A Force for the Arts
Kai Tepper knew from a young age that she was destined for the arts. Along with her sister – who now attends Berklee College of Music in New York – the Central Coast native experimented with everything from ballet to visual arts. “The arts have always been part of my life; both of my parents are very creative,” says Tepper. “My sister stuck more to performing arts and I went into visual arts.”
While studying studio art, art history, and graphic design at California State University Channel Islands beginning in 2006, Tepper landed an internship at the Santa Barbara Arts Fund. Three years later, she became the organization’s executive director. “I always thought Santa Barbara was so small, and at first, I wanted to get out and see the world and never thought I’d stay here,” she says. But with so many of her fellow young artists leaving town, Tepper wondered who would steward the future of the local arts and culture scene. She decided that the time was ripe to stay in Santa Barbara and help foster a contemporary Santa Barbara that is inclusive and exciting for current and future generations.
“There was a transformation happening at the time with the Funk Zone, and I was part of a team involved in launching the mural program and the Funk Zone Art Walk,” she says. “It was a great opportunity to build partnerships and connect the dots between arts and culture – to help create a more vibrant community that benefits the collective whole. That’s still a philosophy that motivates me and guides me.”
After four years at the Arts Fund, Tepper became the Santa Barbara Bowl’s first full-time outreach manager for seven years. From there, she transitioned to serve as executive director of the Children’s Creative Project (CCP), which serves an average of 50,000 children at 100 schools in Santa Barbara County as well as schools in Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties. “CCP helps provide access to quality arts education for schools for grades TK through 12th. In some schools, our services are the only pathway for students to engage in arts education,” she says. “I’m excited to see how I can foster community partnerships to deepen student impact through arts and cultural experiences for years to come. The icing on the cake: I still get to partner with the Santa Barbara Bowl.”
“There was a transformation happening at the time with the Funk Zone, and I was really involved in launching the mural program. It was a great opportunity to build partnerships and connect the dots between arts and culture – to help create a more vibrant community that benefits the collective whole. That’s still a philosophy that motivates me and guides me.”
Tepper serves on Santa Barbara’s Arts Advisory Committee, the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (she’s the co-chair of its Asian American History Affinity Group), whose core vision is to steward the past and present of the Presidio neighborhood. There, Tepper has helped push for greater social equity and neighborhood diversity. “I’m half Japanese,” she says. “Growing up I knew there was a Chinatown and a Nihonmachi [historical Japanese community]. There is really nothing left of Nihonmachi or Japantown, because as downtown Santa Barbara was developed and gentrified, it pushed out a lot of families. Right next to the Presidio is a big parking lot, but back in the day there was the Asakura Hotel, which was thriving. It’s such a disappointment that it’s gone and important to retell these histories.”
One of Tepper’s main goals is to preserve and celebrate the rich history of what lies “beyond” contemporary Santa Barbara. “I am so interested in preserving those things and celebrating diverse stories,” she says. “It helps also to define the future of Santa Barbara – to see how we can empower this community as a diverse place that gives space to artists and creative people from all backgrounds. Although there is more work to do, it seems in the last five to 10 years, many organizations are starting to expand beyond the Spanish Colonial narrative and work toward highlighting different historical narratives.”
Finally, Tepper, an alumna of Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts & Design Academy, is also currently on the program’s advisory committee. She considers serving students and young people to be one of her most important responsibilities. “I really believe the arts have the ability to transform lives and can be used as a tool for social change,” she says. “I can’t not do what I do. It’s good to remind people that just engaging in your community and showing up is as powerful as anything else when it comes to community building. That’s something I try to do every day.”