The Ojai Valley Museum
Saturday, May 28
5 to 7 p.m.
Open to the General Public

Contributor: Michele Ellis Pracy

On Saturday, May 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. the Ojai Studio Artists and the Ojai Valley Museum will co-host a reception celebrating their current group exhibit, “Know Hope.” Although the exhibit opened April 28, and will close on June 12, OSA’s celebration and Awards Ceremony honoring the 2011 Scholarship recipients will take place mid-way through the exhibit.

Five Ojai art students will receive 2011 Ojai Studio Artists Scholarships at the event. The young artists were selected from a wide variety of submissions and juried by a committee of OSA members. The scholarships are part of an ongoing program created to recognize talented burgeoning artists and assist them with their education. The 2011 award winners are: Tristan Walczak, Sarah Pilcher, Rachel Curry, Kathryn Barron, and Hannah Atkinson.

Over the years OSA has awarded nearly $150,000 in scholarships and donations to art students and arts organizations in the Ojai Valley. “Support for the arts is more important than ever,” says Ruth Farnham, OSA scholarship committee member, “and the payoff is ongoing.”

Funds for the OSA Scholarship Program are generated from a variety of sources such as private donations, fundraisers, a percentage of sales from Ojai Studio Artists’ work, and fall studio tour ticket sales. This year the annual Ojai Studio Artist’s Tour will be on October 8-9. For more information on the Ojai Studio Artists and their tour, please visit http://www.ojaistudioartists.org/

The May 28th Artists’ Reception and Scholarship Awards Ceremony is free and open to the public. Refreshments and a no-host bar will be provided at the event. Most of the work in the “Know Hope” exhibition is available for purchase. The Ojai Valley Museum receives a small commission from the art sales to support its exhibition program.

The Ojai Valley Museum, established in 1967, is generously supported in part by Museum Members, Private Donors, Business Sponsors and Underwriters, the Smith-Hobson Foundation, Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, City of Ojai, Rotary Club of Ojai.

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA. Adult admission is $4.00. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are available by appointment.

For more information, call the museum at (805) 640-1390, ext. 203, e-mail ojaimuseum@sbcglobal.net or visit the museum website at http://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org/