The three judges of the Art About Agriculture exhibit at the Santa Paula Art Museum have made their decision. The judges awarded 5 prizes of merit of $100 each. The winning artists are: Betsy Bland for “Springtime in Santa Paula”, Sunni Gibbons for “Los Amigos”, Gail Faulkner for “Springs of Avocado”, Lois Freeman-Fox for “Sespe River Overlook” and Chris Provenzano for her sculpture titled “Trabajador No. 1, Manuel Diaz”. The judges were Silvia Huerta, John Krist and Meg Phelps.

Limoneira Ranch, Randy and Joanna Axell and the Law Offices of Ben Schuck were the generous donors of the prize money.

“Art About Agriculture” is an agricultural themed art exhibit which runs through February 26, 2012 at the Santa Paula Art Museum, 117 N. 10th Street in historic downtown Santa Paula. The purpose of the exhibit is to promote Art About Agriculture by exploring all the facets of agriculture from workers to water, from machinery to soil and to the food that goes on our plates.

Art About Agriculture features art by over 40 artists working in both two and three dimensional media who create art that in some way draws its inspiration from our agricultural heritage and/or contemporary agriculture. That inspiration includes, but is not limited to, depictions of rural landscape, farm animals, farm products, rural life, and art that in a more abstract way deals with issues and ideas related to agriculture.

The Ag Art Alliance was formed in 2007 by Gail Pidduck and John Nichols to promote a greater appreciation of the place of agriculture in our lives by revealing the many facets of agriculture through the eyes of artists.

The Santa Paula Art Museum is the repository and exhibition hall for the Santa Paula Art Collection. The valuable assemblage represents the accumulation of award winning entries in the Santa Paula Art Show which began in 1937. Also featured at the Art Museum are rotating exhibits of contemporary and local artists. The Museum is open Wednesday-Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Admission: Adults $4, Seniors $3 and members and students are free.