From The Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director
of the Museum of Ventura County
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View this week’s video message from the Museum of Ventura County’s Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director Elena Brokaw and keep informed with all that the museum has to offer during these difficult times.
This week, the Museum of Ventura County released its first in a series of virtual learning modules that every member of your family can participate in and enjoy.
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We can use your help. If you’re shopping on Amazon, select the Museum of Ventura Countyas your charity of choice through the AmazonSmile program. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. Simply start your shopping at smile.amazon.com.
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The Museum of Ventura County has launched its first online access to digitized collections. Through a partnership with California State University Channel Islands, 500 images were initially uploaded to the new online database—but that number continues to grow. Notable images currently available include early pioneer images, photographs that capture the aftermath of the St. Francis Damn disaster in 1928, maps of early Ventura County, aerial photographs of the coast, the Simi Railroad Depot, and much more.
#MuseumFromHome and explore this vast collection of photographs that capture Ventura County in its earliest pioneer years and beyond.
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Image: PN10120-83. Movie being filmed on the Mugu beach. Image shows studio people between action scenes. Circa 1938.
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African American Voices from
Ventura County’s Past
Revisit an earlier MVC Then Blog
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Recorded interviews in the Research Library’s oral history collection give us a glimpse into the lives of two remarkable women who were members of the earliest African American families to settle in Ventura.
One woman’s story is an example of selflessness and courage, caring for the sick during the deadly flu outbreaks that started with the 1918 pandemic and lasted into the 1920s. She did all this as racial prejudice denied her the opportunity to work, as she had been trained, as a hospital nurse.
Continue reading the stories of Cerisa House Wesley and Annie Smith on the MVC Then Blog below.
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The Museum of Ventura County is committed to providing educational resources during this difficult time. The Museum’s education team has released its first of a series of virtual learning modules. These modules will establish a topic or theme for focusing recommended online resources—such as webpages, videos, games, craft activities, and more. We also offer suggestions for connecting learning activities and resources with experiences you can have with your family in your home, backyard, or neighborhood. Families can social distance together!
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Lesson Plan #1: Introduction to the Monarch Butterfly: In this activity, you will find numerous resources that connect kids (and their adults) with the Monarch Butterfly. Follow some of the links to learn how this butterfly can migrate long distances, ecological challenges they face, and how people can help from home! A short 6-min. video is included to introduce how Monarchs migrate and the scientists and conservationists working to protect this species.
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Lesson Plan #2: Symmetry and How to Make Your Monarch: In this module, kids (and their adults) will encounter multiple ways to reveal the concept of “symmetry” in both art and nature! A short video clip introduces the concept, and there are links to create craft activities, including virtual painting and design. One of our favorite insects showing symmetry is the Monarch Butterfly, and we strongly encourage you to share your creations with us via social media! Recommended K-6 th Grade.
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A Project for EVERYONE from the
Research Library & Archives
Discover our community’s stories through your stories!
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Ventura County has a way of pulling together in the face of hardship. But what do we do when we can’t be together? We’ve all said before, “I should really ask grandpa about his life growing up” or “I should really write down my mom’s stories, recipes, bad jokes” or even “I’ve always wanted to write a memoir.” In this time of social distancing and staying close to home, why not tackle that story gathering? The Museum of Ventura County has developed a six-step project called the “Ventura County Family History Project.” We’ll release each step and give you tips and pointers for gathering family history. You can do one of them or three of them or all of them. At the end of the project, you’ll have a family story that you can share with the project or just with your family. After each step, there will be an opportunity to share your experience with the rest of the community.
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Use this time to gather family photos, identify people in the images, and organize them. Who is that tall mustachioed man next to your great grandfather? You never know what you’ll uncover!
You’ll need to decide how you are going to record the information. You can go as high tech as digitizing the photos and creating a Flickr account or as low tech as recording the information on the back of photos with a pencil! The easiest thing to do is record the basic information like names and dates on the back of the photographs. If you plan to share your story in some kind of online way, like a blog or video or even a podcast, you may want to think about what you want your finished product to look like and that will guide how you record this information.
For additional information on the Ventura County Family History Project and for more tips/tricks for
Step 2, click below.
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Share Your Stories: Share with MVC, your friends and family so we can all discover our community’s stories! Pick one or two of your favorite family photos and share them with us! Use the hashtags #askyourelders #quarantinestories #venturacountyfamilyhistoryproject
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Image: 40716-15. An unidentified man and woman on Ventura beach looking at the Ventura wharf, later Ventura Pier. ND.
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Are you a member of the Museum of Ventura County? Even while the Museum is closed to the public, we are continuing to work to bring new impactful future programming, and reschedule what is being postponed.
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Become a member today to enjoy all of the benefits of membership, and to support the Museum during this time of international crisis. The need to support today is greater than ever so that we may effectively document current affairs for future generations.
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In collaboration with 33 international museums, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C., Museo Nacional de Arte in Mexico City, LACMA in Los Angeles, and many others, Google Arts & Culture has opened a digital, interactive exhibition featuring more than 800 paintings, photographs, and objects belonging to the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Titled Faces of Frida, this expansive exhibit spanning several continents offers a closer look at the many faces of Frida Kahlo through her life, art and legacy.
Using an ultra-precise magnifying glass tool, users can examine each piece in the finest of detail. An epic collaboration between Google and 33 International museums, Face of Frida is yours to explore below.
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Local Resources for Information
on COVID-19
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We know that there is a lot of news right now from the global, national, state, regional, and community level. Here are a few trusted resources for Ventura County updates.
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Major funding for these programs is made possible by the City of
San Buenaventura, the County of Ventura and private and community donors.
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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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