Santa Barbara Maritime Museum Presents
Play: Bronze Sculptures and Other Stuff by Susan Read Cronin
On View August 13 – November 29, 2026
A playful, story-rich exhibition exploring the breadth of human emotion through bronze, silhouettes, and poetry
SBMM is delighted to present Play: Bronze Sculptures and Other Stuff by Susan (Susie) Read Cronin, on view August 13 through November 29, 2026. With humor and imagination at its heart, Play invites visitors to experience the full spectrum of human feeling through Cronin’s allegorical bronze sculptures — alongside her silhouettes and poetry.
Cronin’s pieces are imaginative and disarmingly joyful: small scenes that feel like fables, visual puns that reward a second look, and characters that seem to carry on secret conversations. Cronin takes the word “play” literally, as she plays with words, scale, perspective and sometimes danger. While the work often begins in laughter, it doesn’t stay on the surface. Play explores tenderness, longing, mischief, vulnerability, and wonder — reminding us that imagination and play can be both a refuge and a way of discovering the truth.
In her own words, Cronin calls her work “figurative and narrative,” grounded in gesture and emotion. Her titles unlock new layers of meaning across sculpture and text. Play invites us to slow down, look closer, and rediscover the simple joy of being human.
As an added bonus, for those of you who have always longed to understand how a bronze sculpture is made, part of the show explains and simplifies the lost wax bronze casting process.
Exhibition Details
Exhibition: Play: Bronze Sculptures and Other Stuff by Susan (Susie) Read Cronin
Dates: August 13 – November 29, 2026
Location: Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way, Suite 190, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Hours: Open daily, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Admission: Included with museum admission (SBMM members free).
About the Artist
Susan (Susie) Read Cronin is a sculptor, writer, and multidisciplinary artist known for bronze sculptures that blend craft with playfulness and narrative charm. Educated at The Madeira School, she earned a B.A. in English from Williams College and studied with sculptors Jane B. Armstrong and Walter Matia. After many years working in Vermont, Cronin relocated full-time to Santa Barbara in 2016. Her work has been exhibited widely, including solo shows across Vermont, New York City, Denver, and California, and her exhibition Fables, Foibles, and Fairy Tales has traveled to 18 museums and other venues around the country.
Upcoming Events
