Camarillo, CA - CSU Channel Islands (CI) invites the public to sample the compelling work and presentations of its faculty in a free lecture series at libraries in Ventura, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. The lecture series offers community members the opportunity to hear from some of CI’s most dynamic speakers and experts; engage in discussions on a variety of timely, thought-provoking topics; and be a CI student for an evening in the free, convenient setting of their local library.

Below are listings of scheduled speakers and topics for each of the three libraries.

Thousand Oaks – Grant R. Brimhall Library, 1401 E. Janss Rd.

Stem Cells – Boon or Bane?
Wednesday, Sept. 4, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Join Dr. Nitika Parmar, Associate Professor of Biology, as she discusses the medical applications, advantages, disadvantages and controversies surrounding stem cells.

Business Success in China – Understanding Business Culture
Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Dr. Priscilla Laing, Associate Professor of Finance, will explore the influences, challenges and rewards of China’s unique business culture and offer perspectives on how global corporations can better grasp Chinese culture in order to succeed.
Climate Change in the 21st Century
Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Join Dr. Simone Aloisio, Professor of Chemistry, as he discusses climate change, the most important environmental issue of our time. Aloisio will cover the scientific basis for climate change, including the most recent findings on its causes and effects, as well as its impacts, adaptations and mitigation.

Paradoxes and Shocking Outcomes in Math: Do You Still Believe in Math?
Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Dr. Jorge Garcia, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, exposes logical arguments behind math paradoxes in a stimulating, philosophical discussion. Why can a turtle win the race over champion Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt? Is infinity the end of everything? Why can't the set of all sets exist? Why can a sphere be cut and be reconstructed to make two spheres of the same size? If an infinite hotel is full, why can we still accommodate an extra guest?

Ventura – E.P. Foster Library, 651 East Main Street

The Human Prehistory of the Channel Islands and Coastal California: A 10,000 Year Retrospective
Saturday, Sept. 14, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Drawing from 20 years of research experience, Anthropology Professors Jennifer Perry and Colleen Delaney will present an overview of the prehistory of coastal Ventura County and the Channel Islands from an archaeological perspective. Learn why this region is so unique and the importance of the islands to people today.

The Era of the Celebrity CEO is Over
Saturday, Oct. 12, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Recent data indicates that consistently “great” companies were not led by charismatic or transformational leaders but rather by leaders who possessed a blend of humility and strong personal will. Join Dr. Andrew Morris, Professor in CI’s Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics, as he examines our fascination with leaders, possible predictors of humility, and ways in which we can develop greater humility and enhance our leadership abilities.

Stories Behind the Stories: English Faculty Reading and Discussion
Saturday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m.
Published authors and CI English Professors Brad Monsma, Bob Mayberry, Mary Adler, Sean Carswell and Sofia Samatar will read excerpts of their fiction, nonfiction or poetry and discuss the stories behind them, including experiences with multiple drafts, writing groups, writing stamina, and revisions. Community members are invited to add their perspectives during a brief Q&A session that follows.

Simi Valley Public Library – 2969 Tapo Canyon

Australian Actors and Hollywood Stars
Friday, Sept. 27, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Australian actors have been Hollywood stars since the 1930s. They continue to play leading roles and win awards. Why are they so successful? Is it their training, their Aussie optimism, or their work ethic? Dr. Luda Popenhagen, Professor of Performing Arts, will discuss the ongoing success of Australian actors in the U.S. movie industry.

Humpback Whales: Gentle Giants of the North Pacific
Friday, Oct. 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Join Dr. Rachel Cartwright, Lecturer in Biology, for a glimpse inside the underwater world of humpback whales. Her presentation will include details of her research on humpback whales, underwater video, recordings of whalesong, and fascinating tales of a life spent working with whales.

Lessons from Finland
Friday, Nov. 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Finnish schools perform at the top in international tests. What makes them outperform other countries? Dr. Tiina Itkonen, Associate Professor of Education, looks at the structure of schooling, teacher training, and philosophy of education in Finland.

All lectures are free and open to the public, with complimentary parking. Visit websites for the Ventura Library at http://www.vencolibrary.org/locations/epfoster, the Thousand Oaks Library at www.toaks.org/library, or the Simi Valley Library at www.simivalleylibrary.org/home/.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

Camarillo, CA - The Art Program at CSU Channel Islands (CI) is pleased to present “Visions of Past and Present,” an exhibition of paintings by CI alumni painters. The exhibition kicks off with an opening reception on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m., and runs through Friday, Sept. 27, in the Art Gallery at Napa Hall.

“Visions of Past and Present” spans 11 years of selected student paintings and investigates the evolution of the artists’ development since their respective graduations. Curated by Jack Reilly, Professor of Art, the exhibition showcases diverse painting styles ranging from hyper-realism to non-objective abstraction, as well as the uniquely creative styles of each participating artist and the range of painting techniques taught at CI.

“Throughout the past 11 years at CI, I have had the opportunity to work with so many amazingly talented artists,” Reilly said. “It’s really exciting to see how these painters have evolved into artists working in the real world since their graduation from CI.”

The artists featured in the exhibition are Kate Barnholtz, Dianne Bennett, Christine Brand, Josh Bricker, Christine Berne, Nick Capaldi, Susan Cook, Erika Craig, Nela Dunaway, Meghan Frontino, Leah Hsieh, Diana Reyes, David Shonhoff, and Cathy Warburton.

The Art Gallery at Napa Hall, the University’s premier art exhibition venue, is located on Ventura Street on the CI campus. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, contact the CI Art Program at 805-437-2772 or art@csuci.edu

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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - An exhibit of works by California Lutheran University’s art faculty is kicking off the fall season at the Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture.

Watercolor and oil paintings, drawings, dioramas, photographs and prints are on display through Oct. 4. A reception will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12.

There are eight featured artists. Michael Lynn Adams, a contemporary realist painter from Woodland Hills, was nominated in 2012 by art magazine editors to participate in the prestigious “Artists for the New Century” exhibition in Vermont.

Barry Burns of Westlake Village is passionate about painting and sculpture, specializes in medical illustrations and photo animation, and creates dioramas, large non-objective abstracts and highly detailed photo-real paintings.

Kristi Colell, a printmaker from Camarillo, has taught in Florence, Italy, and traveled throughout the United States, China and Europe seeking new vistas and panoramas.

Janet Neuwalder, a sculptor and installation artist from Ventura, specializes in clay and ceramic processes. Her wall installations are often assembled from hundreds of fragments that seem to float on the wall.

Michael Pearce, curator of the gallery, is an oil painter and installation designer from Thousand Oaks whose works are in many collections including those of Andrew Getty, Snoop Dogg and The Casey Werner Company.

Tony Pro of Thousand Oaks works almost exclusively in oils and specializes in portraits, landscapes and still lifes, using as much natural light as possible rather than copying from photos.

Terry Spehar-Fahey, a watercolor painter from Moorpark, teaches drawing, watercolor and a course titled Art and Psychology. She seeks to inspire her students with the joy of making art that reflects their unique selves.

Brian Stethem, a fine art photographer from Fillmore, has traveled throughout the world documenting diverse places through the lens of his camera. For this show, however, he is featuring a series of photographs of the areas burned in the Springs Fire.

CLU’s Art Department is sponsoring the free exhibit. The gallery is located in the Soiland Humanities Center on the south side of Memorial Parkway on the Thousand Oaks campus. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, visit callutheran.edu/kwan_fong or call Michael Pearce at 805-444-7716.

James Welch

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - A prominent Santa Clara University organist will open the 2013-2014 Orvil and Gloria Franzen Organ Program Series at California Lutheran University.

James Welch will present a free recital of the organ works of California composer Dale Wood in Samuelson Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10.

In 1993, CLU awarded Wood the Exemplar Medallion for his extraordinary contributions to the world of music. The concert will celebrate the 20th anniversary of this event and commemorate 10 years since Wood’s death in 2003.

Welch received a Fulbright award to research historical Cavaille-Coll organs in Brazil and presented related lectures and recitals at conventions of the American Guild of Organists. He has performed in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico and edited three volumes of organ works by Mexican composers. Other international appearances include recitals at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, St. Stefans Cathedral in Vienna, Wellington Cathedral in New Zealand, Taipei’s National Theater and Beijing Concert Hall. Many of his recorded performances have been aired on Public Radio International’s “Pipedreams.”

He has been active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ music program. One of his compositions, “Bless Our Fast, We Pray,” appears in the church’s hymnal. He is a frequent guest recitalist at the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City and has taught as a guest professor at the Church Music Workshop held at Brigham Young University.

Welch is the university organist and a music lecturer at Santa Clara University and was previously the university organist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Wood, the late composer to be honored at the concert, has been called one of the most prominent figures in church music in the 20th century. His career as a composer began at the age of 13 when he won a national hymn-writing competition for the American Lutheran Church. His first choral anthem was accepted for publication the following year. He was a distinguished editor, author, organist and conductor, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored him multiple times for his contributions to the development of contemporary American music.

Samuelson Chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive on the Thousand Oaks campus.

For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu.

Peter Balakian

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - New York Times bestselling poet and nonfiction author Peter Balakian will discuss his 1997 memoir at a free public event as part of the California Lutheran University program that requires all freshmen to read the same book.

Balakian will discuss his coming-of-age story, “Black Dog of Fate (An American Son Uncovers his Armenian Past),” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Gilbert Arena.

“Black Dog of Fate” is set in the affluent New Jersey suburbs where Balakian was the first-born son in an American-Armenian family. Immersed in the ideal all-American boyhood of the 1950s and 60s, he was unaware that members of his family, including his heroic grandmother, were victims of the Armenian Genocide. In unearthing the secrets of his family’s past, Balakian moves from childhood memories to history to his own coming of age. The book won the 1998 PEN/Martha Albrand Prize for the Art of the Memoir and was a best book of the year for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and Publisher’s Weekly.

Balakian’s “The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response,” won the 2005 Raphael Lemkin Prize and was a New York Times Notable Book and a New York Times Best Seller. His most recent books of poems are “Ziggurat” and “June-tree: New and Selected Poems, 1974-2000.” He is co-translator of Girgoris Balakian’s “Armenian Golgotha: A Memoir of the Armenian Genocide 1915-1918.”

He is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities, professor of English and director of creative writing at Colgate University. His awards and civic citations include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Spendlove Prize for Social Justice, Tolerance, and Diplomacy, and the Emily Clark Balch Prize for poetry from the Virginia Quarterly Review. He has appeared widely on television and radio, and his work has been translated into 12 languages.

CLU’s freshmen were asked to read “Black Dog of Fate” before arriving on campus for New Student Orientation on Aug. 30, and the First-Year Seminar sections will explore the text throughout the semester. The First-Year Experience program helps students socially and academically with the transition to college by engaging them in a common learning experience, fostering their understanding of academic inquiry and prompting them to think about questions that matter in the world.

Gilbert Arena is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center on the north side of Olsen Road near Mountclef Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. For more information, contact Jim Bond at jabond@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3244.

The Galleglys

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will hold a gala on Thursday, Oct. 3, to launch a $4 million fundraising effort for the new Elton and Janice Gallegly Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement.

“A Salute to Service” will honor the Galleglys’ contributions over the last three decades. It will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs in Simi Valley. Frankie Avalon will perform at the black-tie optional dinner reception.

The nonpartisan Elton and Janice Gallegly Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement at CLU will be dedicated to preparing a new generation of leaders. As part of the university’s Master’s in Public Policy and Administration program, the center will provide students with extensive experiential learning opportunities at the local, state and national levels. The focus will be on developing public servants of character and integrity.

MPPA Director David Powell and faculty members Haco Hoang and Herb Gooch are developing a combined undergraduate and graduate degree program to put students on a fast track to careers in public service. Students selected as Gallegly Center Fellows will be able to pursue internships in Washington, D.C., Sacramento and locally. As graduate students, the fellows will complete a research project and field practicum that will prepare them for public service careers.

Future plans for the center include providing student scholarships and public affairs research grants, bringing in visiting scholars and speakers, and hosting forums on public service highlighting leadership and civic engagement. CLU and Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library officials are discussing a partnership that could provide additional opportunities. Possibilities include students interning at the library and scholars under joint appointments conducting research at the library.

Gallegly, who just left Congress after completing his 13th term, is loaning his legislative and personal papers to CLU so that students and faculty can use them for research. He is also donating his desk and other office furniture for display at the university. The Simi Valley resident is the longest serving congressional representative in Ventura County history. He began his public service when he was elected to the Simi Valley City Council in 1979.

Tickets are $250. Sponsorship opportunities are available. All proceeds will benefit the Gallegly Center at CLU. Reservations are required by Sept. 20. For more information and to register, go to www.callutheran.edu/gallegly or contact Liane Smith at ljsmith@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3160.

Susan Zamudio-Gurrola will speak about the twentieth century history of Ventura County farmworker housing at the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum, on Thursday, October 10, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. The speaker, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Architectural History at UCSB and a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation at USC, has studied Ventura County farmworker housing since graduate school and made it the subject of her Master’s degree thesis. She contributed a chapter called "Preserving Minorities' History: The Labor Camps of Mexican Braceros" for the book Que Fronteras? Mexican Braceros and a Re-Examination of the Legacy of Migration, published in 2010 by Dr. Paul Lopez. Zamudio-Gurrola has worked for the California Oil Museum, the Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum, and for historic preservation consultants.

Zamudio-Gurrola has documented Ventura County farmworker housing through a combination of research and personal interviews. She investigated ownership and occupancy history, as well as the development history of properties through building permits, city directories, county files, aerial photographs, property maps and historic photographs. Numerous interviews with ex-braceros, labor camp owners and labor camp managers provided details not found in written documents.

Awarded a U.S. Congressional Citation of Merit, “The Migrant Project: Contemporary California Farm Workers - Photographs and Text by Rick Nahmias” is making its final public appearance in Santa Paula, through October 20, 2013. It has toured dozens of venues across North America since its premiere in 2003, and finishes its run just a few miles away from where the first photographs for the project were taken. Nahmias crisscrossed the state, from Calexico to Sacramento, documenting stories of some of the hundreds of thousands of migrant farm workers who harvest the crops that end up on American dinner tables. His photographs of work and personal life aim to foster a greater understanding of, and sense of empathy towards, farm workers. “The Migrant Project” is co-sponsored by California Rural Legal Assistance Inc., Center for Latino Policy Research, and The Kurtz Family Foundation.
Zamudio-Gurrola will illustrate her thirty-minute Gallery Talk with both historic and personal photographs, and time for questions and answers will follow. Admission to the Gallery Talk is free for MVC Agriculture Museum members, is included with regular admission for the general public, and includes entrance to the current temporary exhibition, “The Migrant Project: Contemporary California Farm Workers - Photographs and Text by Rick Nahmias.” A Gallery Talk on another topic will take place at the Santa Paula Art Museum immediately afterward, at 3:00 p.m. Free parking is available at both Museums.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located in historic downtown Santa Paula at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula, California. Hours are 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. General admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children ages 6-17. Free for Museum of Ventura County members and children ages 5 and younger. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, and the first Sunday of every month is free general admission to the public. For more information, go to www.venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.

Ojai has a brand new string to its already world-class artistic bow. Opera is finding its voice and the endeavors of Ojai Youth Opera (OYO) mark the start of something very big, ambitious and exciting, not just for Ojai youth but for the town of Ojai itself. On Sunday, August 18th at Ojai Art Centre, a rapturous audience witnessed the blossoming of this fast-emerging new facet of the arts in Ojai at “An Afternoon in Italy!”, the culmination of OYO’s second annual summer camp.

The aim of OYO is to establish a permanent and prestigious West-Coast base for developing young voices in opera. In its second year OYO has built on the success of last year and produced a show which was in turns funny, moving, utterly charming, astonishing, and genuinely impressive. Audience comments afterwards centered on people’s open and frank wonder on what OYO’s teachers and students have achieved in just 10 sessions of camp.

In their impressive CONTINUED »

California State Old Time Fiddlers District 8 will meet Sunday Aug. 25, 2013 from 1:30-4:30pm at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Come out for an afternoon of playing, listening and dancing to Country Western and Bluegrass music. No admission or parking charge. Refreshments available. For more information and to find out about upcoming workshops go to calfiddlers.com or call 805-797-6563.

"Awakening" Collage by Karen Scott Browdy
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"Celebration" Mixed Media on Wood Panel by Wana Klasen
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The Artists Guild of Fillmore presents "ART 524" at the Ojai Center for the Arts from August 31 -October 2, 2013. The nine artists who comprise the guild create work in a variety of media , which results in an energetic, eclectic , inspiring artistic display. All the artists reside in Fillmore and represent many walks of life, some are retired and some still engaged in their professions. They are teachers, nurses, librarians, ranchers, legal secretaries, film editors, vocalists, and musicians with common threads that bring them all together as working artists.

Participating artists are:Karen Scott Browdy(Collage, Assemblage and Mixed Media), Judy Dressler(Oils), Lady Jan Faulkner(collage, photography and mixed media), Lois Freeman-Fox(Oils, Acrylics, Digital Photography, Wana Klasen(Water Color, Acrylic and Mixed Media) Joanne King (Water Media), Virginia Neuman(Oils, Drawing, Water Color),Doris Nichols (Encaustic) and Luanne Hebner Perez(Water Color, Collage).

The public is invited to enjoy a reception and meet the artists on Sunday, September 1, 2013 from 1-3 pm. The Art Center is located at 113 South Montgomery in Ojai, California. The Art Center hours are Tuesday through Sunday, noon till 4pm.

For more information about the artists and their work please visit www.artistsguildoffillmore.org

As an artist, Pamela Price Klebaum of Ventura, a retired attorney and college professor, explores many media. Her particular interest is how an artwork in one medium can inform another, making “serial transformations.”
So “Crossover,” a Sept. 10- Oct. 5 solo exhibition at the Buenaventura Gallery in downtown Ventura, will feature art glass, textiles, etchings and photography by Klebaum with shared — and transformed — imagery. On display will be about 35 pieces, from an 8-inch-tall vase to a 36-by-24-inch textile.

She will attend a reception 4-7 p.m. Sept. 21 and plans a 6:30 p.m. presentation about her process and the often-surprising results on Oct. 4 during Ventura’s First Friday Gallery Crawl, which goes from 5-8 p.m.

“I will talk about how an image can morph almost serendipitously as it appears in glass, textile, printmaking and photography,” Klebaum said. “I love to explore the element of line. My work explores how this element transforms when it is expressed in different media.

“I photographed my three-dimensional art vase and digitally created a two-dimensional, abstract design. I printed that design on fiber and stitched it. I scanned detritus from a fallen tree and used those images on glass, in textiles, and in creating solar etchings. In all these works, the medium changes how the image is perceived,” she said. “As the process evolves, I often find new ways of seeing the image, and the works evolve in a delightful and unpredictable way.”

She grew up in the San Diego area, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history at UCLA, then met and married Noel Klebaum while both were in law school at Loyola Marymount University in L.A. Soon after they passed the Bar Exam, she bore their son Nicholas (now 35). She was an editor for a legal journal and studied stained glass, quilting and calligraphy “when Nick was but a wee lad” before starting her law practice.

While in general practice for 15 years in Ventura, she also taught legal research and legal writing at the university level and “found it much more rewarding than working in an adversarial system.” That led her at age 46 to trade the courtroom for the classroom, and she returned to grad school.

“I have always been fascinated by language, particularly its use in advocacy,” she said, “so I earned an M.A. in linguistics and finished all the coursework for a doctorate at UCLA. I concentrated on neurolinguistics, how the brain processes language, and discourse analysis, how language is used in different situations, with particular emphasis on forensic linguistics, language in the legal system.”

She went into teaching: scientific writing for biomedical researchers at UCLA and linguistics and law-related courses at the Osher Institute at CSU Channel Islands, where her brain and language course proved so popular it needed a larger classroom.

Throughout her law and teaching careers, Klebaum continued as a traditional quilter until 2007, when she discovered more exciting fabric art possibilities at Quilters’ Studio in Newbury Park and owner Eileen Alber’s monthly Extreme Quilters group. Then, for a better grounding in art principles, she took courses at Ventura College in figure drawing, head drawing and digital imaging and learned to create fused glass art. In 2010, she left teaching behind.

“The changes were so I could pursue something I enjoy,” Klebaum said. “I pursued art seriously once I had the time to do that — studied, took workshops.”

Most recently, she took a course in art glass at Pilchuck Glass School in Washington and “that was another transformational experience — glass is a very technical undertaking, and I learned a lot about the technical side as well as design.”

A few examples of Klebaum’s art are on the Web at http://pamprice.blogspot.com.

Many more examples will be on display at “Crossover” in the Buenaventura Gallery, 700 E. Santa Clara St., which is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, visit the nonprofit Buenaventura Art Association’s website, http://www.buenaventuragallery.org, or call the gallery at 648-1235.

Fiery Resurrection II by Dorothea Heger
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Their paths had crossed once, but two Conejo Valley painters found the common ground in their art explorations when they agreed to a duo show next month at Buenaventura Art Association’s gallery at Ventura Harbor.

Dorothea Heger of Newbury Park and Robin Tripaldi of Thousand Oaks will offer a journey into their unseen worlds in “Elements Unknown: Abstraction” from Sept. 4-30 at Harbor Village Gallery. Heger has painted professionally for 13 years, while Tripaldi has done it full-time for six years, but both are lifelong artists who create nonobjective, abstract expressionist works, often in mixed media. They paired up for this show at the suggestion of BAA Executive Director Sharon Taylor.

For Heger, the media mix includes acrylic paints and ink on canvas, watercolor paper and illustration board with collaged elements that include metal, glass, plastic, fiber and other natural materials.

She said she begins a piece with tension, “a feeling to create,” then uses intuition and feeling to do each part of the work and gradually relaxes. Heger said it’s energy-draining, but in a good way, and completing a painting leaves her feeling energetic and fulfilled.

She plans to show abstract pieces she calls “calming and peaceful” and some mixed-media artworks that are more free, experimental, exciting and riskier. She usually works outside, she said, where her art dries quickly, intensifying the colors.

Tripaldi also paints in acrylics, uses them in her mixed-media pieces, and works in encaustic, a process employing beeswax and resins to fix colors to a surface.

“I’m excited to be involved in promoting encaustic painting, painting with a molten wax mixture. While it’s an ancient technique, it has only experienced a revival in the last 50 years, beginning with Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg,” she said.

“I choose to work abstractly because, for me, it’s an instinctive, primal, letting-go process based in pure expression rather than illustration,” Tripaldi said. “My eyes and hands become an extension of my subconscious spirit.”

Her show will include some “loud and proud” acrylics and some small encaustic pieces, she said.

Both women will be present to discuss their art and methods at two receptions. One will be 4-7 p.m. Sept. 7, the Saturday after the show opens, and a Sunday afternoon closing reception is planned 3-5 p.m. Sept. 29.

“The theme that generally runs through my work is the spiritual connection we all have to the universe,” Hegel said. “In this particular show, my intention is to challenge the viewer to visually explore nonobjective or abstract work.”

Tripaldi’s aim is similar. “I like to refer to my paintings as my ‘inner landscapes.’ While my paintings are an extension of my own personal journey, I invite the viewers to experience their own personal journeys of discovery through my art.”

Hegel plans to show 10 to 13 pieces that range from 11 by 13 inches to 30 by 24; Tripaldi will have at least 10 works from 12 by 12 inches to 48 by 36. Both have examples of their works on the Web, at www.dorothea-art.com and www.robintripaldi.com.

Harbor Village Gallery, at 1591 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura Harbor Village, is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Tuesdays and stays open until 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information about this exhibit or the nonprofit Buenaventura Art Association, call 648-1235 or visit the website www.buenaventuragallery.org.

Morning Light by Sherron Sheppard
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The Ojai Photography Club welcomes Sherron Sheppard, Photographer and Fine Artist, to its Tuesday, August 20 meeting at 7 pm, Help of Ojai’s, Kent Hall, at 111 Santa Ana Street, Ojai, CA. Her presentation, “Images with Vision,” will encompass her personal approach to creating images and the creative use of composition and design used in giving her photographs more impact.

Sheppard began her photographic career photographing weddings. Over 15 years ago she then transitioned into fine art photography and began presenting programs and workshops to amateur and professional photographers. She teaches Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter classes at the California Professional Photographers West Coast School, EPNet, and conducts private workshops at her studio in Camarillo. Her next on-line class will be on “How to Create and Use Textures,” to be scheduled in the next few months. Sheppard teaches at The Great American Horse Drive workshops hosted by EPNet that are held each year in Craig, Colorado. To see her images and to be added to her workshop email list, go to http://www.sheppardphotography.com/ In addition, you can get information on her online workshops by signing up for EPNets newsletter at: http://www.equinephotographers.org/

Sheppard has received innumerable awards and accolades for her photography, from Professional Photographers of California (PPC) and other entities. She is Professional Photographers of America Certified and holds Master of Photography, Master of Electronic Imaging and Photographic Craftsman degrees. Her photographs and paintings have been exhibited nationally.

In addition to photography, Sheppard is a traditional artist, designs jewelry and has worked in acrylics, watercolor and pastels for over 40 years. She teaches and displays her work at her art gallery located in the Studio Channel Islands Art Center, Camarillo CA.

Monthly presentations are part of the Ojai Photography Club’s community service and education outreach. Visitors are welcome to attend.

The club, which is devoted to education, inspiration, and camaraderie, meets on the third Tuesday of each month, February – November. Only members may submit images for critique. More information is available at: www.ojaiphotoclub.com/

Ojai Center for the Arts, 113 Montgomery in Ojai

August 31-October 2, 2013...Reception September 1, 2013, 1-3pm

Photo by Roger Conrad
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Ojai Valley Museum presents a Town Talk related to the current exhibition, “Ojai Collects,” which showcases selections from eight Ojai private collections. The exhibit runs through Sunday, September 15th, 2013.

The talk will be held on Sunday, August 25 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Rotating Gallery of the museum. Michele Ellis Pracy, Ojai Valley Museum Director and Curator of “Ojai Collects”, will moderate the panel discussion, “The Joy of Collecting”. The panelists include four collector/lenders to the current exhibit: Richard Flores (Archery Bows), Valerie Greenberg (Mickey Mouse & Disney), Richard Matzkin (New Guinea/Sepic River carvings), and Kevin Wallace (Southern Outsider Art). An additional panelist is the premier Ojai automobile collector, Dwayne Bower.

The purpose of this enrichment event is to reveal through questions, answers, and stories, the joys of collecting, the many ways of collecting, and the psychology of collecting. In essence, how does a private individual choose a passion/avenue/focus of collecting, and how is that manifested in their personal life?

Mark your calendar and plan to attend this revealing and insightful adjunct experience to the Ojai Collects exhibit. Members are FREE and non-members are $5.00 at the door. Seating is limited, so please call the museum office to reserve seats @ (805) 640-1390 x 203.

The Ojai Valley Museum, established in 1967, is generously supported in part by museum members, private donors, business sponsors and underwriters, the Smith-Hobson Foundation, Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, City of Ojai, Rotary Club of Ojai, and the Ojai Civic Association.

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA. Admission: free for current 2013 members, adults - $5.00, children 6–18 - $1.00 and children 5 and under – free. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Tours are available by appointment. Free parking is available off Blanche Street at back of museum.

For more information, call the museum at (805) 640-1390, ext. 203, e-mail ojaimuseum@sbcglobal.net or visit the museum website at: Ojai Valley Museum.org Find us on Facebook Ojai Valley Museum

Ojai Valley Museum presents a Town Talk related to the current exhibition, “Ojai Collects,” which showcases selections from eight Ojai private collections. The exhibit runs through Sunday, September 15th, 2013.

Guy Webster will give a power point presentation, “Fifty Years of Motorcycling and Collecting.” Event will be held on Friday, September 13th from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s Rotating Gallery. Legendary portrait photographer Webster has assembled the world’s finest collection of vintage Italian motorcycles that happen to be housed in a by-appointment-only museum in Ojai. He will focus his presentation on his passion for collecting motorcycles that began at age 14 despite the wishes of his mother and the dictated laws of the time. Webster will tell a story of collecting that spans his lifetime. Webster says, “I could tell you how much this bike or that one is worth, and sure, it’s a lot of money. But that’s not what this (collection) is about. I don’t justify my passion in dollars and cents. Instead, I collect these machines to commemorate lives and times, and loves, that comprise the stuff of legends.”

Mark your calendar and plan to attend this revealing and insightful adjunct experience to the Ojai Collects exhibit. Members are FREE and non-members are $5.00 at the door. Seating is limited, so please call the museum office to reserve seats @ (805) 640-1390 x 203.

The Ojai Valley Museum, established in 1967, is generously supported in part by museum members, private donors, business sponsors and underwriters, the Smith-Hobson Foundation, Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, City of Ojai, Rotary Club of Ojai, and the Ojai Civic Association.

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA. Admission: free for current 2013 members, adults - $5.00, children 6–18 - $1.00 and children 5 and under – free. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Tours are available by appointment. Free parking is available off Blanche Street at back of museum.

For more information, call the museum at (805) 640-1390, ext. 203, e-mail ojaimuseum@sbcglobal.net or visit the museum website at: Ojai Valley Museum.org Find us on Facebook Ojai Valley Museum

Rubicon Theatre Company’s Summer of Youth Programs concludes with the 5th Annual Kids for Kids Benefit Concert “COME TOGETHER: The Music of the Beatles”

Come together and celebrate the talented Rubicon Theatre youth artists as they wrap up the summer with the fifth annual KIDS FOR KIDS BENEFIT CONCERT, a youth produced fundraiser that benefits Rubicon’s Education & Outreach program. This year’s concert entitled “COME TOGETHER: THE MUSIC OF THE BEATLES” is inspired by the band’s music and message of love and togetherness. The evening will feature Rubicon students, teachers and special guests performing some of the greatest Beatles hits in their own styles and arrangements. You’ll want to sing along to the tunes we all know so well, such as “Let it Be” and “All You Need is Love.” The night will be hosted by Rubicon Alumni JENNIFER RIDGWAY and DANIEL DAVID STEWART, and will include a raffle with many prizes from local businesses as well as other special surprises.

The Kids for Kids Benefit Concert was started 5 years ago by former Rubicon student, Julie Harris. After growing up at the theatre and participating in classes, summer programs and assisting instructors, Julie wanted a way to ensure others had the opportunity to be a part of Rubicon as well. So, a group of Rubicon Theatre Alumni put together and performed in the first ever Kids for Kids Benefit Concert in 2009. The proceeds from the event benefit the youth of Ventura County by helping these theatre programs continue and thrive. Julie went on to graduate from UC Irvine with a degree in Entertainment Business. Julie states, “There is no worthier cause. This event will always hold a very special place in my heart, and it brings me so much joy to see it continue every year.”

ABOUT THE YOUTH ARTISTIC TEAM
JENNIFER RIDGWAY (Co-Host) is grateful to be returning to the Rubicon stage and is so excited to be emceeing for the first time. Her theatre credits include Buried Child (Shelly; Four Star Theater Award - Outstanding Featured Performance), King John (Constance), Macbeth (Lady MacDuff), Much Ado About Nothing (Hero), Hairspray (Amber), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Helena), Little Women (Jo), Our Town (Mrs. Webb), and Defying Gravity; directed by Jenny Sullivan. Jennifer (A.K.A. Red) has called this wonderful theater her home for most of her life, and was very proud to co-produce the annual "Kids for Kids" benefit at Rubicon in 2011. Thank you for supporting our local talented youth!

DANIEL DAVID STEWART (Co-Host) is CONTINUED »

Camarillo, CA - The CSU Channel Islands Choir invites members of the public to audition for the group’s 10th anniversary season. Auditions for the campus/community choir will be held by appointment throughout the month of August. Those interested should contact the choir’s instructor, Dr. KuanFen Liu, at 805-278-0375 or downbeatplus@gmail.com.

Rehearsals begin Monday evening, Aug. 26, and are held each Monday from 7 to 9:50 p.m. in Malibu Hall 140 on the CI campus. All voice types are invited to audition, though there is a special need for tenors and basses. This semester, the choir will perform Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, the Brahms Requiem with the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra, and other songs of varied styles from throughout the world.

The CSU Channel Islands Choir brings together campus and community members for a diverse weekly class, offered as part of the University’s Performing Arts Program. Led by Dr. KuanFen Liu, the choir exposes participants to a wide range of musical genres and periods, as well as the opportunity to perform publicly on campus and throughout Ventura County. Enrolled students do not need to audition to participate in the class but will need to sing for the instructor to determine vocal range and placement. Community members pay $75/semester administrative fee to participate.

Channel Islands Choral Association (CICA) is the choir’s sponsor. CICA is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves Ventura County, bringing music education and performance to the local schools and community. For more information, call 805-484-6601 or visit the CICA website at www.cicachoir.org. To learn more about the CI class, as well as upcoming events and auditions, visit the choir’s website at http://choir.csuci.edu.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

The Ventura County Pottery Gallery is proud to present potter Victoria Littlejohn and her new work August 1 through August 31, 2013. These brightly glazed pieces flaunt the magnificent blooms we see on our California desert and locally grown cactus plants including the time consuming making of cactus needles.

Victoria Littlejohn studied ceramics at U.S.C. from 1958 till 1962 at which time she earned her B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in ceramics and secondary teaching credentials. She was privileged to study pottery with Carlton Ball, Susan H Petersen, Peter Voulkos and Marguerite Wildenhain. Littlejohn now resides in Summerland.

After teaching High School and ceramics for two years, Victoria decided to open her own business and in 1964 ‘Victoria Littlejohn Ceramics’ was launched. For the next 46 years she was a “pottery making machine” turning out literally thousands of pots including a production line of ceramic trivets which were sold nationwide.

During all those years Littlejohn worked in stoneware and porcelain exclusively. In 2011 she was commissioned to design some pottery for the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts involving the use of terracotta clay. She says “It was a shocking experience because it was like starting pottery all over again.” After two years of this struggle she started to achieve some desirable results. These new cactus garden and patio lights are the result. They will be on display at the Guild’s Pottery Gallery the month of August.

Please come visit Littlejohn at the Gallery Monday, August 12th, 11 – 7 pm and Wednesday August 21st, 3 – 7 pm.

“I had to stop painting pretty pictures for a bit,” said Brent Hanson. “While bright, colorful paintings help me stay up and hopeful, I have more to share and I’m going to share it.”

The Oxnard artist, who said he has some compulsive obsessive behaviors that he’s dealing with (“mostly food and weight”), does so in part by turning his foibles into art. The result is “Persistent, Perplexing Preoccupations,” an exhibition of about a dozen recent works in acrylic on canvas and mixed media at the Buenaventura Gallery in downtown Ventura.

Hanson’s show will open Aug. 13 and run through Sept. 7. He will be on hand to discuss his art during an opening reception 4-7 p.m. Aug. 17.

“One the one hand, I paint bright, bold, colorful imaginary landscapes, florals and figurative works that lift me emotionally, that offer hope, and to surround myself with beauty,” Hanson said. “On the other hand, I paint abstract and surreal work when I want to express emotions and tell stories about my life experiences. This show uses abstract and surreal works to express my experiences and emotions around compulsive obsessive behaviors in my life.”

“This is not about judgment. In fact, I have few regrets so far,” he added. “There are still times I find myself drawn into those attitudes and the behaviors that accompany them, but today the price is too high. I know I’m not alone.”

For Hanson, who said he began painting in 2009, the self-examination and creative focus he put into this show is about “being willing to be bold, to push myself; not to think outside the box but learning to get rid of the box altogether, if you will.”

The paintings in “Preoccupations” range in size from 16 inches square to 6 feet square, he said. To see examples of Hanson’s work in a range of subjects, visit www.brenthansonstudio.com and www.etsy.com/shop/brenthansonstudio.

The Buenaventura Gallery, at 700 E. Santa Clara St., is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, visit the nonprofit Buenaventura Art Association’s website, www.buenaventuragallery.org, or call the gallery at 648-1235.