Ventura
Although Ventura’s Golden Coast and inland cities are some of the wealthiest enclaves in Southern California, the cultural divide between some of them is drastic. Ojai’s experimental music, poetry and literature scene, has little in common with the manicured McMansions of Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park and the hard-core punk scene of its youth.

Perhaps it is the proximity to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara that’s to blame for Ventura’s identity crisis. Luckily today, some cultural thinkers and producers are reclaiming the area’s history and culture, and are building a cultural narrative that is authentic to the area.
Highlights
Considering Art About Agriculture
The annual "Art About Agriculture" exhibit examines Ventura's agrarian heritage and the significance of agriculture today.
Reports on the Ventura Art Scene Spark Discussion of Regional Arts Advocacy Strategy
Tracy Hudak analyzes reports from the Ventura County Community Foundation and the "Local Arts Index" by national organization, Americans for the Arts. The research offers data measuring the health and vitality of the arts in Ventura County.
Ojai Returns As The Star of The Ojai Film Festival
Sharing Ojai is often a fundamental part of what the city's cultural festivals intend to do. The Ojai Film Festival, from October 24th-28th, reflects the spirit and character of the hillside city itself.
Around the Counties: Observing the Ventura County Art Scene with Tracy Hudak
Around the Counties: Observing the Ventura County Art Scene with Tracy Hudak
This week columnist Tracy Hudak answers five questions about the Ventura County art scene.
Making a Scene: John M. White and Performance in Ventura
Making a Scene: John M. White and Performance in Ventura
Iconoclast John M. White, a venerated fixture of the L.A. art scene since the 1960s, has four different exhibitions featured in the Pacific Standard Time Initiative. Tracy Hudak examines the artist and his career.
My Own Private Museum: A Closer Look at Oxnard's Carnegie Art Museum
My Own Private Museum: A Closer Look at Oxnard's Carnegie Art Museum
With its collection of fine art and ethnographic artifacts and its quarterly exhibitions, the Carnegie presents, promotes and preserves a rich breadth of California art that stretches across movements and periods.
How to Reframe Your Local Business as A Cultural Treasure
How to Reframe Your Local Business as A Cultural Treasure
Try experiencing your local family-owned business with the receptivity you have in a gallery or theater, and much more may be revealed than the goods they sell.
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section header: disciplines
icon, Architecture/ Design discipline

Architecture/ Design

California becomes an international export by redefining the concept of city and home.

icon, Community Arts discipline

Community Arts

Through workshops, education and placed based projects, art is the connective tissue of a community.

icon, Cultural Politics discipline

Cultural Politics

Funding bubbles, cultural deserts and the politics of access to the arts in the 21st century.

icon, Film & Media Arts discipline

Film & Media Arts

At the shadow of the entertainment industry, video artists and underground filmmakers take a stand.

icon, Literature discipline

Literature

Noir, sunshine and dystopia create a multi-ethnic narrative that is read, watched and admired around the globe.

icon, Multi-Disciplinary discipline

Multi-Disciplinary

Multi-hyphenate works that combine disciplines, remix dogmas, and reinvent the wheel.

icon, Music discipline

Music

A dialogue between cultures, the music of our state serves up the California dream like no other artform.

icon, Performance discipline

Performance

Staging the drama of California through dance, music and theater.

icon, Visual Arts discipline

Visual Arts

Breaking away from the European and New York vanguard, California reinvents the art world.


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