"The Vernacular Bestiary" Exhibition at Santa Paula Agriculture Museum 3/1 to 6/15

The Premiere Exhibition of “The Vernacular Bestiary” and a Call for Poetry

From March 1 through June 15, 2014, the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula will present the first exhibition of “The Vernacular Bestiary: Animal Snapshots from A to Z.” This collection of anonymous amateur photographs has been collected by photographer and gallerist John Nichols over the past two decades and has never been publiclyexhibited.

Dog, from The Vernacular Bestiary, John Nichols Collection

The abecedarian display of creatures is comprised of photographs taken over the past 120 years.   An adjacent kids’ reading and exhibit area will encourage children and their families to read and write poems, as well as draw and display their own responses to the animal-themed exhibition. Animal poems by published poets will also be shared, in binders that can be carried around the exhibition area. 

Fish, from The Vernacular Bestiary, John Nichols Collection

Call for Poetry: Writers are invited to preview selections from The Vernacular Bestiary online immediately at http://flic.kr/s/aHsj5133kr or see the original snapshots at the Agriculture Museum, beginning on March 1.  They may submit up to three original poems of up to 25 lines each inspired by any of the snapshots. Submission implies that the poems can be used by the Agriculture Museum non-commercially to publicize the exhibit (credit will be given) and copyright reverts back to author. Poems must be submitted to VBpoem@gmail.com by March 29. A panel of judges will select poems to be shared at the “An Afternoon of Animal Verse” to take place in April. Poets will be contacted and asked to read their selected poems at the event; poet Jackson Wheeler will read the poems of any who cannot attend.

The Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula. Information about the museum can be found at www.venturamuseum.org or call 805.525.3100.  Museum hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 10 – 4.  For more information about the exhibition and the call for poetry, contact John Nichols at sespenichols@gmail.com or at (805) 525-7804. 

Colt, from The Vernacular Bestiary, John Nichols Collection

City of Thousand Oaks Seeks Entries for 2nd Annual Photo Contest

Deadline extended by the City to August 1, 2013 5pm.

Photographers of all ages and skill levels are invited to participate in the City of Thousand Oaks “Faces, Places, & Open Spaces” Photo Contest. The photo contest is returning for a second consecutive year featuring a new Instagram category!

Photos may be submitted in four categories: Environment, People & Places, Mobile, and Instagram snapshots using hashtag #FacesPlacesOpenSpaces. Winning photos will be judged based on creativity, photo quality, and representation of Thousand Oaks and featured on TOTV, in citywide print and electronic marketing materials, and social media channels. First, second, and third place winners in each category will be awarded a certificate by the Mayor at a future City Council meeting.  

There is no cost to enter and contestants may submit up to five photos per entry by Mail or drop-off to: City of Thousand Oaks, Attn: Photo Contest, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd; Email mobile photos to rwagner@toaks.org; Upload Instagram photos to the Instagram mobile application using hashtag #FacesPlacesOpenSpaces. A signed entry form and participation agreement is required for eligibility and entries must be received by July 1, 2013 at 5:00 PM (EXTENDED TO AUGUST 1, 2013 AT 5PM).

Visit www.toaks.org/photocontest for contest details and to download entry forms.

See some of the winners of last year's contest at this link.

Santa Monica Mountains 2013 Spirit of the Mountains Photo Contest

Share the wonder of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and enter the Spirit of the Mountains Photo Contest. Let your photographic imagination capture the essence of this hidden jewel. Open to amateur photographers only. Digital or film prints are acceptable. Entries accepted September 1 - September 30, 2013. Submit only photos of the Santa Monica Mountains Zone. For a map of the zone, contest flyer and more, visit www.nps.gov/samo/photocontest.htm.

Santa Paula Agriculture Museum Sugar Beet Exhibits March 30 to August 11

Agriculture Museum Hosts Sugar Beet Exhibits

Cultivating Oxnard Sugar Beets; Museum of Ventura County Research Library Collection The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum will be showcasing a new exhibit, From Field to Factory, Oxnard’s Beet Generation, from March 30 to August 11, 2013. The exhibit will include never-before-exhibited photographs of the American Beet Sugar Factory in Oxnard, which was the world’s second largest beet sugar producer upon completion in 1898, and tales of the boom town that sprang up practically overnight around the factory. The photographs illustrate the rise of one of Ventura County’s most important historical crops: Sugar beets. A beet wagon fully-restored by Santa Paula resident, Richard Cummings, will be on display. Artifacts from the factory, as well as tools from of the beet trade, will also be on display.

Visitors are invited to attend the opening reception on Saturday, April 6, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m, which will celebrate two exhibits, From Field to Factory and Farm Fresh Quilts. Event will include sweet treats, no-host bar, and beet-related contests. Admission to the reception is $5.00 for the general public and free for museum members. RSVP to 805-525-3100.

Along with the opening reception, the Agriculture Museum will host several events focused on the sugar beet industry. On Sunday, April 14, at 2:00 p.m., CSU Channel Islands Professor of History, Frank P. Barajas, Ph.D., will present Oxnard Labor History. Barajas is the author of Curious Unions: Mexican American Workers and Resistance in Oxnard, California, 1898-1961. Admission to Barajas’ lecture is $5.00 for the general public and free for museum members, and includes entrance to all Museum exhibits. RSVP to 805-525-3100.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located in historic downtown Santa Paula at 926 Railroad Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. General admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children ages 6-17. Free for Museum of Ventura County members and children ages 5 and younger. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, and the first Sunday of every month is free general admission to the public. For more information, go to www.venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.

GetTheGreen.org Photo & Video Contest Gets Teens Connected with Nature

GetTheGreen.org Photo & Video Contest Gets Teens Connected with Nature 

Mountains Restoration Trust, as a partner of GetTheGreen.org Photo and Video Contest, announced that local teens, ages 13 – 18, can submit photos and/ or videos of themselves doing outdoor activities in nature to win prizes. “This contest is an ideal opportunity for teens to get outdoors and use their creativity while having fun discovering the Santa Monica Mountains,” said Debbie Bruschaber, acting executive director of MRT. Deadline for submissions is March 14 with the winners announced on March 16. Complete entry requirements are available at www.GetTheGreen.org.  

Entries will be judged on their inspiration and powerfulness in capturing experiences in nature. First place will receive $300 and a Novara bike with helmet and lock.  Two follow-up entries will win an educational award of $200, a REI Urban Traveler Daypack and $50 gift certificate. The top five entrants who accumulate the most points of multiple entries capturing different outdoor activities will receive $60 and an REI daypack.

MRT invites teens to take photos and videos at Headwaters Corner Interpretive Center at Calabasas with hiking trails, stream and homestead cabin. “Nature and the environment are the core essence of life and we hope the contest will inspire teens to get to know the outdoors around them,” said Bruschaber. The GetTheGreen Photo & Video Contest is a collaborative effort among environmental agencies, youth organizations and businesses to help youth understand how trees, parks, gardens, streams, rivers, beaches and forests are the number one sources of clean water, clean air and so much more.

Headwaters Corner at Calabasas is located at 3815 Old Topanga Canyon Road, Calabasas and offers public programs and educational workshops on the preservation, restoration and public enjoyment of the Santa Monica Mountains. Phone (818) 591-1701.  MRT receives no corporate funding or sponsorships and relies on public support. To learn more about MRT or to make a donation, visit Mountains Restoration Trust online at www.mountainstrust.org.

City of Westlake Village 30th Anniversary Photography Contest

City of Westlake Village 30th Anniversary
Photography Contest

Entries accepted from Jun 18 to Oct 24, 2011

Winners will be selected by October 31. Selected photographs will be put up on display at the City’s 30th Anniversary Winter Wonderland Event on December 11.

Amateur, professional and school-age photographers are invited to enter the City’s first Photography contest. Both digital images or scanned film images accepted.

Photos must be “recognizably Westlake Village” and taken within the city limits. All photos will be reviewed by the City’s Cultural Recreation Advisory Board. Winning photographs will be judged based upon use of color, quality and clarity, illustration of theme, evoking a sense of place, telling a story or depicting Westlake Village. For more information contact Brianne Anderson at 818-706-1613 or Brianne@wlv.org.

CATEGORIES

Capture the City of Westlake Village’s beautiful environment, active people, and vibrant community life, and submit your favorite photographs in these categories:

1. Environment—skylines, water, open spaces, parks & wildlife
2. Architecture—design, cityscapes, landmarks & infrastructure
3. People Portraits—of residents participating in city sponsored events & classes
4. Community Life—education, volunteer, street/nightlife, celebrations, arts & cultural scenes

Click THIS LINK for detailed information in pdf format or visit the City of Westlake Villge website at www.wlv.org for more information.