Exhibition Runs March 1 – April 4 in the Art Gallery at Napa Hall

Camarillo, CA - The CSU Channel Islands (CI) Art Program will be hosting the debut of “Pirate’s Prayer: And This Time It Will Be Different,” an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Los Angeles artist Phoebe Sarason. The works will be on display in the Art Gallery at Napa Hall, the University’s premier art exhibition space, from Thursday, March 1, through Wednesday, April 4. A free public reception will be held on Saturday, March 3, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Sarason’s latest exhibition is the culmination of a six-year project that combines paintings, sculptures, sewn objects and one 7-foot rabbit. “Pirate’s Prayer” invites the audience to walk through a dreamlike fairy tale where rabbits burrow in frosting, an unmanned pirate ship glides across the midnight sea, and the continual appearance of a little pink house ignites in flames, sending billows of smoke into a haunting sky. Sarason’s colorful canvases are shaped into organic, feminine forms inspired by old perfume bottles, curvaceous layer cakes and voluptuous ornate frames.

“It’s like walking into the middle of a dream,” Sarason said. “It’s a story that spreads across the room, instead of in a book. I see it as both a surrealistic fairy tale and a personal narrative.”

Sarason’s work is widely exhibited throughout Los Angeles and New York and collected throughout the world. Though based in Los Angeles, Sarason also lives and works part-time in Sayulita, Mexico. An artist in constant motion from earliest memory, Sarason's creative path took her to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied film and television production. She interned on “Saturday Night Live” and “Good Morning America” and ultimately carried her interest in storytelling into her paintings and installations. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from California State University, Los Angeles.

The Art Gallery at Napa Hall is located on Ventura Street on the CI campus, One University Drive, Camarillo. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, visit http://art.csuci.edu/gallery, or contact the Art program at 805-437-8570 or art@csuci.edu.

For more information on Sarason and her work, visit www.phoebesarason.com.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research.