Image courtesy of the artist . “Sweet Peacock” by Cassandra C. Jones, 2024, archival digital collage on cotton paper, 11-by-14 inches
Calling all arachnophiles: Come be “In the Realm of Spiders” at Ojai Valley Museum, 130 W. Ojai Ave., with the art exhibition’s curator, Cassandra C. Jones of Ojai. Join Jones for a curator’s walkthrough on Saturday, Nov. 30, from noon to 3 p.m., and a Town Talk on Sunday, Dec. 1, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
The Nov. 30 exhibition walkthrough, Jones said, “is a free-form event where people may show up anytime in the three-hour window” to learn about the exhibition’s impetus and composition.
The Dec. 1 Town Talk costs $5 at the door to attend; Ojai Valley Museum members are admitted for free. “I will talk about why I chose to curate a sweet show about spiders and how the topic is relevant to this moment,” Jones shared. “I will also discuss why I chose this group of artists, the meaning behind each of their works, and why our local audience should care.”
“In the Realm of Spiders” examines humanity’s complex relationship with spiders, and the spectrum of emotions, between fear and wonder, that arachnids and their webs evoke. Through diverse media, including photography, ceramics, Claymation, drawing, and installation, artists illuminate spiders’ remarkable abilities as architects and hunters, the geometry of their web formations, how they express their unique personalities, and their contributions to the human world as pest control and pollinators. Artists included in the exhibition are Joel Fox, Rosemary Holliday Hall, Cassandra C. Jones, Jeff Mann, Steve Sprinkel and Jamie Stratford.
“In the Realm of Spiders” will be on display until Sunday, Dec. 8. Ojai Valley Museum is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Suggested admission is $5 per adult, and $1 for children 5 to 18. Free parking is available behind the museum; enter the lot from Blanche Street.
For more information, call the museum at 805-640-1390, ext. 201, email info@OjaiValleyMuseum.org, or visit the museum website at OjaiValleyMuseum.org.
