America’s 250th anniversary is getting a lot of attention this year.
The Museum of Ventura County is helping the community commemorate the milestone with two new exhibitions: Parallel Histories: Ventura County during the US Revolution, and Patriotic Threads: Textiles, Tapestries, and T-Shirts.
Parallel Histories is just that: It looks at what was happening in Ventura County as America was moving to independence.
"Parallel Histories is our new history exhibition, and it looks at a couple of different parallels," said Loribeth Gregory-Beck, Chief Programs Officer for the Museum of Ventura County. "The first is the parallel between the East Coast and West Coasts. Ventura County, as we know it today, was born of both coasts. We have the history of Spanish colonialism that started here in 1769, which, if you think of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, that's the same time period. We look at those time periods to look at how that all eventually influenced Ventura County."
As Gregory-Beck walked us through the exhibition, we saw everything from Chumash artifacts to elements from Mission San Buenaventura, like a bell.
"When we're talking about the Spanish arriving here in 1769, the things that they encountered were the Chumash villages that are here," explained Gregory-Beck. "We start the exhibition with a bit of a primer about Spanish and British colonialism for those who haven't been in history class for a minute. Then we open up with artifacts and narrative about Chumash culture, and what would have been here. The Spanish weren't entering the land. It was a thriving community. We have artifacts, we have baskets, we have information about the tomol community, as well as things about the storytelling that was really important to the Chumash community."
That history is a sometimes painful one, with the Chumash having had their lives upended by the Spanish.
"When the Spanish arrived, the Chumash really saw the Spanish as newcomers, as trading partners, not as conquerors," said Gregory-Beck. "We have some of the glass trading beads here. But the experience that the Chumash had with the Spanish was very different. The Spanish did not see it as a potential trade network."
The exhibition deals with the harsh realities of what occurred.
"The exhibition addresses issues of punishment, issues of abuses, of forced assimilation, and the inability to practice Native culture in the missions. It's really important as we look at 250 years of nationhood to acknowledge that this happened, and the kind of erasure that the foundation of our community stands on."
Gregory-Beck added that the exhibition also celebrates Chumash culture. One of the displays showcases Chumash baskets.
"We are looking at a case that contains Chumash baskets. There's a water jug, and a demonstration of the beauty and sheer craftsmanship that the shumash put into their basketry."
The exhibit also serves as a reminder of how the Chumash and the Spanish left a lasting reminder about some of the places we live and visit in Ventura County.
"There are the city names that come from both the Chumash languages and Spanish," said Gregory-Beck. "Places like San Buenaventura, places like Hueneme, Simi Valley, and Ojai."
Gregory-Beck said the Parallel Histories exhibition flows into the second new exhibition, called Patriotic Threads.
"This is our art exhibition, so we have history and art. This is curated by my colleague, Christopher Rexroad, who is the Exhibitions Curator of Art," said Gregory-Beck. "It looks at the nature of patriotism, as well as the balance between fine art and craft through the juxtaposition of different types of textiles. Some of the featured items are tapestries done by Ojai artist John Nava."
Patriotic Threads also features some historic items from Ventura County’s history, like a hat worn in a 1920s Fourth of July parade. Some of the works commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which is this September.
When asked about what the museum hopes people will learn from the exhibition, she guided us to a sign at its entrance.
"We actually have a quote," said Gregory-Beck. "History is not just about the past. It is the foundation of our present. History shows us how the choices of yesterday shape the world we live in. I hope that if visitors walk away with anything, they are reflecting as the United States is looking at 250 years of nationhood, how history has been influenced where they are living today."
