Arts briefs
The three R’s and two goodbyes
By Michel Cicero 01/21/2010
Focus on the Masters (FOTM) revealed the 12 artists chosen for 2010 to be publicly interviewed and documented as part of its ongoing mission to create a comprehensive record of important artists in Ventura County. The list includes Ojai sculptor, musician, therapist and writer Richard Matzkin; photographer, gallery owner, curator, collector and writer John Nichols; and painter/encaustic artist Sylvia Torres among many other esteemed local artists. FOTM has also joined forces with the Ventura County Arts Council to provide a scholarship fund and exhibition opportunities for high school students planning to pursue higher education in visual art. The Tamima Al-Awar Memorial Scholarship, which was established by art patron Paula Spellman, will provide $5,300 in funds to qualifying students. The deadline for applications is Feb. 19. Applications can be downloaded at www.FocusOnTheMasters.com or www.VenturaCountyArtsCouncil.org.
Randall and Ellen Richman announced that they will be auctioning their 84-piece collection of beloved Ojai ceramist Beatrice Wood pottery, tiles and drawings on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 9 a.m. Also being auctioned are never-published photographs from the George Barris personal collection, miscellaneous modern art and entertainment memorabilia.
The auction will be held at 8597 N. Ventura Ave. in Casitas Springs. A preview will be held there on Saturday, Jan. 30, from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 649-2686.
The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy was chosen to host the 2010 National Tour of the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. In an effort to increase membership in the conservancy, a slate of informative and inspirational films, meant to motivate people to make a difference locally and globally, will be screened at the Poinsettia Pavilion on Friday and Saturday, March 12-13, from 7 to 10 p.m. “Film is a great way to introduce the community to the kind of work we are doing to preserve important landscapes in the Ventura region, and connect that work to a global movement,” said Gary Bednorz, president of the conservancy’s board of trustees. For more information on the convservancy and the film festival, visit www.venturahillsides.org or call 643-8044.
Jackson Wheeler’s monthly Arcade Poetry Series is back at the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard with an exciting lineup of talented poets scheduled to read, including Gail Wronsky and Alicia Partnoy on Feb. 20. After readings, guests are invited to mingle and enjoy refreshments in the lower gallery classroom.
The long-awaited Santa Paula Art Museum will celebrate its grand opening on Feb. 14. On permanent display will be the Santa Paula Collection — works gathered over a long period of time by the library and other venues, some of which haven’t been seen in a long while. The gallery is located in the historic Limoneira building in downtown Oxnard.
The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture is returning to Ventura with a variety of events to get people reading and dialoguing. This year’s featured book is the American classic To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Events will include film screenings, spoken word performances, bird watching, a mock trial, a one-act play and book discussions in libraries countywide. For more information, become a fan of the Ventura Big Read on Facebook.
Yet another fundraising calendar for arts and culture is available for purchase. Proceeds from sales of the Ventura County 2010 (R)Evolution Calendar, a commemoration of the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the evolution of the warrior from then to the “guerrilleros” of our community today, will benefit various local organizations, including the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center in Oxnard, The United Farm Workers Union, La Colonia Youth Boxing Club and De Colores Arts Festival. They are available at Digital Edge Photo in Santa Paula.
Ventura County recently lost two beloved and gifted artists: former VCReporter art director and digital and plein aire artist Donald Cecil, and abstract expressionist painter, printmaker and photographer Alberta Fins. They will be dearly missed.
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