Santa Paula’s museums line up for Chamber GMSP presentation
November 23, 2011
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
A lineup of Santa Paula’s museum attractions was the attraction itself at the Chamber of Commerce’s October Good Morning Santa Paula held at Enzo’s at The Glen Tavern Inn.
The Chamber-sponsored event featured representatives from the city’s four museums that could earn it a new title - “Museum Capital of the World!”
Nate Pidduck, director of the newest offering, the Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum (MVCAM) AKA The Mill, said it was his first visit to GMSP and he had “no idea I was going to speak... [but] we recently opened and had a great turnout.” The museum has a 5-yearplan that Pidduck said would include transforming the backlot of the building into added exhibit space.
The MVCAM is also working with the city’s other museums and attractions while “working out our own kinks,” inherent to a new operation. The museum (located on Railroad Avenue at Mill Street) is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and, said Pidduck, “We’ll see if we can maybe get in sync with the other museums’ hours” to provide mulitple visitiation opportunities at the same time.
Julie Cluster of the Santa Paula Art Museum said she is an assistant to Executive Director Jennifer Heighton. “One of the main priorities is to exhibit works from the Santa Paula Art Collection” of works collected by various public entities since 1937, when the inaugural Santa Paula Art Show was held. The collection is owned by the school districts, library and city, and the museum, said Cluster, is adding to its own collection.
Rotating exhibits are regular attractions, including the present 18th - “and final,” said Cluster - De Colores Art Show, and the 4th Annual Art About Agriculture is set to open November 5. In addition, those who own art by Douglas Shively are being asked to lend their paintings for an upcoming retrospective exhibit on the late artist and banker, a co-founder of the annual Santa Paula Art Show.
Cluster said the museum also features musical events, lectures and student tours. Located at 117 N. 10th St., the museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jeanne Orcutt, exeucutive direct of the city operated California Oil Museum, noted Cluster also assists her in museum operations and Bonnie Walters is the special education organizer. The museum, located at the corner of East Main and 10th streets, relies on donations, grants, store sales and school fees among others for revenue.
Permanent exhibits emphasize oil, the sciences, history and transportation, while rotating exhibits can be as eclectic as the present Men Quilting Quilts show to the upcoming Santa Paula Historical Society collections show. The Santa Paula Society of the Arts and Santa Paula High School students also regularly stage exhibits.
Walters said thousands of students visit the museum for special tours that offer education on the thousands of uses for petroleum products, visit the upstairs offices and the Rig Room, and take part in special events such as Earth Science Week and Fossil Day among others.
The Aviation Museum of Santa Paula is almost finished, according to Julie Shular, who said the museum “has 10 buildings” that are open the first Sunday of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. “All the hangars open their doors and show what’s inside,” ranging from unique airplanes and art posters to racecars and vintage radios. “It’s a fun place just to walk around the airport... we tell people to sit on the picnic tables and watch the planes take off.”
Shular said the museum “established a headquarter building,” where education including a walk through history of aviation will be offered. “We’re new and fledging” and welcome all advice, as well as requests to be put on the museum’s newsletter list.
The museum, she added, is almost completed: “The big push we want to raise money for is the last thing - bathrooms!”
