The Museum of Ventura County has received a grant through CRG, the California Revealed Grant, to digitize forty volumes of the Ventura County Historical Society Quarterly Journal. The Museum’s Research Library and Archives will digitize 40-years of historical writing, spanning 1955 to 1995, to be made available through the California Revealed website and on the Museum’s Research Library and Archives webpage in the Spring of 2020.
“The Ventura County Historical Society Quarterly Journal is an immensely important local history resource. The Quarterly covers topics from the creation of the county to major disasters to important historical figures and everything in between,” says Research Library and Archives Director Deya Terrafranca.
The Museum’s Library and Archives is working diligently to increase access to the collections by making its catalogs available online and digitizing historically rich collections.
The Museum’s photograph collection of 45,000 images dates from 1862 to the present. It includes photographs of visiting US Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. These diverse and consequential stories add to the story of our country’s diversity and political landscape.
The Museum announced that it has received funding to rehouse 144 Native American baskets representing tribes such as the Chumash, Pima, Navajo, and Hupa. Native baskets are highly sought after by collectors and one of MVC’s most valuable collections. A portion of the collection is currently featured in the exhibit Woven Earth, on display in the Smith Gallery. In addition, the collection is frequently requested for loans, research and exhibition so their preservation is a top priority.
Local philanthropists John and Stephanie Orr donated much of the cost of the new shelving units, with a portion of the cost being covered by funding received from the County of Ventura. The Museum received the funds after the Museum’s Collections Manager Renee Tallent completed a conservation assessment that uncovered several concerning issues with the collection’s current housing.
“The Museum could not be more grateful for John and Stephanie Orr’s contribution to help safekeep this important and irreplaceable collection. Their support is allowing the Museum to move forward its goal of protecting and caring for the County’s history and preserving our Chumash objects is at the core of that mission,” says Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director Elena Brokaw.
Currently on view at the Museum of Ventura County is Woven Earth, displaying a wide range of hand-woven baskets from the Museum’s extensive collection that focuses on California’s native communities and the traditions involved in making these baskets. Woven Earth is open through February 23, 2020.
The Museum of Ventura County celebrates, preserves and interprets the art, history and culture of Ventura County, the California Channel Islands and the surrounding region through its collections, exhibitions, events, educational programs, publications and its research library, and serves as a gathering place for the community. The Museum has two locations. The main museum is located at 100 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001 and is open Tuesday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., 805-653-0323. The Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula, CA 93060 and is open Wednesday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 805-525-3100. For more information,visit venturamuseum.org .
