Mission
The Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum (CAF) provides an arena for the presentation, documentation, and support of a broad variety of visual, media, and performing arts representing a wide range of attitudes. Committed to encouraging the creation and showing of new work of the highest quality, CAF promotes the work of local, regional, national, and international artists. CAF also aims to expand and educate the audience for contemporary art and to involve a diverse constituency. It seeks to promote critical awareness and stimulate challenging dialogue about aesthetic and social issues relevant to our time.

History
CAF is a non-profit, non-collecting institution dedicated to exhibiting the highest quality of contemporary art while recognizing "the artists of tomorrow," and was founded in 1976 by artists and art supporters seeking a venue dedicated solely to contemporary art. What once began as a grassroots, artist-run organization with nominal funding now serves as the leading contemporary arts presenter in Central California. CAF offers its innovative education and exhibition programming to the region primarily free of charge. There is no admission fee because CAF believes that the arts should be accessible to all audiences of all persuasions. It truly is foundations and individuals from the community that keep CAF active, inspired and alive with opportunities for artists, children, and adults to experience all the visual and performing arts have to offer.