Late last year, CAF issued an open call to all designers living or working within the tri-counties (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties) to submit their designs for an opportunity to participate in an innovative group exhibition entitled, The Bellwether Effect: At the Forefront of Design.

This exhibition will illuminate the array of imaginative designs created in our community while also highlighting the impact of design on our material and visual culture. Entrants submitted designs that were reviewed by a group of premier design professionals: Michael Porter, Justin Carroll, Hilary Nagler, William Prindle, and J. Morgan Puett. According to organizing curator, Michael Porter, “The Jury reviewed a strong and diverse group of submissions from the Tri Counties which addressed issues ranging from sustainability to fashion and popular culture. The analysis and dialog with the jury yielded a selection of firms, individuals, and collaboratives, which reflect the best design, our region has to offer. The people and the projects selected and presented through the Bellwether exhibition will further the dialog regarding the design issues of our time.” As the word “bellwether” connotes the existence or direction of a trend, so too will the designs featured in this dynamic group exhibition.

The Bellwether Effect: At the Forefront of Design is an exhibition that sought all types of designers—students and professionals—living within the local community to exhibit their designs in relation to the arts context of CAF. For more information please visit our website at http://bellwether-effect.org/.

CAF is a non-profit, non-collecting alternative art space dedicated to the exhibition, education, and cultivation of the arts of our time. Celebrating its 31st Anniversary in September 2007, CAF is the premier venue for contemporary art between Los Angeles and San Francisco, presenting 15-18 exhibitions annually.

For more information contact Lauren Mermel, Communications Coordinator at 805.966.5373 ext. 104, or go online to www.sbcaf.org