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Teatro de las Américas presents art contests Teatro de las Américas is inviting artist to submit artwork for the comedy “Las fi sgonas/The Scandalmongers” in August. There is a $200 prize for the winning entry. The art will be judged by the members of Teatro’s publicity committee. It must be possible to reproduce the art in digital form for its inclusion in posters. Entries are due on June 25. Send entries to P.O. Box 5184, Oxnard CA 93031-5184, to info@teatrodelasamericas.org or call 805.485.5445, ext. 1. Teatro de las Américas concurso de arte Teatro de las Américas presenta la obra Las fi sgonas en agosto. Hay premio de $200 para el ganador. El arte lo juzgará miembros del comité de publicidad del Teatro. Los invitamos a artistas crear arte que sirva como el logo de la obra. Se tiene que poder reproducir el arte en forma digital para incluírlo en los rótulos de la promoción. La fecha tope es el 25 de junio. Se puede mandar el original a P.O. Box 5184, Oxnard CA 93031-5184, info@teatrodelasamericas.org or 805.485.5445, ext. 2. Click here for more information |
Tasty treat coming to Museum of Ventura County Chocolate Passion at museum designed to educate, delight community April 22, 2010 By Frank X. Moraga Click here for the entire story |
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'Las Madrinas' canvas print part of 'Women of Strength' "Las Madrinas," the canvas print featured on the cover of 2010 (R)EVOLUTION Calendar has been selected for the "MARCH" exhibit commemorating "Women and Strength" at the Vita Art Center & Bell Arts Factory, reports Marie Gregorio-Oviedo. The juried art exhibition focusing on the strength and achievements of women, featuring more than 50 artists spread over three galleries, had an opening reception March 5 at 432 Ventura Ave., Ventura. “Las Madrinas” is one of 32 prints from the 2010 (R)EVOLUTION Calendar; a commemorative fusion of the spirit of the “Adelita” warrior of the 1910 Mexican Revolution and women active in our community today; the evolution of that enduring warrior to positive proponents in business, politics, education, arts and effective activism, Gregorio-Oviedo said. For more information, call 805.644.9214 or visit www.vitaartcenter.com |
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The newest psychological thriller, “Shutter Island,” isn’t just a nerve-wracking story, but a discovery of what happens to its main character, Teddy Daniels. Feb. 19, 2010 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Martin Scorsese and his golden boy Leonardo DiCaprio reunite once again in “Shutter Island,” a movie based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, whose other novels “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone” have also been turned into great films. “Moving away from the gritty, blue-collar Boston settings for which he was best known, Lehane fashioned an intensely atmospheric, terror-filled psychological shocker set at the height of 1950s Cold War paranoia, and at the crossroads where the lines between sanity and madness, truth and delusion begin to blur beyond recognition,” the “Shutter Island” production notes states. Scorsese, the director of the film, confessed that once he read the film’s script, he couldn’t put it down. “I was constantly surprised by the different levels of the story,” he said. The blend of genres also attracted Scorsese. “This picture seems to have its roots in a number of genres, primarily I guess what you call a psychological thriller with touches of gothic horror or implications of gothic horror,” he said. According to the production notes, the film “merged elements of Gothic mystery, pulp fiction, conspiracy thrillers and turn-of-the-screws, Edgar Allan Poe-style horror to create a riveting and unsettling effect.” Behind the story “There’s a missing patient, the 67th patient, Rachel Solando, and everyone is looking for her because there’s no way she could have possibly escaped this island when you look at the way it’s fortified, the fact that she would have to swim miles and miles to shore … and go through thick dense forest and climb down jagged rocks,” DiCaprio said. “Teddy and his partner are there to uncover what’s really happening, and certainly the more they talk to people, the more they find information, the more things become suspicious to them — and rightfully so.” The film was shot at Medfield State Hospital in Massachusetts, which was officially shuttered in 2003. During its heyday, the hospital housed around 2,200 mental patients. Some say that the place is haunted due to its background. “It was an old mental institution as I gathered,” DiCaprio said, “and a lot of it was there, a lot of it been abandoned so it sort of had these twisted vines over certain sections and homes that sort of had been engulfed by nature but there are also these giant fortified brick buildings and these walls surrounding all of it that really gave a natural feeling towards the environment that we are trying to portray. “I think there was a certain haunting element to all of it that we were putting up on screen all these stories from a mental institution.” The location was utterly important since, according to production notes, what “Shutter Island” depicts is a time — the 1950s specifically — when the mental institutions gave way to a “new era of powerful brain surgeries and neurological drugs. It was a 14-year time when some patients were lost in a Kafkaesque system, while others were part of cutting-edge experiments that forged many of our contemporary theories about criminal insanity.” Scorsese pointed out that the lighting and camera movements played a crucial role in creating what he called “a state of mind” that is both creepy and threatening. “A state of mind had to be conveyed, a place that was more than just a place, it was a place of being,” the director of such films as “Gangs of New York” and “The Departed” said. Emotionally attached “I immediately agreed that he should do it,” said the Oscar-winning director. DiCaprio, on the other hand, also felt drawn to the role. “I think here you have a character that is put into a situation where he finds out that there is a lot more to his journey than it first appeared to be,” DiCaprio said. “You understand that he also has this back story of what happened to him with his wife who passed away and trying to find who he believes is the killer.” It is what happens to Teddy that is really moving for Scorsese. Besides being an emotionally and wrenching character to play, Teddy “becomes way too emotionally invested in the case that he is trying to uncover,” DiCaprio said. For Scorsese, this is “the kind of picture I like to watch.” The cast includes other great Hollywood actors such as Ben Kingsley as Dr. Cawley; Michelle Williams as Daniel’s wife Dolores; Patricia Clarkson as Rachel Solando, the escapee; and Max Von Sydow as Dr. Naehring. “Shutter Island” opens in theaters across the nation on Feb. 19. |
Still time to plan for your New Year's Eve night on the town So where has the year gone? It's New Year's Eve and hopefully you have already planned out your itinerary for this evening. If not, there are still a few places to check out to see if you can get a seat and say a proper goodbye to 2009 and welcome what will hopefully will be a more prosperous 2010. Be sure to call the Ventura Improv Company to see if there is still room for the New Year's Eve Gala from 7 to 10:30 p.m. (tickets: $25/$15) on Dec. 31 and the Masked Ball After-Party from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 31 (tickets: $40 for both gala and after-party), with music by Los Dudes. The Ventura Improv Company is at 34 N. Palm St., downtown Ventura. Call 805.643.5701 to see if you can still squeeze in. Also call the Ventura Harbor Comedy Club — 805.644.1500 — which presents New Year's Eve 2010 featuring headliner Kivi Rogers, with the East Coast show starting at 5:30 p.m., with the West Coast event starting at 9:15 p.m. (tickets: $69.62 for each show). The Ventura Harbor Comedy Club is at 1559 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 205 at the Ventura Harbor. Be sure to check out the Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau's website to find out about the New Year's Brazilian Style Holiday Festivity at Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine, 3550 S. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard; New Year's Eve at Tierra Sur at Herzog Wine Cellers, 3201 Camino Del Sol, Oxnard; and the New Year's Eve festivity at La Dolce Vita Restaurant, 740 So. B St., Oxnard. So whatever you choose to do, have a safe and fun New Year's Eve. |
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| More than 70 people attended the Dec. 1 reception for CONTEM-X-ART held at the Camino Real Hotel in Manzanillo, Mexico. |
Amigos805 goes international with sponsorship of event that continues CONTEM-X-ARTE, an art show in which the artist Luis Morales, from Oaxaca, and the sculptor Jorge Díaz, from Michoacán, are displaying some of their artwork at the Camino Real Hotel in Manzanillo, opened successfully Dec. 1 at the Camino Real Hotel in Manzanillo, in the state of Colima, in Mexico. Both Morales and Diaz have a vast experience in the art field and have showed their work in various countries around the world: from Italy and the Middle East to Peru and the U.S. New York City in fact boasts a mural on the Fifth Avenue, that was painted by Morales himself. About 70 attendees from all over the Port of Manzanillo gathered together during the unveiling of eight paintings and four sculptures, inspired by the topic of women. “This exhibit is a celebration of women, including her dreams, fantasies, and deepest desires,” Morales said. From the paintings collection, the theme inspired by motherhood prevailed. “All of them are inspired by Oaxacan women and the way they take care of their children,” said Mariana Llamas-Cendon, theorganizer of the exhibit and a co-founder of Tres Amigos Communications & Marketing/Amigos805.com. The pictorial work named “Petates” (matting) is perhaps one that captured the most attention due to the presence of purple and bright pink tones and the thorough dedication of the painter to accurately recreate the weavings common to that region. “Petates is a work of art that communicates a very strong feeling,” Llamas-Cendon said. Also, mythological mermaids are present. “Just One Chance” is the title of a painting that expresses the anguish that a being such as a mermaid feels after seeing that one of desires will not come true. Nevertheless, the artwork entitled “Fertility” displays a number of hidden symbols such as geckos and watermelons, which in Oaxaca are considered as a sign of fertility. “Luis Morales, on one hand, displays the warm Oaxacan tones; the resemblance of mothers and mermaids reveries within a dichotomy that reaches both heavens and hells,” said art critic Teresa S. On the sculpture side, the master Diaz showed four pieces on a small scale: “Solar Butterfly,” “Cactus Flower,” “Moon Chant,” and “Quetzalcoatl Girl.” The last one is inspired by a Mesoamerican legend dating from the times in which Quetzalcoatl was the ruler of Tula, the second most important city after Tenochtitlan. Quetzalcoatl was considered some sort of a saint since he resisted all kind of temptations. Residents from nearby cities couldn’t take this and were always trying to tempt Quetzalcoatl whether with alcohol, drugs or women. But all their attempts were in vain. Quetzalcoatl, fed up with this situation, told his adversaries that the only way he will sin was if they could find a woman, whose hip measurements reached at least five quarters (four times the size of the hand of Quetzalcoatl, who was known for his extra big hands). Obviously, the ruler didn’t think there was such a woman. His challenging neighbors started a quest all over what is now known as Mexico and after several months, they arrived in Oaxaca, where they had found a woman with such big hip proportions. “So, they took her back to Tula and introduced her to Quetzalcoatl, who didn’t have no other choice but to marry her. Shortly after the wedding, Quetzalcoatl’s empire went downhill,” Diaz said. “Jorge Diaz shows the power of the female seduction, the aplomb of a stony-faced will, the identity of a legend lost in time and rescued only by a stone voice,” Teresa S. said. Organizers during the opening reception gave special thanks to the main sponsor of the event, the Camino Real Hotel of Manzanillo, and its director, José Angel Morán, who also thanked the attendees, and the sales director, Rocio Limón. Organizers also thanked the other co-sponsors such as Tequila Casa Matías and Vinos Giralda, the Manzanillo Sun, Tres Amigos Communications & Marketing/Amigos805.com, and of course, the Cultural Institute of Manzanillo, without their support the art show would not have been possible. |
Activities include a not-so-traditional “Pasto-RE-LA” performance, tree lightings, a parade and other events Dec. 4, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Forget worrying about how many shopping days it is until Christmas (21 as of today!!!), 805 dwellers be busy just trying Moorpark Oxnard California Lutheran University students and staff will join with community members to re-enact the Christmas story in the Mexican tradition of Las Posadas at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Student Union Building, on the north side of Memorial Parkway in Thousand Oaks. Parking is available outside the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center near the corner of Olsen Road and Campus Drive. Call 805.493.3323. Ventura About the photo: |
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Pasto-RE-LA enjoys successful run to close out 2009 season
Video clip by Carlos J. Licea/Amigos805 Also see: Good, evil and green hair in Ventura Theater's "Pasto-Re-La" |
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Having a Devil of a time being good
Click on image to see entire set of photos of event Also see: A subversive little Christmas (with photos by Amigos805) |
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The good and the bad Editor's Note: In honor of "Pasto-RE-LA" goes on stage with the performers speaking in Spanish, with English-language “super” titles projected above the players. Under the skillful direction of Christina Aerelund, "Pasto-RE-LA" brought a delightful Mexican Christmas-time story to the stage at the Bell Arts Factory in Ventura on Nov. 28-28, with the play returning to Oxnard for performances during the weekend of Dec. 12-13, before final performances on Dec. 18-19 at Café on A in downtown Oxnard. The play, written by Mercedes Gómez Benet, and set to music by Omar Guzmán, takes place in the mythical state of Pastultepec and tells a wonderful tale of the struggle between the good and the evil within the characters and even, in a way, all of us. If the question is: "Who wins in the end? the good within the bad or the bad within the good," then you must stay until the grand finale of the play for your answer. There are plenty of laughs and soul searching in this work of love that makes us think that not everything we see is reality. While all the actors do an outstanding job in making this tale believable and entertaining, it must be pointed out that the superb acting of Juan Luis Pech as the devilish and insecure Metichófeles, and the delightful and fresh Rafaela García as the blind shepherd girl Pina, must be highly praised. |
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Lo bueno del mal Por Carlos J. Licea |
Pasto-RE-LA comes to Oxnard
Video clip by Carlos J. Licea/Amigos805 Please go to our YouTube channel |
Kermes Comunitaria de Clubes of Oxnard presented Jessica Ramirez, right, from the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center, was one of the performers during the event. From folklorico dancers to performers demonstrating the roots of Mexico's culture, the audience was treated to a vareity of costumes and musical styles. The program called for regional dances to be performed from Durango, Guanajato, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and Zacatecas. Besides Inlakech, the line up included Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc, Danza de los Diablos from Club San Francisco Higos Oaxaca, Xavier Montes performing música Veracruzana, Club Durango, Club Nuu Savi de Oaxaca and Club Agua Azul Oaxaca. Photo by Carlos J. Licea/Amigos805 Click on image to see entire set of photos of event courtesy of Flickr
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Posada tradition takes new turn in upcoming Teatro de las Américas’ presentation. By Frank X. Moraga Many are familiar with the story of the shepherds who were tending their flock when an angel appeared unto them, telling them: “For unto you is born this day in Bethlehem — a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.” The shepherds then depart for the city and find the child who was born in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. While the Posada (Mary and Joseph’s search for a place to stay) has become part of the traditional celebration of the birth of Christ, Teatro de las Américas will offer a different take on the story for this holiday season when it opens “PASTO-RE-LA” on Nov. 28 at the Bell Arts Factory in Ventura. This time, the shepherds (pastores) are from Pastultepec in the state of San Verdito (St. Greenie). There is something different about the folks from Pastultepec — instead of normal hair, green grass grows, sprouting and percolating ideas, said Margaret Cortese, Teatro’s artistic director. However, no matter how much they cogitate, they have great difficulty dealing with the devil Metichófeles. It seems Meti has tired of being evil — it is such a lonely life — and has decided to become good. The good folk of Pastultepec just cannot get their hair around this development, she said. This is Teatro’s first effort at performing musical theater. This version of the libretto was written by Mercedes Gómez-Benet, a world-class harpist from Mexico City, Cortese said. Gómez-Benet will join the audience during the Oxnard performances. She will also read from her books to children and their families at the Oxnard Public Library (Dec. 15) and give a harp recital at Oxnard Carnegie Museum (Dec. 16). Christina Aerenlund and choreographer Mati Sanchez will lead the production, with cast members including Juan Luis Pech (Metichófeles), Guadalupe Franco (Luci Fernández), Víctor M. Dúran (Archangel Michael), Jesús Ochoa (Nicanor), Saad Fakhouri (Nando), Delia González (Chulis), Rafaela García (Pina), Gemma Hipólito (Chambitas) and Antonio Jáuregui (Ruquerto). Peforming the parts of the shepherds and angels will be several members of the Herrera family including Alex, Camilla, Julieta, Nathalie and Tyler Herrera; who will be joined by Giselle and Loraine Corona; Victoria Peinado, Jasmin Rivas and Alexis Solis. > “PASTO-RE-LA” begins its run at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, and 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29, Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura. Other performance dates include: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, California Lutheran University, 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks, in the Preus-Brandt Forum; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, Presentation of Mary Catholic Church, 6406 Parmelee Ave., Los Angeles; 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, South Oxnard Community Center, 100 E. Bard Road, Oxnard; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 18-19, Café on A, 438 So. A St., Oxnard. Tickets: $5 for adults, $3 for children and seniors. Call 805.485.5445. |
Community remembers the departed at Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Camarillo/Ventura Nov. 2, 2009 By Carlos J. Licea Under a bright sun and warm temperatures occasionally cooled by a steady seabreeze, members of the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center in Oxnard, in association with the Conejo Mountain Funeral Home and Memorial Park, held the second annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration at the cemetery on Howard Road in Camarillo. The Camarillo event, which included the Nuu Savi dancers, above left, was not the only Day of the Dead observance in Ventura County. The Museum of Ventura County also held its 9th Annual Day of the Dead Community Celebration at the museum, above right, and across the street at a mini park. In Camarillo, the day-long observance of Day of the Dead featured music, art exhibits, workshops, arts and crafts booths and food. Altars honoring the departed surrounded the stages that had a commanding view of the city of Camarillo in the valley below. Javier Gomez, founder of Inlakech, welcomed the crowd to the celebration, with entertainment also provided by Band de Guerra Azteca, Jarabe Oaxaqueño, Marta Lucio and Xavier Montes. Along with an art exhibition, the celebration featured a car show and face painting Dia de los Muertos-style. A crowd also gathered at the mini park in front of the parking structure in downtown Ventura to see entertainers perform as part of the Museum of Ventura County observance of El Día de los Muertos. Mariachi Costa de Oro and Oxnard College’s Ballet Folklorico Mestizo were scheduled to perform at the park, with children and adults making and decorating sugar skulls and creating papel picado at the museum directly across the street. Visitors could also see ofrendas (altars to honor the dead), created by local artists such as Ofelia Esparza, at the museum. The altars are on display Nov. 6. |
Events in Camarillo, Ventura offer opportunity for entertainment, education. Oct. 29, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Rather than pick your poison, may we suggest pick your Muerto — as in celebration. There will be two competing Dia de los Muertos events in Ventura County on Sunday, Nov. 1. The events attest to the growing popularity of the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead, a time set aside to remember loved ones. Organizers are finalizing plans for the 2nd Annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration at the Conejo Mountain Memorial Park, 2052 Howard Road, Camarillo. A series of workshops on making sugar skulls, masks and constructing altars have been held at St. Mary Magdaline Catholic School in Camarillo in preparation for the celebration, Javier Gomez, founder of the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center in Oxnard, told Amigos805 in a video report. The celebration will include Aztec and folklorico dance performances, along with art exhibits and a lowrider car show. Gomez said he will be displaying a death mask of Pancho Villa. The cemetery will also allow families to decorate the graves of their loved ones like those in Mexico during Dia de los Muertos. Xavier Montes said he will be playing his harp during the day and displaying his art, new ceramic tiles and CDs. For more information on the Camarillo event, call 805.482.1959. Ventura’s celebration also begins at 11 a.m. with the 9th Annual Day of the Dead Community Celebration at the Musuem of Ventura County, 89 S. California St. and across the street at the corner park. Mariachi Costa de Oro and Oxnard College’s Ballet Folklorico Mestizo will perform at the park, with sugar skull decorating, papel picado and paper mask making taking place at the museum. Visitors will also be able to create papier-mâché butterflies, and paper flowers or skeletons. Ofrendas (altars to honor the dead), created by local artists, schools, and community groups, are also on display through Nov. 6. Dia de los Muertos honors the dead who are said to come back to walk among the living on Nov. 1 and 2. Celebrated in many parts of Mexico and Latin America, iía de los Muertos is now popular in the United States among Latinos and non-Latinos alike, officials from the museum reported. The role of the arts, and creating art that celebrates the memory of those we have lost, is the focus of the Museum of Ventura County’s event, officials reported. For more information on the Ventura event, call 805.641.1876. So pick one, or if the spirit moves you, plan to spend some time at both events. Photo of Veronica Valadez striking a proud pose, above, taken by Carlos J. Licea/Amigos805 |
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Video produced by Frank Moraga/Amigos805 We caught up with Javier Gomez, founder of the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center in Oxnard, about plans for the 2nd Annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration — the traditional festival for Day of the Dead, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 at the Conejo Mountain Memorial Park in Camarillo. Click here for our video archive Do you have some video of community events or projects that you would like us to share on Amigos805? Please send us a note at mail@amigos805.com
Sarenata by Emilia García used for Ventura Dia de los Muertos Community Celebration at the Museum of Ventura County
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Community enjoys weekend of Santa Paula’s Ghost Walk at Teague McKevett Ranch Oct. 26, 2009 By Frank Moraga It’s dusk in Santa Paula and quite eerie amid the avocado trees. Suddenly, an apparition appears, bathed in red — it’s a women in early 20th century farm clothing. She speaks with an Eastern European accent: “Did you kill my Joe?” she asks as she points to someone standing in the shadows. She repeats the question again with urgency, but then settles down to tell her tale of her lost Joe and their ill-fated journey from Lithuania to Santa Paula, where she eventually found the body of her husband propped up next to a tree on Sulphur Mountain. The tale told by immigrant Marie Popevis is a true one and the opening scene of this year’s 15th annual Santa Paula Theater Center’s Ghost Walk. This version of the story, created by Mitch Stone and performed by Katherine Dippong Lawson, is one of six entries offered to the wandering audiences at the Teague McKevett Ranch at the eastern border of Santa Paula. However, time has run out for both the Ghost Walk 2009 and a final visit to the historic Teague McKevett Ranch, which is scheduled to undergo a major renovation as part of a new community home development. Those taking part in this year’s ghostly tour of the farm property found themselves listening to a tale of revenge near the remnants of “The Money Tree,” a story about brotherly love/hate in “The City Ghost and the Country Ghost,” the telling of cursed footwear in “These Boots Weren’t Made for Walkin’,” a story of faulty pride in “The Ghost of William Mulholland” and finally, the dangers of showing off in “Slam Dunk.” For more information, visit www.ghostwalk.com. For reservations call the GhostWalk Haunt Line at 805.525.3073. Check out our On Scene page for additional Ghost Walk 2009 photographs |
Downtown Ventura alive with spirits of the dead Annual Dia de los Muertos celebration combines education with entertainment Oct. 26, 2009 By Carlos J. Licea Ventura's Artwalk and 6th annual Dia de Los Muertos celebration joined to make downtown the place to be as city residents, visitors, artists, musicians and dancers filled Mission Park on Saturday, Oct. 24 for an all day event. Area residents built altars in the park to celebrate their dearly departed. The celebration was hosted by Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc. Roberto Vargas, master of ceremonies, set up his altar near the main stage, which was across the street from the San Buenaventura Mission. Vargas, a writer who moved to the county from San Francisco, honored his brother with an altar that featured a large sculpture of a skeleton holding a brush and a palette of oil paints. The altars at the ceremonial circle were built around a large tree that had been at Mission Park for years. The ceremonial circle was made up of flowers such as marigolds. Aztec dancers entered the ceremonial circle from the north and the south and there were small stops along the way to pray for not only the departed children, but for the "Mujeres of Juarez," those whose bodies have been found near the Texas border town, along with an altar to honor two DJs who were recently killed in a tragic automobile accident. The dancers then made their way from Mission Park up Ventura Avenue to the Bell Arts Factory and back, making some stops to gather spirits on side streets, stopping traffic along Ventura Avenue and Main Street. Meanwhile, visitors at the park who did not participate in the parade, were entertained by Teatro Tatalejos. |
Video produced by Frank Moraga/Amigos805 Carlos J. Licea took some time out from his usual routine of taking photographs at community events to gather some video images from the recent 6th annual Dia de los Muertos celebration held at Mission Park in downtown Ventura. We have also added photos taken by Carlos to this video production. Please take a look and see if we caught you in the act of having a good time at the Dia de los Muertos celebration. Click here for our video archive Do you have some video of community events or projects that you would like us to share on Amigos805? Please send us a note at mail@amigos805.com
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Museum of Ventura County celebrates Dia de los Muertos with exhibition of altars. Oct. 22, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Death comes to all of us, maybe sooner or unexpectedly, but it never fails. We all know where our road in life leads us to, and there’s no way back. Every day of our lives, we either deal with or cheat death or know about someone, whether beloved or unknown, who had been defeated by it. But according to Mexican culture, there is a special day when the living and the dead can get together and enjoy each other’s company: Nov. 2, the official “Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)” celebration. On this day, Mexican families gather in graveyards, taking food, drinks, flowers and whatever the departed liked while they were still alive. Some also build altars that honor the memory of those who are no longer among. Examples of those altars will be shown at the Museum of Ventura County, which will present “Altars of Memory” from Oct. 27 to Nov. 6 at its temporary location on California Street in downtown Ventura. “Our whole ‘Day of the Dead’ celebration started nine years ago,” said Wendy VanHorn, director of education at the museum. “It started very small.” Altars come in a wide variety of shapes and forms. They can be big or small; they can celebrate the life and death of just an individual or a group, even animals; and their decoration and “ofrendas” (offerings) depends on the builder and the preferences of the departed. There isn’t a rule of thumb or a guide on how altars should be presented or set up. “From the beginning I’ve always wanted to take the heart and soul of the meaning of the Day of the Dead with anything that we do, so I intentionally tried not to have it become sort of a Halloween or fiesta,” VanHorn said. “The meaning of this event is remembering people who have died, so the altars are a really important part of what the museum participation is about.” This year’s exhibit, which for the first time will be up for two weeks, has eight altars honoring a variety of topics, from animals that became extinct to the women who have been murdered in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. VanHorn said she likes to reach a mix of people, especially schools and community groups, and ask them to participate. Third-grade students from Sheridan Way Elementary School in Ventura are working along with local artist Maribel Hernandez under the topic “Playing Hide and Seek with Death” to create masks that will be part of the school’s altar. “Maribel Hernandez, who is a local artist, is actually teaching multiple techniques to the kids and they’re creating that. Each child is creating their own mask that will be then part of the school altar,” VanHorn said. Other groups of children from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme are also contributing to the exhibit. Their altar is about “Honoring Animals that We Have Lost from Extinction,” in which they created miniature dioramas of those animals departed from the planet, hoping to call attention to the respect everyone should have toward Mother Earth. A more mature altar will honor the murdered women of Juarez, a topic that many perhaps have forgotten but that hasn’t stopped since 1993, and still the identity of the murder(s) remains a mystery. Artists Hernandez and Adriana Mendoza created a painting that memorializes the large number of murdered women in Ciudad Juarez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. “The victims were generally reported missing by their families. Days or months later their bodies were found dumped in vacant lots or in the desert. In most of the cases there were signs of sexual violence, torture, and mutilation,” Hernandez stated in a media release. A recurring altar for the last eight years is one that remembers the sacrifices made by a group of individuals to keep the nation safe and secure: “Our Fallen Soldiers.” “There has been an altar honoring soldiers who have been killed in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” VanHorn said. “This year’s altar will include paper poppies that will bear the names of individual soldiers. Visitors will be asked to choose one of the poppies to take home.” Also, visitors will be encouraged to participate in creating “A Community Altar” and at the same time honor those loved ones who have passed away by making a paper butterfly. “There will be a butterfly-making area at the ‘Day of the Dead Community Event’ on Nov. 1 and visitors that day can also add their butterflies to the display,” VanHorn said. Beloved departed people also will be honored. Ofelia Esparza, a Los Angeles resident and well-known altarist with 29 years of experience, will present her altar entitled “Ofrenda para los seres queridos de mi alma” (An Offering for the Beloved Beings of My Soul). “I build altars to pay homage to my loved ones — to those who have left an important imprint in my life and in the lives of others,” Esparza stated in her press release. “What greater tribute to those we love and what greater hope for us: that is to be remembered and to be cherished even beyond death.” Recently, the local community lost a valuable member: Family Advocate Mary Sullivan, who for 30 years was a leading family advocate attorney in the Ventura family and juvenile courts. She died at age 59. “I am hopeful that her ‘ofrenda’ at the museum will entice Mary to visit us and receive the many thank you notes from all the people she cared for during her beautiful life,” Beverlee Park-Sherbo, creator of the altar, stated in a release. “Everyone is invited to visit Mary’s ‘ofrenda’ at the museum and please leave a note of thanks to this incredible woman.” A very personal and meaningful altar will be erected by museum docent Alice Braun as an homage to the life and death of her daughter Adriane Miller, who was killed in a car accident. For more information on the exhibit, call 805.653.0323 or visit www.venturamuseum.org. |
Oxnard Student Digital Film Festival Plaza Cinemas 14 in downtown Oxnard to screen 45 entries. Oct. 15, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga While a picture may be worth a thousand words, the descriptions of some of the entries of this year’s Student Digital Film Festival are sure to send the imagination racing: “The zone between this world and the next,” “Tips for your next encounter with the undead,” “Sometimes getting into a book isn’t a good thing,” “A tense showdown that will leave no one unchanged” and “A hard-boiled detective meets his match.” These are among the more than 45 Sci-fi/horror, dramatic shorts, experimental, comedy shorts and other entries that will be screened starting at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17 at the Plaza 14 Cinema in downtown Oxnard. A record 90 entries were submitted this year by students from high schools, colleges and community groups, said Kitty Merrill, the festival’s director. She was taking a very short break earlier this week in between the judging and the preparation for the Student Digital Filmmakers Day workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 at Oxnard College. “Last night I realized that all the things that had to be done are now done,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a wonderful film festival. It’s just getting stronger every year. We had a lot more entries and some really solid entries. The judges had their work cut out for them.” A total of 16 first-place awards will be presented at the end of the Saturday screenings, she said. Among the institutions being represented include Oxnard and Ventura colleges, California State University, Northridge, along with Hueneme, Oxnard and Pacifica high schools and Foothill Technology High School in Ventura. Youth submitting entries also represent Barrio Productions, Breakthrough Youth for Success/El Concilio del Condado de Ventura and the Oxnard Police Activities League. Merrill attributed the 30-percent jump in entries to festival organizers interacting more with the community, getting the word out on a film festival that will allow their students’ talents to shine on the silver screen. Seeing those entries on the big screen really make a difference, she said. “It’s a powerful experience and takes it to a level that YouTube can’t,” she said. Merrill said the skill levels range from students just learning how to shoot video to those students with near-professional skills. “The thing I really love is the diversity,” she said. “That’s why we have high school and college divisions. The student films have great heart and pure intent. The students really learn how to use their tools. They go from animation with stick figures to entries that look more like movie trailers.” The Oxnard Student Digital Film Festival can trace its roots to the Channel Islands Film Festival, which later became the Oxnard Independent Film Festival, events organized by Luis Güereca. “Luis is really the lynchpin of this festival,” Merrill said. “He’s been fabulous.” The decision was made a couple of years ago to focus the film festival on students, and that has been a key to its growing popularity, Merrill said. “Student film is really something that comes out of individual voices,” she said. “It’s not the kind of thing where a whole committee has their fingers in.” Merrill also credits the success of the festival to the cooperation between Oxnard College and the City of Oxnard. Dozens of volunteers have been involved in putting the event together, she said. “One student, Juan Smith, came in and said ‘I want to help out,’ and he’s been doing a fabulous job coordinating the filmmakers’ day,” she said. “My web master is a former student of mine who lives in Las Vegas, but he’s been happy to volunteer long distance.” Merrill plans to have links to many of the videos posted on the festival’s web site. Tickets for the screenings are $5. For more information, visit: studentdigifilmfest.org, on Facebook, on MySpace, on Twitter @OxStuDigiFilm, or call Kitty Merrill at 805.986.5817, or e-mail octvfilmfest@gmail.com. To sign up for the free Student Digital Filmmakers Day workshop on Oct. 17, click here to register |
Gonzales brings guitar, style Classical guitarist recounts journey from La Colonia Oct. 8, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Chances are there are not too many people in Ventura County who can say they have studied classical guitar under Andres Segovia, Julian Bream and Carlos Barbosa Lima. “I’m probably the only one in this area. I can say honestly, I don’t know anyone in this area who has,” said Carlos Gonzales. For Gonzales, studying with the masters was a major switch from his Oxnard High School days when he played blues on his electric guitar. Gonzales will close out the annual Ventura College Concert Series with a performance at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Ventura College Theatre. Born and raised in Oxnard, Gonzales grew up on Cooper Road in La Colonia. While attending Juanita School, now César Chávez School, he picked up his first electric guitar at the age of 8, getting some basic instruction from a cousin. Gonzales said he eventually taught himself to play blues-style guitar, with recordings from B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Hendrix serving as his first teachers. But while blues, rock and dance music were fun, Gonzales was captured by the challenge of classical guitar. “I transitioned to classical after I learned to read music late in high school,” he said. “I heard a recording of (Julian) Bream and I couldn’t believe my ears that this music was coming from a guitar. That curiosity got me and so I pursued it.” Trouble was, there weren’t too many places for a young Latino to study classical music in the region. Gonzales eventually found himself going up to Santa Barbara to take private lessons from Celestino Romero. In 1978, Gonzales earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia. In 1980, he began a master’s program at California State University, Northridge, under the direction of Ron Purcell. “He had a lot of connections with great artists, so whenever they were in the area, they would certainly make contact with Cal State Northridge,” Gonzales said. “I was fortunate to be in the master’s program when Segovia was there for his 50th year celebration of being on stage. They had a big reception for him there.” Gonzales is currently teaching at Ventura and Oxnard colleges, and at Thomas Aquinas College. While there were few classical guitarists in the region when he was growing up, interest has swelled in recent years. Gonzales helped establish and develop the Ventura County Classical Guitar Society in 1998, a group that now numbers more than 100 members. “These are all former students of mine or other people that I inspired,” he said. Gonzales said classical guitar continues to gain popularity with young people. “You think it’s simple, but classical music is very challenging,” he said. Gonzales performs at events and venues throughout the region, and has even performed at a funeral. “It was very tranquil,” he said. For more information on Gonzales, visit his web site at http://www.carlosgonzalesguitar.com |
A transforming experience: "Art as Fashion" Limited number of seats available for readers of Amigos805.com Oct. 1, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Transformation is the key to the upcoming fashion show at the Museum of Ventura County. Where else can you find a dress made from discarded plastic and handbags made from old bicycle tires? These and much more can be seen when the Museum and Las Contemporáneas team up for the second annual Art as Fashion, "Transformation, a Fashion Performance," on Saturday, Oct. 3. More than 30 artists and designers will take part in the show, including Dolores Barrett, Anna Bermúdez, Sergio Flores, Maribel Hernandez, Lisa Rocha, Anne Simon and Andrea Vargas. The event is a fundraiser to support the museum’s programs and acquisitions. Anna Bermúdez, the museum’s curator of collections, has been kept busy this week by artists and designers who have submitted a variety of items to a show that is touted in the fashion booklet as “Featuring extraordinary clothes and accessories transformed by 34 artists & designers.” The fashion booklet itself features a photo by Arturo Pérez of artist Maribel Hernandez made up to look like a white chrysalis in front of a painting of a butterfly. “(The fashion show) was an idea that Anna Bermúdez thought about and it was an idea that Las Contemporáneas wanted to get involved in,” Gerrard said. Las Contemporáneas is made up of Latina professionals who are seeking to support the museum’s programs and its efforts to reach out to the Latino community. “Some people are submitting things that are a personal transformation,” Gerrard said of the exhibition that shows the transformation from glass to glass pieces, yarn to dresses, metal to jewelry. “Some of the glass pieces, like the necklaces, are beautiful, stunning,” she said. “There is a skirt that is imprinted with photos. There are some pretty amazing things.” The show begins at 6 p.m. with a reception at the temporary home of the Museum of Ventura County, 89 S. California St., Ventura. The reception will feature Dr. Adolfo Murillo’s Tequila Alquimia and Bacaditos from Evita’s Mexican Café. The program will then shift across the street for the fashion show at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $40 for museum members, $45 for the public and $75 for VIP tickets. For reservations or more information, contact Suzy Dyer at 805.641.1876, ext 304 or visit: www.venturamuseum.org |
Sept. 30, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Few drivers zipping along Highway 126 near Piru these days may notice the complex of wooden structures nestled between the fresh fruit stands that dot the roadway. But come this weekend, Rancho Camulos will find itself the center of activity when the “Ramona Days” fall festival returns Oct. 3-4. The rancho, founded by the Ygnacio del Valle in 1853, served as an inspiration for Helen Hunt Jackson’s classic California novel, “Ramona,” which itself inspired folks to come west to the land of oranges and sunshine. Jackson made a brief stop to the rancho in 1882 and then published her book in 1884 focusing on the plight of Californian Indians. While large crowds have been the norm at the annual outdoor “Ramona” pageant, which has been staged in Hemet since 1923, Rancho Camulos has been steadily carving its own niche in the Ramona tradition. Between 300 and 500 people attended last year’s event, said Maria Christopher, chair of the Ramona Days festival. “For this event we’re doing a lot of publicity and the word is getting out,” she said. “We’re hoping for a larger turnout.” For the second time in a decade, Rancho Camulos has joined forces with the “Ramona” pageant in Hemet, which will bring about 20 cast members and dancers performing traditional Spanish dances to this weekend’s activities. The festival is scheduled to kick off with a “Sneak Preview” VIP Ramona Benefit Dinner from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, featuring the performance by the Hemet Ramona Players. “We will have wine tasting and a Mexican-style dinner courtesy of El Pescador,” Christopher said. Scenes from the play will also be performed by the players, along with a showing of the recently-restored 1910 Mary Pickford movie “Ramona,” which was filmed on location at Rancho Camulos. The remastered silent movie is accompanied by the music of Maria Neuman and the Malibu String Quartet. Filmmaker Hugh Munro Neely will talk about the making of the 1910 movie and efforts to restore the film. Because of the film’s restoration, Christopher said some visitors to the festival may even be able to identify their relatives who served as extra on the Mary Pickford movie. Musician Xavier Montes reports that he will also be at the dinner to provide musical entertainment. A limited number of tickets at $50 each are still available. Funds raised during the weekend celebration will benefit the Rancho Camulos Museum’s restoration and educational efforts. Activities then shift to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include performances of scenes from the play by the Hemet Ramona Players, the showing of the 1910 movie at the Rancho Camulos schoolhouse, exhibits and presentations by such Ramona experts as Dydia DeLyser, author of "Ramona Memories," Ramona pageant historian Phil Brigandi and filmmaker Neely. Groupo Folklorico Tecalitlan from Santa Paula will also perform at the festival. Christopher said it’s important for everyone, especially children, to remember the history of the rancho. “Rancho Camulos is at a critical point,” she said. “We are trying to get people to this event who are connected to the history of the rancho … We want people to appreciate their heritage and that’s why we do school tours for third and fourth graders. It’s exciting to see the kids when they learn about their heritage. So few of them realized that Rancho Camulos was actually a part of Mexico.” Advance tickets for the Oct. 4 event are $5, or $8 at the gate. Free to children age 12 and under. For more information, call 805.521.1501 or visit www.ranchocamulos.org. |
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| Photos courtesy of Museum of Ventura County |
| Former Brown Beret Louie Moreno | Actress Dyana Orteli | Altarist Ofelia Esparza |
An image can express more than a thousand words… Latinos don’t need words to tell their tales in Ventura County. Sept. 15, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Anna Bermúdez, curator of the Museum of Ventura County, has done it again. This time she went a step further by adding Latino “sentiment,” through artifacts and photographs, to an upcoming exhibit, “Wearing Our Stories: Costume and Cultural Identity in the Latino Community.” The exhibit opens Saturday, Sept 19. A free public and member reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18 for “Wearing Our Stories…” and another new exhibition, “Immigration to Integration: The Art of Cristian Gheorghiu.” The “Wearing Our Stories” exhibit aims to show the diversity that prevails within the Hispanic society even though its members share one cultural background. “We come from one culture, but we come from so many different walks of life. So we want Latinos to see the exhibit so hopefully it will help them to embrace their past and their culture,” Bermudez said. “There are so many different parts of the Latino community, and we are not just using ‘Mexicanos;’ we have also included a ‘puertoriqueña’ (Puerto Rican), a Nicaraguan.” “Wearing Our Stories” is mostly a photographic exhibit of distinguished community members. The women’s advisory group of the Museum of Ventura County — Las Contemporaneas — was of great assistance during the preliminary selection of participants, Bermudez said. “I rendered that idea to them and they all came up with different people: ‘Oh, you know you should go and interview so and so,’” Bermudez said. Afterward, Rudy Cardona — an attorney by profession and photographer by passion — came along, and later he brought in the photographer Sam Hernandez, a friend of his. The idea, development and details of the exhibit were coordinated by Bermudez. “I made a connection with Rudy Cardona, and he and I sat down and generated an even larger list and then we begin tearing it down from there,” Bermudez said. From this meeting two decisions were made: First, the exhibit would also include people living in the Los Angeles area who have a direct connection to Ventura County, and second, the idea that the participants were to donate an artifact. “We said the people who we are going to photograph have to donate an artifact,” Bermudez said. “Something that represented that particular person or something that might have had an impact on their life.” Participants from Los Angeles include actress Dyana Orteli, and altarist Ofelia Esparza, who will create the Dia de los Muertos altar at the museum this upcoming November. From Ventura County, those taking part include college professor and the first female kickboxing champion, Graciela Casillas; former Brown Beret Louie Moreno; singer Ixya Herrera; feminist and Latina activist Lupe Anguiano of Oxnard; harpist Xavier Montes of Santa Paula; and fashion designer Luis Estevez of Montecito, whose work is in the Costume Collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, among others of no less importance. Nancy Carroll, superintendent at Ocean View Elementary School District, donated jewelry handed down to her by her Bolivian great-grandmother. “She wears it (jewelry) on special occasions,” Bermudez said. Singer Herrera has donated her distinctive “rebozo” (shawl). “I knew that also Ixya Herrera always makes sure that she wears a rebozo during her performances. It’s like her good luck charm,” Bermudez said. Montes, the founder of De Colores Art Show of Santa Paula, donated a very meaningful object to him. “I asked Xavier what he would like to donate, and he thought about it for a while and called me one day and said, ‘I am here at the museum and the first harp that I had ever played is in the back of my truck,’” Bermudez said. There are other stories and people who have affected Bermudez, such as the civil rights activist Lupe Anguiano, originally from Saticoy. “She’s a former nun, an organizer with United Farm Workers and she founded, along with Gloria Steinem, the National Women’s Political Caucus. She always has her Virgin of Guadalupe medal. She’s very devoted,” Bermudez said. More than words “These ladies took these ideas and embraced them. I started getting inundated with phone calls, and people stopping by. Somebody brought a ‘lazo’ (wedding cord) from their wedding. We have a baptism gown from the 1950s that was bought in Mexico and it’s been handed down from generation to generation,” Bermudez said. The baptism gown is also very significant to Bermudez since she wore one as a baby. “My godmother bought it for me. She went to Mexico to pick it up and I wore it. My daughter also wore it when she was baptized, and I have a grandson and I hope that he uses it,” Bermudez said. Among other artifacts there are a “quinceañera” dress, a leather jacket donated by La Gente Car Club from Oxnard, and a “Pastorela” costume from 1916. “It’s all handmade and absolutely beautiful, donated by a woman in Oxnard whose father wore the costume in Fillmore in 1916. We are hoping that we get that donation for the museum,” Bermudez said. The Museum of Ventura County is at 89 S. California St., Ventura. It is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum is closed Fridays and most Mondays. For more information click on www.venturamuseum.org |
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| Images courtesy of Gerardo Segismundo |
Gerardo Segismundo a rhythmical performer This Filipino nurse has developed a unique art technique that not only distinguishes him from other artists, but also has helped him to become quite popular. Sept. 11, 200 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Gerardo “Gerry” Segismundo is the proud creator of a unique art technique that combines cubism, impressionism and expressionism. “It is a distinctive style that I’ve developed since I was young. It is a combination of cubism and impressionism, watercolors …,” said Segismundo, whose artworks are on display until Sept. 12 in the exhibition “Rhythm and Performance” at Buenaventura Gallery in Ventura. If you miss his Ventura exhibition, you can still see his works through the end of October at the High Studio Gallery in Moorpark. The exhibit in Ventura so far has been a success: On the opening day, Segismundo sold two pieces and there are buyers waiting impatiently for the show’s closing so they can get also buy original. “Rhythm and Performance” shows paintings of individuals in movement. “It is a combination of dancers and sports art. I noticed that nobody else was doing it in the area, nobody else was rendering dancers and sports art, which is very unusual because we have so many sports-related events here like surfing and nobody is painting it,” Segismundo said. What he looks for is not the body or the posture of a specific dancer or sportsperson — he tries to capture the motion. “I am trying to paint the dance, not the dancer himself,” he said. Segismundo places brush strokes onto a canvas without using a model; instead, he takes pictures of a variety of events and later reinterprets them. “I take pictures of every event, like the Salsa Festival or the parades,” Segismundo said. “There was a surfing competition last week at Point Mugu; I was also there.” Gerry’s own medicine “That is why I was able to use all those techniques and all those types of subjects,” he said. During his high school years, he won major art competitions in his home country, but ended up enrolling in medical school. While nursing is his main career, and the one that he still practicing after getting to the United States art never left him alone. Segismundo continued to draw and illustrate although it wasn’t in his plans to pursue an artistic career. “When I was working at the Ventura County Medical Center in 2005 one of my coworkers, Verna Lee, took my work to the museum in Ventura,” Segismundo said. Nowadays, Segismundo is part of the Ventura City Artwalk, besides exhibiting his works in different galleries all over the county like the one at High Studio Gallery in Moorpark, which will end in late October; restaurants; hotels such as Crowne Plaza in Ventura, and even in the Ventura County Medical Center where he currently works. While his talent and popularity are tremendous, Segismundo has decided to not participate in any local exhibits for a two-year period. Instead, he will enroll his artwork in special and national competitions and create what he calls “Obras Maestras” (Master Works). “It has become overwhelming for me because for the last show I am having at the Buenaventura Gallery I didn’t have any works. They were sold out. So I had to render all that in three weeks,” Segismundo said. “I can’t complain. All the artists are like, ‘why are you complaining,’ and I said: ‘Well, I am not sleeping anymore; all I do is render.’” According to Segismundo, local exhibits are exhausting because they prompt the artist to constantly move around. Art patrons have until Sept. 12 to enjoy Segismundo’s art and unique technique before he steps back a bit from the galleries. Buenaventura Gallery is at 700 E. Santa Paula Ave., Ventura. To learn more about the exhibit, visit www.buenaventuragallery.org. To learn more about this local artist visit: www.segismundoart.com |
This long-time resident of Santa Paula is back with his improved “Fandango” Sept. 3, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Whoever has heard anything about Xavier Montes — musician, artist and resident of Santa Paula — had heard something positive. And it could not be any other way, since he has been responsible for two of the most important annual events of his community: “De Colores Art Show” and “Fandango in Santa Paula.” The Fourth edition of “Fandango in Santa Paula” is coming up from 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6 at the Railroad Gazebo Park on Santa Barbara Street. And it is completely free, including parking. The best definition of the word fandango that applies to this event is related 100 percent to “musica jarocha,” traditional music from the Mexican state of Veracruz, but this Fandango includes other rhythms such as Ranchero music, cumbias and even boleros. As varied as the music genres are the bands and their members. This year’s performers include a band of about 30 members who average 75 years old — Violeta Quintero y sus Suenos de Oro — whom Xavier met at a “jaraneros” - musicians who play jarocho - encounter in Placita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles. Violeta y sus Suenos de Oro members not only play a variety of instruments, they also add humor to their sets. This year’s performers include a band of about 30 members who are in average 75 years old — Violeta Quintero y sus Suenos de Oro — whom Xavier met at a “jaraneros” - musicians who play jarocho - encounter in Placita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles. Violeta y sus Suenos de Oro not only play a variety of instruments, they also add humor to their sets. “These talented seniors learned to play the guitar, jarana, maracas only within the last four or five years. But their dedication and talent is inspiring. They perform very well, if I do say so myself,” said Montes in an e-mail promoting the event. In contrast, the group Conjunto Callejon is formed by children between eight and 10 years old. “My young neighbors saw me carrying instruments in and out for gigs. They finally got the guts to ask me for guitar lessons,” Montes said in an e-mail regarding the first gig of Conjunto Callejon at the Annual Santa Paula Citrus Parade a few months back. Other performers of no less importance are Conjunto Hueyapan formed by four brothers (Fermin, Jorge, Andres and Tomas Herrera) and one sister (Maria Isabel Herrera), as well as two sons of Fermin Herrera (Xocoyotzin and Motecuhzomah); Mariachi Aguilas de Mexico, all proud residents of Ventura County who have shared the stage with distinguished Latino artists such as Jenni Rivera and Gloria Trevi; Conjunto Xi; Trio Los Principes who will be playing boleros and Ranchero music; and last but not least, John Robles and his Conjunto Chucumite. Xavier met John Robles in 1975, when he got his first harp. “John had a small replica of my harp,” Montes said. “He was learning how to play it.. Fandango has been the work of Montes, who basically had started it on his own, supported by a very small group of people. Carmen Guerrero, one of his partners at De Colores Art Group, explained how this happened in her introductory speech in 2004, when Xavier was the recipient of the Santa Paula Art Awards: “Xavier took me to Olvera Street to an Encuentro de Jaraneros, a fandango. As we stood there looking up at the Olvera Gazebo listening to the vibrant sounds of jarocho music — the music of Veracruz, I noticed an odd expression on his face. ‘We have a gazebo in Santa Paula,’ he said to me. ‘We could do this — bring a fandango to Santa Paula.’ Xavier Montes was going to bring a fandango to Santa Paula and we would just have to do what we always do, work our butts off to make it happen!” The city of Santa Paula supports his events by providing the money needed to make Fandango a reality, but Montes does the leg work. That’s why Santa Paula was deprived of this flamboyant musical event for a year, since Montes said he was burned out and had to find time to rest. But he’s back and decided to turn this year’s Fandango into the best one his city has ever had. |
Viva Mexico, Viva Aug. 28, 2008 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon The Mexican Cultural Committee in Oxnard invites everyone to the series of events “Fiestas Patrias” to celebrate the Mexican Independence Day and to honor the U.S. September is known as Hispanic Heritage Month, but it is also the time of the year when Mexicans celebrate their independence from Spain. This year Mexico celebrates 199 years of independence from the Spanish colonial government at 11 p.m. Sept. 15, when Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, current President of Mexico, will reenact the “cry for independence” by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1810. In our country, Mexican Consulates and cultural associations such as the Mexican Cultural Committee in Oxnard plan events to commemorate this holiday. For more than 30 years, Oxnard has held a series of events known as “Fiestas Patrias” two weeks prior to Sept. 16, the official date of Mexican Independence Day. “The Mexican Cultural Committee is a nonprofit organization formed by community members that have pride in our cultural traditions,” said Angelica Magana, current president of the group. The series of events start out with the beauty pageant “Senorita Fiestas Patrias,” in which 12 contestants between 16 and 22 years old participate by representing a state in Mexico. On Aug. 30, the contestants will present the Typical Gown (“Traje Tipico”) of the state they’re representing. They will also give a speech about the state they are representing. “Let’s say the one from Veracruz, she’s going to tell you everything there is to know about that state, and present the typical gown,” Magana said. “She is going to also talk about her attire, and what it means.” During the Gala Night on Sept. 5, the young contestants will show their evening gowns and the winner will be crowned. “They give a speech more on who they are, their ambitions, their goals. And they are also asked a question, not knowing what it will be about,” Magana said. A panel of five judges, all of them residents of the county who also speak Spanish and understand Mexican culture, make the choice. The panel members change every year. This year, “We have Juan Gonzalez, who works for an attorney but also has a radio show; Martha Mendez, who also works for an attorney; Fernando Vargas, a boxer; Priscilla Herrera, wife of Councilor Herrera; and Josie from the Rebozo Festival,” Magana said. Besides the crown, the queen also wins a scholarship and other prizes, and she is committed to do community work for the year of her reign. “They need to go visit schools to talk about culture, education and sports, and try to help the youth in the community,” Magana said. To sign up for the Fiestas Patrias beauty pageant, potential contestants must be bilingual, have at least one parent from Mexico, be attending college or university, and be doing positive things. “We are promoting culture and education but also the language (Spanish) so it doesn’t get lost,” Magana said. Mexico in the United States Members of the U.S. Air Force and Army will lead the parade. “We honor the land that we are standing on, and the fact that the U.S. has allowed us to celebrate ‘Fiestas Patrias,’” Magana said. “We could not celebrate without honoring our flag, the American flag.” Magana also thanks the support received from the City of Oxnard and the Police Department. Parade participants also are acknowledged with a trophy in their category: charros (Mexican horsemen), escaramuza (skirmish), individuals, bands and classics cars. But the fiesta doesn’t stop there; there is a celebration with mariachi music and plenty of food, Magana said. The main and last event is on Sept. 15, when the Mexican Consul in Oxnard, Rogelio Flores Mejia, will give “El Grito de Dolores” in Plaza Park, accompanied by Oxnard Mayor Dr. Tom Holden and the Mexican military band of musicians between 9 and 22 years old. The event also features artists, Magana said. |
Recently, Veronica Valadez was recognized as the Emerging Artist of the City of Ventura 2009 Mayor’s Arts Awards, but to her this distinction has many meanings… Aug. 18, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Art has many faces. One of them is named Veronica Valadez. A Latina visual artist, Aztec dancer, gallery owner, teacher and community activist, among other roles, Veronica Valadez was nominated under the Emerging Artist category to the City of Ventura 2009 Mayor’s Arts Awards. “Some time had passed and then I saw online that they have really sent out the letters and I didn’t received anything so I was bumbed out,” said Valadez, owner of Under the Sun Gallery at the Bell Arts Factory in Ventura. “Then I found that I did get it.” To Valadez, such recognition means more than just an award. It signifies an honor to represent the community she belongs to. “I was honored more than anything because I don’t think that very many Latinos have gotten this award. I was happy to be able to represent my community,” Valadez said. This award also means for Valadez that her efforts haven’t been in vain to make sure that Latinos, their art and talents, are properly represented. But most of all, she appreciated that there is a place for their culture and history in Ventura that as Latinos they didn’t have before. “For me this is just what this award means, that Ventura is accepting of that and it is appreciating and validating our culture,” Valadez said. But this is not an individual distinction, according to Valadez, who is always working towards exposing what she calls her “compañeros” (partners) and her artists’ friends. “I am always putting up art shows of other people’s artwork and my dance group is a work group. I may be one of the leaders but a leader can’t be a leader without a group of people so you know I feel it is more an award for our community than just for me,” Valadez said. “There is no way I could do this by myself.” The familiar face of Valadez “It can be from the time I had to take away from my children and from my husband. I don’t get to paint as often as I would like to because I have my family and when I do, it is a sacrifice,” Valadez said. Her husband and children have been very supportive of her career. For instance, when Valadez is working on a deadline for her gallery show, her husband takes care of dinner, makes sure the kids have done their chores and homework, among other things. For Valadez running Under the Sun Gallery has also been a family effort, since all of them participate whether it is by setting everything up for an exhibition, cleaning the place, and putting in fixtures. “My son, who just turn 18, had to come after school and open up the shop, and work there until I got there from work. Every time we had an event it was him and my husband up and down turning stuff and setting stuff up for hours,” Valadez said. “It was hard but I think at the same time it was very enriching. It brought us closer together.” Valadez’s artist face “I have been so focused in the community and bringing other artists to the forefront and making sure we are exhibiting so many of the talented people in Ventura County, and so for me the hardest thing has been to take time just for me,” she said. Nevertheless, she is not completely satisfied regarding herself as an artist, because she hasn’t reached where she would want to be. “I haven’t really had the chance to develop myself as much as I want to as an artist,” she said. “My work as a community activist is to make sure that our artwork is out there for Latinos and the public at large.” Facing the community “How beautifully we can understand each other as human beings regardless of race, color, economic background, gender,” Valadez said. “That is why I have always done this because it brings us closer as a community.” |
Outstanding residents are recognized by the city of Ventura Aug. 6, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Art is more than just a human expression — it is a way of life. It surrounds us, even if we don’t notice its presence as so happens when outstanding residents — whether they are neighbors, friends or unknown individuals whose work benefits each one of us — beautify our environment or create opportunities even though we may not perceive it. But their deeds are tangible and in the last four years the City of Ventura has been recognizing their efforts and contributions. Recently, Ventura’s Mayor Christy Weir awarded some exceptional individuals who have dedicated their life to art, whether through contributions, teaching or creation. The awards program was created in 2005 to honor local contributions to the arts, to understand the value of the arts and to help and develop new patrons. The 2009 award-winners are: In the Arts Patron category: Albert and Micheline Sakharoff, who helped built many arts organizations through financial contributions. In the Artist in the Community category: Michele Chapin, a local artist, teacher, sculptor and community arts advocate for the past 30 years. In the Arts Leader category: Chris Velasco, founder and President of PLACE, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to work with cities to create leading-edge communities that promote the arts, environmentalism and social justice. In the Arts Educator category: Patricia Strickland, Theater Arts teacher and principal for Saint Bonaventure High School, who also teaches music to children. In the Emerging Artist category: Veronica Valadez, Aztec dancer, visual artist, owner of the Under the Sun gallery at the Bell Arts Factory in Ventura, teacher and community activist. You may or may not know them personally, but either way it is our duty and pleasure to thank them for their labor of love that recreates a better environment for all of us. |
July 16, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon What are you planning to do from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Saturday through Sept. 5? It just may be the “same old, same old” couch-potato-TV-watching night with a beer in your hand. Or you could enjoy a candlelit dinner at a fantastic historic site, while listening and dancing to some of the best music around for only $31.50 a ticket. Sounds good, eh? Well, you can do all that at the “Music under the Stars” concert series every Saturday at the courtyard of the historic Olivas Adobe in Ventura. Dinner, buffet-style, is provided by Buenaventura Catering for an additional price of $13.50 per person. Dinners must be ordered no later than the Friday before each concert. You can also take your own food, wine and candles as well. It is completely up to you. The concert, without dinner, costs $18. “We have the dance floor, we have the lights, we have the ambiance, and there’s not only music but they are doing it in a historic site because we are presenting this in the 1847 Olivas Adobe in the beautiful courtyard,” said Georgeanne Lees, cultural affairs supervisor of the City of Ventura. What will you hear? Each Saturday night a different band plays from swing and rockabilly to world music and country-western. “We know that we want a variety of music. We know we want to appeal to a great deal of the community within the city of Ventura. We want to make it as interesting and diverse as we possibly can,” Lees said. At least two bands of Latin jazz are included each year. “They’re very popular and people can dance to them,” Lees said. This year, the organizers of the event are bringing an all-female bluegrass band called High Heels (Aug. 29). “With the most beautiful harmonics, (the band's sound is) just lovely,” Lees said. Also Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys will delight the audience with rockabilly music (July 18). “People really seem to like it and the fact that they can dance to,” Lees said. There will be some such as Caravana (July 25) and Sultans of Mambo (Aug. 22) who are returning due to popular demand by audience members, Lees said. “We have a band that we just used last year called Caravana and it’s kind of a world beat music. They were so good that even though their concert wasn’t well attended the people that attend it asked us to please bring them back,” said Lees. “We have Sultans of Mambo which is a flamenco rumba.” Caravana, whose members are spread between Orange County and the San Fernando Valley, offers a wide variety of genres such as Latin fusion and reggae. Kenny Hudson, a member of Caravana, said this will be the fourth time they have played in the concert series. “We are just going to pick up from where we left off last year. It was like high energy. I didn’t even expect everyone was in such a good mood that evening,” Hudson said. “Just come out and get ready for some high energy, great music and a lot of fun.” Every seat is a good seat, Lees said. “It’s a little courtyard so we can’t really fit more than 450 people,” she said. The very good side of music Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf donates the coffee, regular and decaf, and 100 percent of their proceeds are also donated to the organization Friends of the Olivas Adobe to help the preservation of this historical place. “A percentage of whatever comes into the bar and beverages goes into the Olivas Adobe Foundation; the revenue that we bring in from the tickets really goes to pay for the event,” Lees said. For more information, call 805.658-4726 or visit: Olivas Adobe |
A memorable performance July 8, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon The best things in life are free. That is why the Oceanview Pavilion Performing Arts Theatre in Port Hueneme is giving away tickets — four maximum per household — for the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 10. “This is the first time they have ever been here, the first of many I hope," said Sharon Kloeris, vice president of marketing at the Oceanview Pavilion. " I always tell them I want this to be their home away from home.” The Air National Guard Band was created in Augusta, Ga. more than 60 years ago and its musicians “are part-time guard members with full civilian careers,” states the band’s web site. Besides music, the ANG Band of the Southwest also performs other important duties — creating programs to keep up the spirit of those in the military, helping in recruiting and working as a community liaison primarily in Arizona, Colorado and Southern California. Kloeris said she learned about the ANG band when she spoke to someone during a concert of the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West. “I talked to the commanding officer regarding that particular band. They were going to be performing in Port Hueneme for the first time and asked if we would go ahead and sponsor the event,” Kloeris said. Kloeris also pointed out that due to Oceanview Pavilion’s location, in between the military bases of Port Hueneme and Point Mugu, there is an ongoing good relationship, that has already produced many military band concerts. “There is incredible talent and I got really cool sponsorship from both the bases for advertising as well as giving free tickets to all of events to the men and women that serve our country,” she said. ANG is featuring acclaimed vocal tenor Carlo Verona, who will be singing “The Flag of Freedom,” a song of his own creation. The song has been praised by Sen. John McCain and the First Lady of California, Maria Shriver. The Oceanview Pavilion is at 575 E. Surfside Drive, Port Hueneme. To get free tickets call now at 805.986.4818, but remember they are limited to four tickets per household. For more information, visit: http://www.oceanviewinfo.com/ |
By Mariana Llamas-Cendon June 25, 2009 It has been almost a year since a group of professional Latinas from different parts of Ventura County gathered to talk about how they could spread the word about Latino culture in the region. The group was brought together by Anna Rios Bermúdez, a curator of the Museum of Ventura County. That informal July meeting has since led to the creation of the museum’s advisory group known as Las Contemporáneas (Contemporary Women). Las Contemporáneas name, according to member Kathleen Contreras, professor of Bilingual Education and Chicano Studies of California State University Channel Islands, describes a group of Latino women. Currently, the group has 15 bilingual and bicultural members, either involved in education or business, who are very active in the communities they belong to. “Many of us were already members of the museum. We felt that we could assist the museum by attracting more Latinos, in fundraising for outreach, developing the collections to include Latino history and historical artifacts like a quinceañera or baptism dress from years ago, musical instruments,” Contreras said. Since the museum will be expanded and remodeled in the next few months, Las Contemporáneas thought it was the perfect time for outreach. “Even though (the museum) is in Ventura (city), many of the members come from Oxnard, Fillmore, Piru, so we are trying to make the museum more accessible to those communities as well,” Contreras said. To accomplish that objective, the members of Las Contemporáneas also went to Sunday masses and schools. “We knew that a lot Latinos go to Sunday mass in Spanish. We targeted certain schools that have a huge population of Latino students, and sent home flyers through the school district,” Contreras said. For the first time “All the artists created artwork, clothing and accessories. The models represented the young teenage girls, women in their 20s, in their 30s, up to ‘señoras’ in their 50s,” Contreras said. By November 2008, the group assisted the museum with the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) event by greeting families in Spanish and helping children throughout the exhibition. In December, they featured the event “Para los niños,” in which stories were told in both English and Spanish, along with a "posada" and tamales. “The kids created these pieces of artwork. We were very surprised that many fathers participated in creating these small art pieces. Almost 200 people attended that,” Contreras said. In order to attract new members to the group, a High Tea Latina Style was held, sponsored by the local bank. “One of our members is a manager at Banco Buenaventura, so we had a High Tea Latina style, and instead of having scones and traditional English-style tea, we had ‘yerbabuena’ (spearmint), ‘limón’ (lemongrass) and ‘canela’ (cinnamon) teas, ‘empanaditas’, and ‘pan dulce (pastries),’” Contreras said. The group is currently planning what they believe will be their signature event: “La pasión del chocolate” (Passion for Chocolate) on Feb. 14, 2010, which will also raise funds for museum outreach. “The history of chocolate comes from the indigenous, from the Aztecs. We would have exhibits, chocolate tasting, culinary dishes like ‘mole con cocholate’ and ‘pan dulce,’ lectures, artwork, all related to chocolate, ‘la pasión,’ ‘el amor,’” Contreras said. New and improved “Some of our members would like to see more Latino artists, more exhibits. Even in the museum store they want to see more Latino representation,” Contreras said. Members do have to be women, but do not have to be Latina professionals. They just have to have available time. The group meets on the second Saturday of every month. “We are all busy professionals,” Contreras said. “We are looking forward to our upcoming second year.” If interested, contact Anna Rios Bermúdez at 805.641.1876, ext. 302, (abermudez@venturamuseum.org), The Museum of Ventura County (www.venturamuseum.org) or Kathleen Contreras (kacontreras@mac.com). |
June 5, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Yes, it’s that time of the year again. The summer concert series at Heritage Square in Oxnard will kick-off on June 12 and last until Aug. 14. Music, in your own language Insider’s recommendation For more information, visit www.HeritageSquareOxnard.com or call 805.483.7960. Concerts at a glance
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Art, a match for life May 29, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon Art, as we know, can provoke feelings and sensations. Art also introduces us to different worlds, ways of thinking, and perspectives. But art also could be a means to celebrate life. The Buenaventura Art Association and the Breast Center at Community Memorial Hospital are organizing an outstanding event entitled “A Celebration of Life” dedicated to raising funds towards increasing awareness of breast cancer and its prevention, as well as to serve those women whose health insurance is limited or even worse, are not even insured. “I believe it was the marketing director there (of Community Memorial Hospital) who asked to meet with our gallery. He came up to us,” said Emily Thompson, assistant director of Harbor Village Gallery. The gallery will host the artwork of 11 artists who were matched with the same number of breast cancer survivors in order to document and portray what those survivors have been through. Even though the fundraising event officially will kick-off from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 31, the exhibition of pieces, as well as the opportunity to contribute by buying or donating money to the cause, will remain open until June 15. A percentage of the total sales of the gallery will be donated to the Breast Cancer Center at Community Memorial Hospital, she said. The average price range of the pieces goes from $200 to $1,500. Do not despair if your budget is tight, since there are other objects such as jewelry, pottery, cards, and prints, also for sale. Likewise, the Harbor Village Gallery will accept money donations of any amount. “They can purchase (the art), but if they want to make donation that is wonderfully welcome,” Thompson said. “We’d love to see a collaboration like this with the hospital as an annual event to help promote local artists, breast cancer (awareness) and the center.” A Good Match Artist Janet Black, who was paired with Tamilyn Taylor, discovered common interests such as their love of cats and coffee. “The most fascinating thing about this partnering,” Black said, “is that Tamilyn kept a journal during her diagnosis and treatment, and I was able to use pieces of that journal in the collage itself, surrounding her with her own words and memories, in her own handwriting.” Karen Brown, president of the Ventura Ribbons of Life non-profit organization, and who was in charge of coordinating the meeting between artists and survivors, said that this is the “first attempt of putting this together. The ‘Celebration of Life’ last year was an opportunity for the artists and the models to meet, but this was an opportunity for them to (work together) for the first time. It was just kind of a random selection.” The labor done by Ribbons of Life (ROL) was to contact their members to find out who was interested in participating in this artistic collaboration. “The hospital had a few survivors and they were looking for more so what they did is contact Lisa Barreto, who is the CEO and president of ROL Breast Cancer Foundation here in Ventura, and she contacted the members saying ‘hey are you interested?,’” said Brown, who pointed out that ROL philosophy is not about death, but concerned about living. The organization also hosts a monthly meeting, “Breast Fest,” open to the general public at the Hillside Deli in Ventura, close to the Ventura County Government Center, in which they provide information regarding the disease. In addition, ROL offers the Lesley Paarman Breast Cancer Scholarship, awarded to breast cancer survivors. More information The Harbor Village Gallery, 1591 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura’s Harbor Village shopping complex. Call 805.644.2750 or visit the Buenaventura Art Association’s website at www.BuenaventuraGallery.org. To learn more about The Ribbons of Life Breast Cancer Foundation and the upcoming Gold Dust Gala, visit www.golddustgala.org or www.ribbonsventura.org. |
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Providing individual counseling, group workshops, media distribution and other communications training services. |
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