Studio Channel Islands invites you to experience the landscape in which we live through the eyes of seven exceptional artists. LA/LAndscapes: Real and Imagined is a contemporary art exhibition exploring the themes and traditions of landscape painting, both north and south of the Mexico/USA border. The exhibition will open Sept. 16, Mexico’s Independence Day, with an opening reception, at 1 p.m., including honored guest, Consul Roberto Rodriguez from the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard, and several of the artists. Studio Channel Islands is located at 2222 E. Ventura Blvd., Camarillo.

Today, nearly half the population of Los Angeles has roots in Latin America and yet the voice of the Latino and Latin American artist is under represented in our theaters, galleries and museums. In response to this gap, the Getty has initiated an extensive collaboration of over 70 cultural organizations from San Diego to Santa Barbara to take a fresh look at the vital and vibrant traditions in Latino and Latin American art.

“LA/LAndscapes: Real and Imagined is Studio Channel Islands’ response to the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time project and the beginning of a larger program of exhibitions that explore the connections within our community and celebrate the diverse perspectives of people who share this land,” said Peter Tyas, Studio Channel Islands’ executive director. The Getty’s ‘Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA’ project is a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles.

LA/LAndscapes: Real and Imagined includes work by two artists from Mexico, José Maria Castelao and Manuela Generali, and three artists from California, Linda Vallejo, Fernanda Uski and Porfirio Guiterrez. During the LA/LAndscapes exhibition, Studio Channel Islands will also present two exhibitions of photography; first a series of portraits of the people and landscapes of Mexico by John Lewis and second a series of studies of Ventura’s field workers by Antonio Juarez.  

LA/LAndscapes: Real and Imagined will be on exhibit at the Blackboard Gallery through Sept. 18. Admission is free. Sponsors of LA/LAndscapes: Real and Imagined include Dr. and Mrs. F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D., the California Arts Council and Consulado de Mexico en Oxnard. The Blackboard Gallery at Studio Channel Islands is open Tuesday to Friday 11am to 5pm and Saturday 11am to 3pm. For more information, visit www.studiochannelislands.org or call 805.383.1368.