able to continue being affordable housing even if there are a number of units that are. And of course it’s just going to be second or third condos for people that don't live here and aren't a part of this community.
BB: yeah that would be really weird for the culture of this city.
LF: so weird. The Funk Zone already caters so much to tourists, and that is great, we need that in this town…but also this would really devastate a lot of local people.
BB: Yeah, that brings to question…if you were to categorize, or put the current culture and “vibe” of the Funk Zone into words, what would you say?
LF: I don’t know if I have enough foothold to say that. The only connection i have to the funk zone right now is as a community gathering space with primarily other people that are artists and makers that i already know who are there.
I don't go out there to hang out very much. My limited view of it is that it feels very local, although I know if you worked at Muni, or Fig mountain on the weekend you probably would’t feel that way.
BB: No but it’s true, a lot of artists, new and old, have the opportunity to show their stuff there, as well as musicians.
LF: yes, there are definitely a lot of opportunities for musicians to be playing
BB: and even the brewers and wine makers in that area, it is very representative of the local culture in that way
LF: and most of those places are local companies. We don't have any weird, big chains, not that i can think of- maybe right on state street but in the funk zone it is all local organizations.
BB: In your time being active in the art scene here, have you seen Santa Barbara evolve in any way?
LF: yeah, i think so. Part of the reason i started snack gallery in the beginning is because i moved from portland and i was really taken aback by the lack of weirdness, honestly. And as soon as i started talking about it, people were so hungry for it. People dove in, wanted to be a part of it, people want to support, and it was on fire. Back then, too, maybe there was a pop up every once in a while, definitely around the holidays, but now, it is constant. There are markets everywhere, and that's really cool. I think people who are in our generation are really finding their voice and figuring out that we can make a difference and we can build something. I feel like there are a lot of people who are really like, see something they don't like, and then actually do something about it, which is really cool. And maybe it is because i was new in 2017 so i wasn't as familiar with what was going on, but it feels like it’s been building the last few years.
BB: Yeah, I recognize that as well. I think I told you- I was living in Portland for a while too and that was when i really broke into what a local art scene is for a culture, you know, and was really hungry for that when I came here. I came back here also with the intention to “make it weird”, but even when i just kind of visited before moving back, i was like woah how are all these pop up opportunities happening here? I never saw that before.
What is something you think the community needs more of?
LF: I mean, what's not related to art, but- we need more housing. We need rent control. We need people to be able to actually live here. And I also, I don't know, I think that we’re in the right direction in terms of gathering people together. Encouragement to grab it all by the horns and do it yourself, and not be afraid to organize an event, basically. Anybody can do it. And not wait for the city to help us… not wait for permission from anybody to have an event when you gather and talk about things, or want to teach people something, or you have a question and just want to ask someone it. Encourage people that they too can start a market and gather people together, and they can start a business, or start brewing kombucha. It’s hard, but it's not as hard and scary as I think a lot of people think it is.
LF: What happened last year with the San Marcos Foothills- we all banded together and raised a ton of money- it felt like a full community effort, and that was really inspirational. It made me feel like, oh, we can actually say no to some of these developers, and we can actually make a difference. I am just so curious to see what’s going to happen in the Funk Zone.
BB: I agree, there has been a lot of empowerment with recognized that we’re all in this together, and there's power in community.
LF: Definitely. It was just so cool to go up to San Marcos Foothills and see tons of people just hanging out here, and see that it was led by all of our Chumash community members, and see people stand ground and not let 9 multi-million dollar houses be built on this precious land. That was easier because there was such a clear goal: “we need to raise this much money”, period. With SOMOFunk, I am unclear if there is a solid goal.