Written by Michele Pracy, Ojai Valley Museum Director

The final exhibition at the Ojai Valley Museum in 2011 is the annual “Museum Selects” juried show entitled “Ojai Celebrates Art IV.” The exhibit runs October 13 through December 31, 2011. The Award Ceremony will be held in the rotating gallery at the museum from 4 to 5 pm on Ojai Day, October 15. Museum entrance and the ceremony will be free and open to the public during Ojai Day.

Three illustrious judges have been invited to determine the awards for first, second, and third places from the artwork that has been selected by an in house, Ojai Valley Museum committee. The judges selecting the prizewinners for OCA IV are: Anca Colbert, art world professional; Theodore Gall, international sculptor; William Hendricks, professional photographer/professor.

The three will bring their special expertise to the award selection process, but will also look at the exhibit as a whole and not concentrate on only their own medium or technique. Their collective, expert understanding of the art world, contemporary art and artists, and standards of excellence will be the collaborative, deciding factors.

Anca Colbert is an Ojai resident. Her consulting firm, “Art Advisory Services,” assists visual artists, collectors, museums, and galleries by providing them informed guidance and practical solutions. She has had her own retail galleries in Los Angeles, continues as an agent for individual artists, appraises collections and advises on sales and/or insurance. Recently, Colbert has been writing a regular column in the Ojai Quarterly magazine. Her perspective as judge of OCA IV is from a sophisticated awareness, and with an international perspective, of the contemporary art world and art market.

Theodore Gall is a sculptor of international and national acclaim, who also lives and works in Ojai. Gall is represented by several galleries and has been commissioned to create site-specific sculpture across the country and abroad for private collectors and public spaces. A large public sculpture of a running stallion, cut from self-rusting steel, can be seen at the entrance to Rotary Park in Ojai. Gall brings his art business acumen to the judging process, his marketing skills as an individual artist, and his appreciation for exhibition venues as opportunity for exposure.

William Hendricks is a Ventura based fine art photographer. He is a graduate of the Brooks Institute of Photography, author of several limited edition “artist’s” books, professor of photography at Ventura College and a world traveler who has had his photographs published in Architectural Digest, Harper’s Bazaar, People Magazine, and numerous other publications. Hendricks has made many trips to Cuba as a journalist and teacher. His recent work, ‘Icons & Revolution,” examines the evolution of this communist nation. Hendricks’ approach to the OVA IV exhibition includes a finely tuned “eye” for what is fresh, well executed and shows promise for a bright future for the artist.

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA. Admission: free for current 2011 members, adults - $4.00, students - 18 and under - $1.00, children 6–18 - $1.00 and children 5 and under – free. Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Friday, 1 to 4 pm; Saturday, 10 to 4 pm; Sunday, noon to 4 pm. 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/