“The Where and the Why” – Wrona Gall
by Richard Lieberman
While the worldwide pandemic continues to alter the way we live, work and play the Museum of Ventura and Ventura Botanical Gardens have taken things outdoors. Dining, music, movies and haircuts have taken themselves outdoors. The Museum and the Botanical Gardens have taken art outside. Teaming up the Museum and the Gardens have joined to offer a sculpture installation at both venues.
Bringing art according to Denise Sindelar, MVC Deputy Director to the Gardens is a years old idea. VBG has been interested in a permanent art exhibit at the site since the beginning of the Botanical Gardens. Artist works from Ojai, Ventura, Channel Islands, as well as many other artists from the local area and from further afield. Most of the submitted entries however came from Ventura County. The exhibit consists of about 50 pieces, created by 20 artists.
The exhibit is at the entrance to the gardens and on the lower layers and at the courtyard of the Museum.
Since the Museum is temporarily closed due to the pandemic the exhibits were displayed at the Museum plaza outdoors. The works can be viewed from the plaza and can be seen from Main Street. There are seven pieces currently on display, including Privitt’s “Captured Semisphere”, and a series of painted panels by Carlos Grasso called “Colorspace Plaza.” Paul Lindhard and Kevin Carman, while exhibiting at the Gardens also have two works at the Museum, “Flaming Medusa” and “Acorn”.
The theme of the exhibits was “Arte Forastero” it’s Latin root means outside. A fitting title for a very different art exhibit during a very trying time. Some might think it a little strange for artwork to be exhibited outside the walls of a Museum, but in this case outside works well.
Come visit the Botanical Gardens and visit the Museum it will be well worth visiting, to view art among the splendor of the outdoors, where on one side the mountains and the other the sea form a background that enhances the experience.
