Harbor Village Gallery and Buenaventura Art Association

Located at Ventura Harbor Village, the Harbor Village Gallery and Artisan Store is an exhibiting art space of the Buenaventura Art Association (BAA). BAA was established in 1954 to give Ventura visual artists a place to exhibit and sell their art work. The Harbor Village Gallery rotates group and solo shows and provides visitors and locals the opportunity to support the talented local arts scene. Harbor Village Gallery is currently open seven days per week 11 a.m. - 6p.m.. For more information please visit www.harborvillagegallery.com or call (805) 644-2750.

Art is Passion Gallery at the Ventura Harbor

Art is Passion is an art gallery and studio featuring rotating exhibits by various local artists. Current exhibits include abstract art, watercolor portraits, oil landscapes, acrylic pour paintings, modern pop art, and handmade ceramics.

Located at 864 Schooner Drive, Unit 101, Ventura.

Learn more at artispassion.com.

Channel Cities Jazz Club Sunday Afternoon Events in Ventura

The Channel Cities Jazz Club (CCJC) meets on the 3rd Sunday of each month at a new venue - the Golden China Restaurant, 760 South Seaward Avenue, Ventura.

The club hosts a Sunday afternoon dance every third Sunday from 1:00PM to 4:00PM with jammers leading off the dance at 1:00, followed by a professional featured band at 3:00PM.

During normal school sessions the club invites local middle, and high school jazz bands to perform between the jammers and featured bands.

The club also sponsors school music students to Summer Jazz Music Camp in Northern California at the Teagarden Summer Camp for Youth.

An entrance fee of $10.00 for members and $15.00 for non-members is collected to cover operating costs and to support the jazz summer camp.

Club events are open to the public. Visit www.channelcitiesjazzclub.com or call 805.985.7292 for more information.

Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center

The Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center is a 220 seat theater at 3050 Los Angeles Avenue that hosts musicals, concerts, exhibits, children's theater and other events year-round.  The theater is a landmark Gothic structure built in the 1920s that was named as Ventura County Historical Landmark #67 in July 1981.  The building has served numerous purposes since inception and became the Cultural Arts Center in November 1995. 

For more information visit www.simi-arts.org or call 805.583.7905 (administrative office) or the box office at 805.583.7900.

Getty Center in Brentwood

Atop a 900 foot hill in the Santa Monica Mountains adjacent to the 405 freeway, Getty Center is a 24 acre complex that is one of the most visited museums in the United States. Getty Center opened in December 1997 and is part of the J. Paul Getty Museum, which has another location called The Getty Villa.

This is one of those "must absolutely see" places for every local resident and visitor to the Los Angeles area. It is a spectacular and pristine, inside and out.

There are five main pavilions in the complex. The North Pavilion (on the immediate left after you walk through the Entrance Hall) contains pre-1700 art, including paintings on the upper level and sculptures and decorative arts, illuminated manuscripts and changing exhibitions on the main level. Adjacent to the North Pavilion is the East Pavilion, which contains paintings and sculptures and decorative arts from the 1600 to 1800 time frame.

The South Pavilion also contains art from 1600 to 1800. The West Pavilion contains art post-1800 as well as the Center for Photographs. Finally, the Exhibitions Pavilion contains rotating exhibitions.

Stroll to the terraces on the south side of the complex and you'll be treated to panoramic views stretching to the San Bernadino Mountains, Century City, and the Pacific Ocean. You'll also be treated to a view of the Cactus Garden desert landscape in the South Promontory. The 134,000 sq ft Central Garden, large grassy area and stream leading into a pool with an azalea maze. You've got to see it to appreciate the beauty.

There are also outdoor sculptures throughout the complex, starting in the area where you wait for the tram that takes you up to the Center, in the Arrival Area in front of the Entrance Hall and in and around the restaurant and garden areas.

The Center displays some of the most recognizable pieces in the world from artists like Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Gaugin, and so many others. The photography display is also outstanding.

Irises by Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh

There are several restaurants on the complex. I've eaten at the Garden Terrace Cafe located between the Exhibitions Pavilion and the Central Garden and it was good. Packaged, fresh sandwiches, salads, soups and other items are available.

To learn more, visit www.getty.edu/museum. Admission is free. Parking in the seven story underground lot near the bottom of Getty Center Drive is $15 ($10 after 3pm). Hours are 10am to 5:30pm Tuesday through Sunday.

There is a free tram that takes you to the top of the hill, or you can walk up the hill (it actually is not that bad, a 15 to 20 minute walk for most). Located at 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles.

I could go on and on...if you are not an art fan, don't worry. The views alone are worth the visit. But once you step foot in this amazing place you will be awestruck.

Free Range Comedy Theatre in Camarillo

Free Range Comedy SoCal is a non-profit 501(c)(3) improv theatre group in Camarillo with shows at the Camarillo Art Center, 3150 E. Ponderosa Drive.

With decades of improvisational comedy training in LA, AZ, and HI, combined with decades of theatre, this group of 15 performers is now unfolding Free Range Comedy in Camarillo by offering classes, workshops and performance opportunities for local improvisors.

Shows will take place the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Family friendly shows at 7:30pm.

Learn more at freerangecomedy.com.

The Young Artists Ensemble - Thousand Oaks

Since 1981, talented kids between the ages of 10 to 19 have performed with The Young Artists Ensemble in Thousand Oaks.  Over 6,000 people attend YAE events each year and shows are all family friendly. YAE presents six or seven productions each year.

Performances take place at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks.  Phone is 805.381.2747.

For tickets, contact the box office at 805.381.1246 or visit www.yaeonline.com.

Moorpark College Art Gallery

The Moorpark College Art Gallery is located in the Moorpark College Administration Building at 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark. The gallery is open Monday to Thursday from 8am to 6pm and Friday from 8am to noon.

Get there as follows: Take Collins Drive exit from the 118 north towards Moorpark College. Turn right at Campus Park Drive and park in Lot A. Parking is $2 (pay at machine). The Administration Building is located next to the President's Office.

Learn more about exhibit on display at the gallery at www.moorparkcollege.edu/departments/academic/art-department/art-gallery.

Red Brick Art Gallery and School in Ventura

Red Brick Art is a fine art gallery located at 4601 Telephone Rd #112, Ventura with a strong focus on art classes as well as free events and cultural outreach.

Exhibits change change bi-monthly and feature the work of talented artists who host workshops at the studio. Artists of all mediums are represented including a wide variety of glass art (fused, blown, cracked and mosaic), clay, stone, metal, mixed media, wood, photography and all forms of painting. 

Classes for adults and youth are offered each weekend for beginning and intermediate students. Adult classes include photography, Photoshop, watercolor painting, pastel, acryllic painting and mosaics.

Additionally, painting parties are offered both at the Red Brick Studio (these classes do not include wine) as well as at local tasting rooms "Paint and Sip" events like Four Brix Winery, Sunland Vintage Winery and Aldabella Custom Crush.

Learn more at redbrickart.com.

The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show in Thousand Oaks

The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show is an interactive comedy murder mystery dinner theatre show that is hosted on designated weekend nights year-round at the Gardens at Los Robles Greens in Thousand Oaks. Solve a hilarious mystery while feasting on a fantastic dinner, but beware…the culprit is hiding in plain sigh somewhere in the room!

Learn more and buy tickets to an upcoming show at www.thedinnerdetective.com/thousand-oaks.

Murals of Santa Paula

The Murals of Santa Paula is a non-profit organization that has brought 9 murals depicting scenes from the city's history within a few mile radius. The murals are as follows:

1. Trains, Planes & Automobiles (1890s-1940s): 815 Santa Barbara Street

2. Our First Inhabitants: The Chumash Indians: 119 North 8th Street

3. Santa Paula Family Farms (1880s-1930s): 715 East Main Street

4. Santa Paula Citrus Capital of the World: Corner of Main and Davis Streets

5. Main Street Santa Paula (1910): Corner of Main and Mill Streets

6. Celebrating Santa Paula's Latino Culture: Corner of Main and 10th Streets

7. Discovering Black Gold in Santa Paula (1860s-1950s): 123 N. 10th Street

8. Santa Paula Artists and Architects: 136 North 10th Street

9. Honoring Founders and Pilots of Santa Paula Airport (1890s-1940s): 560 E. Main Street

Visit www.santapaulamurals.org if it becomes functional again (not working as of summer 2021).

William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art at Cal Lutheran Thousand Oaks

The William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art at Cal Lutheran is located adjacent to the William Rolland Stadium. It opened in October 2011.

The gallery has featured such exhibits as: Western Salon featuring sculptures and paintings from the Bob Eubanks and William Rolland Collections; Resonating Images I 1900-1950 featuring representational masterpiece paintings, drawings and prints from the first half of the 20th century; and Resonating Images II, exhibiting representational works by modern and contemporary masters including Chuck Close, Fernando Botero, and Picasso. Exhibitions rotate approximately 4-5 times a year.

The Gallery also hosts a parallel educational series of events. The specific events vary by exhibition, but typically include foreign language tours and lectures by professionals in the visual arts. Curator- or docent-led tours are available for free; they request that you make reservations beforehand.

The Gallery is open to the general public Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 3 pm. Admission is free. Free parking is available. Location is 160 Overton Court.

Learn more at rollandgallery.callutheran.edu.

Oceanview Pavilion - Performing Arts Theater in Pt. Hueneme

The Oceanview Pavilion located at 575 E. Surfside Drive in Port Hueneme (directly across from the beach) offers concerts, theater, fairs, shows and a variety of other events for all ages.  The venue has a capacity for up to 1400 people and can be rented out for special events. Banquet hall can accommodate 450 guests. A full bar is available.  For more information, visit www.oceanviewinfo.com or call the box office at 805.986.4818.