Michele Benzamin-Miki, Warrior of Empathy

The gallery will have limited access on Friday, August 25 and be closed to the public on Saturday, August 26 for a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County Fundraiser.

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Artist’s Responsibilities

Provide Studio Channel Islands (SCIART) with the following:

Current W9 form (SCIART will provide this document for the artist to fill out if it becomes necessary)

Exhibition

The artist grants SCIART the right to use or publish images of their work in print, online and on social media sites for promotional purposes.

Retail prices for each artwork will be established by the artist. The artist is to include gallery commission in the price listed. 

The following commission/payment terms will apply to each subject artwork sold by SCIART: 60% (payment to artist), 40% (commission to SCIART).

ARTIST retains ownership of all artwork represented by SCIART until such artwork is sold pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or otherwise. The artist retains copyright to all consigned artwork in perpetuity, as governed by law. 

SCIART Responsibilities 

SCIART will promote the galleries through regular membership emails, press releases, social media and on occasion postcards. SCIART will cover the cost for designing and possible printing of post cards.

This contract may be changed if both SCIART and artist agree.

SCIART is a polling place! We will maintain our usual opening hours, however there is equipment in the gallery which may obstruct your viewing experience.

Michael F. Rohde is a studio artist. He knows many of the founding members of this organization, and participated in has several exhibitions on the original campus, before the organization moved to Old Town Camarillo; he has also exhibited in the new gallery and maintains a studio in C-4. With wide interest in art, his own practice is handwoven tapestries for the wall, usually with colorful abstract subjects. In addition to SCIART he is currently on the Boards of Focus on the Masters in Ventura, the UCLA Fowler Museum Textile Council and was past chair. He served as President of the international American Tapestry Alliance for eight years.

Formerly he was a Research Director at Amgen, over two departments of thirty scientists. His art training was at the Art School of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Over the years, he has organized exhibitions, served as juror for some of these, taught workshops, and has given lectures, including being a guest lecturer at UCLA. His own art work is in many museum collections including the Museum of Ventura County, the Mingei Museum in San Diego, The Textile Museum in Washington, DC and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Architect and President Emeritus California State University ChanneI Islands (CSUCI)

As Planning President and along with members of the local arts community established Studio Channel Islands on the campus of CSUCI; A studio designed to advance the status and work of the local arts community by providing studio space and galleries. The studio was also intended to provide opportunity for students of the new University to witness and hopefully participate in the Fine and Applied Arts at a professional level while presenting an opportunity for the community to participate in the life and culture of the University.

Since its founding the studio has moved its facilities into a more central location in Camarillo. Over the years while building on its strengths as a location for local artists, the studio has expanded its influence into arts education for both adults and children and has become respected for its specialized programs for special needs individuals.

Service on other boards, memberships and Task forces include, the Museum of Ventura County, Silicon Valley Joint Venture, The Tech Museum of Innovation (San Jose), The Shelter Foundation (San Jose), San Jose Symphony Advisory Committee.

An advocate for the Arts in elementary education, Helen also helps coordinate educational programs with local schools and artists. Helen is the owner of Wild About Art and has been a professional arts educator for nearly 20 years. She holds a Masters Degree in Education from Nanyang Technical University, Singapore, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Modern Languages from Coventry University, England. Helen has taught in Krakow, Poland, as well as Singapore, where she held the position of English Department Head before moving to Los Angeles. She has taught art with students from elementary to secondary grades and developed cross curricula programs that place creativity at the heart of learning.

Linda has been a 38 year resident of Ventura and an enthusiastic non-profit supporter. Linda and her late husband, John, supported many groups involved in kids, education and the arts. She graduated from Berkeley with a minor in the arts and major in math. (Talk about right brain – left brain.) She has served on the CSUCI Foundation Board since its inception, very involved with the Boys and Girls Club of Oxnard Port Hueneme, an early backer of the Camarillo Farmers Market, long time member of the California Strawberry Commission and the Oxnard Strawberry Festival. She is involved in her University Alumni and Scholarship group, and serves on the Board of the Studio Channel Islands. She was an early organizer of the Studio when it was founded out at the CSUCI campus. She loves to paint, especially her grands, but admits she doesn’t spend enough time painting to get as good as her long time friend and mentor, Roxie Ray. Currently she is chairing the development of the Roxie Ray Garden in honor of her dear friend.

Pat Richards-Dodds began her art studies at Santa Monica High School, graduating in 1955. At age 16 she was awarded a scholarship for life drawing to Chouinard Art School. Her studies continued at the University of Washington, Ventura College, and private instructors.

Richards-Dodds professional art career began in 1978 with several one person exhibits, as well as the Theme Award for the Ventura County Fair. In 1985 she became a member of the invitational professional arts organization, Studio 83. Her work has been exhibited at Studio Channel Islands Art Center, LA Art Association, the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, Art City, Community Memorial Hospital, the Museum of Ventura County, Buenaventura Art Association, The Crowne Plaza Hotel, as well as many other galleries and exhibits.

Pat is an active member of the Southern California cultural community. In 1998 she was one of small group of art leaders who founded Studio Channel Islands Art Center. Richard-Dodds served as the first chairperson as well as chairing many fund- raising events. Pat served as Director of Development, 2012-2013. She was recognized by the Ventura County Arts Council with the Arts Stars Award for Artist in the Community. In 2018 she received the Medici Award from Studio Channel Islands.

In 2014 Pat’s work was featured as one of the ten icons of Ventura artists at the Ventura Music Festival. In 2015 she was among the seven Southern California artists spotlighted in the New West Symphony’s Planets presentations in Thousand Oaks, Santa Monica, and Oxnard.

Pat’s current work features her expressionistic interpretations of light reflecting on water, night scenes abstracts and photography. Her work in progress can be seen in Studio D3, Studio Channel Islands Art Center at 2222 Ventura Blvd, Camarillo, 93010 by appointment, or on her website patrichardsart.com.

Georgianna Pennington Regnier is an attorney with the law firm Schneiders & Associates and practices in the areas of business litigation, employment law in State and Federal courts and administrative forums with an emphasis on Federal Civilian Employees. She is experienced in dispute resolution and has served as a court appointed arbitrator and as Pro Tem Mandatory Settlement Conference Judge for many years.

Ms. Regnier advises non-profit charitable organizations and has been a member of multiple local and international boards. She has served as Chair of the Ventura County Campaign Ethics Commission, and as President of Camarillo Rotary, Women lawyers of Ventura County, and Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association. She currently serves as Chair of Studio Channel Islands. Her love for the arts and appreciation for the SCI community of artists, its leadership and its generous donors has grown exponentially since joining the board of directors.

Shortly after moving to Camarillo in 2010, Irv discovered Studio Channel Islands and began volunteering at events soon after. There he met Roxie Ray, co-founder of Studio Channel Islands, and became intrinsically linked to the Studios, the artists and programs. Irv and Roxie were life partners until her passing in October of 2019.

Irv is a Distinguished Architect, Emerging Technologies in the Network Applications and Integration Group at Verizon Business. His expertise as a Network Technologist encompasses multiple aspects of communications networking and he holds numerous industry certifications in network security, Internet and Cloud services, and Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery. Irv is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and participates in a number of working groups within the organization, including the Communications Society, Smart Grid / Smart Cities, Future Networks, Blockchain, and the Society on Social Implications of Technology.

In addition to joining the Board of Directors at Studio Channel Islands in 2020, Irv is an Advisory Board member at Focus on the Masters, and is active in the Camarillo Emergency Response Team, and the Cancer Support Community.

Don is the owner of Sessions at the Loft, a music production studio in old town Camarillo, where he composes, arranges and produces music for film, television and stage productions. He has worked with international performers composing and arranging music for live performance and very special events. He is co-founder of Discovery Arts, a non-profit organization promoting the arts as a means to heal, teach and enrich the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses.

Bednar is Vice President of Strategic Development at CBC Federal Credit Union Ventura County. After a decade serving as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, Bednar joined the credit union in 2017 to lead the development and implementation of the project management office. Bednar attended Oxnard’s Rio Mesa High School and was recruited to play football for the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science. Bednar holds a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College and an MBA from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Kenan- Flagler Business School.