Virginia Valle wearing Greer dress circa 1930.
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Howard Greer, Hollywood Costume Designer.
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Learn about “Designer to the Stars” Howard Greer, one of Hollywood’s earliest celebrity designers, when costume historian Shelly Foote gives a presentation of his life and work on Sunday, August 29, 3:00 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County. Admission is $5 general public, free for museum members. For reservations, call 805-653-0323 x 315.

Foote, a nationally recognized expert and lecturer on costume history, became interested in Greer during her career at the Smithsonian, and is writing a book about him. She notes that Greer’s story links the early days of Hollywood movies and California’s fashion industry. During his days with the studios, Greer hired the legendary designer Edith Head, and his gowns graced actresses such as Katherine Hepburn and Irene Dunne in movies made from the 1920s into the 1950s. His couture studio catered to actresses as well as to the public; one of his opera coats, presently on exhibit in the museum galleries, was owned by the late Elizabeth Blanchard of Santa Paula.

Foote’s 30-year career with The National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, included supervision and development of their 1700-1920 Costume Collection; as Assistant Chair of Social History, she was responsibility for collections including more than 250,000 objects. A Ventura native, Foote volunteers her extensive skills in the Museum of Ventura County’s collections area, and is chair of their Accessions Committee. She is presently the president elect of the Western Region of the Costume Society of America.

The Museum of Ventura County
100 East Main St., Ventura CA 93001
www.venturamuseum.org
Museum Hours: Tues through Sun 11 – 6
Admission: $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17,
Children under 6 & Members free
(805) 653-0323

After putting up the Guild’s paintings: (front row) Karen Browdy, Virginia Neuman and (back row) Luanne Perez, Judy Dressler, and Jan Faulkner.
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Members of the Artists Guild of Fillmore gathered to mount a new small show of their artwork at the Fillmore Public Library, Second Street and Central Avenue.

The Guild meets once or twice a month at the various artists’ studios to pass along information, encourage each other in their work, and to plan for future events where their art can be made available.

All of the members are showing their work in various other places and galleries throughout Ventura County. They are particularly pleased to be able to do so here in Fillmore and thank the people of the Fillmore Library.

California State Old Time Fiddlers' Association, District 8, meet Sunday, August 8, 1:30 - 4:30 at Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Western, Country & Bluegrass music for listening or dancing. No admission charge. Free parking. Refreshments available. Info: 640-3689, 517-1131 or check our website at www.calfiddlers.com.

The Ojai Valley Museum’s annual juried art show, OJAI CELEBRATES ART III, is open to artists 18 years of age and older working in any gallery media. The theme is open this year, so enter your best work!

Selection for inclusion in the show will be made from prints, slides or CD’s mailed to the museum by September 7, 2010.

Cash awards will be given for first, second, and third place winners in the amounts of $300, $200 and $100. An awards ceremony will take place on October 16 (Ojai Day), from 4 to 5 p.m.

The exhibit will run from October 7 to December 31, 2010.

For questions and additional information call (805) 649-1390 or contact ojaimuseum@sbcglobal.net. Submission instructions and entry form are at http://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org/

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Island Fox
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Sixty miles off Point Mugu lies San Nicolas Island, the most remote of the Channel Islands, and a unique haven for threatened, endangered and protected species. Join marine biologist John Ugoretz on Saturday, August 21, at 2:00 p.m., for a presentation at the Museum of Ventura County on the state of current wildlife on San Nicolas. It is the same island upon which the legendary Lone Woman was stranded for 18 years, about whom the museum is also presenting an exhibition running through October 17.

The presentation at the Museum of Ventura County’s new Pavilion is $5 for the general public and free for museum members. For reservations, call 805-653-0323,x 315. The Museum is located at 100 East Main Street in Ventura. Go to www.venturamuseum.org for more information.

Today on San Nicolas Island, marine mammals outnumber humans a thousand to one. Around 25,000 California sea lions are born there each year, which amounts to 60% of all sea lion pups born in California. The island’s breeding population of northern elephant seals accounts for about 30% of their overall population in California waters. Remarkably, the only terrestrial mammals are the Island Fox and Island Deer Mouse, as San Nicolas has remained relatively free of non-native species commonly found on other islands.

Ugoretz is responsible for oversight of marine mammal monitoring and marine ecosystem management at San Nicolas Island for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Point Mugu Sea Range. He supports and coordinates a variety of intertidal and marine research conducted on the island and surrounding waters. Ugoretz has 17 years of experience working on California marine policy and fisheries management. A scuba diver and sailor, he and sailing partner Ray Huff won their class twice in the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race, most recently in 2010.

Local artists creating a mural in the Ventura Harbor Village in 2009.
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Thursday August 19 from 5 – 8pm the Ventura Harbor Village will be celebrating many local artists who exhibit, sell and create in the Ventura Harbor area. Two of the oldest and most well known arts organizations have locations in the Ventura Harbor Village. The Buenaventura Art Association (BAA) is a co-op organization of visual artists dedicated to exhibiting and selling local art work since 1954. The Ventura County Potters Guild, formed in 1957, promotes the art and craft of ceramics and provides a forum for local potters to share their experiences and knowledge of clay.

Combined, these two groups bring over 100 years of celebrating the arts in the region and both can be found at the Ventura Harbor Village. The BAA has operated an art space for just over 4 years at the north end of the Village next to the Big Lawn. The Harbor Village Gallery and Artisan Store rotates group shows featuring some of their 200 members, solo artist’s exhibits as well as a museum style gift shop which proves to be successful with its affordable one of a kind locally made crafts, cards, prints and jewelry. In building 1567 in Suite 105, near the Village’s Carousel, the Potters’ Guild is currently exhibiting the works of 14 of their150 members and are showcasing varied styles of firing methods of potter and ceramic sculpture. The Potters’ Guild will give demonstrations at their temporary new store front and are excited to be a part of the attractions and shopping destinations the Ventura Harbor Village offers it’s visitors.

The Village offers more local artists around every corner. Newly opened Cory Tile Art, offers ready made photographic tiles for sale as well as custom pieces with a picture of you in your favorite harbor scene. The Davey Miller Gallery features Miller’s large scale hyper-realism and abstract paintings as well as a handful of local artist works. At The Mail Buoy and Coffee Shop you’ll find seaglass creations and paintings by DeFussi, light hearted ceramics by Candy, art cards by Rich Wilborn and even a Michellino mosaic. Michellino’s public mosaics are found through out the Village from her residency in the village.

Meet the artists, check out the art work and try to catch a few creations in the making at each of these participating locations who will be open until 8pm in the Ventura Harbor Village for Art Night in the Harbor.
For more information, call the Buenaventura Art Association at 805-644-2750 or 648-1235. or visit us on line at www.buenaventuragallery.org

Origins: Rugs in Inspirational Places is an exhibit of hand woven wool rugs by Regina Vorgang with photographs by W. Scott Miles at the Buenaventura Gallery. Exhibit begins Tuesday, August 17 to Saturday, September 11, 2010. Opening reception is on Saturday, August 21, from 4 – 7 pm. Meet the artist on Friday September 3 for First Fridays Ventura from 5 – 8pm.

Vorgang’s creations bring a new meaning to the phrase “consider the source”. Many of us have learned to pay attention to the country our clothes were made in or the state our vegetables originated. Have you ever thought about where the fibers in your rug come from? Chances are there is a story to tell. If you’re Vorgang, then you’ve not only met the sheep, but you’ve helped sheer and card the wool used to create these utilitarian masterpieces she wants us to walk all over.

“There are people out there who don’t even know there really are black sheep!” exclaims the artist. The black untreated wool, as well as the variety of browns, grays, whites and every natural hue in between, have traveled from the farm only 20 minutes away to the loom in Vorgang’s studio at the Bell Arts factory in Ventura’s Westside…and, yes, the color of a majority of the wools used in Vorgang’s creations reflect the color of the sheep it came from.

Origins celebrates the materials used as well as their inspirational subject matter. Accompanying photographs include the woven rugs as a compositional element in their place of inspiration. This collaborative show provides insight into the creative process of a husband and wife, who celebrate their innovative expression in different media.

Although not every rug in this exhibit can claim origins from the same county it was woven in, each piece was consciously created with the skills and knowledge that is reemerging into our main stream consumerism. The awareness of where our food or art comes from is as important as how good it looks.

Vorgang is a member of Designing Weavers, a Los Angeles based juried fiber artists guild and shows her work at her studio, gallery exhibitions, and juried art and craft shows such as the American Craft Council, Contemporary Crafts Market, and the Southwest Arts Festival. Miles is a professional photographer and member of the faculty at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.

The Buenaventura Gallery is located at 700 E. Santa Clara St, Ventura, CA 93001. Hours are Tues thru Friday from 12 – 5 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. For questions or an appointment during other hours, please call (805)648-1235 or visit www.buenaventuragallery.org.

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There is still time to feel the heat generated at the Ojai Center for the Arts annual show, “Hot Summer Days, Hot Summer Nights.” Running through August 4, it features over 40 works in a variety of media that are sure to give you a hot flash.

The work varies from Soni Wright’s oil abstraction “Alpha II,” which won this year’s first place for “hottest,” to Mary Cogswell’s heat escape, portrayed in her “Pond of Tranquilty.” Ojai Studio Artist Sylvia Raz had her usual fun with her “Ode to Leger,” a take-off on the famous French painter depicting swim-suited-beauties in triplicate.

Don’t miss the showcases this month either, which hold a visual feast of color and whimsy with Shelby Harbison’s canvases, and the beautifully crafted complex computer images of Mary Ogle.

Whatever you do, make time to bask in the glow of this hot, hotter, hottest show. The Center is located at 113 S. Montgomery St, Ojai and is open Tues-Sun. 12-4:00 p.m. For more information call 646-0117 or go online at ojaiartcenter.org

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The Santa Paula Theater Center Concert Series Presents “Turn Back the Pages” by the Restless Hillfillies Saturday, August 7. Door opens at 7:00PM Performance starts at 7:30PM, The Santa Paula Theater, 125 South 7th Street.

Take a step back in time... when Ventura County was indeed the Wild West! “Turn Back the Pages” is an historical project of story gathering throughout the County. Crusty characters, famous events and places have been etched into time through songs about your own backyard: St. Francis Dam Disaster, early oil exploration, the story of Ramona and more. Many musicians throughout Ventura County have been involved in the melodies of these songs. The end results of this project will be archived through the Museum of Ventura County. This project was a best bet in The Star with an art show where artists submitted their work to depict the songs. Some of these pieces will be on display at this show.

Americana musicians, The Restless Hillfillies, will perform many of these songs and tell a tale. Are you asking “What's a Hillfilly?” Mountain girls (Mary Z. Wilson, Karen Orser and Rosie Tower) who like old-time music, resist to assimilation into the dominant culture and like to horse around. They are moonlighters rather than moonshiners all working for educational organizations but keeping alive their passion for music. They all hail from Ojai Valley in California, the Valley of the Moon. They will be joined by instrumentalists Dan Wilson and Barney Tower.

Come join us, it will be a night to remember at the Santa Paula Theater, 125 South 7th Street and Main, Santa Paula. Sat. August 7, 7:00PM, Tickets $15.00. Seating is limited and advanced reservations are suggested at our website www.santapaulatheatercenter.org or call 805-525-4645

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Four Ojai artists will be featured at the Ojai Center for the Arts during the dog days of summer. The show, featuring the art of Kerry Crank, Dennis Wood, Sandy Wolk and Larry Carnes, begins Aug. 6 and runs through Sept. 1st.

According to Wood, his and Crank’s oil paintings “will line the gallery walls with landscapes, city scenes, and some of their life impressions.”

Carnes, an Ojai Studio Artist and colleague of Otto Heino, will feature his own impressions in his earthy yet whimsical, sometimes haunting, pottery and sculptures.

Wolk, a new Ojai Studio Artist, will bring her own playful earth-based spirit and unique sculptures, expressing the feminine soul in clay.

The Art Center invites you to view this summer treat Aug.6-Sept.1, with an opening reception with refreshments, and music provided by local musician Sus Corez, playing her soulful acoustic guitar with folk and jazz vocals.
The Art Center is located at 113 S. Montgomery St, Ojai, and is open Tues-Sun. 12-4:00 p.m. For more information call 646-0117 or go online at ojaiartcenter.org

Kids from the Sespe Players Inc. Musical Theater Camp will perform in "THE WIZ" Sat. Aug. 7th, 2 pm, one performance only, at the Sespe School Auditorium, 627 Sespe Avenue in Fillmore.

This fun-filled hour will feature children from Fillmore, Santa Paula and Piru singing and dancing to this wonderful upbeat musical rendition of "The Wizard of Oz". No advance ticket sales or reservations. Admission is by donation only.

For more information on this show or future Sespe Players Inc. Children's Workshop Musicals, please contact Priscilla Rzezuski at (805) 524-0553.

It's that time again. Old Time Fiddlers, District 8, meet Sunday, July 25, 1:30 - 4:30 at Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Country, Western, bluegrass music for listening or dancing. Free admission & parking. Refreshments available. Info: 640-3689, 517-1131 or www.calfiddlers.com.

Mary-Jo Murphy’s collection of original works “Whimsical Wags… Where Art Meets Bark” will be exhibiting at the Harbor Village Gallery from Wednesday, August 11 to Sunday, September 5, 2010. A “pet-friendly” Artist Reception will be held on Friday, August 13, 2010 from 5 – 8pm.

Mary-Jo Murphy’s work is simply fun and catchy, bringing smiles and laughter to animal and art admirers. Her subjects are “man’s best friends” including; dogs, cats and other animals rendered in a range of colors, full of energy and love. Her work expresses the bond between beloved pets and humans. Looking into the eyes of our pets we feel their compassion and joy. Murphy states, “Their wisdom remains unspoken but not un-communicated.” Reminiscent of pop art with an iconic appeal, Murphy’s work is composed with fun, solid-color backgrounds and close-ups of the beloved animal’s smiling face. Think Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe, but with funky animals as the star of the show! This exhibit joyfully presents Murphy’s bold work in acrylics, watercolors, and digital ink-resist.

Murphy’s passion and talent in the arts has been evident from a young age. When she was twelve she won ribbons for her work at the County Fair in Connecticut. During her mid-twenties she took painting, illustrating, and printmaking classes at The Academy of Art in San Francisco, but her artists’ soul gave way to a practical reality that guided her towards the medical field. Currently, Murphy is a Health and Diabetes Educator, a Registered Nurse, a Motivational Speaker, an Artist, and a writer and editor for the Ojai and Ventura View, among many other titles. One of her hot items right now is her personalized pet portraits through the Harbor Village Gallery. Prices range from $250 and up, in various sizes, and finely executed in watercolors, acrylics or digital ink resist.

Her work has been exhibited throughout several galleries in California including the Artist’s Union Gallery, the Buenaventura Gallery, Harbor Village Gallery, the Thousand Oaks Art Association Gallery, and the Topanga Canyon Gallery. She exhibited in the 2009 Art Bark Fest in Squaw Valley. Some of her awards include Best in Show for Painting with the Alta Bates Foundation in Berkeley. She has been a member of the Buenaventura Art Association since 2008.

Murphy’s work is beautiful and full of glee. Come and fulfill your need for art and laughter with her funky paintings of animals.

This is Murphy’s first solo exhibit with the Buenaventura Art Association.

The Harbor Village Gallery is located at 1591 Spinnaker Dr., entrance # 3 in the Ventura Harbor Village, next to the big lawn. Open Monday through Thursday (closed on Tuesdays) from 12 to 5 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11a.m. to 6p.m. For more information, call the gallery at 805-644-2750 or visit www.harborvillagegallery.com or www.buenaventuragallery.org

VENTURA, Calif.-Turning Point Foundation is looking for sponsors, volunteers and people or organizations interested in building a kinetic vehicle to take part in the 13th annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. The events will be held October 23rd at the Ventura Harbor.

"The Kinetic Sculpture Race in Ventura is the only Kinetic Race held in Southern California. In 1969, Hobart Brown started the Kinetic Sculpture Race, almost by accident when he modified his son's tricycle to a five-wheeled, decorated "Pentacycle" and another local artist and gallery owner, Jack Mays, challenged him to a race down Main Street on Mother's Day. Race day came and so did ten other challengers. Neither Hobart nor Jack won the race, that honor went to Bob Brown (no relation) piloting his Kinetic Turtle.

Meanwhile, Hobart continued to sculpt and start other races. About ten Kinetic Races occur every year, from Baltimore to Western Australia, the spirit of "Adults having fun so children want to get older" infects individuals everywhere it lands. Hobart passed away in 2008.

Entry fee for the Adventure Race is $35 p/p for a 4 person team ($140) in advance and registration is available by calling Jane Lax at 805-652-0000 ext. 102.

Sponsorship packages are available, ranging from $125-$10,000. For information on how you can get involved please contact Jane Lax at 805-652-0596, ext. 11 or email jlax@turningpointfoundation.org.

www.turningpointfoundation.org.

Story by Writer/Contributor: Michele Pracy, Ojai Valley Museum Director

The fifty-one Libbey Glass bowls embellished by Ojai artists glittered on long tables under ancient oaks at a private home in Ojai on the afternoon of June 27. After months of planning, the Ojai Valley Museum’s fundraiser to benefit their sister non-profit, the Libbey Bowl amphitheatre re-build, was about to begin. Between 3 and 5 p.m., 200 invited guests arrived at the auction site to view and bid on the artful bowls in support of two of Ojai’s favorite cultural venues: the Ojai Valley Museum and the Libbey Bowl.

Larry Hagman was Master of Ceremonies; the hosts provided beautifully catered food and drink; the stunning glass bowls attracted healthy bids along the line of tables. By 5 p.m. the auction was complete, bowls were wrapped for transport and the new collectors homeward bound with their Ojai-specific, one-of-a-kind, works of art.

All in all, the auction was highly successful. The Ojai Valley Museum will donate one half of the profits to the “Save the Libbey Bowl Campaign”. The remaining funds will be used by the Museum for its future exhibits and programs.

Fundraising efforts continue because of the Bowl Auction Project. Libbey Inc. is collaborating with the Ojai Valley Museum, spearheading a giving campaign at their corporate headquarters in Toledo, Ohio throughout July 2010. The resulting monetary gifts received from Libbey Inc. will once again be divided equally, by the Ojai Valley Museum with the Libbey Bowl re-build project.

Want a fun filled afternoon-join the Old Time Fiddlers, District 8, Sunday, July 11 from 1:30 - 4:30 at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Country, Western, Bluegrass music for listening or dancing. No admission charge. Free parking. Refreshments available. Info: 640-3689, 517-1131 or www.calfiddlers.com.

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – July 7, 2010) The 14th Annual Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival will present “The Winter’s Tale” for the first time to conclude its 2010 summer season at California Lutheran University.

Performances are slated at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from July 23 through Aug. 8 in scenic Kingsmen Park.

“The Winter’s Tale” is a dream-like story that explores the themes of jealousy, love, honor and rebirth. Convinced that his pregnant wife has been unfaithful to him with his childhood friend, King Leontes of Sicilia orders that his friend be killed and his wife imprisoned. Time brings reflection and repentance. The story is tragic and comic, solemn and irreverent.

Director Susan Angelo is the education director and a resident artist at The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. She is returning to the Kingsmen festival after directing “Twelfth Night” in 2003. She conducts Shakespeare workshops at many high schools and colleges including CLU, New York University and University of California, Los Angeles.

Richard Baird, who played the title role in last year’s production of “Macbeth,” is Leontes. Veteran stage actress Aaryon Kopp is making her debut appearance with the festival as Leontes’ wife, Hermione. Travis Brazil, who began his career with The Royal Shakespeare Company and has performed on many European and American stages, returns to the festival after two years to portray Leontes’ friend, Polixenes, the King of Bohemia.

The festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking. Pre-show entertainment featuring Renaissance music, comic Shakespearean improvisations and wandering performers begins at 6:45 p.m.

Tickets are $15 and free for those under 18. Reserved lawn box seating is $60 to $75. Parking is available at the corner of Mountclef Boulevard and Olsen Road.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is the professional theatre company of CLU. In addition to producing one of the area’s most popular outdoor theatrical events, it provides apprentice programs, an educational tour program and summer theater camps for youth.

For more information, visit http://www.kingsmenshakespeare.org or call (805) 493-3455.

Rancho Camulos Museum has again been selected to sell advance tickets for the Citrus Classic Balloon Festival which will take place July 30 and 31, 2010 in Santa Paula. You save money and support Rancho Camulos if you purchase admissions through us. Advance Tickets are $7 per adult ($10 at gate), $3 per youth ages 5 to 14 ($5 at gate), kids under 5 are free. You may purchase tickets at Rancho Camulos Museum during our regular tour hours, 1-4, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, or at the Rancho Camulos produce stand daily from 7:30am - 7:00 pm.

You may also order tickets at info@ranchocamulos.org or 805-521-1501. You may also make arrangements to have your prepaid tickets mailed (allow 2 weeks) or held for you at the festival "will call". Talk this up with your friends and family. Consolidated orders are appreciated.

Ojai Valley Museum is to add flair to this year’s Independence Day celebration with an Italian Street Painting demonstration in the front courtyard of the museum. John Aaron, with the assistance of fellow artists, will draw the logo for next year’s 1st annual 4th of July Chalk Art Festival. This Aaron designed museum event logo will be scaled to an 8-foot chalk portrait that pays tribute to Michelangelo and Ojai’s amazing citrus. Aaron is the Artistic Director for the demonstration and next year’s Chalk Art Festival. Additionally, he is the founder of the global art project, CHALK4PEACE, a longtime artist, educator, events coordinator and graduate of Thacher School.

The chalk artists can be viewed from 8 A.M. – 5 P.M. Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 in the front courtyard of the Ojai Valley Museum at Blanche Street and Ojai Avenue. The public is encouraged to stop by this free demonstration.

For more information call the museum at (805) 640- 1390 or visit the museum website at: http://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org

Over the July 4th holiday weekend, the Museum of Ventura County marks the completion of phase one of their construction as they return to their permanent location at 100 East Main Street in Ventura, with free admission Saturday, July 3 and Sunday, July 4, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. On July 4, in the museum’s new front plaza, Sueños Cubanos AfroCuban Folkloric will entertain from 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and Danza Azteca Mayahuel traditional dancers from Ojai will perform from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Visitors will also see four new exhibits. The Museum is closed on Monday, July 5.

The museum’s 89 South California Street location in Ventura, which they occupied temporarily during construction, closed June 21.

Beginning July 6, admission to Museum of Ventura County is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17. MVC members and children under 6 are free. Located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura, the museum is open 11:00 a.m.- 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed most Mondays. For more information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.