THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - The Lit Moon Theatre Company will spend three weeks at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks working with students to create a unique new show.

The Santa Barbara-based company will take up residency at CLU from Nov. 20 through Dec. 11 as part of the university’s Artists and Speakers Series. Free public performances of “Once, a Traveler…” will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11, in the Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture. Another performance will take place at Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara on the occasion of the winter solstice at 7 and 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21.

Founded in 1991, Lit Moon creates original productions with international collaborators and produces an annual international theater festival. The company has produced 25 original shows, seven artistic residencies with artists from six different European countries, and 11 international theater festivals featuring 50 productions from 12 countries.

After Lit Moon Artistic CONTINUED »

Herbert Rosenkrantz, Photographer, First Place.
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Third Prize – “Altamont Pass”
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Dávid Sipos, Second Place, Marsha Braun – third place, Joshua Rosenkranz accepting first place for his father Herbert Rosenkrantz.
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l-r: Hannah Lore Hombordy, Dávid Sipos, Marsha Braun, Joshua Rosenkrantz, Susan Guy, Doris Gilbert, Jill Shanbron, Richard Flores in absentia.
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Ojai Day was drawing to a close at 4:00 in the afternoon of October 16th, but there was one more celebration in store for the day at the Ojai Valley Museum. A lively crowd, already in a festive mood from Ojai Day, gathered in the main gallery for the awards ceremony of the third annual Ojai Celebrates Art exhibit. This is a regional southern California exhibit, with media selected for high standards of excellence by an in-house museum committee. Out of 57 artists, eight were chosen for top awards by outside judges: Tim Schiffer, Director of the Ventura County Museum, and Khaled Al-Awar, owner of Ojai's Primavera Gallery. Standing in front of a group of dramatic paintings, Ojai Museum Director Michelle Pracy announced the awards and presented the cash prizes to the winners.

The $300 first prize went to Herbert Rosenkrantz for his large-scale photographic print, "Bristlecone Pine." Rosenkrantz, a recently retired attorney, illustrates the scope of the exhibit, which invited both emerging and professional artists in a great variety of media. Working with newly acquired skills in digital photography and Photoshop, he converted a color photo to black and white, and then made an intricate series of enhancements and adjustments in every shade of grey. The result is a marvelously textured expression of the tree's convoluted surface, like the character lines in a human face.

Dávid Sipos, custom woodworker, accepted the $200 second prize for his masterwork, "Cherry Coffee Table." Inspired by the timeless simplicity of Japanese aesthetics, Sipos has studied and practiced woodworking with heirloom tools and techniques since 1991. He constructed the table from Eastern cherry wood using mortise and tenon joinery with remarkable skill - the legs fit into the base so precisely that no metal fasteners are needed. This jewel of a table marries the Japanese design principle of "less is more" with virtuoso craftsmanship and artistry.

The $100 third prize was awarded to Marsha Braun, whose "Altamont Pass" is an acrylic painting of a wind farm set in the midst of a pasture complete with cows. Braun captures the juxtaposition of the whirling blades of the wind turbines and the peaceful bucolic scene. The ecological statement is further incorporated into the painting with the use of a salvaged piece of cardboard as the surface. Although the painting was developed in her studio from on-site watercolor sketches and photos, it has the spontaneous brushwork and irresistible energy of a plein-air. The artist’s innovative treatment of the turbines creates an effect of irresistible energy.

The judges awarded five honorable mentions: Richard Flores, "Stacked Teapots,” Doris Gilbert, "Wishful Thinking,” Susan Guy, "Shelf Road," Hanna Lore Hombordy, "New Growth," and Jill Smith Shanbrom, "Fly or Fall."

Fred Kidder, the museum’s Artistic Director, along with Roger Conrad, Exhibit Designer, assembled many different media - painting, mixed media, photography, as well as ceramics, glass, fabric, metal, wood, and a light-box - so that similar themes are grouped together, making it easy to "read" the exhibit as one travels around the gallery.

All of the artwork in the exhibit is for sale, and 30 percent of the purchase price will be donated to the museum. The Otto and Vivika Heino collaborative collection of master ceramics continues in the gallery. There are new additions to the inventory, many of which are for sale.

Ojai Celebrates Art III can be viewed through December 31st, so there will be many opportunities over the next two months to see this wonderful exhibit. The Ojai Valley Museum is open Thursday and Friday 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 12:00 Noon to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, $1 for children 6-18, free for children 5 and under. For further information please contact the museum at 640-1390.

Camarillo, CA. – CSU Channel Islands’ Associate Professor of English, Bob Mayberry will present Dining with the Donners: Chewing on History on Monday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. in the John Spoor Broome Library, room 1756. Mayberry will speak about the sabbatical process and finishing a 12-part cycle of one-act plays entitled The Donner Party Cycle. Mayberry, student actors, and students from his playwriting class, will present a reading from his one-act plays. The public is invited but space is limited. Reservations may be made by calling 805-437-8454.

Mayberry, growing up in Reno, was intrigued by the story of the Donner Party, a westward migration in 1846 of nearly 20 covered wagons going from Springfield, Illinois to California. During the journey the group split and other members joined as they endured horrendous hardships. Only nine wagons finally reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Donner Lake where they were overtaken and stopped by severe winter storms, resulting in starvation, which it is believed led to acts of cannibalism.

Mayberry did much research and preliminary work, visiting historical sites of the Donner Party, as he honed the idea of a dramatic work that blended history with the playwriting process. In June of 2009, on a 16-month sabbatical, he wrote his Donner Party cycle.

There will also be a production of the first half of the 12-part cycle by the Performing Arts program on the CI campus in March 2011.

CSU Channel Islands is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

CI Mission Statement
Placing students at the center of the educational experience, California State University Channel Islands provides undergraduate and graduate education that facilitates learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches, emphasizes experiential and service learning, and graduates students with multicultural and international perspectives.

Ventura County, CA - The treats will be endless and the tricks will be unforgettable. Don’t close your eyes for a second or you might miss it. Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Port Hueneme is opening its doors to its 3rd annual Haunted Swamp.

The event is open to the general public on Friday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 30. There are early, less scary tours for smaller children from 4-6 p.m. with scary tours after dark from 7-10 p.m. There is free admission for active duty and dependents (ID required). Children 6 years and under are free. Cost is $5 for early hour tours and $8 for the scary tours.

Guests should enter the base at the Pleasant Valley Gate, where free shuttle vans will transport guests to and from the Haunted Swamp.

Visitors will walk into the swamp, passing graveyards and zombies along the way, and head toward a boat dock.. They’ll pile into boats that divers from the Underwater Construction Team 2 will then drag through the pool while the passengers take in the fog, camouflage and perhaps a surprise or two. They’ll disembark and make their way through a maze, cave, rain room and forest before heading into the Warfield Gym for a carnival with candy, food and games.

For more information please call (805) 989-8766.

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Meet metal sculptor David Rivas when the Museum of Ventura County holds a reception for the artist on Saturday, November 6 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the museum’s Sculpture Gallery. His current exhibition Transformed: Titanium Sculpture by David Rivas, continues there through December 5.

Pprofessional welding skills have become artistic tools for Rivas, as he recycles scrap titanium left from the manufacture of hypersonic spacecraft, into sculptures of motion and whimsy.

As both a photographer and sculptor, Rivas’ work has also been exhibited at locations including the Carnegie Art Museum and the Museum of Ventura County, and featured three times on the cover of the acclaimed Art/Life Limited Edition Publications. The City of Ventura Public Art Commission selected three Rivas photographs for use in their street banners.

Backstage at SPTC (Santa Paula Theater Center), announces open auditions for Constance Congdon’s play Tales of the Lost Formicans. All roles are open.

Auditions: will be held Monday and Tuesday, November 1st and 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at the Santa Paula Theater Center, 125 S. 7th Street, with callbacks to be decided later. Interested actors will be met in the Craftsman Pub. Auditions will consist of readings from the script. Sides will be provided at auditions. No appointment necessary and no need to bring a photograph. If you have further questions, please call the director, Peter Krause, at (805) 525-2452.

Run Dates: three consecutive weekends beginning Friday, January 14, 2011, and closing Sunday, January 30, 2011, ten performances total with two special Thursday performances on January 20 and 27. Rehearsals will commence approximately November 7, 2010.

The Roles:
Cathy (female, 33): A recently-single mother, Cathy moves back in with her parents to help take care of her father. Passionate, sensitive, working hard to establish her identity.

Eric (male, 15): CONTINUED »

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Photo-Chameleon Joseph Sohm has mastered many photographic-styles while shooting his 50-state portrait of America, including: landscapes, people, events, sports, presidential campaigns, cityscapes, aerials, icons, travel and “street-photography.” Whether film or digital, this 10-hour workshop (over two consecutive Saturdays) covers photo-essentials, including proper use of lenses, tripods, polarizers, aperture vs. shutter priority, natural lighting, depth of field, night-shooting, framing, shooting wide and overriding auto settings. He discusses visual composition and juxtapositions that make images compelling. Joseph’s photographic success depends upon travel timing and location scouting. Thus he’ll discuss how to anticipate photo ops, so that the Photo-Gods of lighting, location and weather are your friend. While he’ll cover both film and digital (shooting RAW), the emphasis is on photo-fundamentals and not on Photoshop. The focus is on SYNTHESIZING your skills, talents, and personal interests to create compelling images for 2010. Sohm will show relevant music videos of his work, but the emphasis will be on your work.

The workshop will be held at Sohm’s RISING SUN studio on November 6, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and continuing November 13, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Cost for the two sessions is $200. For full workshop details, contact Joseph Sohm at: Joseph@visionsofamerica.com. Please register by November 1, 2010. Bio and information on master photographer Sohm at: www.visionsofamerica.com

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - Areté Vocal Ensemble will present two concerts in tribute to Leonard Bernstein during its second season at California Lutheran University.

The first concert will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, in Samuelson Chapel. It will feature selections from Bernstein’s epic “Mass,” which was written for the opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

“A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein Part 2” will be presented on April 3.

Areté is an innovative professional ensemble of vocal artists in residence at CLU. Music Director and Conductor Wyant Morton, CLU’s music department chair and conductor of the university’s annual New Music Concert, created the ensemble to perform and record the widest possible choral repertoire, including works from essentially all periods of music history. Special attention is given to contemporary, experimental, improvisatory, crossover and ethnic music.

The ensemble was designed to fill a need in Southern California for groups that can perform the many vocal works that visionary composers are creating today. Areté, which takes its name from the Greek word meaning striving for excellence, focuses on performing the new, the unknown and the unconventional with energy, passion, expertise and virtuosity.

The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near the corner of Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. Additional parking is available at the corner of Olsen and Mountclef Boulevard.

Tickets purchased in advance are $15, $10 for seniors 65 years and older, and $5 for students with ID. Tickets purchased at the door are an additional $5. Children under 12 are free. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.aretevocalensemble.org , e-mail aretevocalensemble@me.com, or call (805) 493-3308.

Gail Pidduck’s solo exhibition “A Place in the Choir” is at the Buenaventura Galley from November 9 to December 4, 2010. Opening reception is Saturday, November 13 from 4-7pm

Inspired by a folk song of the 1970’s by Bill Staines “A Place in the Choir,” creatures of the farm and home snuggle, squok, waddle, bark and purr themselves into Pidduck’s oil paintings. With a ruralist focus on the countryside, away from horns beeping and a hum of modernity, Pidduck has created a collection of new works with a fauna as her theme. The local flora and agricultural community are a consistent thread in Pidduck’s well known works and life on the farm continues to be honored in her “A Place in the Choir”.

Participants of Pidduck’s chorus of creatures are furry, feathery and familiar friends. Pidduck grew up in a farming family in Santa Paula and continues to live the rural life. Devoted to celebrating and spreading rural consciousness, Pidduck and local photographer John Nichols began the Ag Art Alliance in 2007 to help promotes all facets of agriculture and its value through the eyes of artists.

Pidduck was part of the recent exhibit Art for the New Millennium: Museum Acquisitions since 2000, an exhibit consisting of art work from 31 artists whose works joined the museum’s permanent collection since 2000. Pidduck’s retrospective at the Museum of Ventura County in 2005, Harvest: The Rural Landscape of Gail Pidduck, combined 48 paintings borrowed from private collectors as well as recent pieces that focused on Ventura County farmworkers.

Pidduck’s show reminds us how it takes all the voices and many parts of a rural community to make the unique beauty happen. Her choir is singing! Listen and clap your hands, paws, or anything you got!

The Buenaventura Gallery is located at 700 E Santa Clara St. in downtown Ventura. Hours are Tues – Friday from 12 – 5 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. For more information, visit their website at www.BuenaventuraGallery.org.

Buenaventura Art Association (BAA) announces another exciting painters workshop with award winning figure painter Susan Seaberry. A two day workshop held the first weekend in December on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5, 2010 from 1-4 pm. Workshops held at the Ventura High School Art Room.

Instructor Seaberry has recently exhibited her work in a solo show at the Buenaventura Gallery. Seaberry and also received Best of Show and an Honorable Mention in the BAAs 2nd Annual Watercolor and Aquamedia Completion at the Buenaventura Gallery and a Honorable Mention in the Harbor Village Gallerys Go Figure: A Celebration of the Human Form Competition.

The workshop will focus on the figure with a live model and still life set ups for the ultimate in color study on both days .Participants are requested to focus on oil, acrylic or charcoal mediums. Attendance to both sessions highly recommended. All levels of experience accepted. Space is limited. There will be no refunds for cancellations one week prior to the workshop. Supply list available upon request and on BAAs website.

Cost is $95 for Buenaventura Art Association (BAA) members, $115 for non-BAA members. You can pay online with paypal at the BAA website, call or stop by the Harbor Village Gallery or Buenaventura Gallery to pay with cash, check or credit card.

The Buenaventura Art Association is located at 700 E. Santa Clara St at the Buenaventura Gallery. Hours are Tuesday Friday from noon 5 pm and Saturday from 11 5pm For more information, visit website at www.buenaventuragallery.org or call 805-648-1235

Debby Sutton will teach the elements of creative wire wrapping for a piece of your choosing, ring, bracelet or pendent. Workshop is on Saturday, November 6, 2010 from 9 a.m. -12 pm at the Harbor Village Gallery in the Ventura Harbor Village.

Instructor will provide written instructions and pattern, polishing cloth and sanding block and her expert knowledge of the craft of jewelry making. Please bring your own tools, beads and wire. Materials will be available for purchase on the day of the workshop for a nominal price.

Cost is $30 for Buenaventura Art Association (BAA) members, $36 for non-BAA members. You can pay online with paypal at the BAA website, call or stop by the Harbor Village Gallery or Buenaventura Gallery to pay with cash, check or credit card.

The Harbor Village Gallery is located in the Ventura Harbor Village next to the Big Lawn, entrance #3 on Spinnaker Drive. Hours are Wednesday – Monday from noon – 5 pm. For more information, visit website at www.buenaventuragallery.com

David Chalmers

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. – An Australian leader in the science of consciousness will discuss reality, knowledge and intelligence in a pair of lectures at California Lutheran University on Friday, Nov. 5.

David Chalmers, Ph.D., will explore “From ‘The Matrix’ to the Singularity” during the 25th annual Harold Stoner Clark Lectures in Samuelson Chapel. He will present “’The Matrix’ as Metaphysics” at 10 a.m. and follow up with “The Singularity: A Philosophical Analysis” at 4 p.m.

Chalmers will discuss fundamental philosophical issues raised by the progress of computer technology. With virtual reality, how do we know we are not in a simulated world, such as that of “The Matrix”? With artificial intelligence, is it possible for there to be a “singularity” in which artificial machines surpass human intelligence, and if so what happens then?

Chalmers is Director of the Centre for Consciousness and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University as well as a visiting professor of philosophy at New York University. His latest book, “The Character of Consciousness,” was just released.

His work on consciousness has attracted attention from many scientists and philosophers. Chalmers, former director of the Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona and a founder of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness, has been a leader in the interdisciplinary science of consciousness, organizing some of the most important conferences in the field.

He also works on issues of language, metaphysics and artificial intelligence. In 2010 he gave the John Locke Lectures at Oxford University on the topic of “Constructing the World.”

Born in Sydney, Chalmers studied mathematics at the University of Adelaide and as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University. He then turned to philosophy and cognitive science, completing a Ph.D. at Indiana University in 1993.

The late Harold Stoner Clark endowed the free lecture series, requesting that presentations address his dual interests of science and philosophy. CLU’s Department of Philosophy sponsors the talks.

The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near the corner of Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. Additional parking is available in the lot at the corner of Olsen and Mountclef Boulevard.

For more information, visit http://www.callutheran.edu/hsc or call (805) 493-3232.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA – California Lutheran University’s Theatre Arts Department will present Anton Chekhov’s last and most famous comedy, “The Cherry Orchard,” in November.

Shows of the Fall Mainstage production will be at 8 p.m. Nov. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 in Preus-Brandt Forum. A 2 p.m. matinee will be presented on Nov. 14.

In “The Cherry Orchard,” the Russian playwright brings to life a quirky family caught in the social and economic changes of early 20th century Russia. Tears and laughter co-exist in the play, which is filled with vivid characters who yearn for and yet are unable to achieve happiness.

Directed by CLU theatre arts professor Michael J. Arndt, the production’s approach to this classic play is one of looking into the past as at an old photograph. The evocative and symbolic set designed by assistant professor Nate Sinnott and lighting designed by lecturer Amy Sinnott reflect the haze of time. Costume designer Val Miller, a new lecturer in the theatre arts department, has captured the look and feel of clothing of early 20th century Russia. Professional composer Chris Hoag provides a haunting score and sound design.

In his play, Chekhov comically portrays an aristocratic family whose wealth and power has slipped away. Their estate is about to be auctioned and their beloved cherry orchard about to fall to the ax. They muse about the past, regret their mistakes, and dance and play billiards as their world crumbles around them.

Arndt, artistic director of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, finds the richness of Chekhov’s characters equal that of the Bard’s in many ways. “The Cherry Orchard” is filled with memorable characters whose comic eccentricities make them richly human. A clerk named Yepikhodov, played by sophomore theatre arts major Tommy Schofield of Edmonds, Wash., stumbles and bumbles, sure that he is the most cursed man on earth. Charlotta the governess, portrayed by junior theatre arts major Storie Blake of Encino, complains about everyone as she entertains them with card tricks, magic and ventriloquism. Scholar Trofimov, played by sophomore multimedia major Jordan Skinner of Phoenix, pontificates about the coming societal changes but never really does anything. Estate owner Liubov Ranevskaya, played by junior theatre arts major Elyse Sinklier of Des Moines, Iowa, is unable to manage her money, giving away the little she still has.

The forum is located south of Olsen Road near Mountclef Boulevard.

General admission is $10, and free with CLU I.D. For information or tickets, call the Theatre Arts Department at (805) 493-3416.

Camarillo, CA. – CSU Channel Islands (CI) will be hosting the Grammy Award-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO) on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, in a free, open-air performance at CI’s Potrero Field. The concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. and conclude at 7 p.m.

NOJO is dedicated to creating and presenting authentic and dynamic jazz experiences for wide-ranging audiences. Irvin Mayfield, founder and artistic director of NOJO, is a Grammy award-nominated and Billboard award-winning trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger and recording artist. He created the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra in 2002 with the idea of preserving and evolving the cultural and historical legacy of New Orleans-based jazz. Since its founding the group has headlined most of America’s major performing arts venues and clubs including Lincoln Center in New York City.

The 16-piece band will be spending the day on campus, meeting with students and classes. The public is invited to bring a blanket, lawn chairs and share an evening with these incredible musicians and their music. Alcohol will not be permitted at this event. For additional information contact Merissa Stith at 805-437-8548 or merissa.stith@csuci.edu.

Limited parking is available on campus. A daily permit is $6. Free parking is available and recommended 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 campus. The fare is $1.00 each way and buses arrive and depart 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

IN THE CARDS, written and directed by Fillmore High School teacher, Josh Overton will be produced by Sespe Players over two weekends, October 15-24, in the Sespe Auditorium.

In The Cards is an old baseball card shop located next to a sandlot baseball field in New York, and the property is about to be sold. Where will the kids play baseball if the field disappears?

Mr. Lincoln has been operating In the Cards for many years. He has a grand daughter, and a quirky friend who runs the neighborhood hot dog cart, who will ultimately help him move on with his life if the property his business is located on is sold and turned into a strip mall. Mr. Lincoln is blind and has an uncanny sense of a person's attributes. You don't have to have good eyes to see the potential in people.

The cast includes Joel Torres as Mr. Lincoln, Chris Villegas as Kiki, Drew Ferguson as Jackson, Hannah Faith as Gabby, Ale Posada as Jenny, Ian Overton as Ty, Lynn Ferguson as Joy, Joe Woods as Laureen, Lisa Munoz as Gladys, Gabby Munoz as Karli and Maddy Munoz as Lisa.

Tickets are available from cast members and at the door: $15 for Adults, $12 for Seniors and $5 for Students.
Show times are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm.

Sespe Auditorium is located in the Fillmore School District Building 627 Sespe Avenue. For information, call 217-2402.

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THOUSAND OAKS, CA. – The Scandinavian Festival will provide affordable family fun when it returns to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks on April 16 and 17, 2011.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 16 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 17 with food, entertainment and demonstrations highlighting the Nordic cultures of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. A “Gammal Dans” (old-time dance) will be held 5 to 8 p.m. April 16 under a big tent.

The festival opens on April 16 with a colorful parade of flags featuring Scandinavian dignitaries and Old World costumes and continues with music, dancing and lectures.

The event offers something for everyone. Children will be given passports that they can have stamped at various craft booths representing the Scandinavian countries. Adults can try their hands at crafts such as Hardanger and bobbin lace.

Each afternoon, adults and children dance around a Maypole with music provided by Ross Sutter. A Scandinavian worship service will be held on April 17. Visitors can also explore Viking and Sami villages, and exhibits on the Nobel and Kavli prizes. Shoppers can choose from a variety of Scandinavian handicrafts and a smorgasbord of Nordic delicacies.

A Swedish-American professor and Norwegian-American administrator started the festival 37 years ago to showcase Scandinavian culture and the CLU campus. The university, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, was the dream of Scandinavian immigrants and it was built on land provided by the son of Norwegian pioneers. The cultural celebration has expanded from 600 participants at the inaugural event to more than 6,000 visitors a year today.

The festival is free to children 11 and younger. General admission is $7.

For more information, visit http://www.scandinaviancenter.org or e-mail Sandra Grunewald at sgrunewa@callutheran.edu.

Molly George, Ph.D., a visiting assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at CLU.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - California Lutheran University will host a panel discussion on immigration at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, in the Roth Nelson Room.

“The Facts and Fiction about Immigration: Are We Really a Melting Pot?” will explore the impact of immigration on various aspects of society with panelists providing insights into the sociological, public policy, public safety and ethical dimensions of the debate.

The panelists are the following: CLU religion professor Pamela Brubaker, Ph.D., Molly George, Ph.D., a visiting assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at CLU; Mary Schander, former commander of the Pasadena Police Department; and Patricia Villasenor, director of the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission.

Haco Hoang, Ph.D., associate political science professor and chair of the global studies department at CLU, will moderate.

CLU’s Center for Equality and Justice, Center for Leadership and Values, and College Republicans are sponsoring the free event.

For more information, contact Christopher Munch at (760) 267-3158 or cmunch@callutheran.edu.

Four local dance and musical groups will entertain at the 10th annual free Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) Community Celebration held by the Museum of Ventura County. The museum’s most popular event will be held in their new plaza and pavilion at 100 E. Main Street in Ventura, on Saturday, October 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The entire museum is free that day and open until 6 p.m.

The event performers will include Ballet Folklorico Mestizo, comprised of students and faculty from Oxnard College; Danza Azteca Mayahuel, a traditionally costumed Aztec dance group of adults and children based in Ojai; Grupo Foklorico Tecalitlan, featuring children performing traditional dances from Mexico; and musicians Mariachi Costa de Oro of Ventura. This will be the fifth year the community based Mariachi Costa de Oro has played at the Museum’s event.

Amid the music and dancing at the museum’s Day of the Dead Celebration, children and adults of all ages will transform into skeletons at the face painting booths, have their pictures taken, and try traditional crafts. Inside the galleries, the exhibition Altars & Art, created by local artists, schools, and community groups, will be on display to honor the departed.

The festival of Día de los Muertos honors the dead who are said to come back to walk among the living on November 1 and 2. Celebrated in many parts of Mexico and Latin America, Día de los Muertos is now popular in the United States among Latinos and non-Latinos alike.

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

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - The Reel Justice Film Series returns to California Lutheran University this fall with movies on Hurricane Katrina heroism and Japanese American soldiers of World War II.

“Trouble the Water” will be shown at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25. “442 – Live with Honor Die with Dignity” will screen at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16. Both events will take place in Lundring Events Center.

In “Trouble the Water,” filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal recount a surprising tale of heroism amid tragedy in New Orleans, where a wannabe rapper and her husband brave the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina to rescue their neighbors. It’s a redemptive tale of two self-described street hustlers who become heroes, two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning. Featuring live video diary footage from the couple, the documentary is both a poignant portrait of a family’s will to survive and a startling portrayal of Katrina’s devastating power. Nominated for an Academy Award for best feature documentary and winner of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and 2009 Gotham Independent Film Award, “Trouble the Water” takes the viewer inside Hurricane Katrina in a way never before seen on screen.

“442 - Live with Honor Die with Dignity" is the second installment of a Japanese American trilogy that began with “Toyo’s Camera: Japanese American History during WW2.” Soldiers of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, composed mainly of Japanese Americans, fought not only the enemy but also prejudice, facing severe racial discrimination in their homeland. However, the 442nd became one of the most decorated regiments for its size and length of service in the history of the United States military.

The 442nd was in an ironic predicament, fighting for a country that had branded them as enemies. But these young men volunteered to fight and prove their loyalty as patriotic Americans. In the portrayal of the soldiers’ agonizing battles, the film addresses the meaning of being Japanese and loving one’s country. Junichi Suzuki directed the film and Grammy and Golden Globe winner Kitaro composed the music score.

CLU’s Center for Equality and Justice is sponsoring the free showings.

Lundring Events Center is located in Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, which is on the north side of Olsen Road near Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks.

For more information, call Greg Freeland at (805) 493-3477.