“Art About Agriculture” is an agricultural themed art exhibit with $500 in prizes which will be held November 10, 2012 through March 17, 2013 at the Santa Paula Art Museum, 117 N. 10th Street, and at the Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum, 926 Railroad Avenue, in historic downtown Santa Paula. The purpose of the exhibit is to promote Art About Agriculture by exploring all of the facets of agriculture from workers to water, from machinery to soil and to the food that goes on our plates.

For information on how to enter visit the Santa Paula Art Museum web site and download the Call to Artists. Link to information: http://www.santapaulaartmuseum.org/art_about_ag.html

Art About Agriculture will feature art by over 50 artists working in both two and three dimensional media who create art that in some way draws its inspiration from our agricultural heritage and/or contemporary agriculture. That inspiration includes, but is not limited to, depictions of rural life and landscapes, farm animals, farm work, and farm products. Art that in a more abstract way deals with issues and ideas related to agriculture is also displayed.

The Ag Art Alliance was formed in 2007 by Gail Pidduck and John Nichols to promote a greater appreciation of the place of agriculture in our lives by revealing the many facets of agriculture through the eyes of artists. Both museums are pleased to support this vision.

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Ventura County Potters’ Guild Gallery features ceramic artists Gayle Bentley Swanson and Emily Thiroux Threatt for September and October. The commonality of these two artists is their love of color and texture in their work. While Gayle’s ware stretches from functional thrown pieces to sculptural and whimsical, she is mostly known for her bold color and unique style. Emily explores the beauty of nature and spirituality with her combining the sensual nature of clay with her love for varied color and her love for weaving.

Meet the artists and have the opportunity to purchase their latest creations at a wine and appetizer reception Sunday, September 2nd at the Ventura County Potters’ Guild Gallery from 3 to 6 PM. The Gallery is located in the Ventura Harbor Village at 1567 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105 across from the Carousel.

Exhibit September 2nd through October 28th, 2012
11 am - 6 pm daily
Reception September 2nd 3 pm - 6 pm

For more information, call 805-644-6800.

The Maya culture of yesterday enlightens us today in Richard Flores’ exhibition of contemporary ceramic vessels at the Museum of Ventura County. Social Resurrection: Ceramics by Richard Flores opens September 1 and runs through November 25, 2012.
Flores, an artist and studio arts professor, brings the ritual vessels of the Maya into the present day. The recently completed exhibit pieces are based upon the teachings and spiritual messages that guided life for the ancient Maya.

Flores works in ceramics, glass, and sculpture, and divides his time between Ojai and the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, where he is the three-dimensional studio arts professor. He has exhibited nationally in ceramics, sculpture and glass, and his pieces are in numerous collections, including that of the Forrest L. Merril and Kamm Foundation. Flores also worked with the late Beatrice Wood, is a juried member of Ojai Studio Artists, and is involved in the education and development of earth art and ceramic architecture at Cal Earth Institute in Hesperia. He earned his master’s degree from California State University, Northridge.

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. The first Sundays of every month are free general admission for the public. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

Ventura Chamber of Commerce’s 4th Annual Arts in the Park festival showcases fine art and craft exhibitors as well as chalk paint artists on Saturday, August 18 from 10 am - 6 pm and Sunday, August 19 from 10am - 5pm at the Ventura Harbor Village Main Lawn. The free outdoor event features live music and over 40 art exhibitors offering a wide display of sculpture, photography, jewelry, and paintings.

Newbury Park artist Ora Tamir has been selected as the Featured Artist of Arts in the Park this year. Ora has been painting since childhood and regularly exhibits her work at festivals in California, Arizona and Nevada. Her paintings captivate the viewer with their surreal images and futuristic qualities. She says she listens to her inner voice while she paints, and that each painting is an adventure. “People tell me that they find their own stories in my paintings,” she noted.

Once again, Arts in the Park will include “Chalk Art for Charity” as part of the festivities. In addition to local chalk artists, several experienced street chalk artists from around Southern California will be participating in the event. Lysa Ashley, an artist and teacher from the Inland Empire, participated in Chalk Art for Charity’s debut last year. She has been a street painter for over sixteen years, participating in festivals, fundraisers, and corporate events around the country and internationally. She has won numerous People’s Choice and Best of Show awards. To view some of Ashley’s art, visit her website www.chalkgirl.net.

“Chalk Art for Charity” will raise funds for local non-profit Kids’ Arts, located in Ventura. Kids’ Arts offers a creative arts program for kids every Saturday morning at no cost to participants. Funds will be raised through the sponsorship of chalk art squares, which will include the sponsor’s name. Sponsorships are still available from The Ventura Chamber of Commerce for companies or individuals: $125 for Chamber members, $150 for non-members.

Event entry and parking are free. While at the festival visit Ventura Harbor Village’s boutiques, art galleries and restaurants or take a ride on the Harbor Water Taxi. Visit www.venturachamber.com for details. For more information or to sponsor a square, contact the Ventura Chamber of Commerce 805-643-7222.

Our theme for this year at the California Oil Museum, will be “California Green”. The museum is located on the corner of Main and 10th Streets in Santa Paula, open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Because we live in such a painterly valley, the members found the subject matter boundless for this annual exhibit. Our subject California Green means any subject matter that grows – trees, agriculture scenes.

Our opening reception (with light refreshments) will be August 5th from 1 p.m.

The show closes Sept. 30th.

Santa Paula Blanchard Library, Shively Wall
Art Show to be hung July 28, 2012

“Lee Hodges, Lynne Farrow, and the Lighthouse Ladies”

For the past 15 years I (Lee) have been creating collage/acrylic artwork on Biblical themes that are designed to intrigue the viewer and encourage them to reflect on eternal truths. People tell me the images, combined with text, are compelling and rich in subtle color harmonies. However, in this show I am showing some of my own artwork, some art that I create with the Lighthouse ladies, and some of the artwork that they create.

For several years now Lynne and I have been doing artwork with the ladies who are at the Oxnard Rescue Mission Lighthouse, a 15 month faith-based program for women recovering from substance abuse. The artwork is therapeutic, as Lynne, a retired marriage and family therapist, offers guidance and suggestions as to the underlying messages and metaphors in their artwork. Lee acts as the technical and artistic guide, joining the ladies as they create, chatting and sharing with them as friends, and fellow pilgrims.

In my artwork, I often recycle paper and plastics that are cast off by our throw-away society, making a redemptive statement with the very materials I choose. Very often, the ladies at the Lighthouse feel isolated and cast-off by families and society, and we endeavor to help them find a place in their minds where they are free to enjoy a healthy and uplifting activity, that will not have hurtful consequences. Artwork and emotion is processed on the right side of the brain, and cognitive thinking is done on the left side. Lynne and I have found that helping these ladies to express themselves through paint, paper, beads, etc, enables them to process and integrate both sides of their brains and their thoughts in a new way.

My original artwork and those available as giclee prints as well as jewelry can be seen on my website: www.LeeHodgesArt.com and at the Art Gallery of Grace at 1560 E. Main St, Ventura.
I welcome visitors: Call 805 302 3167 for hours.

Fox Sculpture Detail Photo by Myrna Cambianica.
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Oil Bird Sculpture by Carlyle Montgomery. Photo by Myrna Cambianica.
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Oil Bird Detail Photo by Myrna Cambianica.
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Turtle Sculpture by Carlyle Montgomery. Photo by Myrna Cambianica.
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Turtle Sculpture Detail Photo by Myrna Cambianica.
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This summer through September 2, 2012, the Ojai Valley Museum is offering a rare opportunity to see a selection of Carlyle Montgomery's (1947 – 1998) wildlife sculptures from his intensely creative period of the 1990's. Most of these pieces are on loan from the private collections of friends and family. Montgomery rarely produced numbered editions of his sculptures. This exhibit of eleven, one-of-a-kind pieces is a unique opportunity to experience this particular selection of Montgomery’s stonework.

The legacy of Carlyle Montgomery combines a deep love of nature with the desire to educate people, especially youthful viewers. His sister, Sharon Morgan, expresses it this way: "He wanted to share the beauty of nature and to encourage people to take care of it, in the recognition that we are all part of it."

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA. Admission: free for current 2012 members, adults - $4.00, children 6–18 - $1.00 and children 5 and under – free. Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 to 4 p.m; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Tours are available by appointment. Free parking is available off Blanche Street at back of museum.

For more information, call the museum at (805) 640-1390, ext. 203, e-mail ojaimuseum@sbcglobal.net or visit the museum website at: Ojai Valley Museum.org

The Ojai Valley Green Coalition invites you to the second film in its Summer Film Series, the inspiring documentary, “City Dark.” In this award winning film, director Ian Cheney blends visual poetry and hard facts for a film that chronicles the disappearance of night skies and what we can do about it. The screening will start with a short program on Saturday, August 11 at 4:30 p.m. and takes place at the Ojai Theatre, 145 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. Beat the heat and be informed and inspired. Suggested donation $10 at the door. For more details visit www.ojaivalleygreencoalition.org.

Santa Barbara filmmakers Susan Jensen and Paul Singer.

If you find mules irresistible, don’t miss Dinner and a Mule Movie at the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula on Friday, August 17. The summer evening will begin with dinner at 6:00 p.m., followed by the first Ventura County screening of Mula: The Long-Eared Hero of the Old Spanish Trail, with an introduction by the filmmakers. Dinner includes a full taco bar with dessert and soft drinks; and popcorn with the movie. A no host bar is also available. Admission is $20 for the general public and $10 for children under 12. Space is limited; for reservations, call 805-525-3100.

Santa Barbara filmmakers Susan Jensen and Paul Singer will introduce the movie at 6:45 p.m. It follows the story of the California Mule Rush, when thieves plundered ranchos and missions, stealing thousands of prized California mules to take over the Old Spanish Trail to sell in Missouri. Learn why California mules were worth ten times the price of horses at that time, and hear about these hard working animals from today’s packers, breeders, traders and mule drivers. Filmed in California, Missouri and Tennessee, the film is underscored with the music of award winning Dave Stamey and Juni Fisher. Mula: The Long-Eared Hero of the Old Spanish Trail is the seventh in J & S Productions’ Vaquero series.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula, California, in their historic downtown, near the Depot and next to the railroad tracks. Hours are 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, free for Museum of Ventura County members, and for children ages 5 and younger. On first Sundays of the month, general admission is always free. For more information, go to www.venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Terry Spehar-Fahey will exhibit a series of watercolors inspired by her trip to Venice, Italy, withCalifornia Lutheran University students.

“Imagining Venice: Watercolors by Terry Spehar-Fahey” will run from Monday, Aug. 20, through Friday, Sept. 28, in CLU’s Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture. An artist’s reception will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15.

When Spehar-Fahey began teaching watercolor at CLU in 2006, the Moorpark resident dreamed of taking a class to Venice to paint in the footsteps of her heroes William Joseph Mallory Turner and John Singer Sargent. She made it happen in 2011, when she and communication professor Dru Pagliassotti led their first two-week travel seminar to the Italian city. After taking a semester-long course in preparation, the students toured, sketched, painted and blogged their way through Venice. Spehar-Fahey and Pagliassotti plan to return with a new group of students in spring 2013.

Some of Spehar-Fahey’s CONTINUED »

Ojai Valley’s Chuck Testa attained unexpected cult status when an offbeat advertisement for his taxidermist business went viral on YouTube. The video with the catch line “Nope! Chuck Testa,” has had more than 12 million views in less than a year. On Thursday, August 16 at 6:00 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County, Testa presents Taxidermy 101, explaining the process used for museum mounts of fur-bearing animals. Admission is $5 and includes entrance to all museum galleries until 8:00 p.m. For reservations, call 805-653-0323 x 7.

The talk sheds light on the Museum of Ventura County’s current exhibition “Featured Creatures,” which includes now rarely seen mounted animals and birds from their collection, some almost 100 years old.

Testa has mounted specimens for the Channel Islands Visitors Center, the Ojai Valley Museum, and the Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center, as well as other locations, where they are used to educate visitors about local wildlife.

In his August 16 talk Testa will discuss innovations such as manufactured molds, as well as the importance of anatomical knowledge. He became interested in taxidermy in his mid-twenties and largely taught himself with the help of only a few mentors. He opened Ojai Valley Taxidermy in 1987. Testa notes that today more information is shared, with tutorials posted on line, including many by him.

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. The first Sundays of every month are free general admission for the public. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

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VCPG Pottery Gallery is featuring the duo talents of Christine Watte and Ellen Williams at their pottery and sculptural gallery from July 28 through August 30, 2012. RECEPTION Saturday, August 4th 3 - 6 pm

Christine Watte and Ellen Williams both create whimsical, happy moods with their ceramic works that include mermaids and a variety of fish in bright glazes.

Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, Christine Watte has moved around California, but for the last 20 years has lived in the beach city of Oxnard, CA. She is a self-taught artist who has spent many years painting, wood working and experimenting with different mediums. Watte strives to use many natural findings along with recycling various items. Being a dedicated full-time artist and member of the Ventura County Potters’ Guild's Gallery, the Buenaventura and Harbor Village Art Galleries and the American Gourd Society, Watte keeps very busy. You will find her at the VCPG Pottery Gallery on most Tuesdays making her delightfully, cheerful array of fish and turtles along with her amazing ceramic carved vessels.

Ellen Williams was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Ohio University with a Fine Arts degree. Early in life Williams found she had an inner need to express herself by painting and drawing. She now uses clay as the canvas of her creations. Each piece is a unique and original porcelain painting and takes on a sense of whimsy. The colors create a feeling of light-hearted happiness as one feels when taking a stroll through a beautiful blooming garden on a perfect day. Williams is also experimenting with new glazes and the results are luscious and very beautiful. The porcelain sculptures are a delight to see and touch... very detailed.

Recent paintings in watercolors and oils by Ventura artist and teacher Michele B. Baggenstoss will be exhibited Aug. 21-Sept. 17 at Harbor Village Gallery in a show titled “Games People Play: You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore.”

She will be present for a reception from 5-8 p.m. Aug. 24, the Friday after the show opens.

As campus coordinator, Baggenstoss works closely with students and faculty members at Laurus College in Oxnard, one of four campuses of the postsecondary vocational school. Licensed by the state, it offers certification programs in several technical specialties, including 3-D animation, computer networking, medical billing, and web design, which Baggenstoss teaches. The school also is helping to sponsor her show.

“There is no separation between me being a teacher and me being an artist. An artist is what I am, not what I do,” said Baggenstoss. “I would miss art if I only taught, would miss teaching if I only did art.”

Her show theme resulted CONTINUED »

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Former game show host Bob Eubanks will discuss his varied career, touch on his friendships with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and answer questions from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at California Lutheran University.

“An Afternoon with Bob Eubanks” will be held in CLU’s Lundring Events Center.

The event is one of a series of informal salon gatherings celebrating “Western Salon,” a CLU exhibit of art that Eubanks and his family donated to the university and pieces on loan from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. “Variations,” featuring classic Western theme songs played and discussed by Armenian-born master pianist Mikael Oganes, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, in the William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art. The CLU English Department will present “Readings from the West” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8.

Eubanks, a Westlake CONTINUED »

SANTA PAULA, CA – Ventura County’s premiere men's barbershop chorus, Pacific Sound, is coming to the Santa Paula Art Museum on Sunday, July 29, 2012 from 4 to 6 p.m. The concert, a perfect summer Sunday event for all ages, will feature Barbershop style music with jazz, pop and gospel influences. Concert goers will also enjoy refreshments as they listen to their favorite melodies. Admission to the event is $10.00 for Members and $15.00 for non-members. Children and students are admitted free.

Formed in 1999, Pacific Sound is an award winning championship a cappella chorus comprised of men of all ages and from all walks of life who come together to sing for the joy of harmony. Barbershop music is a uniquely American art form, one that Pacific Sound has traveled around the world to promote, preserve and encourage. Their style and talent will remind you of the simple joy inspired by a great musical show.

“Pacific Sound is not only delightful to listen to, but to watch as well. The chorus puts on an incredible performance full of fun, color and classic songs”, says Museum Executive Director, Jennifer Heighton. So add a little more glee and harmony to your summer by seeing Pacific Sound live at the Museum.

The Museum is located at 117 North 10th Street, Santa Paula, CA 93060. Reservations for the concert are recommended. The Museum’s regular hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM, and Sundays, 12 PM – 4 PM. More information is available by calling the Museum at (805) 525-5554, or email info@santapaulaartmuseum.org.

Diana Caskey didn’t have to look far for a theme for her solo exhibition next month at the Buenaventura Gallery, but she chose an ambitious one. The Ventura painter, who often finds her art inspiration along the nearby shoreline, is calling the Aug. 14-Sept. 8 show “The Sea and Everything in it.”

“I hope that my show will evoke some of the wonder and majesty that I see in the ocean and the God who created it,” said Caskey, who will be at the downtown Ventura gallery from 4-8 p.m. Aug. 18 for an opening reception.
Her interest in creating art stemmed from watching her father, Marion “Pat” Patterson, paint colorful canvases during her childhood, she said. A construction tradesman and primarily self-taught artist, he joined the Buenaventura Art Association’s forerunner, the Ventura Art Club, after moving his family here in the 1950s and served as its president in the late 1960s. He’s now 94 years old and still painting.

“My father was such a quiet man that it was mysterious how to get his attention, so that (making art) is how I got his attention,” Caskey said. “I liked it and got praised for it, so I kept it up.”

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The 5th Annual Citrus Classic Balloon Festival has officially announced its music line-up for the 2012 event.

Taking place in Santa Paula, California on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28, the event will feature a who’s who of local talent including a closing performance from one of the area’s most talked about acts, Big Band- Ventura County’s All Star 10 Man Cover Band.

Though the Citrus Classic draws attendees from all over the country to marvel at the breath taking hot air balloons during sunrise and sunset, as well as, enjoy sunset dinners, beer and wine tasting, car and tractor shows, kid’s activities, rides, games, vendors, food trucks and so much more, live music has always been an important part of the event.

Now in 2012, Festival organizers are raising the musical bar with a line-up of some the area’s most popular artists.

Headlining the event CONTINUED »

Relax and enjoy the classic country western sounds of the Lucky Sons band on August 5 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., during Free First Sunday at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. Refreshments are available.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum features a special vintage tractor as well as a buggy for children to climb, and two summer exhibitions. Horse Play, with larger than life-size paintings by Katie Upton, captures equine exuberance, and Team Work: Horses & Mules on the Job includes rare historic images illustrating how these animals once provided the major muscle for agriculture and commerce.

The Lucky Sons band have been together for more than 15 years, and includes Brian Hernandez on drums; Ray Magee on pedal steel guitar and vocals; Paul Skeels on lead guitar and vocals; and Jim Stephenson on bass guitar and vocals. In the 1990’s they were part of Cletus Bumpus and the Other Guys, and later were known as the Ellsworth Barranca Band. They specialize in three-part harmony with an emphasis on music made famous by Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson, the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and others.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula, California, in their historic downtown, near the Depot and next to the railroad tracks. Hours are 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, free for Museum of Ventura County members, and for children ages 5 and younger. On first Sundays of the month, general admission is always free here and at the Museum of Ventura County in Ventura. For more information about the Agriculture Museum, go to www.venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.

The Ojai Valley Museum invites community and visitors to meet eight local authors who are regularly represented in the Ojai Valley Museum Store. These novelists, historians and gourmands will each have a table at which they will discuss their books and sign copies on Friday, July 13, 2012. This early evening event from 5 to 7:30 pm is free to the public and will include a cheese and no-host wine bar. Attendees may bring books that they already own, or buy from the authors at the event.

The following authors and books will be featured:

ELISE DePUYDT: A Photo Guide to Fountains and Sculptures of Ojai: Art, History & Architecture is a valuable guide to the public art and historic places of the Ojai Valley with over 200 color photos taken by the author. Elise is the Ojai Valley Museum bookkeeper and one of the museum’s Historical Walking Tour docents.

KAREN EVENDEN: A Taste of Croatia is both a delightful travel memoir and an easy to use cookbook with recipes savored by Croatians and adapted for use in American kitchens. Included in the book are her and husband Bill’s delightful and adventuresome memoirs of sailing the Adriatic coast.

RANDY GRAHAM: Ojai Valley Vegetarian Cookbook is a collection of the 120 most popular recipes from the first two years of Graham’s posts to his Ojai Valley Vegetarian Blog, that appeal to everyone without regard to any specific diet. His recipes are also printed under the heading “Chef Randy” in the Ojai Valley News.

PATRICIA A. HARTMANN: The Ojai is a novel that takes the reader on a journey of personal discovery, of the rich and colorful history of the Ojai Valley. Hartman has made Ojai her home for 37 years. She lives with her husband in a 145-year-old farmhouse on nine acres where they grow Pixie Tangerines

TERRY TALLENT: Making The Reata is a moving story told with historical insights into Ojai and Chumash life before the coming of the Spaniards. Tallent did not set out to write a historical novel, but says, “The material lent itself so well.”

TONY THACHER: The Ojai at 100: Tennis, Tea & Tradition chronicles the history of Ojai’s world famous amateur tennis tournament, endearingly nicknamed, “The Ojai.”
The insightful text and facsimile documents, combined with historical photographs, provide a comprehensive history of the tournament’s 100 consecutive years.

CRAIG WALKER: Co-author of Postcard History Series of Ojai. More than 200 vintage postcards were collected for this nostalgic look at our beloved Ojai. Craig is currently on the Board of Directors of the Ojai Valley Museum.

EDWARD D. WEBSTER: A Year of Sundays is a beautiful, travel/love story of Ed Webster and his wife of 28 years, who took their 16-year old cat on a Grand Tour of Europe. The fact that Webster’s wife, Marquerite, is blind, adds unexpected layers to their relationship and travel experiences.

Authors in absentia, with autographed books for sale on July 13th, include: Mr. George Stuart, Richard Senate, and Fred Rothenberg. Books by all of the writers participating in the fair, or with publications only, are currently available in the Museum Store.

A few, out-of-print copies of the book, Birds, Boughs, & Blossoms: Jesse Arms Botke (1882-1971) will also be available at this sale.

The Ojai Valley Museum, established in 1967, is generously supported in part by Museum Members, Private Donors, Business Sponsors and Underwriters, the Smith-Hobson Foundation, Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, City of Ojai, Rotary Club of Ojai, and the Ojai Civic Association.

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA. Admission: free for current 2012 members, adults - $4.00, children 6–18 - $1.00 and children 5 and under – free. Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 to 4 pm; Sunday, noon to 4 pm. Tours are available by appointment. Free parking is available off Blanche Street at back of museum.

For more information, call the museum at (805) 640-1390, ext. 203, e-mail ojaimuseum@sbcglobal.net or visit the museum website at: Ojai Valley Museum.org

Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ojai-Valley-Museum/324606746779

Colin Finlay, one of the foremost documentary photographers in the world, will be sharing his imagery on Tuesday evening, July 17, at the Ojai Photo Club’s monthly meeting. Finlay will present images and reflections from Rwanda, Darfur, The Alberta Tar Sands and his project on Agent Orange. He will include written text pieces that accompany his essays and explore each of the projects in depth.

Finlay has documented the human condition with compassion, empathy, and dignity for almost twenty years. His work has taken him around the world many times. He covered conflicts in Northern Ireland, Israel, and Haiti; was in Rwanda during the time of the genocide; and photographed imprisoned child soldiers, abandoned children dying from AIDS in Romania and child laborers in Egypt’s “City of the Dead.” He has also documented the effects of climate change on the Arctic Circle and Antarctica as well as on people in locations such as the Sudan.

Finlay has been awarded the prestigious Picture of the Year International honor six times. His photographs have been published by TIME, US News and World Report, Asia Magazine, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization, and are in the permanent collections of the George Eastman House, J. Paul Getty Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, LACMA and MOCA.

Local photographer and club member, Sally Carless, says, “I am very excited that Colin has agreed to come to Ojai. I recently attended a presentation of his in Hollywood and was very moved—not just by the amazing photographs—but also by who he is as a person. He speaks of the people he has photographed with such respect and compassion, and is committed to making a difference in the world through his photography—even when it means risking both his life and his emotional well-being over and over again.”

Please join us for an unforgettable evening. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM, July 17, at Help of Ojai’s Kent Hall, 111 Santa Ana Street, Ojai, CA.

For more information, visit: www.colinfinlay.com and www.ojaiphotoclub.com/