On a pleasant October evening, the Santa Barbara fine art gallery Sullivan Goss buzzed with something wonderful. The exhibition “Space” graced the gallery, studying how outer space, inner space, time and any other interpretation of the concept inspired the featured artists. Santa Barbara’s most prominent cultural trustees milled about with a glass of wine in hand. Composer and pianist Bobby Woods was at the piano, engaging with the exhibit’s theme from his perspective – space in music.
As Woods and his jazz band explored connections to space through sound, echo, reverb, silence and the space between the notes in the scale, he paused amid the set to address the audience. Woods had discovered something in the music he wanted to share with the guests – something fascinating and marvelous. Unlike a traditional concert, this entire event was designed to facilitate this moment, the breakdown between artist and observer. This is the audience access Tertulia Americana, a nonprofit that programs cultural events, exists to create.
Tertulia Americana was inspired by the salon model popularized in Europe during the Enlightenment of the 17th century, which eventually made its way to South America, where it remains popular. Often held in private homes, clubs or cafes, tertulias are known as gatherings centered around literary, artistic and intellectual endeavors. Traditionally varied in complexity from a simple offering of maca tea to elaborate meals, tertulias foster the exhibition of creators from many disciplines.
Bringing the tertulia experience to Santa Barbara was the brainchild of Bobby Woods. Growing up in South America, Woods enjoyed attending tertulias as a child and found them to be a central part of the culture he experienced of goodwill and a joy-filled life. Now living in the United States, Woods saw localized and intimate gatherings missing from the framework of Southern California culture.
With the breakdown of connectedness in society, he saw an opportunity to foster a meaningful experience among a thoughtful group of curated guests where he could orchestrate an experience that engaged the minds and hearts of thoughtful attendees. Teaming with philanthropist Mary Myers Kauppila and Jeremy Tessmer, gallery director at Sullivan Goss, the trio set out to produce events that would strengthen the cultural fabric of Santa Barbara.
Before starting this project, Woods felt frustrated with his career. Despite being a leader of a successful jazz band, he questioned whether the audience appreciated the beauty of his music amid the noise and chatter at performance venues. However, when Woods began interacting with the audience in this new performance style, he found a renewed sense of purpose as a musician.
“When I started focusing on that aspect of performing, it felt much more fulfilling. It felt like there was a purpose to impact my immediate community and maybe change it. One venue at a time, one concert at a time, one audience member at a time. Doing these tertulias highlighted how thirsty people are to connect,” said Woods, “To feel like they are walking out of the event with a new mentality, approach and a sense of motivation to create something bigger than yourself.”
Kauppila was not always a connoisseur of jazz. It wasn’t until she got to know Woods that she discovered the joy of this art form. They would sit at the piano together, and Woods would play, pausing to discuss what Kauppila had heard. As she gained a deeper understanding of the music, her appreciation grew. She soon wanted to bring this experience to her community. Creating events to eliminate the barrier between artist and audience became an important focus of her philanthropic work.
The audience is responding to this model as well. After a recent Tertulia Americana event, one guest told Woods that although he had a great time, he was most impacted by a desire to return home to create something beautiful.
Woods and Kauppila hope to see Tertulia Americana pop up in cities around the United States. They want to bring people together, give them a shared experience of rich cultural enjoyment and send them back into the world with enriched hearts and minds. Tertulia Americana is blazing a trail for creating market demand for artists in our post-COVID world, where people have shifted how we interact with one another, which in some instances means a routine devoid of the institutions we used to rely upon for cultural inspiration.
“We have this opportunity to be good citizens in our community,” Kauppila said, “to promote goodwill and a process of gathering that we hope is inspiring. It is a dream to bring tertulias to schools and other venues for children and young audiences.”
To learn more about Tertulia Americana, please contact our Programs and Services Team.
