Elise DePuydt - Blog

Evelyn Ackerman Remembered

12/9/2012

Family and friends celebrated the life of mid-century designer Evelyn Ackerman last weekend in Culver City. She and her husband Jerry are prominent Los Angeles modern designers who have worked in ceramics, textiles, metal, wood and mosaics.
I met the Ackermans only once while working on an article about them for the Ojai Quarterly. Through an unusual coincidence it was discovered that Evelyn had designed the Signs of the Zodiac door panels at Meditation Mount in Ojai. I was invited to attend an opening for a show of their work at the Craft & Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles in 2011. I appreciate having had the opportunity to meet this creative duo, but wish I had been able to get to know them better. Evelyn and her work will be long remembered.

To read more about Evelyn and her husband Jerry go to my Ojai Quarterly article posted on this website. Also there is a lovely tribute to Evelyn in the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Time Article by David Keeps

Camarillo Ranch House Tour

10/17/2012

The Ojai Valley Museum Walking Tour docents recently took a tour of the historic Camarillo Ranch House. Ojai walking tour coordinator, Cricket Twichell, arranged the tour with her friend Cynthia Simpson, who is the Ranch House Decor Chairwoman. Cricket has donated items to the Ranch House including her mother's antique lace collection, which is on display. The tour was a real treat for me because, even though I've lived in Ventura County for over 20 years, I had never been to the Camarillo Ranch.

Not only does Cynthia Simpson coordinate the enormous task of installing seasonal decorations at the ranch house, she also coordinates the acquisition of historical furniture and other household items donated to the ranch and arranges the display of these objects in the house.

Photo from right to left: Cynthia Simpson, Barbara Washburn, Rose Boggs, Cricket Twichell, Helen Peterson, and Vincent Peterson

Daughter Ave Maria's bedroom

Adolfo's office with saddle

Youngest daughter Carmen's bedroom

The Camarillo Ranch house is the historic home of the Adolfo Camarillo family. The 4.5-acre site was originally part of the nearly 10,000-acre Rancho Calleguas land grant given to Jose Pedro Ruiz in 1847 and purchased by Adolfo Camarillo's father, Juan Camarillo, in 1875. Adolfo, the oldest son, took over the ranch upon his father's death in 1880.
     Adolfo (1864-1958) married Isabel Menchaca (1861)1936) and they had seven children, with 5 growing into adulthood. Adolfo changed the ranch operations from mostly raising cattle during his father's era to growing lima beans, barley, corn, alfalfa, walnuts and citrus.
     The Camarillo House was built in 1892 by Adolfo and others from a design by architects Franklin Ward and Herman Anlauf. The 3-story, 14-room house is a Queen Anne-style Victorian. The City of Camarillo was given the property in 1997 and formed a non-profit public benefit corporation to manage it in 1998. The City of Camarillo restored the exterior and foundation of the house, including seismic retrofit upgrades, the installation of exterior lighting, a new roof, utilities and other improvements.
    The Camarillo Ranch Foundation, with generous support from the community, has restored the interior of the Camarillo House. The Foundation also installed a new electrical system, fire sprinkler and alarm systems, new driveways and parking areas. Public restrooms, as well as the conversion of a portion of the tack room to an office and gift shop as also completed.The restoration of the ranch was completed in 2001.

with imbedded glass & stones

Adolfo Camarillo was short of stature (5-feet tall) but big in every other way. Often called "The Last Spanish Don", he was a leader in numerous organizations and businesses and founded the City of Camarillo. The official seal of Camarillo, incorporated in 1964, is of Adolfo on a white horse. He gave 50 acres for the first high school in Camarillo, which is named after him, and land for the expansion of St. John's Seminary.
But Adolfo may be most known for the development of a breed of horse called the Camarillo White Horse. The Camarillo White Horses became famous over the years as they paraded and performed at fiestas and other activities throughout the State. Often dignitaries would be seen riding the Camarillo White Horses including President Harding, Governor Ronald Reagan and the son of President Gerald Ford.
The Camarillo family never bred the horse as a business, so eventually the breed had dwindled significantly. Breeders are now successfully bringing the white horses back.

The formal gardens and grounds were also part of the ranch restoration. The fountain is a restored original called "Isabel's Fountain", named after one of their daughters.

Bunya Bunya

Three trees on the ranch are listed in the California Historic Tree Registry:1892 Moreton Bay Fig (3rd oldest in the State), 1892 Norfolk Island Pine and a Bunya Bunya (cones weigh 12-14 lbs.)

To learn more about the Camarillo Ranch House or to rent the facility for weddings or other events go to www.camarilloranch.org

Hidden Voices: The Chinese of Ventura County

9/11/2012

Photo courtesy Ventura County Museum

Currently there is an excellent exhibit at the Museum of Ventura County in downtown Ventura that presents the history of the Chinese who settled in the cities of Ventura and Oxnard. The exhibit, that runs through Nov. 25, 2012, honors the accomplishments and perseverance of the Chinese settlers who faced discrimination and exclusion. Ventura County Museum
Ventura's China Town developed in the late 1860s on Figueroa Street across from the Mission and along both sides of an alley running west to east behind Main St. The town called Sui Mon Gong grew to about 200 and was a self-contained community of simple wooden buildings with shops, businesses and rooming houses. Some of the businesses were opium parlors and gambling houses, which caused conflict with other residents. The Chinese were employed in the area as farm laborers and house servants.The town was removed in the 1920s and another China Town sprang up on the northeast corner of Ventura Ave. and Main St.
Today the memory of Ventura's China Town is honored on Figueroa St. by a commemorative gateway to the former China Alley and a beautiful mural by Qi Pang and his wife, Guo Song Yun. The mural, painted in 2004, depicts the lives of Ventura's Chinese. The two artists immigrated to the U.S. from China in 2000. The picture above, from the Ventura County Museum, shows a Chinese man and two children with the Mission in the background. The photos below show the gateway and mural on Figueroa St. today.

Commemorative China Alley Gate

Chinese mural on Figueroa St. by Qi Pang, 2004

Figueroa Plaza photos by Elise DePuydt

This area is my favorite part of Ventura. I love the Mission and the Figueroa Plaza with the two fountains, beautiful tile work, Chinese mural and commemorative gate. It was this public art display that first inspired me to write a book about sculptures and fountains, and my original plan was to write a book about the entire county of Ventura. The project became so large I ended up just publishing a book about Ojai.

Photo by Peter D'Aprix, MVC Collection

In conjunction with The Chinese of Ventura County exhibit the museum is displaying The Dragon Awakes, an exhibit of George Stuart's quarter-life-size historical figures from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and the nationalist and communist leaders who followed. If you've never seen his extraordinary figures don't miss this exhibit. The Smith Gallery at the Ventura County Museum is dedicated to his work. Stuart has created hundreds of figures from various cultures and historical periods. George Stuart is a resident of Ojai and you can also see a small exhibit of his figures in the Ojai Valley Museum. Don't miss hearing Mr. Stuart's monologues that generally accompany his exhibits.

Nancy Whitman/Thomas Aquinas College Tour

8/16/2012

A group associated with the Ojai Valley Museum went on a field trip today arranged by Museum Board Trustee Barbara Haggerty. In conjunction with the current Nancy Whitman Exhibit at the museum, we visited her home and studio in the Upper Ojai Valley. As an article in the Ventura County Star comments Nancy Whitman's art is an "explosion of color." Ventura County Star article Her art is so alive and so dazzling. It fills your being. Nancy's art is hung on the walls of every room in the house. In her studio completed and uncompleted pieces are stacked against the walls. She is prolific.

Nancy Whitman's art studio was one of a number of cottages that were built on the property in the 1920s along with the craftsman-style main house. The property was once a resort.

from left Clair Hill and Nancy Whitman

Clair Hill is a long-time friend of Nancy Whitman. She curated the Nancy Whitman Exhibit at the museum. If you haven't been in to see the exhibit yet is really worth seeing. It will only be up a few more weeks, until Sept. 2. Clair led the tour today at Nancy's home. Not only is she an enthusiastic fan of Nancy's art work but she knows all about the Whitman family and home.

Please visit my facebook page for more photos.

Our second stop was Thomas Aquinas College in the hills above Santa Paula. We had a school-led tour by a couple of young administrators that included a classroom building, library and the chapel. There is much of interest to see there. In the library we were taken in to the rare books room and shown several books from the 15th and 16th century. One was a hand written and illuminated prayer book. The wooden-beamed ceiling in the library was a donation by the William P. Clark family. The beams are from a 17th century monastery in Spain that were left over from the Hearst Castle. The school is based on the Great Books and Socratic method. The students and teacher sit around a table and discuss the day's topic. There is no lecturing. Interesting.

The church is a combination of Mission / Spanish-revival style and a Classical Roman style. The guide said it is unusual to have both a tower and a dome on a church.

Library ceiling of wooden beams from a 17th century monastery in Spain.

Carlyle Montgomery sculptures on exhibit at the Ojai Valley Museum

6/23/2012

"Desert Big Horn" - Mojave tri-colored marble

Many people are familiar with Carlyle Montgomery's outdoor Condor sculpture at the Ojai Valley Museum, but almost no one is aware of, or has seen, his other works. From now through Sept. 2 there is a rare opportunity to see them. Family members and friends have loaned the museum their Carlyle Montgomery sculptures for an exhibit, the likes of which, may never happen again. This is an amazing exhibit and is ongoing with the Nancy Whitman Retrospective. Both exhibits are now open.

"Friends" - California Serpentine.

Carlyle had a deep love for nature, which is reflected in the subject matter of his art pieces. All the sculptures in the exhibit were made in a period of about 7 years during the 1990s. In the "Friends" sculpture to the right, the hand is the artist's. Every piece is truly exquisite and well worth a visit. Below are a few more works.

"Quetzal" - Pakistani Green Onyx

"Oil Duck" - Virginia Steatite Soapstone

"Kit Fox" - Baja Onyx

Soaring in Stone Re-dedication Today

6/23/2012

I went to the Condor Sculpture Re-dedication today at the Ojai Valley Museum. It was a lovely day and a nice event. Someone brought to my attention the fact that there are two names for the sculpture. The original plaque calls it "Condor and Youth Soaring for Freedom", while most people generally refer to as "Soaring in Stone". A new plaque installed a few days ago uses "Soaring in Stone". In my book I call it by the title on the original plaque.

Mayfair Theatre in Ventura

5/1/2012

A few weeks ago I blogged that I had never noticed the commemorative sculpture in the tree on E. Aliso St. in Ojai where the bear had been sitting in 2009. Something else I recently noticed is the old Mayfair Theatre marquee resting forlornly in a vacant lot on Figueroa Street near Thompson in Ventura. It looks so sad resting there-something once so grand, now abandoned.
In researching the Mayfair Theatre I came across a website begun by artist Sarah Kalvin to honor the theater and some other Ventura businesses no longer around. http://mayfairtheatre.com/home.html

The Mayfair opened in 1941 and was located on the corner of Santa Clara & Ash in Ventura. The Art Deco theater had been designed by renowned theater architect S. Charles Lee who designed some 400 theaters in the period from the 1920s to the 1940s. For a short biography about S. Charles Lee visit: http://historicfresno.org/bio/lee.htm

The Mayfair screened first-run features for decades, but began its decline in the 1970s when the Pussycat Theatre chain painted it pink and began showing X-rated films. A revival was attempted in the 1990s with a group who opened a coffee house and screened art house films. This venture failed and soon the abandoned building attracted the homeless. A fire in 2000 gutted the inside. After this it was just to much to restore and the theater was demolished in 2004. What a loss!

We are fortunate in Ojai to have our historic Ojai Playhouse showing first-run films. The theater opened in 1914 and was called The ISIS. To read more about Ojai’s treasure see my article http://www.elisedepuydt.com/history-of-the-ojai-theater.html

The "Elliot" Bear Sculpture

4/9/2012

The "Elliot" bear sculpture in the Ojai Arcade Plaza is a memorial to the black bear that wandered into town in October of 2009, climbed into a tree on E. Aliso St. and subsequently was tranquilized and later euthanized by the California Fish & Game. This avoidable event caused many in Ojai to question what happened and to come up with a plan on how to handle a similar situation in the future.
This sculpture, by Ojai artist Mark Benkert, is made of Cor-Ten steel, which develops a rusty patina. It has a backwards inscription of the Beatles lyric, "It's been a hard day's night." The bear was dubbed "Elliot" after the character in "ET", who dropped into a community and changed their lives. This sculpture, made at the request of the Ojai Arts Commission, was installed after my book, "A Photo Guide to Fountains and Sculptures of Ojai", was published. Please add this piece to the list of sculptures to see in Ojai. For more information read the following articles. Ventura County Star 10-12-09 and Ventura County Star 10-23-09

Mark Benkert, who lives across the street from the evergreen tree occupied by the bear, witnessed the entire incident. He was so upset that he decided to create a commemorative sculpture and hoisted it onto the branch where the bear had sat. This sculpture is a forerunner to the Arcade Plaza piece and is still in the tree today (on the south side of the 200 block of east Aliso.
View the video story of the Aliso Street Bear

Museum Condor Sculpture Moved to Front Courtyard

4/1/2012

As many of you know, the repair, restoration and move of Carlyle Montgomery's condor sculpture "Soaring in Stone" at the Ojai Valley Museum has been completed. The beautiful sculpture is now located right in front of the Ojai Visitor's Center at the museum on Ojai Avenue. Joanne Duby, Chris Provenzano and other artists did a beautiful job on the repair and restoration. Many others were involved in the process. Much credit goes to Ojai Valley Museum Director Michele Pracy for her vision and determination to execute and complete the project. Already more people are aware of and are enjoying the sculpture.
Click here to read the Ventura County Star coverage of the move.

John P. Harrington, Ernestine DeSoto and 6 Generations

1/24/2012

In researching John Harrington I came across an interesting online thread. I found a Jan. 31, 2010 Los Angeles Times article about Ernestine De Soto, a Santa Barbara Chumash woman who had known Harrington in her youth. Harrington had studied her Chumash family for almost 50 years. Her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother were all interviewed extensively by the famous linguist. He was interested in their every detail of the Chumash language and culture. De Soto's mother, Mary J. Yee, was the last native speaker of Barbareño Chumash. She said that he quizzed her relatives for days at a time, sometimes recording their recollections on wax cylinders or scratchy aluminum disks. Though as a child De Soto thought Harrington a “pain in the neck”, today she considers the obsessive eccentric a hero for saving the Chumash language and culture. Because of him “We have a language. We have an identity”, De Soto says in the article. (For more about John Harrington see my blog from 12/4/2011.)

The article goes on to describe the period towards the end of Harrington’s life when he was ravaged by Parkinson's disease and De Soto's mother spoon-fed him. A few months later he died, a lonely, poor and obscure old man. Most of his obsessively collected notes were gathering dust in lofts and attics. But over time his work would profoundly influence De Soto and many other Native Americans whose heritage was on the verge of vanishing.

"It's due to his madness that we are who we are today," said De Soto, a nurse who works at a Santa Barbara rest home. Today De Soto is intensely proud of her lineage in Santa Barbara's Barbareño Band of Chumash.

The LA Times article mentions that De Soto occasionally stages a one-woman presentation portraying female ancestors back to her great-great-great-grandmother Maria Paula, who was born in 1769, the year Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola trekked up the coast through Santa Barbara. Before Spanish colonization, there were an estimated 20,000 Chumash living in villages scattered from Malibu to Morro Bay. By the end of the mission system in the 1830s, there were about 3,000. Most had died in epidemics.

The article also mentions that De Soto stars in the poignant documentary 6 Generations: A Chumash Family's History, a museum project produced and directed by filmmaker Paul Goldsmith. The documentary traces her roots to the days when Spanish monks established missions along the California coast. Generation after generation, the stories of De Soto's ancestors are punctuated by disaster, displacement and disease.

6 Generations is a one-hour film that brings together three streams of information: oral tradition that spans 200 years, research from anthropologist John Harrington and intact Mission records. The film recounts Native American stories from the years between the end of the California Mission era in the 1830s and the modern era, a span of time when there was little Indian history being recorded because many of those with native blood tried to hide it. As such, this film is a revelation and a preservation of stories thought lost about Santa Barbara’s first people.

Six Generations was screened at the 26th Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2011. The DVD can be purchased from Documentary Educational Resources.