Because of Art City…

Paul Lindhard, center, in Art City’s new gallery which is exhibiting a show of his work and the paintings of John White through March 20.

Simply put, Art City is why I am in Ventura today — and why I am the person I am today.

• Because of Art City, I am the Art Predator.
• Because of Art City, I accepted that I am a poet.
• Because of Art City, I became an artist.
• Because of Art City, I returned to journalism.
• Because of Art City, I teach at Ventura College.
• Because of Art City, I have this blog.
• Because of Art City, you know me.

And, most importantly, because of Art City, Ventura CA has a thriving community for artists.

So what is Art City?

Simply put, Art City is a stone yard and primarily stone sculpture studios plus a newly enclosed gallery featuring stone sculptures, paintings, and a performance space located beside the bike path at 197 Dubbers St off Rex off Olive off Main near the Ventura Avenue Vons in west Ventura, California. Established over 30 years ago by Santa Barbara City College adjunct professor Paul Lindhard, today Art City thrives as a place that cultivates talent and technique in not only stone sculptors, but also film makers, playwrights, poets, performance artists, painters, wood-carvers, photographers, and other artists working in found art, assemblage and multi-media. In November 2017, the City of Ventura gave Paul Lindhard the Ventura Mayor’s Arts Award in the Arts Patron category in recognition of all that he has accomplished.

Read more about Art City and events there on the blog I established many years ago with Sophia Kidd.

I am not exaggerating when I say Art City is likely the most magical place I have ever been.

Every corner you turn you will see something new, something exciting, something inspiring.

And lots of mess — because let’s face it, creativity is a messy process.

They say once an Art Citizen, always an Art Citizen: in which case I qualify because I had a studio there from January 1994 to January 1997. If you’ve ever been there, you know that working there as a writer for three winters is really saying something.

I loved my time there. And clearly, so did Huell Howser when he visited a few years ago as you can see in this video.

These days, I visit as often as possible, attending events and openings, participating in poetry readings and creating ceremony; I bring my students on field trips there to learn about permaculture in the Avant Garden and to be inspired at the stone yard and studios.

This semester, we arrive between two events: Sunday’s “The Lucky Leaf”

and Tuesday’s Spring Equinox where Dept and Art City founder Paul Lindhard are curating an evening of experiences that will likely include music, performance art, film, fire, and a potluck!

Here are a few pictures from our visit on the fall equinox:

This semester, I will be bringing both of my classes, and all are welcome: 1130-2 and 230-5p on Monday March 19. We have a few guest speakers, we’ll do some writing (bring a notebook!), we’ll explore the garden and studios, and we’ll hang out in the gallery. It’s supposed to be cold and possibly raining; as we will be exploring outside, be prepared with rain ready shoes and clothes.

And snacks! Snacks are good! Please bring some!