Join us for a heart-warming community Posada at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, an evening of delicious food, music, and togetherness to close our year with joy, connection, and collective care.

This Posada is inspired by traditions that remind us we don’t have to face hard times alone. Across cultures, people have gathered in winter to share warmth, food, and song, restoring hope through community. 

MCASB invites all of Santa Barbara to come together, celebrate, and support a museum that continues to serve as a cultural home for everyone.

Food & Tradition by Chef Bany Vargas

Experience contemporary Oaxacan cuisine crafted by Chef Bany Vargas, including a mezcal tasting curated from small local mescaleros across Oaxaca. Bany brings flavors that honor Indigenous foodways, community celebration, and resilience.

Tamales & Champurrado

Prepared lovingly by MCASB Board Members as part of our final fundraising effort of the year.

Tamales (3 varieties):

Salsa verde with chicken: tomatillos, cilantro, chile serrano, garlic, onion, salt. Chicken is cooked with salt, onion and garlic.

Rajas con quesillo: Caramelized onions, strips of poblano peppers, epazote, quesillo (rich and stringy cheese from Oaxaca)

Mole negro with chicken: Mole negro has over 20 ingredients including peanuts, almonds and bread (gluten), sauce also includes tomatoes and chicken broth.

Masa is made using heirloom corn from Oaxaca, ghee instead of lard and chicken broth.

Pre-dozen tamale orders are sold out, don’t miss your chance to enjoy the limited batches available at the Posada, first-come, first-served!

Champurrado: Maiz, piloncillo, cinnamon, and chocolate.

Mezcal Tasting (Donation-Based)

Curated by Chef Bany Vargas

• $30 donation per ticket
  
• Capacity: 40 people

Featured Artist & Community Workshop

Martha Alicia Cruz Jiménez: Mujer Barro

Martha Alicia Cruz Jiménez is a multidisciplinary Oaxacan artist whose work moves through clay, ritual, poetry, and memory. Now based in Los Angeles, she has found in her artistic practice a language to converse with her maternal lineage and with the land itself.

From her studio Tierra Mariposa in Papalutla, she preserves family objects and intimate recollections, shaping a living archive that connects body, community, and territory. Her practice rooted between Oaxaca and California transcends aesthetics to become an act of resistance and reclamation: an art that challenges stereotypes, affirms the presence of women in the arts, and cultivates deep bonds with her audience.

Workshop: “Create a Cuenco with Mujer Barro”

Community members are invited to join Martha Alicia Cruz in crafting a small clay vessel (cuenco) that will become part of a collective bowl, a community artwork that will live at the museum and exhibit on Arte del Pueblo Show 2026.
This workshop centers on shared creativity, connection, and the grounding power of clay.

Tickets available $40

Get your tickets here: https://museum-of-contemporary-art-santa-barbara.square.site/

Every purchase supports MCASB’s commitment to accessibility, racial equity, and community-led cultural work.

Questions or accessibility concerns please email us hello@mcasantabarbara.org