Museum of Ventura County — Click your treat! Scary Good Dia de los Muertos Museum Events

Treat Yourself this Halloween Season
Craft Kits For Kids
October 23-31 or until supplies last
at the Museum of Ventura County and
at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula
In celebration of Día de los Muertos, MVC invites you and your family to pick-up a Dia de los Muertos Craft Kit at the Ventura Museum and at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. The MVC and AG Dia de los Muertos Craft Kits include: “Let’s Learn about Dia de los Muertos”, Mini Skull Book, CalaveraNecklace/Decoration Craft, Ofrenda Word Search, A Letter to the Dead, Dia de los Muertos Coloring Sheets, and Calavera Stickers.
Women’s Qualities
Now – January 7, 2022
Downtown Ventura
The seven installations that make up Women’s Qualities by New York-based artist Ghada Amer can be viewed throughout historic Downtown Ventura. Women’s Qualities was originally commissioned for Desert X 2021 by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Co-curator César García-Alvarez and was installed at Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage in the Coachella Valley. Click here to find all seven throughout downtown Ventura.
Build An Altar
Outdoors, At Home, Online
Creation: October 24th-29th
On View: October 30-November 7
MVC invites our community members to contribute mementos, photos, drawings, poetry, or other items to be included in the outdoor altars that will be erected at the Museum of Ventura County and Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula.
If you are interested in volunteering to create an altar on your own or collaboratively, please contact ebrokaw@venturamuseum.org.
Community members who create altars in their homes are encouraged to submit images to submissions@venturamuseum.org. MVC will share these images online. Just use the hashtag #MVCDDLM2021.
Día de los Muertos
October 30 @ 2-4pm
at the Museum of Ventura County
The Dia de los Muertos season is here! It’s time to honor the lives of our dearest departed and send them love. Join MVC for an afternoon of music with Xocoyotzin Moraza and friends, poetry, altars, with refreshments for purchase from food trucks Game Over Catering and Desserts
to Die For.
Día de los Muertos
October 31 @ 11am-1pm
at the Agriculture Museum
in Santa Paula
Join us in celebration of 2021 Día de los Muertos at the Agriculture Museum from 11am to 1pm with traditional Aztec and Ballet folkcloricodancers. Crafts tables will include time-honored Dia de los Muertostissue flower folding as well as origami crafts.
Arte Para la Gente:
The Collected Works of Margaret Garcia
Exhibit Opens November 11 @
Opening Reception November 13 @ 2-4pm
at the Museum of Ventura County
Arte Para la Gente explores artist Margaret Garcia’s vast body of work that captures and encapsulates culture, family, and urban life. Over the past four decades, Margaret Garcia has been a leader in the L.A. Chicano Art Movement, championing women, community, and those individuals who are marginalized by society. Her most recent work, many shown here for the first time, were painted in Ventura County.
Generous support provided by the
Port of Hueneme
Día de los Muertos programming at the Museum of Ventura County
and the Agriculture Museum made possible in part
by the generous support of EJ Harrison & Sons.
Spooky Online Fun
Digital Jigsaw Puzzles
New online jigsaw puzzles using photography from our archival collections.
This month’s theme is: Halloween!
Take a moment or two to relax with new online jigsaw puzzles using photographs from the Museum. We have over 100 Digital Jigsaw puzzles for your enjoyment!
Brought to you in part by the
generous support of
Ellen Brokaw and
Al Lowe Construction
When two pirate ships appeared off the California coast in November 1818, it was a moment the governor of the Royal Presidio of Monterey had been dreading for six weeks. He had been warned that Hippolyte Bouchard, a ruthless Argentine pirate, had set his sights on Monterey believing there was gold and other treasures hidden in California’s Spanish missions. The appearance of the ominous ships triggered events that led to a mother’s tragic loss on a hill above Mission San Buenaventura.
Made possible by the
Ventura County Credit Union,
Pierpont Racquet Club, and
Chrisman Estate Co.
Out and Back
Ventura County
Backcountry Adventures
In 2018 our library staff discovered 20 reels of 16mm film showing backwoods scenes from 1920s Ventura County.
The film was too fragile to project, but
with a grant from the Schwemm Family Foundation, the film was conserved and digitized. It is a one-of-a-kind glimpse
into the backcountry experience
from 100 years ago.
Exhibits + Programming
Museum of Ventura County
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 FREE through the end of the year.
Take a look at our current exhibits below!
Huelga!
Photographs from the Frontlines
by Jorge Corralejo
at the Museum of Ventura County
Huelga! is a photography exhibit that focuses on the 1970s labor strikes and is featured alongside memorabilia from the collection of longtime local activist and
civic leader, Jorge Corralejo.
Promotional support for this
exhibit generously provided by
Lazer Broadcasting
America’s Revolution
George Stuart Historical Figures®
at the Museum of Ventura County
Through his intricately created Historical Figures, George Stuart captures the colorful personalities involved in America’s struggle for independence.
Funding provided by the
Fred W. Smith Gallery Fund
Crossing Borders
at the Museum of Ventura County
Crossing Borders features select works from the Museum collection along with works by artists in the community who have immigrated to the US, sometimes as refugees in search of a safe haven, bringing their talent and creative
ideas with them.
Rock Paper Scissors
at the Museum of Ventura County
Taken from the childhood game of the same name, this exhibit features works from the Museum’s collection that utilize these materials:
rock, paper and scissors.
Made possible by the
Tom and Esther Wachtell Family Fund
Exhibits + Programming
Agriculture Museum
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 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.
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.
Special thanks to
Santa Paula’s Mayor Carlos Juarez for volunteering his time and
talent in building our
fun-filled indoor market.
2021 Programming at the Agriculture Museum is
Supported by Topa Topa Flywheelers
Admission is free!
With four locations, MVC serves as the region’s cultural center for the exploration and presentation of history and art. Enjoy exhibits in the galleries, and spend time with family and community in the gardens. Register for live broadcast events where panels and guests discuss fascinating topics and take your questions.
MVC Recommends
Sampaguita In My Pocket
A Fundraising Event
at Herzog Wine Cellars
October 21 @ 6-9pm
Annual fundraiser mixer for PINAYSPHERE Filipina-American youth arts organization. This year’s PINAYSPHERE event will feature filipino-american vocalist, Liezel, to set the ambiance; a silent art auction, raffle prizes, Filipino kosher fusion food, & dancing.
One County, One Book Author Talk with Steph Cha
Zoom
October 30 @ 2-3:30pm
The Ventura County Library’s One County, One Book selection this year is Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha. A powerful and taut novel about racial tensions in LA, following two families—one Korean-American, one African-American—grappling with the effects of a decades-old crime. Cha will join participants for this virtual event to discuss her work and take part in a brief Q&A session. Presented by the Ventura County Library with the generous support of the Ventura County Library Foundation. Other program partners include MVC, California Lutheran University, and the Ojai Valley Library Friends & Foundation.
The 2021 / 2022 Masterpiece Series:
New West Symphony Live!
New West Symphony musicians take our stages to present pinnacles of the symphonic canon.
New this season for families and holiday revelers is a December performance of wintertime and holiday masterworks, Tales of Winter!
Tickets Available
November 1, 2021!
For more information please contact NWS at 805.497.5880/866.776.8400
Explore More Exclusive
MVC Online Content
Watch Season 2 of
MVC Insider!
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, as well as incredible artifacts, reels, and art from our collections!
A Special Thanks to Our
MVC Supporters
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:
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