High school students and college students who are interested in careers in agriculture are invited to the First Annual Agriculture Career Fair at the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula, on Saturday, February 15, 2014, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. During the Agriculture Career Fair, representatives from colleges that offer agriculture courses, and representatives from Ventura County agriculture businesses, will set-up information tables and talk to students about agriculture education programs and about jobs in agriculture. There is no charge for admission to the Career Fair, which is funded in part by a grant from the Thelma Hansen Trust.

The Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum is located in historic downtown Santa Paula, across the railroad tracks from the train depot, at 926 Railroad Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, the first Sunday of every month is free general admission to the public, and the Second Thursday Gallery Talks are followed by an additional gallery talk at the Santa Paula Art Museum. For more information, go to www.venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.

February 1 – 23, 2014
Santa Paula Society of the Arts Gallery
Santa Paula Depot, 963 Santa Barbara St., Santa Paula, CA
Gallery Hours: Sat-Sun. Noon – 4 PM
Admission: Free

The Santa Paula Society of the Arts has welcomed the Heritage Valley Quilt Festival to share space in their gallery during the month of February. The quilts on exhibit are homage to the quilt made in 1863 by Jane A. Stickle, a Vermont farm wife. The originality of the her quilt’s construction, with over 220 unique blocks, and the fact that Jane labeled the quilt as being made “In War Time…1863…Pieces 5602…Jane A. Stickle”, have combined to make the quilt a national treasure. The Jane Stickle quilt is on display at the Bennington Museum in Vermont during the months of September and October each year.

In 1991 Brenda MangesPapadakis, a quilting teacher, became entranced by the original “Mother” quilt, drafting the patterns from the quilt and teaching classesbased on these patterns. Her students made quilts that Brenda called “Baby Janes”. Quilters around the world have embraced the challenge of making their interpretations based on these patterns.

Two of the quilts in the exhibit at the Depot Gallery reflect the original design of the “Mother” quilt, while the others on display show some of the variations possible with the patterns. Four of these quilts were made in a class taught by Julie Gardner from Oxnard at Quilt Ventura over a two year period. It is fascinating to see the variety of fabrics and layouts that have come together for this exhibit.

There will be a closing reception, Sunday, February 23, 2014 from 2 to 4 PM. For more information, contact Linda Wilkinson, 805-525-2774, frog4mom@aol.com.

George D. Morgan
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Camarillo, CA - CSU Channel Islands (CI) will welcome author, playwright, screenwriter and alumnus George D. Morgan (B.A. English, 2010) back to campus for a reading of his acclaimed new biography, “Rocket Girl: America’s First Female Rocket Scientist.” The reading, on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Aliso Hall 150, is free and open to the public.

Morgan’s book, which he developed as a student in CI’s English/Creative Writing program, reveals the remarkable true story of his mother, Mary Sherman Morgan, America’s first female rocket scientist and an unheralded heroine in the Space Race. A poor farm girl with no college degree but an extraordinary talent for chemistry, Mary Morgan went on to invent hydyne, the rocket fuel that launched the nation’s first satellite, Explorer 1. However, while her collaborator on the project, German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, went on to become a high-profile figure in NASA’s space program, Mary Morgan’s contributions fell into obscurity.

“After my mother passed away in 2004, I submitted her obituary to the Los Angeles Times,” Morgan said. “They refused to print it on the grounds they could not verify any of its information. That’s when I really began to realize how slippery recorded history can be. I made a vow then and there that I would find a way to write my mother into the history books where she belonged.”

“Rocket Girl” recounts a son’s journey to uncover his mother's lost professional and personal legacy – a legacy buried deep under a lifetime of secrets. Blending a fascinating personal history with dramatic historical events taking place on the world stage, George Morgan’s compelling narrative brings long-overdue attention to a modest but brilliant woman whose work proved essential for America's early space program.

Morgan’s book has CONTINUED »

“Corner, Morro Bay” by Jessie Arms Botke, no date, block print,10” x 9”,Collection of Jyl and Allan Atmore.
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SANTA PAULA, CA – From her home and studio in Santa Paula, Jessie Arms Botke (1883-1971) became one of the most extraordinary oil painters of the twentieth century. Now, the Santa Paula Art Museum invites you to view her rare and elegant watercolors and woodblocks in an unprecedented exhibition. The exhibit will premiere on Saturday, February 15, 2014 with an opening reception from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Admission is $10.00 for museum members and $15.00 for the general public.

Jessie Arms Botke was born in Chicago in 1883 and enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago in 1902. In 1911, Botke went to work for Herter Looms in New York City where she was first inspired toward the bold, decorative painting of birds that she became so famous for later in her career. It was in 1929 that Jessie and her husband Cornelis, whom she had married in 1915, made their home in Santa Paula.

While the couple vowed never to move from their peaceful ranch in Wheeler Canyon, they made annual sketching trips across the country. It was on these trips that Botke began to experiment with watercolor painting as a means of recording her travels, and to create studies for future paintings. It was a medium with which she quickly fell in love.By the 1950s, her watercolors were being exhibited and celebrated from California to New York.

“What is wonderful about Jessie’s watercolors is that she created them rather impulsively and spontaneously. They capture pure and honest moments and memories in her life. You really feel a sense of connection to what her mood was in those moments,” says Executive Director Jennifer Heighton. Over 50 of these rare works from private collections will be on display in the show, which in addition to watercolors includes works in gouache and block prints. This special exhibit runs through June 22, 2014.

The Santa Paula Art Museum is located at 117 North 10th Street in downtown Santa Paula. The Museum’s regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m., and Sundays from 12:00 to 4:00p.m.Admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and is free for museum members and students. For more information, please contact the Museum at (805) 525-5554, or email info@santapaulaartmuseum.org.

Studio Channel Islands Blackboard Gallery has welcomed hundreds if visitors in 2013 who were thrilled with the quality and scope of the exhibitions.

During the month of February, the Gallery will be filled with talented children from Los Primeros School who are presenting an annual school play.

The Blackboard Gallery will have a grand reopening on March 1, 2014, with a new exhibition, "Less is More, Much More."

The Blackboard Gallery at Studio Channel Islands Art Center is at 2222 Ventura Boulevard in Old Town Camarillo, open Tuesday 11:00 - 3:00, Wednesday through Friday 11:00 - 5:00 and Saturday 10:00 - 3:00 p.m. As many as 40 resident artist studios behind the gallery are open to the public every First Saturday of the month from 10 - 4 p.m. For more information, go to www.studiochannelislands.org or call 805-383-1368.

Ventura County’s huge strawberry crop is all picked by hand. Planning for the busy harvest period, and recruiting and retaining the skilled labor force needed to bring in the berries, are vital. On Saturday, February 8, 2014, at 3:00 p.m., two local labor experts will discuss the challenges at a Strawberry Symposium held at the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. Anyone interested in agriculture in Ventura County is encouraged to attend the free event.

At 3:00 p.m., Alvaro Valerio, Strawberry Production Manager, Reiter Brothers, Inc., will talk about how he plans and manages Reiter’s strawberry production throughout Ventura County. He will explain how innovations in strawberry cultural practices and developments in harvest machinery help workers earn more money as well as help the company’s bottom line.

At 3:45, Saul Aguilar, Manager of Strategic Labor Initiatives, Reiter Affiliated Companies, will discuss labor recruitment and retention strategies. Reiter Affiliated Companies grows strawberries around the world and Mr. Aguilar oversees an international program. Both speakers will talk about their career paths in agriculture. Time for questions and answers will follow the presentations.

The Strawberry Symposium is made possible in part by a grant from the Thelma Hansen Trust and a sponsorship from the California Strawberry Commission. Those attending can also visit current Museum exhibitions including: “Strawberry Fields Forever?,” “Art About Agriculture VI” and “Vintage Valentines and Candy Boxes.”
The Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue in Santa Paula, across the railroad tracks from the historic railroad depot. Ample parking is available.

Elmer Ramsey and his trumpet. Photo credit: Brian Stethem/CLU

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Elmer Ramsey’s fifth annual concert of big band music and love songs celebrating Valentine’s Day will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at California Lutheran University.

“Elmer Ramsey, His Trumpet and Orchestra” will be presented in Samuelson Chapel. Ramsey and the Conejo Pops Orchestra will perform music from great artists of the big band era, including Artie Shaw, Harry James, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie. Dynamic vocalist duo Nancy Osborne and Ned Rifken will sing with the orchestra.

Jazz trumpeter Jonathan Dane will perform one of his own arrangements. Dane got to know Ramsey when Dane was attending Newbury Park High School and he has performed at Ramsey’s concerts for years, but this is his first featured performance. Well-known in the Los Angeles jazz world, he recently was a featured soloist with the Stan Kenton Reunion Band at the Los Angeles Jazz Institute Big Band Festival and is a featured soloist on Bill Holman’s Grammy award-nominated CD “Homage.” He has recorded five CDs with recording artist Luis Munoz and a personal CD titled “Very Life” that features mostly original compositions.

Osborne, a Westlake Village resident, has been featured with such big bands as the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Tex Beneke, Ray Anthony and Johnny Vana’s Big Band Alumni. In addition to performing in films and on stage and television, Osborne produced her own 17-piece big band CD, “Hot Swing, Cool Jazz.”

Rifken has headlined more than 600 shows as the “Ambassador of Swing” for several cruise lines. On land, he performs with Ned Rifken and the Hipmunks, a classic jazz quartet made up of top musicians from the Los Angeles area. As part-time singing partners, he and Osborne star in their original show, “Swingin’ Vegas is Back!”

Daniel Geeting, a member of the CLU music faculty, will be featured on clarinet.

Ramsey, a CLU professor emeritus of music, began playing trumpet professionally at the age of 14 and three years later had his own ‘40s-style big band on a Washington radio station. He made West Coast tours with Mel Tormé and other popular singers. During his 27-year tenure at CLU, he helped found and served as artistic director of the Oakleaf Music Festival and served as music director and conductor of the Conejo Symphony Orchestra. Ramsey has been music director of the Conejo Pops Orchestra for more than 30 years. Many members of the orchestra are CLU alumni and have also performed with Harry James, Glenn Miller and Tex Beneke orchestras.

Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for students. The chapel is located at 165 Chapel Lane on the Thousand Oaks campus. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/music.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will host its popular Chinese New Year celebration from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in Soiland Recreation Center.

The free event will celebrate the year of the wood horse (or green horse) with a traditional lion dance and gong fu (martial arts). Ming Ming Jiang, a world-renowned soprano from Beijing, will sing. Other performers include the Thousand Oaks Chinese Folk Ensemble, YangSheng Choir, in-Harmony Choir, Thousand Oaks Chinese School Dance Group and Thousand Oaks Tai Ji Group.

Authentic Chinese egg rolls, dumplings, noodles and desserts will be served. Artists will demonstrate painting and calligraphy, and vendors will add to the festive atmosphere. Red envelopes will be distributed to participants for good luck.

Chinese New Year, which this year begins on Jan. 31, is the most important of the Chinese holidays. The holiday lasts 15 days and focuses on bringing good luck for the new year.

According to legend, Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian. To protect themselves, villagers put out food to satisfy the Nian. Later, finding that the beast feared the color red, they hung red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. Today, adults give red envelopes, often containing money, to children to symbolize wealth and prosperity in the coming year. Lanterns symbolize the brightness of spring. In dragon and lion dances, a group of dancers parade under elaborately decorated costumes to scare away bad luck.

In Chinese astrology, the year of the horse is considered a fortunate year that brings luck and good things, according to organizer and CLU faculty member Debby Chang. In Chinese culture, the horse is a symbol of nobility, class, speed and perseverance. People who are born in the year of the horse are smart, active and energetic, and they are fabulous speakers and dress fashionably. They seek freedom and happiness.

CLU’s Languages and Cultures Department, Multicultural Programs and Community Leaders Association are sponsoring the event.

Soiland Recreation Center is located in Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center at 130 Overton Court on the Thousand Oaks campus. Free parking is available in the lot at the northwest corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard. For more information, contact Debby Chang at ddchang@callutheran.edu or Daniel Lawrence at 805-493-3489 or lawrenc@callutheran.edu.

Camarillo, CA - The Art Program at CSU Channel Islands (CI) is pleased to present “Chairs: A Photographic Exploration of the Commonplace Chair” at the CI Palm Gallery in Old Town Camarillo. The student group exhibition spotlighting the most basic of all furnishings will be on display Friday, Jan. 31, through Thursday, Feb. 20. The public is invited to a free reception with the artists on Thursday, February 13, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Curated by photographer and CI faculty member Larry Lytle, “Chairs” investigates our idiosyncratic relationship with this ubiquitous piece of furniture through photography. Lytle asked his students to think about the chair as a metaphorical and practical object and then express their thoughts through individual images, photo essays, or as photo-sculptural objects. The installation invites viewers to sit and think about their own relationship to this most universal and basic of all furnishings. Seating will be provided.

The CI Palm Gallery is located at 92 Palm Avenue inside the Camarillo Smiles Dental building. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. For more information contact the Art Program at 805-437-2772 or art@csuci.edu.

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. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

Alan Ruck

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Actor Alan Ruck, who played the best friend in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and a mayor’s staff member in “Spin City,” will give a talk at California Lutheran University at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7.

Ruck will speak before students and community members in the Preus-Brandt Forum as part of the free “Conversations With …” series. Actor and director Markus Flanagan, who teaches at CLU, will moderate an informal one-hour discussion on the craft of acting. A question-and-answer session with the audience will follow.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Ruck earned a bachelor’s degree in drama from the University of Illinois. He then moved to Chicago for a few years, performing small parts in movies and acting at off-Loop theaters.

His first film role was playing a friend of Sean Penn’s character in the 1983 drama “Bad Boys.” He also appeared in “Class” with Andrew McCarthy and John Cusack the same year. He made his Broadway debut in Neil Simon's “Biloxi Blues” in 1984.

One of his best-known roles was in the 1986 John Hughes classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Later, he played smaller roles in films including “Young Guns II,” “Speed” and “Twister.”

Ruck’s big break on the small screen was landing the part of Stuart on the popular sitcom “Spin City” with Michael J. Fox in 1996. He played the sexist ladies’ man through the end of the series in 2002. Since then he has appeared in guest roles on TV shows including “Scrubs,” “Cougar Town” and “Hot in Cleveland,” and in supporting roles in films including “Extreme Measures,” “The Happening” and “I Love You, Beth Cooper.”

The “Conversations With …” talks provide theater arts students and aspiring actors with advice from professionals. They take the approach laid out in Flanagan’s book, “One Less Bitter Actor: The Actor’s Survival Guide,” which explains how to make it in the business of acting while staying sane and focused.

Farm Fresh Clothing Co. is sponsoring the free 2013-2014 series.

Preus-Brandt Forum is located at 135 Chapel Lane on the Thousand Oaks campus. Free parking is available in lots on Mountclef Boulevard north and south of Olsen Road. For more information, call 805-493-3415 or email info@westlakeactingstudio.com.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula is offering a new crop of merchandise at their Museum General Store. Items that reflect Ventura County’s agricultural and historical heritage are for sale. The Museum General Store offers greeting cards, gifts, art, books, children’s items and jewelry displayed in charming farmhouse cabinets, old-fashioned cider barrels and authentic citrus crates. On Saturday, February 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., all merchandise will be 10% off during the Grand Opening Sale!

The Museum General Store is located at 926 Railroad Avenue in Santa Paula, across the tracks from the historic train depot. Plentiful free parking is available. Store hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, and the first Sundays of every month are free general admission for the public. For more information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call the Agriculture Museum at 805-525-3100.

The February meeting of the Ventura County Garden Club will be held on Feb 5th at St Paul's Church in Santa Paula, CA. The address is 117 N. 7th St and the meeting starts at 1:00PM. The speaker is Karen Hibdon who is president of the Ventura County Gourd Artists. The topic is 'Gourds Through the Ages - Pharaohs to Fine Art'. Come join us and learn about creative gourd techniques. Guests are welcome and light refreshments will be served. Contact for further information : Carol Cutright, 805-525-2383

February 1 – 23, 2014
Santa Paula Society of the Arts Gallery
Santa Paula Depot, 963 Santa Barbara St., Santa Paula, CA
Gallery Hours: Sat-Sun. Noon – 4 PM
Admission: Free

The Santa Paula Society of the Arts has welcomed the Heritage Valley Quilt Festival to share space in their gallery during the month of February. The quilts on exhibit are homage to the quilt made in 1863 by Jane A. Stickle, a Vermont farm wife. The originality of the her quilt’s construction, with over 220 unique blocks, and the fact that Jane labeled the quilt as being made “In War Time…1863…Pieces 5602…Jane A. Stickle”, have combined to make the quilt a national treasure. The Jane Stickle quilt is on display at the Bennington Museum in Vermont during the months of September and October each year.

In 1991 Brenda Manges Papadakis, a quilting teacher, became entranced by the original “Mother” quilt, drafting the patterns from the quilt and teaching classes based on these patterns. Her students made quilts that Brenda called “Baby Janes”. Quilters around the world have embraced the challenge of making their interpretations based on these patterns.

Two of the quilts in the exhibit at the Depot Gallery reflect the original design of the “Mother” quilt, while the others on display show some of the variations possible with the patterns. Four of these quilts were made in a class taught by Julie Gardner from Oxnard at Quilt Ventura over a two year period. It is fascinating to see the variety of fabrics and layouts that have come together for this exhibit.

There will be a closing reception, Sunday, February 23, 2014 from 2 to 4 PM. For more information, contact Linda Wilkinson, 805-525-2774, frog4mom@aol.com.

CA State Old Time Fiddlers will meet Sunday 1/26/14 from 1:30-4:30pm at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. We will be playing, listening and dancing to Country Western and Bluegrass music.There will be a workshop on how to choose a song within your vocal range at 12:30. calfiddlers.com or call 805-797-6563.

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Camarillo, CA - The Art Program at CSU Channel Islands (CI) is pleased to announce the opening of two exhibitions running concurrently in its galleries at Napa Hall.

CI will present Los Angeles-based artist Corey Stein’s series “The Accidental Arsonist” in the main gallery at Napa Hall from Monday, Jan. 27, to Friday, Feb. 21. A free, public artist’s reception and talk will be held Thursday, Jan. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Stein uses a diverse array of art media to tell the true story of a large and destructive wildfire set off by the improbable encounter of a grasshopper and an electrical fence. Woodcarving, beading, painting, paper sculpture and comic book art are all employed to tell the story of the fire and the life cycle of the small creature that started the conflagration. Stein imparts both sadness and whimsy into this unfortunate collision of nature and humanity’s intervention in the environment.

“Re-Imagining,” a ceramic series by senior art student Han Nguyen, will run simultaneously in CI’s Grad Wall Gallery at Napa Hall, Room 1154. A free, public opening reception with the artist will also take place Thursday, Jan. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Nguyen’s beautifully crafted exhibition is inspired by the creation stories of her native Vietnam, where people are believed to be descendants of dragons and celestial deities. “Re-Imagining” explores the rich and heterogeneous nature of the Asian American experience at its very best.

The Napa Hall Art Gallery is located on Ventura Street on the CI campus. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, contact the CI Art Program at 805-437-2772 or email art@csuci.edu.

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. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The first American-born Chinese female physician and changing U.S. social norms of race, gender and sexuality will be the subject of a free lecture at California Lutheran University in February.

The Artists and Speakers Series will present Judy Tzu-Chun Wu in a presentation titled “Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastards: Strategic Transgression and Normativity in Asian-American History” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, in the Lundring Events Center.

Wu is an associate professor at Ohio State University where she holds a joint appointment with the department of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and coordinates the Asian American Studies Program and the Diversity and Identity Studies Collective.

Her first book, “Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastards: The Life of a Wartime Celebrity,” focuses on the first-known American-born woman of Chinese descent to obtain a medical degree in the United States. “Mom Chung” graduated from the University of Southern California’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1916, a time when Chinese in California lived in a climate of widespread discrimination.

Margaret Chung was born in 1889 in Santa Barbara, the eldest of 11 children. Her parents became invalids when she was very young, and she was forced to support the family by the age of 10. She first drove a horse-drawn freight wagon and then, as a seventh-grader, worked 12-hour days in a Chinese restaurant. The family moved to Ventura, and then to Los Angeles. She put herself through college and medical school by winning scholarships, selling medical supplies and lecturing on China. Dr. Chung went on to provide medical care for American GIs during World War II and “adopted” more than 1,000 “fair-haired bastards,” as she called her American GI sons. She died in 1959.

Wu’s second book, “Radicals on the Road: Internationalism, Orientalism, and Feminism during the Vietnam Era,” was published last year. She is currently collaborating on a political biography of Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink, co-sponsor of Title IX legislation and the first woman of color elected to Congress.

Lundring Events Center is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center at 130 Overton Court on the Thousand Oaks campus.

CLU’s history department, Alpha Xi Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta history honor society, Artists and Speakers Committee, Asian studies minor program, Center for Equality and Justice and President’s Diversity Council are sponsoring the event. For more information, contact David Nelson at dnelson@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3318.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The 2014 Nordic Spirit Symposium at California Lutheran University will highlight Scandinavians who played major roles in the development of the Western United States.

“Scandinavians in the Old West” will be held Feb. 7 and 8 on the Thousand Oaks campus. The public is invited to join in the spirit of a symposium, which blends music, dining and the free exchange of ideas to enhance the pleasure of learning.

Jennifer Easton Attebery, director of the Folklore Program at Idaho State University, will open the Friday evening session with a discussion of how translations of Buffalo Bill dime novels and weeklies by Swedish emigrants influenced perception of the American West back home. John Mark Nielsen, executive director of the Danish Immigrant Museum in Iowa, will follow with a light-hearted overview of the novels of immigrant Kristian Ostergaard, which portrayed the important role Danes played in the Old West.

On Saturday, Ryland Penta, a student at the University of Washington, will discuss the lasting legacy of civically active Scandinavians in that state, including department store founder John Nordstrom. Judith Lähde Reynolds, co-author of a biography of Gustaf Nordenskiöld, will relate how the controversial young Swedish scientist made Mesa Verde famous long before it became a national park.

Three former CLU employees will give presentations on Saturday. Mary Hekhuis, former director of public relations at CLU, will tell how Finnish immigrant Oscar Wirkkala’s creativity and inventions revolutionized logging on the steep slopes of the Pacific Northwest. Ernst F. Tonsing, CLU professor emeritus of religion and Greek, will recount how “Three Lucky Swedes” (one of whom was Norwegian) struck it rich in the Alaska Gold Rush, founded the city of Nome and became benefactors to their home countries as well as San Francisco and Oakland. Dorothy Schechter, CLU professor emerita of music, will entertain the audience with the piano music of and stories about composer Edvard Grieg, “the rugged ‘cowboy’ individualist from the west coast of Norway.”

A reception will kick off the event at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Scandinavian Center. The symposium will conclude with dinner and entertainment at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Lundring Events Center. All presentations will be in Samuelson Chapel.

CLU and the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation are sponsoring the symposium. The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and the Norway House Foundation in San Francisco provided grants.

For prices, schedules and registration, call 805-660-3096. The early registration deadline is Jan. 18 and the deadline to sign up for the Saturday lunch and dinner is Jan. 24.

Horses racing across hills in the Bighorn Mountains, cowhands returning home after a long day’s work and young cowboys in a winter storm - these are some of the images you will encounter in “Horses and Icons of the West”, an exhibit of photographs by Fine Art Photographer, Robert Diehl. The photographs will be exhibited on the Shively Wall at the Blanchard Community Library in Santa Paula.

The Santa Pauls Society of Arts is hosting Diehl as a featured artist January 22 through February 27, 2014 at the Blanchard Community Library, 
119 N. 8th Street, Santa Paula, California.

The photographs in the exhibit are from a collection made during a week on a three thousand square mile ranch in Wyoming.

Diehl’s photograph, “Shadows on the Wall” from this collection won best of show in the 2013 Art and Photography Show sponsored by the Santa Pauls Society of Arts.

He studied at the West Coast School of Photography and at Professional Photographers of America schools. He has received recognition in juried exhibitions, nationally and in Southern California. His work is in the U.S. Veterans’ Administration Collection as well as corporate and private collections.

He is a member of Buenaventura Art Association, Studio Channel Islands Art Center, and the American Society of Media Photographers.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will present a free screening of an epic historical drama from China on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Muvico Thousand Oaks 14 as part of its International Film Series.

“Red Cliff,” a 2009 film directed by legendary action-cinema master John Woo, will be shown at 7 p.m. The breathtaking war epic was a massive hit in Asia and the most expensive Asian film production of all time.

Starring international superstar Tony Leung, “Red Cliff” is based on the 208 A.D. Battle of Red Cliffs that heralded the end of the Han dynasty. With permission from the Han dynasty emperor, the power-hungry Gen. Cao Cao organizes a southward-bound mission designed to crush the two troublesome warlords in a bid to unite all of China. Thus begins a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Vastly outnumbered by Cao Cao’s brutal army and with no other hope for survival, the warlords form an unlikely alliance to mount a heroic campaign. A series of military engagements on land and on water eventually culminates in the battle of Red Cliff, where 2,000 ships were burned and the course of Chinese history changed.

Woo was born in southern China and grew up in Hong Kong, where he began his film career. He has won 13 international film awards including the Asian Film Award for Top-Grossing Film Director in 2010 and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Saturn Award for Best Director for “Face/Off” in 1998.

Leung is a Hong Kong actor who won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award for “In the Mood for Love” in 2000. He is a nine-time winner of the Hong Kong Film Award and three-time winner of Golden Horse Film Awards.

CLU’s department of languages and cultures is sponsoring the event with a grant from the CLU Community Leaders Association. Inspired by the six-year success of the university’s French Film Festival, faculty members replaced the event with the international festival this year.

The series will continue with the German movie “The Experiment” March 5 in CLU’s Lundring Events Center and the French film “Chicken with Plums” April 30 at Muvico.

Muvico is located at 166 W. Hillcrest Drive.

For more information, contact Debby Chang at ddchang@callutheran.edu or 818-865-9772.

Lara St. John

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will present violinist Lara St. John in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4.

The Canadian-born musician will present a free concert in Samuelson Chapel as part of CLU’s Artists and Speakers Series. She will perform with Martin Kennedy on piano.

St. John has been described as a “volcanic violinist with a huge, fabulous tone” by the Los Angeles Times, a “high-powered soloist” by The New York Times and “something of a phenomenon” by The Strad magazine. She has performed as a soloist with major orchestras in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia and has given recitals in major music halls in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Prague, Berlin, Toronto, Montreal, and Beijing. She will come to CLU after presenting three concerts in Spain.

A prolific recording artist, St. John runs her own label, Ancalagon, which she founded in 1999. Her first Ancalagon recording, “Bach: the Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo,” was the best-selling double album on iTunes in 2007. Her“Mozart” recording won the 2011 Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year for Soloist with Large Ensemble.

St. John has been featured on the BBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., CNN’s “Showbiz Today,” NPR’s “All Things Considered” and a Bravo’s “Live At the Rehearsal Hall.” She has appeared in People and U.S. News and World Report and on the cover of Strings magazine.

She began playing the violin when she was 2. She made her first appearance as soloist with an orchestra at 4 and her European debut with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon when she was 10. She toured Spain, France, Portugal and Hungary at ages 12 and 13, entered the Curtis Institute of Music at 13, and spent her first summer at the Marlboro Music chamber music retreat three years later. Her teachers have included Felix Galimir and Joey Corpus.

She performs on the 1779 “Salabue” Guadagnini thanks to an anonymous donor and Heinl & Co. of Toronto.

The chapel is located at 165 Chapel Lane on the Thousand Oaks campus. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit callutheran.edu.