Amada Irma Pérez

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The public is invited to hear award-winning author Amada Irma Pérez of Ventura speak from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Thursday, June 21, at California Lutheran University.

The free public presentation in Preus-Brandt Forum is part of a literacy workshop for kindergarten through 12th-grade educators being presented by the California Reading and Literature Project at CLU.

Pérez wrote “My Very Own Room/Mi propio cuartito,” “My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aquí hasta allá” and “Nana’s Big Surprise/Nana ¡Que sorpresa!” The books, all published by Children’s Book Press, have received many honors including the American Library Association’s Pura Belpré Honor Award, Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award and the International Latino Book Award. Her stories are beloved for their humorous details and universal themes of family support, love and friendship.

Her most recent book, published in 2011, is “My Handy Writing Book: A New, Fun & Easy Way to Write Stories.” She wrote it to help students write better narratives. Pérez speaks at conferences, festivals, libraries and schools.

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Meet falcons, hawks and owls from the Ojai Raptor Center when they pay a visit to the Museum of Ventura County on Free First Sunday, July 1, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. The free presentation will give children and adults a close view of raptors which increasingly live in our cities and towns as well as adjacent farmlands.

The nonprofit Ojai Raptor Center rehabilitates and releases birds of prey in Ventura County, but those brought to the museum will be “ambassador birds,” not able to be released back into the wild, often because of permanent injuries. The raptor specialists will explain how to reduce human-caused hazards to such animals, and explain about how their wild peers live, and how important habitat conservation is to the overall ecosystem.

Admission to the museum’s summer exhibitions is also free that day, including Featured Creatures, which celebrates California wildlife and examines past and present attitudes toward wildlife and the natural environment. The exhibit includes historic photographs, works of art, and rarely shown mounted animals and birds, from a tradition in which museums displayed them as examples of local fauna.
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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.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Former game show host Bob Eubanks and his family have donated more than $100,000 in Western art to California Lutheran University, and it will be displayed in an upcoming exhibit.

“Western Salon,” which will also include works from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum collection, will be on exhibit from Saturday, June 16, through Saturday, Sept. 15, in CLU’s William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art. The paintings will be hung salon-style, closely next to and atop one another, and a series of informal salon gatherings will celebrate the exhibit.

The show will feature the four bronze sculptures and 26 acrylic and oil-on-canvas paintings, pencil drawings and fine art prints that the Eubanks family donated to CLU. The collection includes works by sculptor Herb Mignery and painters Martin Grelle and Donald Puttman.

The Reagan Museum is!--break--> loaning 31 paintings and sculptures for the exhibit. The former president enjoyed Western art. This is the first time this collection, which includes sculptures by Dante V. de Florio and Pierre Jules Mene and an oil painting of John Wayne by Jerry Venditti, will be displayedtogether.

Eubanks, a Westlake Village resident and motivational speaker, andAndrew Wulf, curator of the Reagan Museum, will speak at the opening night reception slated from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16.

From 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 28, Eubanks will discuss his varied career,touch on his friendships with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and answer questions during “An Afternoon with Bob Eubanks” in the Lundring Events Center at CLU.

Wulf will discuss the exhibit’s art during a “Tea and Talk” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 14, in the Rolland Gallery. “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 gallery.

Eubanks, who started out as a DJ at an Oxnard station, hasn’t just been the host of “The Newlywed Game,” an artist manager, concert promoter and television producer.

The 74-year-old is also a cowboy. He owned a working cattle ranch in Santa Ynez, and his family enjoyed roping and riding. Eubanks participated in rodeos and became a gold card member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He amassed a collection of Western art, and the prestigious Peppertree Art Show was held at his family’s ranch for 33 years, first hosted by Irma Eubanks and then by their son Trace Eubanks after she passed away.

The gallery is inside the William Rolland Stadium on the north side of Olsen Road between Campus Drive and Mountclef Boulevard on the Thousand Oaks campus. It is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, and by appointment. Admission to the gallery and all events is free. No reservations are necessary. For more information, contact curator Jeff Phillips at 805-493-3697.

Artist Chris Weber kept thinking that she would find her unique “style” in her forty-year journey of trying different genres, media, and subjects. “Many times I have thought to myself that I have arrived at "My Style" but I now know that for me change plays a paramount part in my work.” Weber’s new show at the Harbor Village Gallery in Ventura, “Divergent Views: From Abstraction to Reality and The In Between Spaces,” runs the gamut between total abstraction and realism, but uses a palette which forms a cohesive display.

The exhibition will open June 27, 2012 and close July 23, with an opening reception Friday, June 28 from 5-8 p.m.
London-born Weber began training in her craft when she enrolled in painting and design classes at California State University, Northridge, while obtaining a BA in Psychology. Now, with 30-plus years of award-winning paintings under her belt, Weber’s most recent passion is leading a Plein Air group in Ventura County. “Currently I’m most interested in semi abstraction based on Plein Air scenes,” she explains. Many of the paintings in her exhibition are derived from these local outings with her fellow artists. She’s also including several still-life paintings.

Her true pleasure, she says, is in “letting myself play with color and shapes.” But don’t count on her to favor these styles and subjects forever. Weber says, “I must allow myself the liberty of constantly moving in new directions.”

Chris Weber’s art can be found online at www.chrisweberarts.com.

The Harbor Village Gallery is located at 1591 Spinnaker Dr. Suite 117C in the Ventura Harbor Village. Open everyday except Tuesday from 12 to 5 pm. For more information, call the gallery at 805-644-2750 or visit www.BuenaventuraGallery.org for more information.

Hang 10 Exhibit. Photograph by Roger Conrad.
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Gallery Detail Hang 10. Photograph by Roger Conrad.
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On the evening of Saturday, June 2, 2012, between 5 and 7 p.m., the prestigious Ojai Studio Artists will celebrate a multi-purpose event at the Ojai Valley Museum. A reception for the current “Hang 10” exhibition will be combined with the presentation of awards to their 2012 art scholarship recipients. The evening is free and open to the public. Hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar are included in the festivities.

The current Ojai Studio Artists 10th Anniversary Group Show has been on view since April 19th. Entitled “HANG 10,” the exhibit typically closes after the 2012 Ojai Music Festival concludes in early June. Consequently, it is traditional for OSA to host a reception towards the end of the exhibit’s run, because the scholarship recipients are home from their respective schools and they are available to attend a June ceremony.

In addition to the 57 works of art in the Ojai Studio Artists “Hang 10” group show, there is a satellite exhibition in the Alcove Gallery sampling the art of the OSA 2012 Scholarship Awardees. This year, the nine chosen artists range in age from seventeen to thirty-five and are either art students in academia, or, being taught through private lessons. The two dimensional works by scholarship recipients Edaan Byle, Megan Cerminaro, Holly Johnson, Lindsay Luckenbach, Michaela McEttrick, Julio Xicotencatl Rodriguez, Claire Sowa and Jamie Swan are exhibited with sculpture by Tristan Antoni Walczak in the gallery. These artists were chosen from a wide selection of submissions and were juried by a committee of OSA members. The annual scholarships are part of an on-going program created to recognize talented burgeoning local artists and to help them finance their art education throughout the course of one year.

The Ojai Studio Artists Closing Reception combined with the Scholarship Awards Presentation is a favorite evening at the Ojai Valley Museum. This museum event celebrates the mature artist along with the emerging, artistic talent that is so prevalent in the Ojai area.

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.

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 Ojai Valley Museum

Chris Sayer, a fifth generation Ventura County farmer and the manager of Petty Ranch in Saticoy, speaks about the future of local farming on Sunday, June 24 at 2:00 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. Sayer explores the unique nature of Ventura County agriculture, shares his experiences developing new crops for new markets, and places contemporary farming practices in historical context.

Admission is $5 for the general public and includes entry to all museum exhibitions; free for Museum of Ventura County members. Seating is limited and reserved only by RSVP to (805) 525-3100. This is the first in the museum’s series of Farm Talks by local experts.

Sayer recently wrote and released the e-book, Picking Our Future: Essays on Food, Change, and Farming. A Former Naval aviator and Silicon Valley executive, Sayer manages the Petty Ranch, a producer of lemons, avocados and specialty fruit that has been in his family for five generations. He is deeply engaged with local and state agricultural issues, serving on the Boards of Directors for the Farm Bureau of Ventura County and the Associates Insectary, and on the Hansen Fund Advisory Board for the University of California.

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THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company has opened registration for high school students who will work, learn and perform alongside its professional actors this summer.

The 13- to 19-year-olds in the Rhodes Junior Apprentice Company will take biweekly classes taught by Kingsmen Shakespeare Company actors. Classes andrehearsals will cover improvisation, voice and movement for Shakespearean acting, advanced acting techniques, stage combat, the structure of Shakespearean verse, line interpretation, character development and staging.

Under the direction of Andy Babinksy, a member of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company who has taught and directed in the organization’s Summer Theatre Camp for 8- to 16-year-olds, the students will present “Twelfth Night” at 6:30 p.m. July 26, 2 p.m. July 28, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 2 and 2 p.m. Aug. 4.

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Ojai, CA - The Ojai Art Center’s 35th annual Libbey Park art extravaganza “Art in the Park” closes at five but Alive After 5 will just be beginning. Saturday night, May 26, twenty-four businesses, restaurants, and galleries including the Ojai Valley Museum will stay open with receptions for local artists, a trunk show, wine tasting, art demos, refreshments and live music during an art walk in downtown Ojai.

Alive After 5 will have something for everyone. Don’t miss this rare occasion to celebrate the spirit of creativity, observe the local art scene, and enjoy the special ambience of Ojai after hours from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. In the spirit of collaboration the Ojai Art Center and The Ojai Village Merchants Committee invite you to this free event expanding art opportunities and featuring this veritable cornucopia of happenings:

To start things off the Ojai Valley Museum will throw open its doors for free, offering guided tours by Museum Director Michele Pracy and docents which include its new exhibit: the 10th anniversary show for Ojai Studio Artists, entitled “Hang 10.”

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VENTURA, CA - Master artists, critics and thought leaders from around the world will come together in October to discuss representational art’s place in the 21st century at a Ventura conference hosted by California Lutheran University.

TRAC2012: The Representational Art Conference will be held Oct. 14 through 17 at the Crowne Plaza. It will feature speakers, panel discussions, academic paper presentations and studio demonstrations. Focused on the resurgence ofrepresentational art, the conference is designed for artists, academics, collectors, critics, historians, students, and gallery and museum professionals.

The keynote speakers will be art critic Jed Perl with The New Republic and artist John Nava, whose major commissions include the tapestries in theCathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, a mural in the Tokyo Grain Exchange and a fountain sculpture for the city of Glendale. Perl will discuss “Re-Imagining Representation: On the Challenges of the Real and the Ideal.” Nava will present “Representing by Hand: Painting in the Digital Age.”

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THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The Summer Theatre Camp presented by the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company and California Lutheran University willreturn for its 27th year with several sessions offered between June 18 and Aug. 3.

Sessions of “Beginning Shakespeare” will be offered from 8 a.m. to noon weekdays June 18 through June 29 and July 9 through 20. Children aged 8 to 12 will learn about the Bard, textual analysis, vocabulary, stage movement and combat techniques as they prepare to present scenes on stage.

Training for 8- to 16-year-olds will continue with “AdvancedShakespeare I” from 1 to 5 p.m. weekdays July 9 through 20 and “Advanced Shakespeare II” from 1 to 5 p.m. weekdays July 23 through Aug. 3. The camp will cover Shakespeare scenes, stage combat and acting techniques in more depth and conclude with the presentation of advanced scenes.

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Susan Cook’s upcoming “Alive” exhibit at the Buenaventura Gallery is a joyous, inspirational journey as seen through the eyes of an artist. “Alive” will be on view June 19 to July 14 at the downtown Ventura gallery operated by the nonprofit Buenaventura Art Association.

A reception for the artist will be held 4-7 p.m. Saturday, June 23. In addition, Cook will be present during First Friday Gallery Crawl from 5-8 p.m. July 6.

“Life erects hurdles,” says Cook. “For me, they appeared out of the blue and at first insurmountable, but the future moves forward, so the question remained: How to get over the hurdles. I chose to focus on the people, events and places which remind me that life is worth the effort.”

Her piece Why Can’t I Fly originated from a wish to be able to fly away that she found personified in the exuberance of a child. Through this child, Cook realized that in childhood, all things are possible — including flight. Cook’s spontaneous combinations of color and shape reflect the importance she places on the structure of the composition and the sensual effect color has on the viewer.

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How to balance opposing forces is the underlying question contemplated in the new exhibition Obstacleism: The Synthesis Series: Paintings by Farr Ligvani, opening June 9 at the Museum of Ventura County, and continuing through August 19.

The reception for Obstacleism: The Synthesis Series, as well as for the exhibitions One Time, One Place: Retablos by Dianne Bennett and Featured Creatures, is on Friday, June 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5; museum members are free.

Obstacleism is a term coined by Ligvani to describe his concept that obstacles can be viewed as welcome impediments in reconciling and balancing opposing forces in Eastern and Western cultures and in modern society. To visualize and contemplate these ideas, the artist traces a journey of lines through layers of texture and abstract shapes.

Ligvani’s interested in art and structure began as a child. In 1976 he moved from his native Iran to Los Angeles, where he studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and graduated in Industrial Design from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His creative path has included designing, building, consulting, teaching, and painting.

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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Animals are the Featured Creatures in the Museum of Ventura County’s summer exhibition opening June 9. This look at wildlife represented in the museum's collection includes rarely seen specimens from a tradition in which museums displayed taxidermied animals as examples of local fauna. Making their appearance again are a black bear, mountain lion, bobcat, and fox, as well as birds as big as the California Condor and as small as the Hooded Oriole. The mounted animals are paired with art and artifacts relating to California’s wildlife. The exhibition runs through August 19.

The Friday, June 8 reception for Featured Creatures, as well as for the exhibitions One Time, One Place: Retablos by Dianne Bennett and Obstacleism, The Synthesis Series: Paintings by Farr Ligvani, is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5; museum members are free.

Among the fine art and historical pieces in Featured Creatures are paintings and sculpture by late artists Jessie Arms Botke, Douglas Parshall and Beatrice Wood; photography by Neal Barr; and hunting and trapping equipment. The human impact on California’s wildlife will be explored through a glimpse into hunting practices and the use of fur, loss of natural habitats and introduction of non-native species, as well as current wildlife restoration programs.

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.

A familiar face in Los Angeles’s premier clubs, jazz musician Solvei will bring her show PASIÓN to the Plaza Playhouse Theater in Carpinteria on Saturday, June 9, at 8 p.m. PASIÓN is a multi-faceted, multi-linguistic expression of Latin and World Jazz mixed with exotic grooves.

Representing a sophisticated form of jazz expression, Solvei’s music has been recognized with a Los Angeles Music Award nomination, a World Music Award, and an endorsement from Amnesty International for her song “Leonard Peltier.” Solvei is backed up by her world-class international band, ZumaSol.

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Ventura County Potters' Guild invites members and the community to a presentation by Berkeley's ceramic artist, Irma Vega Bijou, at the Ventura Senior Center located at 420 East Santa Clara Street, Ventura,
Monday, May 21, 2012, 7 - 9 pm.

Irma Vega Bijou will be sharing her experiences while traveling in Turkey last September. She'll discuss the pit firing workshops she organized while in Bursa and Istanbul along with a visual presentation called, "Women Artists of the West Coast-USA (California)." This presentation was created to have a connection with the many inspiring ceramicists and woman artists she met throughout this trip as well as to show them part of our American culture.

Irma Vega Bijou was born in San Diego but grew up in Ensenada where there is a deep regard for handmade arts and crafts.

Moving to Mexico City to pursue studies in sociology at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Bijou embarked on an eight year career that gave her the opportunity to work on issues of great concern, such as the causes of malnutrition throughout the world. The work was interesting, challenging and very rewarding because she was contributing to programs that improved people’s lives.

In the summer of 1985 ceramics entered her life. Bijou left the world of sociology permanently and started a new life as an artist in San Francisco.

Bijou's understanding of the many connections that clay has with us as individuals and in every culture in the world for thousands of years, deepens her love of clay.

Doors open at 7pm, Talk starts at 8 pm., Refreshments, FREE

For more information, call 805-985-5038.

Opossum (colloquially Possum)
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Bring the family to see and learn about live native animals at the Museum of Ventura County’s Wild In California event on Sunday, June 10, from 1:30 –2:30 p.m. Enjoy The Nature of Wildworks presentation of non-releasable wild animals from their care center and learn about the animals’ lifestyles and contributions to our environment. An opossum, skunk, owl, hawk, fox and reptiles will be featured.

The program is best suited for children ages 8 to 11. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for children through age 17; admission for museum members is $6 for adults, and $4 for children. Includes entry to all museum exhibitions, such as Featured Creatures, which also celebrates California’s wild life. RSVP and pre-payment is required, as space is limited.

The Nature of Wildworks nonprofit presents interactive wildlife educational programs and provides lifetime care for non-releasable animals at their Wildlife Care and Education Center in Topanga Canyon.

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. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

Writers/Contributors: Fred Rothenberg and Roger Conrad

“Reflect” is the theme of this year’s photography exhibition at the Ojai Center for the Arts. This ninth annual juried show will feature images that capture the two prime definitions of the theme: light being reflected from something and/or the more human aspects of the word typified by thinking, pondering, and meditation. The show opens June 2 and runs through July 3, 2012.

Last year more than 50 works by nearly as many photographers were displayed at the Art Center. As many guests have commented..."this show gets better every year . . . images are thought provoking . . . high quality, no schlock . . . well worth our time."

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 4 pm. Admission is free. Join us and “reflect,” meet the artist/photographers and enjoy refreshments at the opening reception on Sunday, June 3, from 1 to 3 pm. at the Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street. For more information visit: ojaiartcenter.org/photography

Untitled, oil on board by Gary Ray
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Sespe Moon, raku vase by Steve Eddy
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Santa Paula, CA - The Santa Paula Art Museum will host its second annual Fine and Decorative Art Auction on Sunday, May 20, 2012. Featured at the event is a silent auction which starts at 3:00 p.m. and a live auction which will commence at 4:30 p.m. The event will feature wine, beer, and delicious hors d'oeuvres sponsored by Santa Paula’s own Mupu Grill. Admission price is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. The Museum is located at 117 N. 10th Street in historic downtown Santa Paula.

The Museum has gathered together a remarkable offering of items including paintings, sculpture, and prints by artists such as Gail Pidduck, Michele Chapin, Gary Ray, Norman Kirk, Millard Sheets, Steve Eddy, Susan Petty, Virginia Beale, Gerd Koch, and Edwin Siegfried. Also available are antique furnishings from local collections. All items are available for viewing on the Museum’s website: www.SantaPaulaArtMuseum.org/auction.html.

Do not miss our biggest fundraiser of the year! This is a great opportunity to add to your own collection while supporting a worthy cause. All proceeds benefit the Santa Paula Art Museum.

Special thanks to the generous event sponsors: Calavo Growers and Santa Clara Valley Bank.
For more information, or to request an invitation, please call 805-525-5554, or email the Museum at info@santapaulaartmuseum.org.

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The Exuberance of Horses on Exhibition in Large Scale Paintings by Katie Upton Opening June 2 at Agriculture Museum - Free Reception June 3

Horse Play: Paintings by Katie Upton, an exhibition depicting the exuberance, energy and beauty of horses, opens June 2 at the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. The larger than life-size canvases depict the animals that have fascinated Santa Barbara artist Upton since her childhood. The exhibit continues through September 2.

Meet Upton at a free reception on Sunday, June 3, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. for the opening of Horse Play and the Agriculture Museum’s accompanying exhibit Team Work: Horses and Mules on the Job. The reception features Texas swing and bluegrass music by the Ventucky String Band. Admission to the Agriculture Museum is free all day June 3 for the monthly Free First Sunday.

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Upton was fascinated as a youngster by the horses that wandered through the family yard. In her efforts to capture them on paper, Upton relates that she was encouraged by her father, who taught her what he described as the language of drawing. Upton’s work reflects that foundation, informing her departure from conventional portrayals. It was while earning her MFA at University of California Santa Barbara that she again explored equine imagery; and ever since then the horse as subject and muse has remained her focus. Upton’s paintings and drawings are held in private collections throughout the United States, and in Europe and Asia.

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. Free general admission on First Sundays of the month. For more information, go to www.venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.

California State Old Time Fiddlers District 8 will meet Sunday, May 27, 2012 from 1:30-4:30pm at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Join fiddlers for an afternoon of listening and dancing to Country Western and Bluegrass music. Bring an instrument and play along. No admission or parking charge. Refreshments available. For more information go to calfiddlers.com or call 797-6563.