Ventura, CA - The Buenaventura Art Association is pleased to announce a call to artists for its 2nd annual Community Memorial Hospital Open Competition. This year’s show is entitled “Recycle: Eco Art” and will be juried by Rhode Island artist, Tom Deininger. Deininger was named one of the top ten artists in the country working in recycled art by the online news service Huffington Post. The show is open to artworks utilizing at least 75% reused, recycled or found materials. The show will run December 2, 2012 through January 6, 2013 in the ground floor public spaces of Community Memorial Hospital, 147 N Brent St., Ventura.

This competition is open to artists who live in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and L.A. Counties.

Tom Deininger was raised in Norwell, Massachusetts and attended Salve Regina University where he graduated with Academic Honors in art. Upon graduation he was selected to execute two large commissions for a local church. With those proceeds he traveled Europe, setting up studios and selling his artwork. Coming back to the states he found a large studio space in Fall River, MA to execute large found object works. His artwork is in numerous public and private collections throughout the world and has won many awards in “recycled” and “found object” competitions. He lives with his wife and three children in Bristol, Rhode Island. See his work at www.tomdeiningerart.com.

The First Place winner of “Recycle” will receive a $500 cash prize; Second Place is $250; Third Place is $125. The juror has the option of awarding up to four Honorable Mention non-cash prizes.

A meet-the-artists reception and awards ceremony will be held Tuesday, December 4th from 5-7 PM in the Community Memorial Hospital lobby.

Entries must be submitted electronically through the online entry form on the Buenaventura Gallery website, www.buenaventuragallery.org. More information regarding rules and restrictions can be found there. Deadline to enter the “Recycle” competition is midnight, November 26.

About the Buenaventura Art Association
Buenaventura Art Association (BAA) is a foundational arts organization in Ventura – a 58-year-old institution devoted to sustaining Ventura County’s cultural and artistic resources by developing visual artists in all stages of their careers. BAA was started in 1954 by a group of Ventura community, civic and business leaders who recognized the importance of the arts in all communities and wanted to encourage and foster Ventura’s cultural growth. BAA runs two galleries – the Buenaventura Gallery in downtown Ventura at 700 E. Santa Clara St., and the Harbor Village Gallery, 1591 Spinnaker Dr., in the Ventura Harbor Village.
Since 2009, BAA has collaborated with Community Memorial Hospital to exhibit art in its ground floor public corridors. Most exhibits in this venue last two to three months and are open to members and non-members of BAA. Countless patients, visitors, and hospital employees comment on the joy and comfort these works of art bring to their daily lives.

About Community Memorial Hospital
For over a century, Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) has served as the healthcare leader in Ventura County. Today, the eight-story, 242-bed nonprofit facility has become a state-of-the-art regional hospital and health center, providing a vast array of medical services and programs. The award-winning hospital is licensed by the California Department of Health Services, and Accredited by DNV. Community Memorial Hospital is located at 147 N. Brent St., in Ventura.