Art Branch
The Art Branch is an active group of volunteer members who strive to promote these early tenets set forth in the Articles of Incorporation,”The purpose of the Art Center is to advance the interest, influence and usefulness of the Arts in the community, to engage in the promotion from an a vocational standpoint of fine and applied arts.” Which means to us joyfully creating, exhibiting, networking and providing hands on experiences in the Arts.
The galleries are a source of pride for the Art Center, displaying a high quality of local work from Ojai, Santa Barbara and Ventura County artists as well as artists from as far away as New York. Many artists who have since gained national recognition have had their start at the Art Center.
The galleries are a source of pride for the Art Center, displaying a high quality of local work from Ojai, Santa Barbara and Ventura County artists as well as artists from as far away as New York. Many artists who have since gained national recognition have had their start at the Art Center.
Art Branch
Gallery Exhibits
Gallery hours are 12:00 through 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday thru Sunday
The Whitman Family Art Show
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The Journey Together
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We are pleased to announce our July exhibit, The Whitman Family Art Show. The Whitmans have been prominent members of the Ojai community since 1969, and Nancy Whitman, who is now 92 years old, is recognized as one of Ojai’s Living Legends.
Nancy’s abstract landscapes in Oil, Acrylic and Pastel are full of fantastic colors applied to the canvas in a unique style that is well recognized by hundreds of patrons and fans. She has had several one-woman exhibits in art galleries around California. Nancy is also one of the original members of the Ojai Studio Artist Tour and one of their biggest draws. The show will also feature works by Nancy’s sons and grandchildren. Nancy promoted and encouraged Art to her children at a very young age. Fred and Marc have followed in her footsteps by making careers in their own art forms. Fred Whitman began his carving career as a dentist. Utilizing those same skills, he has become an accomplished sculptor, specializing in hand-carved marble and limestone figures. He is well-known locally for the Limestone fence posts from Kansas that he adorns with fanciful figures and decorations. Fred carves on stone in his Upper Ojai studio, and his sculpture is visible throughout the Ojai Valley. Fred’s portraits in marble pay tribute to iconic Rock Stars such as Madonna, Jackson Brown and most recently Janis Joplin. Marc Whitman is an accomplished architect with a passion for oil painting. He began painting seriously 12 years ago. Marc works in oil and has recently been focused on plein-air landscapes of places he loves. Here in Ojai. Marc uses light and atmosphere, but also pushes his colors to an abstract level, reminiscent of early California Impressionists such as Edgar Payne and William Wendt. See his 2021 body of work below - most of which will be displayed at the Art Center. Nancy Whitman’s grandchildren have also followed in her footsteps as well. Nathan Whitman and Ry Johnson will be featured in the Art Center show along with a singing performance by Jaide Whitman at the reception. Dates for the exhibit are July 2 to August 4. Reception is July 31, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. |
“The Journey Together: Abstract Paintings from Lifetime Partners Gerd Koch & Carole Milton.”
This memorial art exhibition is scheduled August 7th through September 2nd with a Reception & Celebration of Life on Sunday, August 8th, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. featuring live music and refreshments. At age 45, Carole was fast approaching an empty nest. After years of longing to learn about Art, she boldly signed up for an Art class at Ventura College. Sitting in her car in the college parking lot for 45 minutes, she finally mustered up the courage to walk through the classroom door. And there was the teacher, her future partner, Gerd Koch. We will never know if it was love at first sight, but it did result in a deep life changing impact for both. That summer Carole went on Gerd’s second Art Tour to Europe, and that world exposure to culture changed her life forever. Years later after they each terminated their troubled marriages, they cohabitated and would lead over30 tours to Europe, culminating in a trip of a lifetime to Egypt. The couple continued to prolifically paint and show, together and separately, until the 2017 Thomas Fire burned their Ventura home to the ground. Carole lost her studio to the flames as well as most of her prized works. Only a few of her paintings, stored at a safe location, survived, and will be shown in this exhibition. After the fire, Gerd and Carole moved to Ojai where Gerd’s career began over sixty years earlier. He continued to paint his masterpieces while trying to entice Carole to paint again, but she was slipping into the decline of Alzheimer’s. Gerd, although mentally sharp until the end, died of natural causes on June 26, 2020. Carole followed nine months later. Both these beautiful souls left us with the gift of their art, and it will be displayed in their honor this August. Due to Covid, their Celebration of Life, on Sunday, August 8th, from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. will finally allow for an in-person gathering to honor these extraordinary artists. |
What's New...
We now have a selection of scripts, plays and books from the collection of John Slade. Everything has been lovingly chronicled by his wife, Laurie Walters Slade, and is available to browse or borrow.
Coming Soon...
Coming up - Our wildly popular fundraiser, The Great Art Theft returns Sunday, September 27th at 4:00 p.m.
Donated art pieces will go up September 3rd and be available for viewing all month. Tickets for the gala are $85.00. Buy a ticket and take a chance on getting a valuable work of art, a "real steal." Call 805-646-0117 for more info.
Interested in Exhibiting at the OAC?
Artists interested in being considered for an exhibit should call 805-646-0117 to find out how it’s done.