Honoring One of the Area’s Greats

Viva la Fiesta, Everyone! Brightly colored ruffles rim the hem of the traditional Spanish dress, fluttering fans and colorful confetti stirs the air to the strum of guitars, clicking castanets, and high heeled shoes. An entire city in excited preparation is a reminder that at month’s end Old Spanish Days will host Fiesta Week in Santa Barbara! Five days of music, dance, and honored vaquero traditions will begin on Wednesday, July 30th with days of festive events, the highlight being the world-renowned Fiesta Parade. On Sunday evening, August 3rd, Old Spanish Days will wave ‘Adios’ for 2025 with its annual Fiesta Finale Gala on at the El Paseo Restaurant hosted by the John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts. 

Celebrating its 25^th Anniversary year, the Profant Foundation has a history spanning five generations connected to the arts in Santa Barbara. In 1922, when Dr. Henry Profant and his wife, both musicians, arrived to join Dr. William Sansum in founding what was then known as the ‘Clinic,’ Dr. Profant occasionally entertained his patients with music, sometimes wondering which one was the better healer – the music or the medicine! Over the years the couple expanded the family’s interests in the arts throughout Santa Barbara, in CAMA, promoting the Music Academy of the West, hosting parties and musical events at various venues, and during Old Spanish Days, with events in the Santa Barbara Courthouse Gardens. 

During 1950s Fiesta week, their son John met his future wife at the El Paseo Restaurant – a day that would change both their lives. One of the couple’s four daughters, Marie Profant, recalls, “My mother Lyn often told us that on their first date they went to a CAMA concert and on the ride home on Cabrillo Boulevard in the moonlight my father sang “La Vie en Rose” to her with his beautiful voice … en Français! Now how romantic is that?” Having both been dancers, their mutual love of the arts and interest in creative pursuits charted their course as a couple and as parents of their daughters. John’s dream was to pursue his own creative interests and establish a venue to give back to the artistic community from which he had gained so much. 

Sadly, this was not to be as John died shortly after retiring. Courageously, his wife Lyn took up the mantle with the creation of the John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts in his honor to support developing visual and performance artists regardless of age or circumstance. Their daughter, Mignonette Profant noted, “We were well aware that circumstance often gets in the way of pursuing one’s dreams, therefore our scholarship application has no age limits. Our recipients have ranged in age from 9 to 75!” 

This year’s Fiesta Finale Gala will honor Santa Barbara’s beloved Society Lady, historian, writer, dancer, and cultural champion, the late Erin Graffy de Garcia. Always a force of nature, known for her graciousness, humor, and boundless energy, Erin’s love for Santa Barbara, its traditions, and its artistic vibrancy is well known. The Profant Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is proud to facilitate the newly formed Erin Graffy de Garcia Legacy Endowment and its dedicated board, to continue to inspire, educate and enrich the community she cherished. This endowment is envisioned to grow, with annual dividends supporting specific projects that reflect Erin’s community involvement of historical preservation; especially of music and dance, storytelling, journalism, educational classes and exhibits that keep the rich cultural history of Santa Barbara alive. Contributions to build the endowment are presently underway with further opportunities at the Fiesta Finale. 

The 2025 Fiesta Finale Gala’s spotlight on Erin Graffy’s legacy and Santa Barbara traditions will be accompanied by delicious cuisine, vibrant costumes, lively music, and dancing… and a special ‘Art That Comes to Life’ Tableau Vivant, of the 2015 Old Spanish Days poster created by Erin herself! For almost a century the Profant family and Foundation’s mission continues. The family looks forward to welcoming their guests as they celebrate the arts in the City of Santa Barbara on August 3rd at El Paseo Restaurant – “Where it all started.”  

For further information visit: www.profantfoundation.org

The Erin Graffy de Garcia Legacy Endowment: [email protected]