Santa Barbara Museum of Art plans stepped vinyl installation, hedge trimming to reveal Siqueiros mural during Monet–Matisse show

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art plans temporary vinyl artwork on the front stairs of its State Street building and limited hedge trimming so a 1932 mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros will be more visible, museum staff told the Historic Landmarks Commission on Aug. 27.

The museum will host “The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse” beginning Oct. 5, 2025; the stair treatment and hedge trimming are scheduled to be installed for the run of the exhibition and removed when the exhibition ends on Jan. 25, 2026, staff said. The stair graphic will be a vinyl application on the risers that forms an image only when viewed from specific vantage points; museum staff said the material is a matte-laminated removable vinyl, not paint.

The museum said the primary motivation for trimming the hedges is to improve visibility of Siqueiros’s mural Portrait of Mexico Today (1932), which museum staff and commissioners described as a unique, important public artwork in the city. Tess Harris, State Street master planner for the city, and Mada Cruz, Eichholtz Foundation director at the museum, described the mural as “the only Siqueiros mural in the United States” and said trimming would make it easier for passersby to notice and appreciate the work.

The museum’s presentation described the installation as a one‑time treatment tied to the exhibition. Lindsay Garrison, the museum’s director of marketing and communications, said an experienced installer will professionally apply and remove the vinyl, and that similar vinyl treatments have been used at large institutions including LACMA and the Getty. She told commissioners the installer will not adhere material to the top of stair treads and that the agency expects no damage on removal.

Commissioners asked about durability, public safety and lighting for the Siqueiros mural. Museum staff said lighting improvements are under consideration and that they are balancing conservation concerns with visibility. A virtual commenter said she supported the exhibition and the hedge trimming.

The commission did not take a final, appealable action at the meeting; staff characterized the item as informational. Commissioners responded positively and several members encouraged the museum’s outreach plans for the exhibition, including children’s programs and collaborations with local organizations.

Installation target dates presented to the commission were Oct. 3–Jan. 25, 2026, and the museum said tickets go on sale August 30 via its website. Staff noted the hedge trimming is not normally reviewed by the commission but was presented for awareness because it would change the streetscape visibility.

The commission held no formal vote on the presentation; staff said the museum will coordinate further details with city staff as needed.