May 05 Sunday
Join us for a night where music transcends, and be part of a globally celebrated experience right here in Ventura at NAMBA on May 5!Experience an unforgettable evening! The celebrated partnership of “one of the UK’s greatest guitarists” (BBC RADIO 2) with “the doyenne of Irish harpers” (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY) and recipient of Irish music’s most prestigious award, Traditional Musician of the Year (Gradam Ceoil TG4), has toured in 23 countries on five continents to venues ranging from the tiniest of village halls to palaces in Kyoto and Istanbul, London’s Barbican, Sydney Town Hall and Cologne's Philharmonie. Expect a breathtaking blend of traditional Irish music, hot jazz, bluegrass and baroque, spiced with striking new compositions - and Chris’ subversive wit! Praised as "brilliant, innovative" by SONGLINES and "dazzling" by THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, their performance is an electrifying journey through genres, described as "virtuosic, dramatic, original" by leading publications. Tickets are $22.50 online at www.NambaArts.com (plus a $2.50 service fee) and $25 at the door.
May 06 Monday
From vocal groups in the 1940s like The Mills Bros. and The Ink Spots, rhythm & blues, as well as gospel music, developed into a new style of music called doo wop. The use of non-sense syllables sung by background singers (such as shoo bee doo wop bah dah), the use of a falsetto voice above the melody, and a pronounced bass voice became the basis of this genre. This two-part lecture traces the development of doo wop throughout the 1950s and 1960s with The Ravens and The Spaniels, Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, The Cadillacs, Dion and the Belmonts, The Penguins, and The Skyliners. We will also look at influential disc jockeys and record promoters who made the sounds mainstream - sounds which now bring back memories of a time when life was not so complex and the emphasis was on good times, simplicity and romance.
Bio:Marv Rosenberg is one of the original members of the group The Safaris and the writer of their million selling top hit record from 1960 called “Image of a Girl." After 50 years of performing doo wop oldies with various doo wop groups all over the country (including locally at the Fred Kavil Theatre in Thousand Oaks, the Greek Theatre, and the Hollywood Bowl), Marv was once on the Board of Directors of Cash Magazine and The California Chairman of the National Music Foundation whose goal was to build a retirement home for hit artists. Dick Clark gave Marv an office in his suite of offices to run the Foundation. Over the last 5 years, Marv has had several online doo wop and oldies shows for “RememberthenRadio.com" called “Goodies About Oldies” and currently, “The Anatomy of a Hit.” Marv has a PhD. In psychology from St. John’s College in London and has worked for Kaiser Permanente Hospitals for 24 years.
The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people 50+ years of age, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses (without the pressure of grades) for the sake of learning and social engagement.
This exhibition will feature several works made throughout the artist’s career as sort of a mid-career retrospective. Adam Parker Smith has a unique ability to address complex themes in a whimsical, light-hearted way that makes his work incredibly accessible.
Adam Parker Smith is a sculpture and installation artist. He attended the University of California at Santa Cruz (BA Painting, 2000), the Tyler School of Art at Temple University (MFA Painting, 2003), and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2008).
For his exhibition at SLOMA, San Luis Obispo-based artist Barry Goyette shows a series of portraits taken by a very specific mulberry tree as a site for portrait photography guided by the models, of varying stages of life. Attempting to reverse the traditional dynamics of power in portrait photographer, Goyette offers his camera in service to those he photographs, and they bring their own props, costumes, and stories – with the beloved mulberry tree as a key motif in all the images. Utilizing aging techniques in photography, Goyette seeks to activate slower ways of looking in the history of the medium.
May 07 Tuesday
Relations between the United States and Russia have been at the center of Global Affairs for most of the past century, continuing to today. From 1946-1991, the struggle dubbed “The Cold War '' reached its apex, with thousands of nuclear tipped missiles and bombs on each side, a small percentage of which would have caused worldwide devastation. The course focuses on the political, technological, military, economic and cultural elements of this historic struggle, as well as the period’s key decision makers. It begins with a brief review of events before 1946, as well as those through present time.
Bio:From his childhood in a Lithuanian refugee family, Linas J. Kojelis, rose to positions in Washington D.C. including Special Assistant the President (OPL/Defense and Foreign Policy) at the White House and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, as well as service in the U.S. Senate, Pentagon and U.S. Naval Reserve (Lieutenant/Naval Intelligence). Later, he founded and headed the U.S.- Baltic Foundation. His articles on Soviet affairs have been published in the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. Later, he headed Kojelis & Company consulting in Vilnius, Lithuania for five years. He received his B.A. in History (highest departmental honors) from U.C.L.A., and a M.P.A. (International Relations) from Princeton University. He lives with his wife in Simi Valley, and his interests include cinema, travel, art and historic preservation.
May 08 Wednesday
“Your Brain on Art explores the new science of neuroaesthetics, a way of reimagining how to live that includes art as an essential part of the human experience and an unexpected doorway to healing.” – Mark Hyman, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Young Forever
Can visiting a museum help someone conquer feelings of loneliness, or even stave off the advent of dementia? In Your Brain on Art, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross explore the wide variety of connections that contemporary neuroscience has established between artistic practice, aesthetic experience and optimal cognitive functioning. Susan Magsamen is the founder and director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University. Ivy Ross is the vice president of hardware design at Google.