Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM)

990 Narrative Statement of Activities- Fiscal Year 2023Program Services: 4a: Connecting the Community to Maritime Heritage:The Santa Barbara Maritime Museums purpose is to preserve and present to the public the maritime heritage of Californias Central Coast, while providing an ongoing educational platform to study and record human interaction with the marine environment.The Museums mission statement is Creating quality exhibits and educational experiences that celebrate the Santa Barbara Channel and illuminate our rich connections with the sea. The Museums exhibits, both permanent and rotating, highlight the local maritime history of the California Central Coast and give visitors and locals a sense of Santa Barbaras 13,000-year maritime history. Exhibits honor people such as commercial divers, commercial fishermen, and lighthouse keepers who, through everyday actions, enrich our lives today.The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) receives over 40,000 visitors annually and focuses on interactive exhibits and hands-on educational programming. In 2020 SBMM received a 10-year Accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), placing it into the top echelon of museums across the country. Of the more than 33,000 museums in the United States, fewer than 1,100 are currently accredited by AAM. In fiscal year 2023 the Museum also completed the second year of its 5-year Strategic Plan, which provides staff and the Board of Directors the tools to navigate the future course of the Museum.The Museums education programming continues to expand, now providing programs for elementary and high school students across Santa Barbara County and beyond. In the past year programming has expanded to Lompoc High School students, and new elementary schools in Carpinteria, in addition to having schools from Bakersfield and the east coast visit. SBMM serves as the fiscal agent for the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area (SBCWHA), which became the ninth such designated area and only the second in the United States. The Museums Whales are Superheroes!, which provides both instruction and an art activity to show how whales help with climate change, helps fulfill the SBCWHAs education role. The Museums nationally recognized Maritime on the Move program continues to grow, serving more than 1,400 youth just in the summer of 2023. This innovative program has received multiple awards, including:Being named a finalist in the American Alliance of Museums 2021 EdCom Award for Innovation and Education Award- Pandemic EditionBeing awarded the California Alliance of Museums California Natural Resources Agency Secretarys Public Education Award for Excellence in SustainabilityBeing asked by the Council of American Maritime Museums to present about the program at their 2021 national conferenceReceived the Epic award for Excellence in EducationThe majority of students participating in SBMM education programs attend public elementary schools in Santa Barbara County that qualify for Title I funding and serve low-income households. Adults also enjoy the many educational programs operated by the Museum, including a monthly lecture series that averages 120 attendees per month.During fiscal year 2023 SBMM displayed The Peaceful Sea, featuring artwork by Kevin Short, and The Lure of Lighthouses & Dancing Waves, featuring photographs by Emmy Award winner Dan Merkel. The Museum also upgraded its Pilot House exhibit into Navigating Jack Tar to Safe Harbor, featuring a challenging, animated voyage from Santa Barbara Island to the Santa Barbara Harbor.

Program Services: 4b: EducationThanks to the generosity of SBMM Board Member Roger Chrisman and his wife Sarah, the Museum now has access to the tall ship Mystic Whaler to provide educational programming. In April 2023 SBMM piloted a new program called Echoes of a Merchant Mariner, which combines a reflection on the historical uses and methods for sailing a 110-ft tall ship in the past while simultaneously challenging students to operate a similar vessel today. Students gained a clearer understanding of the 19th-century lives of those that brought cargo around the world and had the same responsibilities that persist into the 21st century. They exercised their understanding of math, physics, history, and engineering to practice traditional skills such as navigation and mechanical advantage on this 3.5-hour sail. In September 2022 SBMM expanded its Girls in Ocean Science program to include both junior high school and high school females. Both groups got to go out on the ocean, working with female naturalists and scientists, including those from UCSBs Jenn Caselle Lab, which is focused on marine conservation and reef ecology. The high school students performed hands-on experiments aboard the NOAA research vessel Shearwater with their crew. The purpose of this program is to inspire these young ladies to go to college and pursue careers in various ocean-related fields. Whales Are Superheroes! complemented SBMMs permanent exhibit of the same name. SBMM sends staff and naturalists to classrooms countywide to show how whales help with climate change, and includes an art component taught by Sondra Weiss. Students learn to appreciate the role whales play in providing oxygen to our planet, helping our oceans provide more of the air we breathe each day than trees do. This program helps to fulfill the educational component of efforts to have the Santa Barbara Channel declared a Whale Heritage Area, encouraging eco-friendly whale-watching experiences.