Two Historians Offer New Perspective on Local Architecture and Design | Arts & Entertainment

Rose Thomas

Alison Bruesehoff

Architecture and design enthusiasts will discover a new perspective at An Evening of Madame Ganna Walska in Paris and Early California Rancheros: A Bixby Family Legacy, 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12 at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara.

Admission is free with a donation to Santa Barbara Rescue Mission. To reserve a spot, call 805-403-7053. Seating is limited and all guests are required to wear a mask.

The hour-long presentation will feature historians Rose Thomas, research associate of Lotusland; and Alison Bruesehoff, Rancho Los Cerritos executive director.

Thomas will discuss her recent travels to France to retrace the footsteps of Madam Ganna Walska; and Bruesehoff will talk about early California Rancheros and the Bixby Family legacy along the Central Coast.

Over the years, Thomas has held several positions, including curator, lecturer, editor, collection manager, and tour coordinator of local artists’ studios and classes on Santa Barbara architecture. For the last decade she has been the research associate and historian for Ganna Walska Lotusland.

Bruesehoff has worked in the nonprofit world, specifically museums, for 19 years. As the executive director of the Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site, she oversees site operations, including all aspects of running a museum and historic site, as well as creating the vision and strategic master plan for the site.

Her last directorship was at the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum. Before that, she served as executive director at the Forest Lawn Museum, where she oversaw the renovation of the museum and numerous museum projects. She has also worked as the director of collections management at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.