THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Areté Vocal Ensemble will conclude its third season at California Lutheran University with a concert program highlighting the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and contemporary composers.

“Bach and Beyond, Part II” will be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 15, in Samuelson Chapel.

This is the innovative professional vocal ensemble’s second of two concerts juxtaposing the timeless cantatas of J.S. Bach with music by contemporary composers. The program pairs Bach’s Cantata #78 “Jesu, der du Meine Seele” for chorus, soloists and orchestra with “I Love to Tell the Story,” a work composed for Areté by New Mexico composer Bradley Ellingboe and scored for chorus, mezzo-soprano solo and viola. Also featured will be the music of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, who visited the campus in February.

Through the combined power of words and music, an uncompromising attention to musical detail and a passion for live performance, Areté offers audiences a joyful, moving, educational and soul-nurturing experience. Music Director Wyant Morton conducts.

Admission is $20, $15 for seniors and $10 for students with I.D. Children younger than 12 are free. Tickets are available at the door or online. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.aretevocalensemble.org.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University’s popular Jazz Ensemble will present its Spring Concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 14, in Preus-Brandt Forum.

Under the direction of music faculty member Peter Woodford, the CLU Jazz Ensemble will perform popular jazz standards as well as innovative, lesser-known works.

Woodford has been playing guitar professionally for more than 40 years. He has accompanied a long list of musical artists from jazz, classical, rock, pop and country genres. The diverse array includes Doc Severinsen and his Tonight Show Band, Natalie Cole, Kenny G., Stan Getz, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Bette Midler, Kenny Rogers, Sammy Davis Jr., Dizzy Gillespie, Rosemary Clooney, The Pointer Sisters, Bobby Darin, Michael Bolton and dozens more.

Preus-Brandt Forum is located south of Olsen Roadbetween Campus Drive and Mountclef Boulevard.

Donations will be accepted. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit www.callutheran.edu/music.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The Scandinavian Festival will provide affordable family fun when it returns to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks on April 14 and 15.

The annual Scandinavian Festival highlighting the Nordic cultures will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 14, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 15, with music, dancing, food, lectures, demonstrations, vendors and activities for young and old. An old-time Scandinavian dance will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. April 14.

The festival begins Saturday with an opening ceremony and a colorful parade of Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish and Saami participants in their traditional costumes carrying flags of their Nordic countries. A highlight of the ceremony will be the dedication of a stave church door portal commissioned by the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation (SACHF) and created by master woodcarver Phillip Odden. The portal, a scaled copy of the panels on the Borgund Stave Church in Norway, will be set up at the SACHF booth during the festival and on display in the Scandinavian Center after the festival.

Also on display at the festival will be two Norwegian longboats built more than 100 years ago. Mr. Thomas, a traditional faering (four-oar) sports boat built in 1875, and Rein, a six-oar fishing boat built in 1905, were built in Norway from the 1,200-year-old Viking boat design used since the beginning of the Viking Age. Actor Robin Williams sailed on Rein in the 1999 movie “What Dreams May Come.”

The focal point for the festival will be a newly combined entertainment and dining area in Kingsmen Park featuring a stage and booths serving popular Scandinavian delicacies. Forty vendors of Scandinavian handicrafts will sell their wares on the festive Nordic Shopping Avenue.

The festival will offer music ranging from rock to Saami “yoik.” The ABBA Girlz will stage their flashy tribute to the famous Swedish group. Also performing will be the duo Jensen and Bugge, accordionist and master fiddler, and singers Deborah and Garth Phillipsen. Västkustens Spelmanslag will perform for open dancing and veteran fiddler Tim Rued will lecture and play a variety of instruments.

CLU students will help kids make head wreaths, troll puppets, Norwegian fish bags, wooden butter knives and Saami wooden reindeer heads. Adults can try their hands at crafts such as Hardanger and bobbin lace.

Returning to the festival will be the Ravens of Odin Viking Encampment, and Nathan Muus and his Saami Siiddastallan (community gathering).
Admission is free for children 11 and under and $7 for everyone else. Parking is free. CLU is located at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. For more information, visit http://www.callutheran.edu/scanfest or email Sandra Grunewald at sgrunewa@callutheran.edu.

“REFLECT” is the theme of this year’s Photography Branch exhibition at the Ojai Center for the Arts. This ninth annual juried show will accept 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. We welcome any photographic style including portraiture, landscape, documentary, manipulative, etc. 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. This year we expect that more artists will compete to have one or more of their works in the show.

Photographers are invited to submit their work on May 31 or June 1. Detailed submission information can be found on the Photography Branch page at the Art Center website at http://www.ojaiartcenter.org/photography/

There will be a reception Sunday, June 3 from 1 to 3 pm. Refreshments will be served. The Art Center is located in downtown Ojai at 113 South Montgomery Street. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 4 pm. Admission is free.

Carla Walter

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University professor Carla Walter will discuss the hidden power ofdance in advertising at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 12.

The associate professor in the School of Management will present “Dance and Advertising: How Does It Affect You?” in the Roth Nelson Room on the Thousand Oaks campus.

The author of “Black Social Dance in Television Advertising: An Analytical History” will present ways in which consumers, often unknowingly, are affected by dance in advertising. Drawing from her recent book, she will show how dance is used silently through experiences to connect consumers to brands.

Audience members will be encouraged, though not required, to participate in dance to illustrate silent links between movement and affect.

Other books by Walter, who writes under the name of Carla Stalling Huntington, include “Hip Hop Dance: Meanings and Messages” and the soon-to-be-released novel “Vote of No Confidence.” Her research interests include consumer behavior, social marketing and arts management and marketing, especially the fine and performing arts as they relate to cultural studies in advertising. She has been a visiting lecturer at several international institutions including the University of Savoy, Institute of Management in Annecy, France, and the Management Center Innsbruck in Austria.

The Roth Nelson Room is located on Mountclef Boulevard near Memorial Parkway.

CLU’s Multicultural and International Programs, School of Management, Campus Diversity Initiative and Pearson Library are sponsoring the free lecture. For more information, contact Sam Thomas at sthomas@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3693.

Ventura, CA – Ventura Music Festival in partnership with the arts community will hold a live auction fundraiser of original art created by local talent on the evening of Saturday, March 31 at the Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, Ventura Harbor.

“The Evening of Note” event will feature twelve original works of art, entitled Visions of Screen: Unfolding Art of Twelve Women, each work created and donated by a local female artist on a three-paneled screen. Says Executive Director Cheryl Heitmann, “These amazing artists have created really unique and beautiful pieces, some of them based on music themes, such as the work by Andrea Vargas-Mendoza inspired by Nicole Cabell, Ventura’s own international opera star who will perform for the Festival in May.”

Ms. Cabell will be featured along with a lineup of top classical and jazz artists from around the world in the Festival’s 18th concert season May 3-12.

For the past seven years, Ventura Music Festival has worked with the arts community to present an art exhibition that begins in January, this year at the atrium of Ventura City Hall, followed by display at various locations throughout the city before being auctioned at the Festival’s spring fundraiser.

The funds raised from the event will support Ventura Music Festival’s educational outreach programs in the local schools and youth organizations as well as the production of professional concerts for the public.

“The Roaring ‘20s: a celebration of art, music and good times," is the evening's theme. “This event is always lots of fun and includes a gourmet dinner and live entertainment. Flapper duds and fedoras are optional," says Heitmann.

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5:30 p.m. followed by the dinner at 7:00 p.m. The jazz trio, Coda, will play throughout the evening. The lineup of upcoming performing artists for the May concert season will also be presented.

The event is organized by C-Notes, a volunteer committee of Ventura Music Festival’s Board of Directors.

Tickets for the event are $150 per person. To purchase tickets and for information about proxy or absentee bidding, contact Ventura Music Festival at 648.3146 or go online at www.venturamusicfestival.org.

Name of event: “2012 Evening of Note” presented by Ventura Music Festival

Theme: The Roaring '20s, a celebration of art, music and good times!

What: A festive evening of fine dining, jazz entertainment, friends, lots of fun and a live auction of original works of art created by local artists

Purpose: Fundraiser for Ventura Music Festival, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation.

Where: Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, Ventura Harbor, 1050 Schooner Drive, Ventura

When: 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31

Ticket price: $150 per person

To purchase tickets:

http://www.venturamusicfestival.org/eveningnote.html

For display locations of the works of art until the auction:

http://www.venturamusicfestival.org/art.html

Bidding Information: At the event or by absentee or proxy up to March 29 by filling out the form at this link.

http://www.venturamusicfestival.org/images/art_Absentee_Proxy_Bid_Form.p...

For more information: Call (805) 648-3146 or go to: www.venturamusicfestival.org

The thrill and excitement of spring will explode through the beautiful music of your own “Ventura County Concert Band” On Sunday, April 15, at 3:00 in the afternoon,in the Ventura High School Auditorium, join maestro Bruce Colell and his sensational band musicians in a fantastic performance of the greatest band music on the planet.
Everyone in the audience and in the band will CHEER and RAVE about this concert for months to come.
As always, our musical extravaganzas are free to you and to your friends.

The story of tiny Thumbelina, told with shadow puppets, music of the 1960s and ’70s, and Art Nouveau scenic design, is presented Friday evening, May 25, at 7:00 p.m. in the Museum of Ventura County’s Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Pavilion.

Performed by the Oregon Shadow Theatre, the adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairly tale follows Thumbelina on a journey to the land of the flower fairies, using shadow puppets, live music and narration. Award winning puppeteer Deb Chase creates the shadow images, while Mick Doherty performs live music on the hammer dulcimer, electric guitar, and an assortment of percussion instruments. The performance is intended for adults and children ages four and older.

Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for children and includes entrance to museum galleries before the performance. Museum of Ventura County members’ price is $10, and $5 for children. For reservations, call (805) 653-0323 x 7.
“Thumbelina” is the third in the Museum of Ventura County’s new Family Fun At The Museum series of live performance presentations. The museum is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura, and is open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

Camarillo, CA - CSU Channel Islands (CI) invites the public to a groundbreaking, thought-provoking and highly entertaining rendition of the hit Broadway musical “Cabaret.”

Set in a colorful cabaret against the rising terror of Nazi Germany, “Cabaret” is the first musical and the fifth annual spring show to be staged by CI’s Performing Arts Program.

Eight performances will be held at Malibu Hall on the CI campus. Evening performances will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 29 – Saturday, March 31, and Thursday, April 5 – Saturday, April 7. Matinee performances will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, and Saturday, April 7.

Tickets are free for CI students, $5 for all other students, $10 for CI faculty and staff, and $15 for the public. To purchase tickets, call Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006 or visit http://performingarts.csuci.edu/events.html. Tickets may also be purchased at the door with cash. Seating is limited so advance purchase is recommended.

“Cabaret” follows the stories of a compelling cast of characters at the Kit Kat Klub, a scene of uninhibited, decadent celebration set against the backdrop of growing Nazi terror in 1930s Berlin.

The production is staged by CI faculty and students, including direction by Catherine Scott Burriss, choreography by Heather Castillo, musical direction by KuanFen Liu and Ted Lucas, scenic design by Rachel Myers, costume design by Regina Rogers, dramaturgy by Bob Mayberry, and performances by CI students from several majors.

The original 1966 Broadway production was directed and produced by Harold Prince and based on a book by Joe Masteroff, a play by John Van Druten, stories by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Please note that “Cabaret” features adult situations. Audience discretion is advised.

Limited complimentary parking is available on campus in designated spaces only. Upon arriving at the campus, please follow event parking signs. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo, with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the VISTA bus to the campus; the cash only fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.

Persons who, because of a special need or condition, would like to request an accommodation should contact Disability Resource Programs at 805-437-3331 or email accommodations@csuci.edu as soon as possible, but no later than 15 business days before the event, so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

For additional information, contact Catherine Burriss, Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, at 805-437-3126 or catherine.burriss@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.

California State Old Time Fiddlers District 8 will meet Sunday, March 25, 2012 from 1:30-4:30pm at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Join us for an afternoon of listening and dancing to Country Western and Bluegrass music or bring your instrument and play along. No admission or parking charge. Refreshments available. For more information go to calfiddlers.com or call 797-6563.

Oxnard, CA – Do you have a special non-profit organization that is doing great things and is in need of public support? The Oxnard Salsa Festival invites non profit organizations to participate in the ‘Dancing with Our Community Stars Dance Contest & Charity Fundraiser’ taking place during the Oxnard Salsa Festival slated for July 28 & 29, 2012 at Plaza Park, Downtown Oxnard.

The dancing contest, now in its 6th year, takes place on Sunday, July 29 at 1 p.m. The Oxnard Salsa Festival seeks non-profit organizations throughout Ventura County who would be interested in participating in the eight week amateur dance competition. Based on the ABC’s hit TV show, ‘Dancing with the Stars,” six community leaders, three men and three women, one from each participating charity, will be paired with some of the region’s top dance instructors to learn salsa routines that they will perform in front of the crowd at the Festival.

“The dance contest provides non-profit organizations with a great opportunity for increased visibility in addition to receiving much-needed funds for their organization,” stated Patty Brown, Coordinator for the dance contest. “Over the years, the dance competition has been quite successful, raising over $200,000 for charities,” she added.

The Oxnard Salsa Festival was launched in 1994 by the Oxnard Downtowners to bring people into the downtown business district to celebrate Oxnard’s multicultural heritage and agricultural roots. The Festival, which celebrates everything salsa … the music, the food & dance, runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 28 & 29, 2012 at Plaza Park, Fifth and “B” Streets.

To learn more about the ‘Dancing with our Community Stars Dance Contest & Charity Fundraiser’ call Patty Brown at 805-607-9495 or email, patty@pattybrown.net. For Festival information, call 805-247-0197, 800-2-Oxnard, or visit www.oxnardsalsafestival.com.

Ventura, CA - Ventura Music Festival will present a lineup of top classical and jazz artists to perform May 3-12 for its 18th season at intimate venues throughout Ventura and a family-friendly outdoor setting.

“Artistic excellence is our guide to selecting artists,” says Nuvi Mehta, “Ventura Music Festival consistently brings to Ventura a choice selection of the world’s best classical and jazz music. This season’s array includes career greats as well as rising stars who are winning the top competitions and on their way to outstanding performing careers.”

Slated to appear May 8 at Ventura Missionary Church is the career-distinguished Emerson String Quartet, widely acclaimed the foremost chamber ensemble in the world.

Since its origin in 1976, the Quartet has earned an unparalleled list of achievements, including more than thirty acclaimed recordings, nine Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical Album, an unprecedented honor for a chamber music group), three Gramophone Awards and the coveted Avery Fisher Prize, another first for a chamber ensemble.

Violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violist Lawrence Dutton and cellist David Finckel have been with the group for 33 years. In their signature standing position, they will perform the last quartets of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven for the Festival’s concert.

Each year Ventura Music Festival selects a winner of one of the top international piano competitions for a feature classical piano concert. This year it’s German-born Alexander Schimpf, the 2011 first prize winner of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, one of the world’s most competitive and remunerative contests.

Twenty-nine year-old Schimpf has risen to prominence over the last few years with a series of prestigious awards and regular appearances at important music centers including the Vienna Konzerthaus, Berlin’s Konzerthaus and New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

“Mr. Schimpf is a skilled interpreter of Bach – one of the few artists whose technical excellence allows for Bach’s music to sing through at its purest and most sublime,” says Mehta. Known for his “expressive power and passion” Schimpf will perform Bach, Beethoven and Ravel on May 5 at Ventura Missionary Church.

Fans of Spanish classical guitar will get to hear charismatic virtuoso Pablo Sáinz Villegas on May 11 at Community Presbyterian Church.

Now considered one of the world’s greats, Mr. Villegas, in 2006, captured the Gold Medal at the inaugural Christopher Parkening International Guitar Competition. Mr. Villegas has since performed in more than twenty countries on such prominent stages as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Milan’s Sala Verdi and Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Theater and amassed more than twenty-five international awards. Dubbed “The Soul of the Spanish Guitar,” Villegas will play a program of Bach, Barrios and Rodrigo.

The Festival’s annual afternoon outdoor jazz concert features three-time Grammy-nominated Afro-Cuban jazz combo Tiempo Libre, to take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 6 on the Ventura College Green. “This popular concert is perfect for families who want to picnic together and enjoy the outdoors and fine music at the same time,” says Mehta.

Tiempo Libre’s music is a fiercely intense mix of Latin jazz color and danceable Afro-Cuban rhythms, often combined with classical forms ala their “Bach in Havana” recording. As teen-agers growing up in Havana, the group’s future musicians developed their signature timba sound while secretly listening to American music banned during Cuba’s “Special Period.” The enterprising kids rigged up makeshift radios on rooftops with antennas fashioned out of coat hangers. Tiempo Libre was recently featured on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Opening for Tiempo Libre is up-and-coming jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and his trio. Rodriguez was discovered by producer Quincy Jones a few years ago.

The Festival’s annual “Rising Stars” concert on May 10 features 20-year-old, Julliard-trained violin prodigy, Jourdan Urbach, and 14-year-old, award-winning pianist David Fraley. David Fraley is from Camarillo and was introduced first to Ventura Music Festival’s “Rising Star” concert in 2010. Jourdan Urbach, also a former “Rising Star” performer, has already headlined at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, among dozens of other venues, including appearances on the “Today Show,” “Good Morning America” and the “CBS Sunday Morning program.”

Violinist Urbach’s other passion is raising money for pediatric medical research, founding Concerts for a Cure when he was only seven years old. Since then, he has raised $5.1 million for research on children’s neurological disease and on March 6 was honored with the Jefferson “Globe Changer” Award, one of the nation’s highest public service awards.

The Festival will bring classical and jazz genres together in a single concert with saxophonist Federico Mondelci to perform May 4 at Community Presbyterian Church. A powerful performer and master of musical styles ranging from tango to classical, Mr. Mondelci’s Festival “Classical Meets Jazz” program features compositions by Di’Rivera, Creston and Piazzola.

Mondelci has performed regularly in countries all over the globe, such as Germany, Spain, Russia and Japan. In his home country of Italy, he has performed as soloist with all the major orchestras, including the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala at La Scala, Milan.

Closing the season will be international opera sensation and native Venturan, Nicole Cabell, who will perform on May 12 in the acoustically-pristine performing arts auditorium of her alma mater, Ventura High School. This will be Cabell’s second Festival performance, the first in 2008 when she sang to a sold-out audience at the same venue.

With her distinctively creamy, lyrical voice, described by the Times of London as “liquid gold,” and by the Chicago Classical Review as “one of the most beautiful soprano voices of our time,” Ms. Cabell, together with tenor Shawn Mathey, will perform works by Mozart, Shubert, Britten and Gershwin.

Ms. Cabell was the 2005 winner of the BBC Cardiff “Singer of the World” competition, the most prestigious competition in the world of voice. Since then she has garnered rave reviews for engagements across the globe from Vienna to Oslo and New York to London, recently performing at the Royal Opera House of London, Oper Köln, Deutsche Oper of Berlin and the New York City Metropolitan Opera.

A unique aspect of the Festival is Artistic Director Nuvi Mehta himself with his highly entertaining and informative pre-concert “What’s the Score?” talks for select events. Maestro Nuvi weaves fascinating anecdotes from the lives of the program’s composers into the history of the period’s music, delivered in his inimitable, eloquent style.

Ventura Music Festival’s 18th Season, May 3-12 Concert Schedule

• Tea & Trumpets with Festival Brass Quintet: 3 p.m. Friday, May 4, Nona’s Courtyard Café, 67 S. California St.

• Federico Mondelci: 8 p.m., Friday, May 4, Community Presbyterian Church, 1555 Poli St.

• Alexander Schimpf: 8 p.m. Saturday, May 5, Ventura Missionary church, 500 High Point Drive; “What’s the Score?” 7:15 p.m.

• Tiempo Libre: 2 p.m. Sunday, May 6, Ventura College Green, 4667Telegraph Rd.

• Emerson String Quartet: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, Ventura Missionary Church, 500 High Point Drive; “What’s the Score?” 6:45 p.m.

• Rising Stars, Jourdan Urbach & David Fraley: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 10, First United Methodist Church, 1338 E. Santa Clara St; “What’s the Score?” 6:45 pm.

• Tea & Trumpets with Festival Brass Quintet: 3 p.m. Friday, May 11, Nona’s Courtyard Café, 67 S. California St.

• Pablo Sáinz Villegas: 8 p.m. Friday, May 11, Community Presbyterian Church, 1555 Poli St.

• Nicole Cabell and Shawn Mathey with the Festival Orchestra: 8 p.m. Saturday, May 12, Ventura High Performing Arts Auditorium, 2 N. Catalina St.

For more information about the Festival’s performers and to listen to a music clip of each, go to www.venturamusicfestival.org or call (805) 648.3146.

About Ventura Music Festival

Founded in 1994, Ventura Music Festival brings top classical, jazz and Latin Jazz performing artists to Ventura in early May each year. In addition to the May concerts, the Festival presents other concerts and events throughout the year. The Festival stands as one of Ventura County’s signature arts events, attracting 6,000+ concertgoers annually.

Each year, the Ventura Music Festival’s Education Outreach Program presents live performances and interactive instruction to nearly 4,000 local students through “Music in the Schools” presented by Artistic Director Nuvi Mehta.

The Ventura Music Festival is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization.

In conjunction with the current exhibition, “American Glass Works,” the Ojai Valley Museum will hold a sale of additional glass pieces produced by the regional, exhibiting artists in the show.

The Glass Bazaar will be on Sunday, March 25, between noon and 4 p.m., The museum invites you to come see, shop, and collect glass art and utilitarian objects by Brian Berman, Robert Eyberg, Doug Lochner, Helle Scharling-Todd, Teal Rowe, and Michael Zelcer. This very special sale includes vessels, sculpture, wall reliefs, jewelry, and more. This is a unique opportunity to shop these artist’s works under one roof and all at the same time!

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA. Call Ojai Valley Museum at: (805) 640-1390, ext. 203, for additional information.

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, and the Rotary Club of Ojai.

A special “Celebrating Moms!” exhibit will be at the Harbor Village Gallery from April 4 – April 30, 2012. All works will be priced at $100 and under for a special someone to purchase for their mom…or maybe even a mom to purchase for herself! Works will include original works of art as well as jewelry framed and ready to be wrapped. A special reception will be Sunday, April from 1 – 4 p.m. with every mom receiving a rose!

Follow us on Twitter at buenaventuraart for special discounts!

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.

Buenaventura Art Association’s 6th Annual Emerging Artist Cup at the Harbor Village Gallery received entries from California Lutheran University, California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI), Moorpark, Oxnard, Ventura and Laurus College.

Jeanette Corona (CSUCI) won First Place as well as a $1,200 scholarship for her oil painting titled “Donuts”. Paige Kilbourne won Second Place well as a $700 scholarship for her graphite piece titled “Untitled”. James Joseph Nagy (Moorpark) won Third Place as well as a $400 scholarship for a liquid emulsion/steel plate piece titled “Ascension”. Honorable Mentions as well as a $300 art supply gift certificate went to Erika Craig (CSUCI), Antonio Garcia (CSUCI), Claudia Jones (Ventura College), Linda Kennon (Ventura College) and Kelsey Showalter (Moorpark). In addition to prizes mentioned above, all winners received a one year membership in the Buenaventura Art Association with free entries into all shows throughout the year. Ten students received Merit Awards and won a membership as well.

Funds for the 6th Annual Emerging Artist Cup were raised by Buenaventura Art Association’s “By the Sea and The Channel Islands” Calendar as well as the Jessica and Stanley Prescott Trust and other donors.

The Harbor Village Gallery is located at 1591 Spinnaker Dr, Suite 117C, Ventura, California,. Phone: 644–2750. It’s open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day but Tuesday. For more information: www.BuenaventuraGallery.org.

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Saturday and Sunday April 28th and 29th from 11:am-5:pm the public is invited to visit the unique home studio of local artist Christine Brennan, at 175 N. Pueblo Ave. Ojai. This 10th Annual Open Studio Event will feature guest artist P. Lyn Middleton and sisters Mette Julian and Sissel Auerbock.

Christine Brennan’s paintings, jewelry, and drawings feature a host of symbolic and allegorical references. Her dreamlike images draw from the unconscious leading the viewer into richly lit narratives. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and has sold and exhibited widely across the country. Brennan and furniture maker husband James McCarthy have created an art filled home and garden that visitors look forward to visiting every year. Find out what’s new and get inspired.

Showing her unique ceramic work again this year, P. Lyn Middleton shapes hand-built shallow clay vessels informed by her career as a graphic designer and educator. She taught at CalArts, Art Center College of Design and Art Center Europe. Her one-of-a-kind, functional clay work has a contemporary aesthetic. All of her work uses non-toxic glazes, high-fired stoneware or porcelain.

New guests this year are sisters Mette and Sissel. Inspired by their Norwegian roots and the influences of the many cultures in which they have lived, they work together in their studio in Santa Barbara, California, creating unique sculpture and jewelry. Sisters art pieces are each original, one-of-a-kind creations made from a variety of materials including porcelain and silver and painted with layers of acrylic and varnish. Because Mette and Sissel sculpt and paint each piece individually, no two are alike.

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Paint Ventura’s 3rd all-media plein air event featuring a weekend of local Artists Creating, Teaching and Selling in Downtown Ventura on April 28th and 29th. Paint Ventura is a free event that will be held from 10am- 5pm on Saturday, April 28th on Main St and 11am-5pm on Sunday, April 29th in Red Brick Gallery in Downtown Ventura. Over 60 plein air Painters will be creating, 50 Art booths selling and teaching, as well as live music and dance performances on the 300 block of Main St and in the Mini Park.

En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is used to describe the act of painting outdoors. Made popular in France and England in the 19th century, plein air style became popular in California in the early 20th century with several groups residing in Ventura. Ventura’s pleasant climate and natural beauty has influenced many groups to adventure to our beaches and hillsides for inspiration in their creating Today the plein air movement continues to thrive in our area. We invite artists, art appreciators, and the artistically curious to join Ventura’s creative producers as they visually explore and interact with the artists in historic Downtown Ventura.

Saturday, April 28th 10-5pm – Paint out and Art Fair on Main St between Oak and Palm in Downtown Ventura will be closed and the festival will be both in the street and in the mini park. 60+ plein air Painters will be creating original local paintings in the mini Park on the 300 block of Main St, the public is welcome to watch the artists create and talk to them throughout the day. 50 fine artisans will be participating in an art fair where they will be creating art, selling their pieces and conducting workshops. Live entertainment by several local acoustic musicians and a local folk dancing group will provide entertainment throughout the day.

Sunday, April 29th 11am-5pm- Easel Show and People’s Choice Judging at Red Brick Gallery 315 E. Main St. The public is encouraged to join the plein air painters at Red Brick Gallery to see the finished pieces, pick their favorites and help the artists win one of 12 different people’s choice awards. You can also purchase one of the many local scenes created over the weekend.

Sessions with different instructors will be held over the day in a variety of media including painting, drawing, and photography. Outdoor workshops will be held for all skill levels in the variety of mediums, check our web-site www.PaintVentura.com for prices and descriptions. The public is encouraged to watch the artists at work and seek out a new creative side of their own.

When: 10am- 5pm Saturday, April 28th and 11am- 5pm, April 29th

Where: Downtown Ventura

Free! To the Public

For more information please contact Jen and Phyllis at Red Brick Gallery 315 E. Main St Ventura 805-643-6400

www.PaintVentura.com info@PaintVentura.com

For more information please check the web-site www.PaintVentura.com and FaceBook page http://www.facebook.com/paintventura. Paint Ventura has been created by Jen and Phyllis and Red Brick Gallery in downtown Ventura 805-643-6400.

Ventura Baroque Presents The Baroque Chamber Players in the Heritage Square Chapel Hall, 731 No 'A' Street, Oxnard, on Sunday 29th of April at 4:30 PM, in a Grand Baroque Concerto Event with all Soloists and String Chamber Ensemble on a program of works by Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Sebastian BAch and Antonio Vivaldi.
There will be an ample Free Parking, in and around the square. Also we will serve Free Refreshments at the end of the event.

A Donation of $20 at the door is kindly suggested to the assistance.

Please Call(805)827-8722 - email: southdesigns@yahoo.com and on the web: http://venturabaroque.org