The first time I saw Betty Klausner, I was struck by both her elegance and her sophistication. She was the incarnation of Myrna Loy to Bob Klausner’s William Powell. Betty came from a privileged world where she sold Girl Scout cookies from the family limousine with chauffeur in tow. She could have remained in this world, but in Santa Barbara, she chose to work with artists.Whether figuring out how to get money for canvas or for a meal, Betty was there, helping with career, dinner, critical thought, and conversation.
She brought the best out in people and in the art community. Betty began the Contemporary Graphics Center, where early shows of Steven Cortright and a newcomer like me were held. She was instrumental in acquiring space to bring the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum (CAF) into being: 1,500 square feet in the Balboa Building and later in a 3,500 square foot space in Paseo Nuevo. CAF organized in Steven’s storefront or in Café Vallarta on Haley and occasionally at the Paradise Café, where conversations on the meaning of art and the practice of artists — between Guy Williams, Joan Tanner, Mary Seamster, Sam Erenberg, and Ciel Bergman — would take place. These strong, engaged discussions between respected friends and artists belied the belief that the only true path was their own. This was a forum forged in wine, beer, food, and passion. Betty helped move this forum heart to the building body. She gave this energy a home.
Betty also was the last survivor of iconic Santa Barbara women, including Carol Valentine, Zola Rex, Gail Berkus, and Mercedes Eichholz, who interacted often and were tenaciously supportive of the arts in Santa Barbara. Collectively, it was a golden age during which these women created more art events, auctions, and exhibitions — and more art collecting — than ever before. Rita Ferri, former assistant director at CAF and curator for the County Arts Commission, said, “We have Betty Klausner to thank for the strong presence of contemporary art in our community today. She fought hard to have CAF recognized as the premier contemporary art space between L.A. and San Francisco. It was her dream, and she would not let it die.”