State of the Arts - Issue 8, July - August 2008

Ventura Selected by National Endowment for the Arts to Take Part in the Big Read

The City of Ventura Cultural Affairs Division in partnership with the Ventura County Library recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to participate in the Big Read, a community-wide reading initiative designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. To promote reading, a book is selected and the entire community is encouraged to read the book at the same time and participate in discussion groups on the book's themes. This year's book "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya, is a classic coming-of-age tale. Besides winning the Premio Quinto Sol national Chicano literary award, this novel of a young boy in New Mexico in the 1940s has sold more than 300,000 copies in paperback since its 1973 debut.

To be held during the month of October, the Ventura Big Read will encompass a series of events including a kick-off party, youth mural project, discussion groups and other special events targeting all segments of the community. Planning for the Big Read will take place by a committee including representatives from the libraries, schools, community groups, arts organizations and led by Cultural Affairs staff.

The Big Read answers a big need. Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young. The NEA inaugurated The Big Read as a pilot project in 2006 with ten communities featuring four books. The Big Read continues to expand to include more communities and additional books. By 2009, approximately 400 communities in the U.S. will have hosted a Big Read since the program's 2007 national launch.

• For more information, visit www.cityofventura.net/bigread

Fourth of July Street Fair Brings Several Thousand Visitors to Downtown Ventura

On Friday, July 4th, the City of Ventura Cultural Affairs Division held the 33rd annual 4th of July Street Fair in the Downtown Cultural District. This unique event is one of the only street fairs in Southern California limited to handcrafted items (vendors must submit materials to be reviewed by a panel of their peers). With attendees drawing from across Southern California, the festivities included over 200 vendors, three stages of entertainment, the Sierra Club's Go Green activities, children's activities in Mission Park and the festive Pushem-Pullem Parade for families sponsored by the Ventura Rotary East.

For many downtown merchants, the street fairs can be one of their top selling days of the year. Surveys regularly conducted at the street fair events show that 68% of those attending shop in the Downtown on a regular basis. Other attendees are new to Ventura and were impressed with the variety of Downtown shops. Said Sally Kummer of Valencia, "We hadn't visited Ventura in years and were really impressed with all the growth in the Downtown. We will definitely be back!"

"Take a Shot!" Digital Photography Contest Winners Announced

Winners of the city's annual photography contest will be honored at a special reception in the Council Chambers of City Hall on Monday, July 21 at 6 PM hosted by Mayor Christy Weir and the Public Art Program.

This event is free, open to the public and light refreshments will be served in the Bridge Gallery where winning photographs will be on display for one month.

"The 'Take a Shot!' digital photography contest received over 400 online submissions this year capturing from many angles and perspectives the diversity of people and cultures in our community and our city's stunning natural landscapes," said the Mayor.

For its fifth anniversary, the contest went "all digital" and amateur, professional and school-age photographers uploaded their applications and images to the city's website - all viewable online at http://www.cityofventura.net/photocontest.

After the May 31 entry deadline, judges (professional photographers and community leaders) selected first and second place winners in five categories that best captured the diversity of the peoples and cultures in Ventura as well as our community's stunning natural landscapes. Judges included Mayor Christy Weir, School Board Member Debbie Golden, professional photographer John Nichols and artist/professor Monica Furmanski. In addition, hundred of members of the public cast their votes online by June 13 to select their favorite "People's Choice" awards.

• List of 2008 Ventura Photo Contest winners and their entries

Rubicon International Theater Festival Preview Season Opens on July 12th

Rubicon International Theatre Festival's 2008 preview season will be held July 12 -27, 2008, throughout Ventura, sponsored by Southern California Gas Company in partnership with the City of Ventura. The preview season will include an opening ceremony hosted by Alfred Molina with a performance by Stephen Bishop, the American premieres of Eye of the Cyclone from the Ivory Coast, a Moliere Award-winning event from France, Imagine-Toi, Samuel Beckett's First Love performed by Conor Lovett from the Gare St Lazare Players of Ireland and Conviction written by Oren Neeman and translated by Mark Williams and American-Israeli artist, Ami Dayan. There will also be a featured community event from Teatro de las Americas entitled Tu Ternura Molotov/Your Molotov Kisses and a cabaret show with London cabaret artist Giselle Wolfe directed by Ron Abel as well as free outreach events such as a Kabuki Demonstration-Lecture, a reading of Rumi's poetry Soaring to Ecstasy and Apprentice Showcase: Evening of Scenes from Around the World by Rubicon's annual apprentice program.

• To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.ritf.org.

CLU Literary Festival

California Lutheran University and the Huntington Library will co-convene the Fourth International Aldous Huxley Symposium in cooperation with the Centre for Aldous Huxley Studies, Englishes Seminar de Universität Münster, Münster, Germany from July 31 through Aug. 2.

A pre-conference event will kick off the conference at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, in CLU's Preus-Brandt Forum. An international buffet will follow at 6 p.m. in Lundring Events Center.

The symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 31, through Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Huntington. The Huntington is also hosting a wine and cheese reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 31. Since about 60 international delegates to the symposium will be housed at CLU, bus transportation will be provided to and from the campus. The events and bus transportation are open to the public.

More than 30 Huxley experts from around the world will speak on a variety of topics. Huxley was an English novelist and critic who is perhaps best known for his 1931 novel "Brave New World." He also published travel books, histories, poems, plays and essays on philosophy, arts, sociology, religion and morals.

The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino. CLU is located at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

• For more information or to register, visit http://www.anglistik.uni-muenster.de/Huxley/News.html.

Applications for the 2008-09 Cultural Funding Program Now Available

Applications are now available to artists and arts organizations for the City of Ventura 2008-2009 Cultural Funding Program. Up to $176,000 will be awarded this year through a competitive application process administered by the Cultural Affairs Division.

Grants to non-profit arts and cultural organizations located in, or offering programs in the City of Ventura, are available in two categories: General Operating Grants and Project Grants. A total of $136,000 is available in award amounts up to $25,000 per organization. The application deadline for arts organizations is Monday, July 21, 2008.

Artist Fellowships are available this year to artists who work in the performing or literary arts and reside, own a business or maintain a full-time studio in the City of Ventura. A total of $40,000 is available in award amounts of $5,000 for established artists and $2,000 for emerging artists. The application deadline for Artist Fellowships is Monday, August 18, 2008.

• Applications can be downloaded in PDF format at www.cityofventura.net/community_services/cultural_affairs

Cultural Affairs Manager Kerry Adams Hapner leaves for San Jose

On May 8th, Kerry Adams Hapner left her position as Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Ventura to accept a position as the Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of San Jose.

Said Ms. Hapner, "As a native of San Jose, I am excited to return to the city where I grew up to cultivate its cultural community. This has been a challenging decision for me and my husband as we love Ventura County and have benefited personally and professionally through our experiences here. This transition has only resulted in a greater appreciation of the Ventura arts community and the fantastic team I have had the honor to lead." We wish her the best in her new position and look forward to her return as a cultural tourist!

Latvian folkdance group SAIME to perform in Ventura

SAIME, a folkdance troupe visiting the US from the Baltic country of Latvia, will be performing at Ventura's Plaza Park on Sunday, August 31, at 11am. Wearing traditional Latvian folk costumes and performing traditional folk dances, this group of dedicated dancers will perform for the general public as guests of the 15th West Coast Latvian Song Festival held this year over Labor Day Weekend in Ventura.

SAIME has performed in Latvia's Open-Air Museum since the fall of 2001. The dancers, with varying backgrounds and levels of experience, average 20 annual performances in Latvia and participate in several international folkdance festivals each year. SAIME (which means 'community') has won several awards, including First Place in competitions in Latvia's capital, Riga, in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The dance group's mission is to familiarize and inspire audiences with the art of Latvian folkdancing in as ethnographically accurate a context as possible.

Artist Opportunity

A Room of Her Own Foundation - Literary Gift of Freedom Award
Deadline: October 31, 2008

A Room Of Her Own Foundation is dedicated to helping women artists achieve the privacy and financial support necessary to pursue their art. Toward this end, the foundation annually provides an award of $50,000 to a woman writer.

The foundation's 2009 Literary Gift of Freedom Award will be given to an American woman writer who is a U.S. citizen and will be living in the U.S. during the grant period. Acceptable genres for this grant are poetry, playwriting, creative nonfiction, and fiction.

• Visit the foundation's Web site for complete program guidelines at www.aroomofherownfoundation.org

Calendar of upcoming Cultural Affairs Division events

JULY
July 12	Music Under the Stars - Louie Cruz Beltran (Latin Jazz)
July 19	Music Under the Stars - Little Johnny & the Giants (Rock 'n Roll)
July 26	Music Under the Stars - Pete Jacobs Quintet (Swing)
AUGUST
August 2	Music Under the Stars - Porterhouse Bob (Barrelhouse Blues)
August 9	Music Under the Stars - Estrada Brothers (Latin Jazz)
August 16	Music Under the Stars - Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys (Rockabilly)
August 23	Music Under the Stars - Rob Rio & the Revolvers (Boogie Woogie)
August 30	Music Under the Stars - Caravana (Latin R&B)

• For more information, visit www.cityofventura.net/community_services/cultural_affairs