Community Planning Calendar

Listing of events in the 805 Region

> Every Wednesday — Los Empresarios chapter of Business Network Int'l holds its weekly business meeting from 7:30 to 9 a.m. every Wednesday at Casa Lopez Mexican Restaurant and Banquet Hall, 325 So. “A” St., downtown Oxnard. For more information about BNI in Ventura County, visit www.bni-vc.com, or call 805.850.0157.

> Every Friday — Live South American Music, Featuring Wayeri, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Cafe Buenos Aires, 1316 State St., Santa Barbara. 805.963.0242. Free Admission. Click here

> April 8 — The 4th Annual "Ventura County Latino Business Expo" will be presented from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 8 at the Four Points Sheraton, 1050 Schooner Drive at the Ventura Harbor, Ventura.The expo features more than 70 booths. For more information, call 805.216.1927 or visit /expo.latinosonline.com

> April 17 — Ramon Ayala — 7:45 p.m. Saturday, April 17, Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City. Tickets on sale Feb. 2. For more information, visit: Tickets

> April 26 — Private screening of "Like Water for Chocolate," 6 p.m. Monday, April 26 at Plaza Cinemas 14, 255 W. 5th St, Oxnard. $10 admission / includes chocolate treats! Attend a special screening of this beloved film by director Alfonso Arau, based on the book by Laura Esquivel. Special guests will include the director's son, Sergio Arau. Part of the Chocolate Passion Week Fundraiser presented by the museum support group Las Contemporaneas. Special price for all three Chocolate Passion Week events: $50 for the general public, $40 for museum members. For more information, call 805.641.1876 or visit www.venturamuseum.org

> April 29 — "Travels with Maya," lecture and chocolate tasting, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29, temporary location of Museum of Ventura County, 89 S. California St. Maya Schoop-Rutten, owner of Chocolate Maya in Santa Barbara, gives an illustrated presentation of her travels in search of the world’s best chocolate.Part of the Chocolate Passion Week Fundraiser presented by the museum support group Las Contemporaneas. $15 for the general public. $10 for museum members. Includes chocolate tasting and wine. Seating is limited to 45, RSVP: 805.653.0323, ext. 10. Special price for all three Chocolate Passion Week events: $50 for the general public, $40 for museum members. For more information, call 805.641.1876 or visit www.venturamuseum.org

> April 30 — Comedian Gabriel Iglesias — "The Fluffy Shop Tour" — 7 p.m. Friday, April 30 at the Oxnard Performing Art Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard. Tickets: $35 on sale at the PAC box Office. Also visit: www.gabrieliglesias.com

> May 1 — "La Pasión del Chocolate/The Passion of Chocolate," 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 1, temporary location of Museum of Ventura County, 89 S. California St. Amazing tastings of chocolate-inspired foods, desserts and wines from local restaurants and businesses, including Oaxacan mole and a signature drink created for this event! Entertainment by local musicians. $35 for the general public, $30 for museum members. Attendance limited to 100. RSVP: 805.653.0323, ext. 10. Special price for all three Chocolate Passion Week events: $50 for the general public, $40 for museum members. For more information, call 805.641.1876 or visit www.venturamuseum.org

> May 5 — "From undocumented immigrant to award-winning author," will be presented from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 5 at Oxnard College in the Clock Tower Auditorium, LS 8. In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, novelist Reyna Grande will read selections from her books Dancing with Butterflies and Across a Hundred Mountains, highlighting her personal experiences as a Mexican immigrant with a passion for writing, reading and Folklorico dancing, according to a media release. The program is part of the Oxnard College Literature, Arts and Lecture Series funded by Oxnard College and the Oxnard College Foundation. The May 5 event is also funded by the Poets & Writers Inc., through a James Irvine grant. The series is free and students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend.  Visitors can park free in the A and B parking lots located near Bard Road.  For directions to the college or a flyer, contact series coordinator Shelley Savren at ssavren@vcccd.edu or 805.986.5800, ext. 1951.

> May 23 — 2nd Annual California Car and Cycle Show to benefit El Concilio del Condado de Ventura, Sunday, May 23. Location to be announced. For more information, call 805.486.9777.

> April 14 — "Mexico Origins: Who are we and where are we going?" will be presented from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 at Oxnard College in the Clock Tower Auditorium, LS 8. Musician Martin Espino will play indigenous instruments to accompany his lecture exploring the migration theory into Mexico, the definition of “Native American,” and the cultures of ancient Mexico with their connections to our present lives, food, customs and more, according to a media release. The program is part of the Oxnard College Literature, Arts and Lecture Series funded by Oxnard College and the Oxnard College Foundation. The series is free and students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend.  Visitors can park free in the A and B parking lots located near Bard Road.  For directions to the college or a flyer, contact series coordinator Shelley Savren at ssavren@vcccd.edu or 805.986.5800, ext. 1951.

> March 10 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents New Yorker staff writer and best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, "Outliers – The Story of Success," 8 p.m., Arlington Theatre. Tickets: $30 for the general public, $15 for UCSB and Westmont students. For tickets or information, call 805.893.3535. www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu

> March 10 — "Understanding Women in the Middle East" will be presented from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 10 at Oxnard College in the Clock Tower Auditorium, LS 8. In celebration of International Women’s Day, Syrian born Nahed Sammani Stefany, MFT, will discuss women’s contribution to Middle Eastern society, including the workforce, politics, religion and culture, and will address the misunderstood stereotypes of Arabic women, according to a media release. The program is part of the Oxnard College Literature, Arts and Lecture Series funded by Oxnard College and the Oxnard College Foundation. The series is free and students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend.  Visitors can park free in the A and B parking lots located near Bard Road.  For directions to the college or a flyer, contact series coordinator Shelley Savren at ssavren@vcccd.edu or 805.986.5800, ext. 1951.

> March 12 — Carmen Ramirez, David Shain and Dierdre Frank will host a lunch for Dave Jones, candidate for insurance commissioner, at 12:15 p.m. Friday, March 12 at My Florist Café & Bakery, 76 So. Oak St., Ventura. $20 at the door. For reservations, contact Ramirez at 805.216.7362 or send an e-mail to ramirezmcar@gmail.com

> March 12 — Conejo Valley Children's Concert Series presents Roger Day, 9:30 and 11 a.m., Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Tickets: $9. 805.449.2387. www.civicartsplaza.com

> March 13 — The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Foundation presents Andrea Marcovicci “I'll Be Seeing You...Love Songs of World War II,” 8 p.m., Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Tickets: $40. 805.449.2387. www.civicartsplaza.com

> March 14 — "Elements of Nature: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation," March 14 through May 23 at the Carnegie Art Museum, 424 So. C St., Oxnard. Opening Reception: 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday March 13. The ancients believed that the world consisted of four elements: earth, air, fire and water. Although they have been replaced by modern scientific elements, these four essential states have continued to inspire artists. This exhibit gathers together works of art that reflect on how the four elements continue to have meaning in our lives. For more information, call 805.385.8157 or visit www.carnegieam.org

> March 14 — The free lecture, "Technique as Influence: The Painter’s Odyssey of Craft and Communication," featuring lecturer Graydon Parrish, artist and independent scholar, will be presented from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 14 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara. For more information, call 805.884.6430.

> March 14 — GWhiz Arts & Sciences presents “Who's Afraid of Opera?,” 3 p.m., Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Tickets: $20. 805.449.2387. www.civicartsplaza.com

> March 16 — The Distinguished Speaker Series presents television journalist and anchor Dan Rather at 8 p.m., March 16 Fred Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Tickets: $343 - $385. 805.449.2387. www.civicartsplaza.com

> March 16-April 27 — Oxnard College will be presenting a series of free writing workshops for anyone who has served in any war and is looking for a supportive environment to share experiences, the college reported in a media release. "Oxnard College is aware that many students are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with stories to tell.  This program offers a time to reflect and write. The workshop will culminate with an anthology, and participants, as well as war veterans from the community, will be invited to submit work." The workshops — March 16, 23, April 6, 13, 20 and 27 in the Student Lounge — will be facilitated by Elijah Imlay, a published poet whose work appears in Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace. He is a member of California Poets in the Schools and Maxine Hong Kingston’s Veteran Writers’ Group and has facilitated writing workshops for veterans of war in the past. Imlay was attached to the 101 Airborne, stationed in Vietnam in 1971. His poetry manuscript, Monsoon Blues, which recounts his experiences in Vietnam, is  forthcoming from Tebot Bach Press. He works as a psychotherapist in the Transitions Program at Ventura County Behavioral Health. He is also a mentor for the Institute for Applied Meditation. The workshops are sponsored Oxnard College, Poets & Writers Inc. through a James Irvine Foundation grant and PEN Center USA Freedom to Write.  Oxnard College disabled student veterans are encouraged to attend. For more information, call Leo Orange at 805.986.5830 or lorange@vcccd.edu

> March 17 — "The Science of Heart Rhythm Meditation" will be presented from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 17 at Oxnard College in the Clock Tower Auditorium, LS 8. Meditation teacher Puran Bair, founder of the Institution for Applied Meditation, will introduce heart rhythm meditation as a method to energize the heart and help people relieve stress, enhance the immune system, and fulfill their passions and purpose in life, according to a media release. The program is part of the Oxnard College Literature, Arts and Lecture Series funded by Oxnard College and the Oxnard College Foundation. The series is free and students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend.  Visitors can park free in the A and B parking lots located near Bard Road.  For directions to the college or a flyer, contact series coordinator Shelley Savren at ssavren@vcccd.edu or 805.986.5800, ext. 1951.

> March 20 — "Colorscope: Abstract Painting 1960-1979" opens March 20 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara. In the early 1960s the popularity of Abstract Expressionism waned in favor of new modes of abstraction that delivered through a succession of museum and gallery exhibitions and articles in the mainstream press that continued through the decade. Post-painterly Abstraction, Color Field, Op Art, Hard-Edge, Lyrical Abstraction—these are names of some but not all of the fractures that abstraction experienced from the 1960s through the 1970s. There are clear as well as arguable differences among these genres, but central to them all is one factor—an emphasis on color. Colorscope features a selection of paintings, mostly from the Museum’s permanent collection, that reveal innovative ways in which color was made essential during this pivotal time. The exhibition features a range of artists—from influential figures to under-recognized talents—manipulating hues that ebb, flow, blend, undo, and inspire. Artists include Richard Anuszkiewicz, Alice Baber, Jerrold Burchman, Roy Colmer, Dan Christensen, Thomas Downing, John Ferren, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Larry Poons, Ernest Posey, Bridget Riley, and many others. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday. Tickets $9 adults, $6 seniors & students with ID and children ages 6-17. 805.963.4364. www.sbma.net

> March 20 — Children all over Ventura County are invited to CSU Channel Islands Broome Library from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, March 20 for the 5th Annual Children’s Reading Celebration and Young Author’s Fair, the university reported in a media release. The event is sponsored by CI’s John Spoor Broome Library, the English Program, the Ventura County Reading Association, Target Foundation, and the Ventura County Office of Education. The celebration is open to the community with free admission and parking. Many exciting activities have been planned for children to promote reading, writing and creativity. There will be an interactive author presentation, storytime, bookmark making, story writing and creation of concertina books. The Celebration will feature an appearance by children’s author Alexis O’Neill who wrote The Recess Queen as well as The Worst Best Friend. CI students in the English Program, as part of their service learning component, will be reading aloud to children. Children will also receive a signed copy of The Recess Queen to take home with them free of charge. This is funded by an early childhood literacy grant from the Target Foundation. If a child’s school participates in the Ventura County Reading Association’s Young Author’s Fair, that child can write a book and have his teacher enter it to be displayed and read at the Celebration on March 20. Assistant Professor Elnora Tayag, an Instruction and Outreach Librarian at CI’s Broome Library, stated that, “In an era where we see so much of our print media struggling to exist, we want to cultivate in children an appreciation for all aspects of print culture.” For information and to RSVP please visit: http://www.library.csuci.edu/reading

> March 21 — The free lecture, "Who is Still Afraid of Academic Art? The Enemies of Impressionism," featuring lecturer Marc Gotlieb, Class of 1955 Memorial Professor of Art, Williams College and director of the Williams-Clark Graduate Program in the History of Art, will be presented from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 21 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara. Musicians from the Santa Barbara Symphony will play selected works in concert with the exhibition, "Delacroix to Monet" in a series of intimate performance from 1 to 2 p.m. in the museum’s Ludington Court. For more information, call 805.884.6430.

> March 23 — "Hokusai: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection" opens March 23 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara. Few Japanese artists have attained the level of notoriety achieved by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) in Japan and the West alike. Though best known for his masterful ukiyo-e prints, Hokusai worked in a variety of media, including paintings and drawings, and depicted a wide array subjects during his long and prolific career. This small exhibition, drawn exclusively from the Museum’s permanent collection of woodblock prints, features a selection of dynamic compositions from such celebrated series as Thirty-six Views and Mt. Fuji, Journey to the Waterfalls of All Provinces, and One-hundred Poems by One-hundred Poets as well as book illustrations. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday. Tickets $9 adults, $6 seniors & students with ID and children ages 6-17. 805.963.4364. www.sbma.net

> March 24 — "Homelessness in Ventura County:  Problems and Solutions" will be presented from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 24 at Oxnard College in the Clock Tower Auditorium, LS 8. Will Reed, from Oxnard’s Commission on Homelessness, Lynn Bulock, from the County House & Homeless Coalition, Tina McDonald, from RAIN Traditional Living Center, Unitarian Minister Jan Christian and homeless people will explore solutions to homelessness in Ventura, according to a media release. The program is part of the Oxnard College Literature, Arts and Lecture Series funded by Oxnard College and the Oxnard College Foundation. The series is free and students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend.  Visitors can park free in the A and B parking lots located near Bard Road.  For directions to the college or a flyer, contact series coordinator Shelley Savren at ssavren@vcccd.edu or 805.986.5800, ext. 1951.

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