Generous gifts made to the Museum of Ventura County by its Collectors Council will be on exhibit at the museum from December 4, 2011 through February 12, 2012. Expanding the Collections: Gifts from the Collectors Council includes sculpture, paintings, and rare historical documents and photographs. The Collectors Council was formed only three years ago, but has since purchased or contributed toward many important additions to the museum collections.

Historical purchases on exhibit include pieces from a John Nichols collection of photographs and documents related to the 1928 Saint Francis Dam Disaster, and two books by Robert H. Becker containing colorful reproductions of diseños (hand-drawn maps) of early Californio ranchos, 1822-1846, taken from the records of the United States District Court in San Francisco.

The exhibition also includes artwork by photographer Horace Bristol; sculptor Michele Chapin; painters John Nava and Susan Petty; and ceramic artist Cheryl Ann Thomas. Several issues of Joe Cardella’s ARTLIFE magazine will be on display. The Collectors Council, with help from the museum’s Fine Arts Committee, purchased the full run of the magazine, making the Museum of Ventura County the only museum in the United States with a complete set of this unique assemblage of artists’ work.

The Collectors Council was established in 2009 to support the growth of the Museum of Ventura County’s permanent collections. Council members attend private receptions and participate in informative artist studio visits throughout the year to view and discuss possible acquisitions recommended by museum staff for the fine art, history, and library collections .At a final meeting, the Council makes its decision through an anonymous voting process. For more information about joining the Collectors Council, please contact Development Director Robin Woodworth at (805) 653-0323 x 309.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission to the exhibitions is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.