Santa Barbara Museum of Art receives $5.5-million endowment

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There’s a new (and quite pricey) chair at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art: It was announced this week that the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation pledged $5.5 million to endow the museum’s director position.

The post, held by Larry Feinberg, will be known as the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Director.

“It not only greatly helps the institution financially, but also an endowed director’s chair elevates SBMA’s stature,’ Feinberg said in a release.

Mercedes Eichholz and her late husband, Robert, have been involved with the museum since they arrived in Santa Barbara in 1979. Mercedes Eicholz’s recent credits include chairing the museum’s Arts Endowment Committee and serving as president of the Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2003.

The museum, which is approaching its 75th anniversary, is showcasing through May 6 a SoCal retrospective titled ‘Pasadena to Santa Barbara: A Selected History of Art in Southern California, 1951–1969,’ which pairs work from local artists with European contemporary counterparts.

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-- Jamie Wetherbe