Spring Into Fun at MVC

Playdate

In The Children’s Garden

Friday, April 7, 2023

2:30PM—4:30PM

@ Museum of Ventura County

Free Admission

Join us in our Children’s Garden for a play date with old and new friends! Complete a scavenger hunt crossword puzzle and receive a patch. Explore our traditional Chumash ‘ap, play archeologist in the dig pit, practice skills at the creative building table, and explore the garden of sound. Diane Ippel will play the dulcimer (a stringed instrument played with a special hammer). Elementary school children of all ages welcome. Parent supervision is required.

Book Launch

Fillmore

Images of America Series

Saturday, April 8, 2023

1:00PM—2:30PM

@ Agriculture Museum, Santa Paula

Free Admission

Come to the Agriculture Museum to hear author Carina Monica Montoya read from her book Fillmore, from the Images of America series. A native Californian, Montoya has written several books, including Santa Maria Valley, Pacific Coast Highway in California, and Ventura County. After the reading, Montoya will answer questions and there will be a book sale where she will sign purchased books.

Find out more information here.

Embracing Change Through Ocean Exploration

with Holly Lohuis

Thursday, April 13, 2023

7:00PM—9:00PM

@ Museum of Ventura County

Free Admission

As part of the Ventura Land Trust’s Environmental Speaker Series, The Ventura Land Trust will bring Holly Lohuis to MVC to discuss the influence of whales on the ecology of the Santa Barbara Channel. By increasing public awareness of the challenges facing the health of whale populations, Lohuis hopes to help enhance humans’ connection to and relationship with whales and their ocean home. Find out more information and register here.

The River Next Door:

Come Meet Your Neighbor

Saturday, April 15, 2023

11:00AM—12:30PM

@ Agriculture Museum, Santa Paula

Free Admission

We are bringing information about the Santa Clara River to you! Through words and pictures, Jim Danza with Friends of the Santa Clara River and Lynne Palmbeck of Santa Clarita Organization to Protect the Environment will acquaint you with the river next door. Click here to learn more about this intriguing neighbor that has shaped so much of the history of our region.

Grace Morton – Ventura

(one of five 2021/2022 Scholarship winners)

Bonita C. McFarland Visual Arts Scholarship

The Museum of Ventura County is now accepting applications for its Bonita C. McFarland Visual Arts Scholarship. The scholarship fund has a total of $10,000 to be awarded in 2023. Eligible applicants include high school seniors enrolling in college courses in the fall of 2023 or continuing visual arts college students who are Ventura County residents.

Awards will be based on artistic merit and commitment as demonstrated by the application, essay, letter of recommendation, and examples of work.

Applicants will be selected by a committee from the Museum’s Fine Arts Committee and Museum staff. Learn more here.

Application deadline: May 7, 2023

Review of applications: May 2023

Scholarship awards announced: Late May 2023

Awards Reception: June 7, 2023

Explore more Upcoming Events here!

The Museum of Ventura County and the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula are open Thursday—Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Admission to both Museums is now FREE.

Finding the Light

Works from MVC’s Permanent Collection

Artists use light to elicit emotion, tell stories, and impart meaning to viewers. These works are showcased in the Thomas and Esther Wachtell Gallery, which is dedicated to highlighting MVC’s permanent collection.

Finding the Light is supported through the gifts of:

Bonita McFarland Fund

Suzanne Chadwick

Featured art above:

Andrea Vargas

The Trestle, 2011

Behind the Curtain:

An Insider’s Look at

The George Stuart Historical Figures®

People argue about whether the Figures are works of art, historical objects, or maybe something else entirely. Mr. Stuart himself objects to both the titles of Artist and Historian. Investigate each Figure closely so that you can decide for yourself.

Made possible in part by the Fred W. Smith Gallery Fund and additional support from Bethe and Tim Sullivan in memory of Rosemarie Magness

All That Glitters

Is Not Gold

A surprising history of the 1920s and Prohibition in Ventura County. As population and wealth boomed, creativity flourished – but so did a tide of repression and exclusion. This exhibit tells the local story of the jazz age through our collections and archives.
This exhibit made possible in part by the generous support of:
The John Hammer Family,
The Heritage Fund at VCCF,
The DeArkland Family, and
Chrisman Estate Co.

Chromatic:

The Museum in Six Colors

MVC’s permanent collection, amassed over 100 years, ranges from everyday items belonging to real people who lived and worked in the county, to rarities and precious works of art. Each object has a story to tell, and this exhibit opens the door to those stories.
This exhibit made possible in part by the generous support of:
and Pierpont Racquet Club

NEW EXHIBIT from Smithsonian Gardens

Pollination Investigation – The Essential Role of Pollinators in the Natural World

at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula

Nearly 90% of flowering plants rely on about 200,000 species of animal pollinators for fertilization. Explore the essential role that pollinators play in the natural world in the Smithsonian poster exhibition Pollination Investigation. Through “pollinator profiles” visitors can learn about different pollinators—from butterflies and hummingbirds to bats and the wind—and their favorite flowers based on floral characteristics like flower shape, color, scent, and more. The set of 14 posters is bilingual (English and Spanish) and designed to educate and inspire people to explore the natural world looking at flowers and insects. Learn more here.

Tomols to Trains:

County Transportation

through the 1900s

at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula

Tomols to Trains explores how transportation played a role in Ventura County’s history. Visit the communities that struggled with the changes brought about by new modes of transportation.

See how towns and cities changed, how suburbs grew, and how our farms and other industries became part of regional, national, and international economies.

Learn more here.

Made possible by the

Heritage Fund at VCCF

Farm to Market

at the Agriculture Museum

in Santa Paula

An interactive exhibit promoting healthy lifestyles through role-play, the Ag Market is an immersive environment where children and families identify healthy food choices in a market-like atmosphere.

Learn more about what the

Agriculture Museum has to offer here.

Special thanks to

Santa Paula’s Former Mayor Carlos Juarez for volunteering his time and

talent in building our

fun-filled indoor market

Watch California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick read his poem, My California at the Agriculture Museum.

Explore over a dozen virtual and 3D exhibits, including Nordic Myths & Legends, Huelga! Photographs from the Frontlines, California Cool, and more!
Engage with us on social media, where you’ll find our latest news and incredible artifacts, reels, and art from our collections!
Museum of Ventura County Business Club members are community leaders who are committed to the region’s history, art, and stories.
MVC thanks our current
for their support:

For more information about the MVC Business Club, please contact:

Tricia Murdoch

Director of Development

(805) 653-0323 Ext. 305

tmurdoch@venturamuseum.org

Major funding for these programs is made possible by the City of
San Buenaventura, the County of Ventura and private and community donors.
Museum of Ventura County • 100 East Main St. Ventura, CA 93001 • 805.653.0323
Agriculture Museum • 926 Railroad Ave. Santa Paula, CA 93060 • 805.525.3100
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