Review
Getting the public to accept a new Christmas play or musical is a difficult task, given that the holiday itself is based on long-standing traditions that are hard to crack. But the creators of The Gift of the Magi, which made its world premiere at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts last night, hope to do just that, and have come a long way since hatching their brainchild a decade ago.
The Museum of Ventura County exhibited new acrylic paintings by Erik ReeL last Friday evening at The Tool Room @ Bell Arts Factory. The show feature works from his most recent series, Rebar. This exhibition continues ReeL's exploration of mark-making and its relationships to signification. The rebar motif is a loosely defined metaphor for the strength at the core of meaning, something inside and hidden within the concrete.
Society 805 once again excited to have been a part of covering this season's Fashion Week LA. This season we were fortunate to have EDGExpo's Rhonda Hill review some of the collections for us. We have compiled a list of designers and shows, just click on the links and it will take you to the designers collection or stroll down the page.
Enjoy!
On Saturday September 20th, Studio Channel Islands Art Center presented Art à la Mode, a celebration of art with gourmet dinner by Chef Jason Collis of Plated Events. The evenings honorees were visionaries and founders J. Handel & Carol Evans with the 2014 Medici Award. The evening entertainment featured a musical performance by Canadian Guitarist Kevin Enstrom. This amazing event was held at the Blackboard Gallery at Studio Channel Islands Art Center.


"My faith in him is all he has left," says Leigh Hodges of her husband Tom, an upstanding, respected high school English and drama teacher who has been accused of having an illicit affair with a 15-year-old female drama student. This is the crux of Carey Crim's riveting play, Conviction, which shows how a comfortable life and a happy marriage can be easily destroyed.



Review
After facing an unfortunate power outage that resulted in a canceled performance on August 1st, the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center reopened its doors on Friday, August 8th to present audiences with its most current production, Godspell. Based on a series of parables from the Bible, this contemporary rock musical achieves in incorporating various religious tales with a modern twist.

Congratulations to the artists – Alphonso Acosta, Linda Garcia, Rima Muna, Devin Oatway, and Nash Rightmer; and to the curator, Erik ReeL, a vision well executed!


Improvisational painting--any improvisational approach to any art--involves considerable personal and aesthetic risk. Risk accompanies each stroke, each mark, each decision, each act of the artist. This exhibition celebrates that risk-taking and the people who support it. This includes the sponsors, two Ventura-based businesses involved with culture and the arts who take risks and support up and coming artists. Risk is so much a part of these businesses that risk-taking is part of their core mission.
Alphonso Acosta
Former Mayor and Councilmember for the city of Ventura 1990-1999 Jack Tingstrom will be three weeks shy of his 79th birthday when he steps out onto the dance floor for CAREGIVERS at this year's Oxnard Salsa Festival.
