The operations of a popular Funk Zone art studio and event center recently unraveled in rapid and bizarre fashion, with former tenant Ian McTavish reportedly breaking his lease, skipping town, and dodging hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent. The owner of 120 Santa Barbara Street is now exploring his legal options, and nearly 20 clients who had booked the Santa Barbara Art Foundry warehouse space for weddings and exhibits are out their deposits and filing small-claims cases.
The building's management company sent letters to those clients last week, explaining McTavish likely "absconded with [the] deposits, and that it is our understanding that he will shortly be seeking bankruptcy protection." The letter states that Miramar Management, "as one of many parties who is owed money by SB Art Foundry," has been directed to contact McTavish's bankruptcy attorney, Christopher Gautschi, to levy complaints. "We suggest you follow suit," it reads.
Multiple attempts by The Santa Barbara Independent to reach McTavish and Gautschi have not been successful. According to sources, McTavish has also allegedly failed to pay artists who recently showed and sold work at the Foundry.