Focus on the Masters (FOTM)Volunteers announce their 5th annual Holiday Gift Shop located at 83 Palm St. The Holiday Gift Shop always carries unique, hand-made and lovingly crafted gifts. From Nov.17-19. Nov.17 opening reception 5-8pm with wine, gifts and wish lists. Nov.18, from 10-5, Nov. 19 from noon-4. The Children’s corner on Saturday will feature children’s gifts and special sections.

This is a great chance to wind down from the work week, meet with artists and friends, and shop for those special people on your list where you can select from a variety of one-of-a-kind items including colorful quilts, jewelry, unique scarves, handmade paper lanterns, charming felted wool creatures, ceramics, photography and much more. All items are produced by FOTM volunteers, staff, and outstanding Ventura County artists including Staci Brown, Sonya Burke, Maria Erlichman, Cecile Gurrola Faulconer, Richard and Yvette Franklin, Aimee French, Judee Hauer, Karen Hoffberg, Mike Horwitz, Mady Julian, Camille King, Patty Kreider, JoEllen Lee, Joyce Lombard, Frank Massarella, Oats and Ivy Farms, Mariana Peirano, Gloria Rupio, Knitting in Recovery, Gayle Bentley Swanson, Cassandra Tondro, Elaine Unzicker, Mary Galbraith, Donna Granata and others.

Focus on the Masters is grateful to OFI Management LLC for their sponsorship of this event. Community partnerships are the heart of a healthy community.

Proceeds benefit FOTM acclaimed Learning To See and other outstanding arts education programs.

To learn more about Focus on the Masters, visit www.FocusOnTheMasters.com or call 653.2501.

Amy Lynn Stevenson and Susan Lorenzana will display their art at Fox Fine Jewelry from November 16, 2017 – January 15, 2018, with an Art Reception on November 18 from 6 – 8:00pm. Musician Corinn Conant will sing and play guitar during the reception.

The Ojai Photo Club will host a presentation by Donna Granata, Founder and Executive Director of the Ventura based Focus on the Masters (FOTM), a highly respected non-profit educational program documenting contemporary artists. The event will be held on Tuesday, November 14th, at 7 p.m. in Help of Ojai’s Kent Hall, 111 W. Santa Ana Rd..

Focus on the Masters is recognized as one of the leading arts organizations in California. Founded in 1994, the goal of Focus on the Masters is to demonstrate the importance of the arts to society. Granata will present an in-depth look at her creative process in achieving this goal; including highlights and a behind the scenes look into the documentation process for the FOTM Portrait Series.

Recently she completed a Master’s Degree in Arts Journalism from USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and is putting the new practices to good use.  

An accomplished artist in her own right, Granata is an internationally published and award-winning painter turned photographer. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Honorary Master of Science Degree from the Brooks Institute of Photography where she was an adjunct professor. For more information on this outstanding photographer and her award-winning arts organization, go to http://www.focusonthemasters.com

Monthly free presentations are part of the Ojai Photography Club’s community service and education outreach. The general public is always welcome to attend.

More information is available at: www.ojaiphotoclub.com/

Ventura College professor and avid art collector, Tomás Sanchez, will be featured speaker at the November 14 “Speaking Of Ventura County” lecture series, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m., at the Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St.

Tomás Sanchez has been a serious Chicano Art collector since the mid-1980s. At Ventura College Santa Paula, Sanchez teaches World History, Western Civilization History, United States History and Chicano History. This presentation will be a combination of art and history as it intersected during the Chicano Movement in southern California.

Free for members; $5 for non-members. Light refreshments will be served.

Join in on Saturday, November 18th from 6-8pm at NAMBA Performing Arts Space for the Opening Reception of Michael Swank’s Solo Exhibition In Exhile.

This collection of recent works expands on the artist’s interest in the manipulation of images and the construction and deconstruction of layers. Through the dissection of his own experiences and memories, Swank is able to display emotions at a safe distance, giving the viewer an insight into his “queer experiences of the world.”

47 S Oak St Downtown Ventura

Very Ventura Gift Shop & Gallery is pleased to present “California Dreamin’ and Beyond” – A fine art show featuring water colorists Ann Galloway and Julie Merrill. Both artists enjoy plein air and in-studio painting. Julie Merrill has been teaching watercolor classes for the past 8 years and is currently teaching at ART LAB in Ventura along with Ann Galloway. Inspired by landscapes home and abroad, their paintings capture scenes delicately unfolding in the moment. The opening reception will be held in conjunction with Arts & Eats, downtown Ventura. The exhibit runs through Jan.12, 2018 with opening night Nov.18 from 6-8pm. Contact Angela at 805-628-3540 for full details.

Re-Birth – Ventura Artists Union Membership Show marks the first official collaboration between Art City and the Ventura Artists Union. Showing until Nov.12.

Re-Birth features a refined collection of artworks by new and old Ventura Artists Union members. The organization’s 20-year history brings many seasoned artist to this exhibition, and new members infuse the collection with a wide variety of styles and materials. Paul Lindhard started Art City Studios 30 years ago in Ventura as a personal carving space. It has since grown to include 20 other artists and a place for carvers to purchase quality stone from those who work it.

Ventura Artists Union | [email protected]| www.facebook.com/venturaartistsunion

Art City Gallery | [email protected]| www.artcitygalleryandstudios.com

Art City Gallery, 197 Dubbers St

Hours: Weds -Sun 10am-5pm

Current exhibition runs until Nov.11. Tomi Murphy (Photography of faces) and Lorna Amundson (Watercolor), and Julianne Martin

Buenaventura Art Gallery

700 E. Santa Clare St.

Mayor Erik Nasarenko has announced the recipients of the Mayor’s Arts Awards and invites the public to attend the thirteenth annual reception, in their honor, on Thursday, November 2, at 5:30 pm at the Museum of Ventura County, at 100 East Main St. This year’s celebration will include tours of the museum and refreshments beginning at 5:30 pm, followed by presentations to this year’s award recipients at 6:30 pm. Five important figures in Ventura’s art community are receiving this prestigious honor for their dedication to art and to their community. Each honoree will receive the “Mark of Excellence”, a special edition work on paper created by artist Lis Schwitters. Those being honored this year are:

• Arts Patron- Paul Lindhard of Arts City Studio
• Arts Leader- Karyl Lynn Burns of the Rubicon Theatre Company
• Arts Educator- Teri Willison of Cabrillo Middle School
• Artist in the Community- Charles Anthony Kubilos, sculptor, carver
• Student Artist- Cameryn Boggio-Shean, musician

“Ventura’s thriving art community allows us all to experience the beauty, stories, and diversity of our city,” said Mayor Erik Nasarenko. “The Mayor’s Arts Awards are an important way to showcase the exceptional work and talent of local artists, teachers, and patrons that enrich our city and contribute to our economic and cultural well-being in Ventura.”

This event is presented in partnership between the City Manager’s Office and Parks, Recreation & Community Partnerships.

Dab Art is pleased to present Underbelly, a splendidly sordid group exhibition at H Gallery in midtown Ventura until November 26.

Large-scale installations, sculptures, and a myriad of 2D works construct a complex collection of familiar forms and visual hybrids imbued with fascinating and unsettling concepts. The impulses of the artists selected produce unnervingly beautiful images and stimulating motifs inspired by recollections of heartbreak, tragedy, and adversity.

Dab Art | H Gallery 1793 East Main Street www.DabArt.me