Exhibition Walkthrough 
with Scholar Responses



October 1, 2026
3:30pm - 4:30pm

College of Creative
Studies Gallery
UC Santa Barbara

Free and open to the public.

Join us at the College of Creative Studies Gallery for a guided walkthrough and discussion of “Cosmic Synastry: Collective Codes and Personal Readings”. Panelists from across UCSB departments will share their reflections on exhibition materials, drawing from their areas of expertise and the themes of the exhibition. Moderated by curators Vanessa Ayala and Lucy Bell, this interdisciplinary event features responses from:  

Ana Briz, Art, Design and Architecture Museum
Joseph Blankholm, Religious Studies
Angel Diaz, UCSB Library
Kim Garcia, College of Creative Studies: Art

Opening reception to follow discussion from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.
Drinks and light refreshments will be served.




Ana Briz

Art, Design and
Architecture Museum

Ana Briz is Assistant Director and Curator of Exhibitions at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum (AD&A Museum) in UC Santa Barbara. Her research is situated in the field of performance, art, and visual culture in the United States, and focuses on queer, feminist, and anti-racist work by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in California. She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity and an M.A. in Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Art History from Florida International University.


Joseph Blankholm

Religious Studies

Joseph Blankholm is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research focuses on secularism and the variety among nonreligious people, including atheism and spirituality. His latest project, on metaphysical spirituality, is supported by a $1.5m grant from the John Templeton Foundation.


Angel Diaz

UCSB Library

Angel Diaz is the Curator for the California Ethnic & Multicultural Archives (CEMA) and History of California & the American West at UCSB Library. She is also the Subject Librarian for Chicana and Chicano Studies. She holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from UCLA and a Master’s degree in Education for the University of San Francisco, as well as a BA in US History from the University of San Francisco. She has published and presented on the topics of labor, archival management, DEIA in special collections, and various topics related to the history and culture of California. Angel is a Council member of the Society of American Archivists.


Kim Garcia

College of Creative Studies: Art

Kim Garcia leads sculpture at the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara and serves as Gallery Director of the CCS Art Gallery, where she shapes exhibition programming and student engagement with contemporary practice. She is also a multidisciplinary artist whose work begins from her experience as the daughter of immigrants, tracing how personal memory expands into questions of belonging, power, and the making of American identity. Her work has been presented at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, Feia Gallery, Phase Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA), and Torrance Art Museum. Kim holds a BA from UC San Diego and an MFA from UC Irvine.