Images With a Global View highlights Black creativity in Santa Barbara

Artists Toni Scott and Rod Rolle will present the Black History Month art salon 'Images With a Global View' at Elevate Gallery in La Cumbre Plaza on Feb. 28, with a public exhibition from 1–5 p.m. and an artist talk from 2–3:30 p.m.

Toni Scott and Rod Rolle will present "Images With a Global View," a Black History Month art salon in Santa Barbara. The program pairs an exhibition with an artist conversation about the power of Black creativity and the role of archiving history. Scott draws on African American and Muscogee Creek heritage and works across sculpture, painting, installation and photography. Rolle is a photojournalist who documents lived experience through a documentary lens. Key details: - Event date and place: Feb. 28 at Elevate Gallery in La Cumbre Plaza; the exhibition runs 1–5 p.m. and the artist talk is scheduled 2–3:30 p.m.; the event is free and open to the public. - The Independent's social media manager Maya Johnson is listed as moderator for the artist conversation. - Toni Scott explores themes of memory, reconciliation, ecology and the humanity of objects; she has incorporated local materials such as fallen palm fronds into her work. - Scott's installations and exhibitions have been presented at the Getty Research Institute, the California African American Museum, and the Cornerstone Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa. - The collaboration with Rod Rolle is described as creating a dialogue about the difference between the ephemerality of photography and the permanence of sculpture, contributing to discussions of Black memory. - The California State Assembly issued a Certificate of Recognition honoring Scott for bringing the community together through art during Black History Month. Summary: The salon foregrounds Black creativity and efforts to preserve and record overlooked histories through a mix of photography, sculpture and installation. The immediate next step is the public event on Feb. 28 at Elevate Gallery, which includes an exhibition and an artist talk. Organizers present the program as a way to increase visibility and community conversation around Black memory in Santa Barbara.