Four fall exhibitions, alternately exploring a century of death, supernatural mysteries, gloomy ideas, dark humor, and 1880s photographic techniques, open Saturday, October 1, at the Museum of Ventura County. The Party to Die For reception with food and music is on Friday, September 30 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. Admission is $5 for the general public and free for museum members.

Departures: A Century of Death & Dying In Ventura County (October 1 –November 27) examines the culture and rituals of death and dying, from the turn of the century through contemporary times. The exhibit traces how we have memorialized and cared for the departed and how our private and public rituals have evolved. Including Victorian mourning clothes and jewelry, historical photographs and funeral home artifacts, the exhibit progresses into the modern day death care industry and today’s culture of personalized funerals with artistic urns and personal videography.

In the Light of Blue: New Works by Luther Gerlach (October 1- November 27) features photographs taken with small to mammoth glass plate cameras, using the wet plate collodion process. Gerlach specializes in creating contemporary, handmade images with cameras and processes originally used during the first fifty years of photography. He will give a demonstration of his work and a historic and technical overview of early photographic processes, on Sunday, October 16, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the museum. Admission is $10 for the general public and $5 for museum members. For reservations call 805-653-0323 x 7.

Ventura County Myths and Urban Legends (October 1-November 27) comes just in time for Halloween, with our favorite frightening tales of unexplained and mysterious events recreated by local artists. Visitors can read the scary stories, see the art, and write about their own supernatural experiences at various stations throughout the gallery. Artists interpreting the myths and legends include Len Burge, Richard Flores, Maribel Hernandez, Claudia Pardo, Amadeo Perez, Susan Seaberry, Andrea Vargas, and Kay Zetlmaier.

On the Dark Side (October 1 – November 20) also opens at an appropriate time of year, featuring artists who find inspiration in gloomy places and somber ideas, or who glean meaning, beauty and humor from decay, chaos and trash. The group exhibition includes paintings by Briana Bainbridge and Anna Karakalou; sculpture by Theodore Gall; assemblages by Marcelino Jimenez, Leslie McQuaide and Sean Tully; and mixed media surfboards by Aris Mikelatos and Timothy Williams.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.