Art permeates our surroundings everywhere you look. From the murals of the past to the contemporary Funk Zone’s painted walls to 1st Thursday art walks (and sips!) around downtown’s studios and galleries. And in the homes that dot our landscape, some breathtaking works and collections can be discovered. Jacquelyn Klein-Brown—a long-standing board member of the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art—has curated quite an assemblage of her own. She, along with her family, opens up the doors of their home in “Living with the Artists” (page 96) to share a peek into their lifestyle that reflects a lifetime of collecting.

Speaking of collectors, Bill and Sandi Nicholson have always been passionate about art and antiques, but it is their focused acquisition of works by women artists—the largest in the world—that has our attention. In “A Passionate Pursuit“ (page 88) , we feature five of those females who have special connections to Santa Barbara, including our cover image of Santa Barbara’s own famed dancer and choreographer Martha Graham shot by photographer Imogen Cunningham in front of Graham’s mother’s Santa Barbara house in 1931. The Nicholson’s dedication to bringing to light women artists’ struggles, diversity, and talent in a mostly male-dominated art world is a gift to us all.

Jump a few decades later, and you arrive at the world of iconic musicians and celebrities of the 1960s and ’70s who were captured by renaissance lensman—and Ojai resident—Guy Webster (“Big Shot” page 108). He produced images that spoke to a generation of a wild and rebellious time now gone but never forgotten. We talked with his daughter Merry about her father’s legacy of that counterculture era and about his private family life away from the spotlight in the hills of Ojai before his death earlier this year. He’s left a stunning archive that the family soon hopes to turn into a documentary.

And with legends, you also have to look to the next generation—the ones who hope to carry on the musical torch. We have seen Katy Perry and Jack Johnson, among many others, rise to stardom from our shores. And as music is a melodic art form, we look for it in the small bars around town—from SOhO to Topa Topa—reflecting the sounds of our citizens. We want you take note of an all-American trioThe Brothers Gerhardt—who are quickly becoming the ones to watch in folk/country rock music on the Central Coast. Check out “Band of Brothers” (page 120) to see where they may be playing next.

All great art is representative of our times—our struggles, hopes, and dreams. Be it through music, art, or film, it is our voice and our statement that we leave to future generations to ponder and enjoy…and that it is happening from our vantage point is only a wonderful sign of what is to come.