Camarillo, Calif., Jan. 20, 2017 — Ladies in feathered hats boarding the first train from Oxnard to Hueneme; a Model T Ford clattering through a beet field and the opening ceremony for the Conejo Grade are some of the images available in a newly-digitized collection at CSU Channel Islands’ John Spoor Broome Library.
About 40 historic photos of Ventura County from the collection will be on display in the John Spoor Broome Library art gallery beginning Jan. 26 in “Ventura County: Places, Voices and Histories,” a series of photographs, penny post cards, and posters that show Ventura County over the last 100 or so years.
The opening for the exhibit will be Thursday Jan. 26 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the gallery at One University Drive in Camarillo.
Professor of Art and Broome Gallery coordinator Irina D. Costache, Ph.D., curated the show, which is organized in collaboration with CI’s Head of Unique Collections Matt Cook and Professor of Chicana/o Studies Jose Alamillo, Ph.D.
“The extraordinary photographs in this exhibition aim to acquaint the campus community and the public with the history of Ventura County, while at the same time disclosing the wealth of our collection at the Broome Library,” Costache said. “There are some absolutely mesmerizing images.”
The show will be organized into sections that highlight different aspects of Ventura County’s history such as cars and roads, people, places, fields and farms.
Historic “voices” in the show will be in the form of a video of Ventura County’s “braceros,” a term to describe Mexican laborers who worked in the fields on a seasonal basis.
Cook said it took staff and student volunteers several years to digitize all 1500 images in the collection, much of which was housed at the E.P. Foster Library in Ventura.
“They’re images about the growth of Ventura County, so we have images of early agriculture, an early version of the Conejo Grade, and you can look at the coast of Oxnard and Ventura and see how much it’s changed over the last 100 years,” Cook said. “What’s striking is how they are different, yet how much they are the same.”
One interesting dynamic that has persisted for at least 100 years is the ongoing struggle to balance agriculture with urbanization, Cook said.
“When we talk politically about legislation that restricts development, we were talking about the same thing for the last 100 years,” Cook said. “The message should be, not only are you looking at beautiful pictures of the past, but they resonate with the present.”
Limited parking is available on campus with the purchase of a $6 daily permit; follow signs to the parking permit dispensers. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CI Vista Bus to the campus; the cash-only fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.
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CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.