PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS

A rotating exhibition in the Brenda & Gary Farr Presentation Gallery, on the Upper Deck at CIMM.

NAUTICA - All Things Sea

July 1st - august 26th, 2018

CIMM presents “Nautica, All Things Sea”, honoring all forms of artistic expression and all materials – paper, wool, cotton, metal, wood, plastic etc. with a reference to the sea; next to it, on it, above it and in it. All mediums have been accepted and promise's to be unique and awe-inspiring. The exhibit opens July 1st, 2018 and runs through August 26th, 2018. The public is invited to the reception, Friday, July 13th, 6-8PM.

Nestled on the coast of Southern California, in Ventura County, supported by a vibrant community of art aficionados, a steady, year-round influx of art seekers from the area, and tourists from around the world, Channel Islands Maritime Museum is perfectly poised to bring vibrant and innovative art to the forefront of the local art scene.

The Rivers: A Celebration of Life & Work on America's Waterways

JULY 17 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2017

THE RIVERS paintings carry viewers to the banks of America's greatest waterways and beyond, into the shipyards, onto the docks, aboard the ships, and out on the swift, broad currents. Here, unbeknownst to the vast majority of Americans, more than 500 million tons of freight (grains, gravel and aggregates, paper, wood, coffee, coal, petroleum, chemicals, iron, steel, rubber, and manufactured goods) flow past our towns and cities every year. All this is just the traffic on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, all beyond our view and outside our purview, since commercial shipyards are cordoned off from the public. Commercial and industrial maritime operations, brawny, demanding, and usually dangerous to those untutored in nautical transport, are isolated for the safety of the pubic.

Artist Daven Anderson describes himself as an ‘urban realist’, painting life as he sees it on the city’s streets and is essentially self-taught, spending only one year in a twice weekly evening open painting session at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. A long time Chicagoan and only moving to St. Louis in 2006 Daven is fascinated by urban life. In 2007 he picked up his brushes again after a 16 year hiatus.

Daven is a studio painter, walking the streets or plying the rivers and Ports with his camera constantly searching for images that capture his imagination. He takes multiple shots, even returning as the lighting changes. Using his photos to develop a final composition, he then draws the piece. Lastly, the final coloration and painting of the work completes the cycle. The end results are beautiful rendered and composed views of a busy, yet mostly unknown world.

CIMM is excited to host a 2-day Watercolor Workshop for intermediate and advanced watercolorists, taught by exhibiting artist Daven Anderson. Attendees will paint two works, one each day. On day one, artists will complete a marine painting that will include marine related structures, some trees and landscape and populated with one or two people. On day two, participants will complete an urban or rural landscape that will include people. The two days are intended to explore the full range of watercolor techniques in classical watercolor style. The class will run from 9:00 am to 4 pm with a lunch break on the patio of CIMM. Participants are asked to bring a lunch. There will be discussion on composition and the ways of directing attention to the paintings 'Center of Interest'. Instructor Daven Anderson will relate very interesting, little known facts of art history during the two days. Please RSVP by July 8, as space is limited. Cost for the 2-day workshop is $230.00, and $130.00 for one day. Each artist is responsible for bringing his/her own materials, a materials list will be provided by the instructor.

American Society of Marine Artists west regional juried exhibition

MAY 8 - JUNE 25, 2017

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum is pleased to host the 2017 ASMA West Juried Regional Exhibition. ASMA was founded in 1978 by a small group of the country's leading maritime artists looking to explore and record the history of American marine art and to encourage the work of new artists. Their membership spans the Nation and currently includes over 500 artists.

The American Society of Marine Artists West Exhibition at the CIMM contains some of the finest contemporary marine art being created today. Artists from all ASMA regions were invited to submit their work. 24 paintings were selected from a total of 125 entries from 57 artists by jurors Paul Mullally (ASMA Fellow, CA), Lisa Egeli (ASMA Fellow, MD), and Carolyn Hesse-Low (ASMA Signature, CA) selected 24 paintings from a total of 125 entries from 57 artists.

Click here for a full list of the 2017 participants.

26th Annual High School Art Exhibition

APRIL 3 - APRIL 30, 2017

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum exhibited art work from students from the Oxnard Union High School District from April 3 – April 30, 2017. On Thursday, April 6 from 5pm - 7pm, a reception and awards ceremony was held for the community to attend free of charge.

For the past 26 years, Oxnard Union High School District and the Channel Islands Maritime Museum have collaborated on this exhibition displaying student work, fostering creative appreciation and cultural development in Ventura County for students and young artists.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO GUEST JUDGE, KATHERINE COOKSEY OF STUDIO CHANNEL ISLANDS IN CAMARILLO!

Click here for a full list of the 2017 winners.

LOVE LETTERS HOME

January 9 - March 26, 2017

This exhibition explored different ways in which sailors and soldiers corresponded with their loved ones waiting back home. In the not-so-distant past, hearing from a loved one could take days, months, or even years. Separation and the longing it produced was an ever-present reality for these men, women and children of both maritime and wartime families. Letters and objects sent back home became a means of remembrance for separated families. This exhibit explored the common themes found in correspondence from sailors in the past and today: loneliness, separation, hardship, and endurance. These letters, along with mementoes, gifts, and souvenirs serve as keepsakes and reminders of affection and love over the miles.

This exhibit featured letters and photographs by Donald Brug, a Ventura native who enlisted in the Army during the 1950s, and later sailed around the world during the 1960s. CIMM was also proud to display artifacts on loan from the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme, which included“trench art”, objects made by sailors from found or recovered materials. The Seabees celebrated their 75th anniversary in March 2017.

designs from the deep: the architecture of the shell

October 10, 2016 - January 1, 2017

Visitors were invited to explore the science of shells, the tiny architects that reside within, and the differences that make each shell so unique and spectacular. The exhibit featured hundreds of stunning shells from around the world, selected from the private collection of local collector Catherine Wiggins. To many people, seashells are keepsakes from a vacation, or from a fun day at the beach. Designs from the Deep: The Architecture of the Shell expanded the awareness of beachcombers and shell enthusiasts who encounter these beautiful objects, and helped them to substaintially consider the creatures that resided within the shells, and the science that went in to creating these exquisite homes.

The collection presented was one person’s culmination of over 50 years of diving, snorkeling and climbing over rocks to gather these amazing gifts from nature. Every shell serves as a memory - a lifeline of experiences dear to the heart of a local shell collector.

LA JENELLE: RECOVERED RELICS FROM A LOCAL LEGEND

June 27, 2016 - October 2, 2016

This exhibition explored the fascinating history of the infamous “Ship with Five Names.” Local attraction La Jenelle is more than just a sunken ship off the coast of Oxnard, California. Visitors delved deep into the history of this ship through artifacts and objects recovered from the wreck and collected over decades by local enthusiasts. These objects were never before been displayed together, and told a decades-long story about voyages of adventure, escape, new beginnings, and untimely endings. The exhibition told the story of each chapter of the ship, starting with Borinquen, the name under which she first sailed. She was subsequently named the Porto Rico, Arosa Star, S.S. Bahama Star, and finally La Jenelle.

ed cristal retrospective: His life as an Artist

May 9 - June 19, 2016

Flanking the front entrance of CIMM, two large grey whales are captured artistically in metal, elevating themselves dramatically from the water mid-breach. They animate the facade of the Museum and give life to the building. Artist Ed Cristál designed and began building these sculptures in 2011, when the Maritime Museum was planning its move from Fisherman’s Wharf across the harbor to the current location on Bluefin Circle.

Many artists pick a trade and focus on it, spending years perfecting their craft. Not Cristál. He was a master craftsman: a talented painter, an accomplished ceramicist, and a skilled sculptor of metal. He created 2-dimensional paintings that appear to be windows into nature; he crafted dramatic 3-dimensional sculptures that appear to be coming to life. Nearly every gorgeous surface of the Cristál’s home is a testament to how art truly lives in usually mundane scenarios (like the most beautiful honed metal kitchen cabinets imaginable!)

Ed’s life was his art, and in turn his art reflects so much about him and his life. The Museum wass honored to exhibit his work and shine a spotlight on this talented and treasured artist.