Channel Islands Maritime Museum

We are so excited to be partnering with the team and join them in thanking our local Veterans & First Responders at their Appreciation BBQ happening tomorrow, September 14. The event will take place at 3850 Bluefin Circle in Oxnard, in the park right next to the museum 10am - 3pm. With Food, Music, Art (the museum will be open all day!) and Family Fun, this is sure to be a great event! Come say hi 👋

A huge thank to the Leadership Team at for hosting such a fantastic and collaborative meeting with our team! Your insights & ideas made for an inspiring day and we’re excited to work more with your organization in the future ⛵️

Our very first Wheels & Waves event was a huge success! With Cool Cars, great Music, Donuts, Coffee & Art, everyone had a blast!

Did you miss us this last Sunday? No worries! Wheels & Waves is a monthly FREE family friendly event happening the first Sunday of every month right in front of our museum. The museum is even open early for tours! Come check out our next Wheels & Waves event on October 6, 8-10AM.

Wheels & Waves rolls into Channel Islands Maritime Museum parking lot The new Wheels & Waves car show rolled into the Channel Islands Harbor on the first Sunday morning in September.

📣Today Only! 📣

Come join us at Portside Ventura Harbor at the Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Fair. Bring the family down and check out all the fun kids activities, music, food and more! Not to mention all the great ways to get involved in the community, including at Channel Islands Maritime Museum!

It Almost Here!! Tomorrow is the day and All are welcome to attend our FREE Military Appreciation Mixer here at the museum. The event runs from 5 PM-6:30 PM so come enjoy complimentary food & beverages with military professionals, local leaders, entrepreneurs & business people from our local area. The event is hosted by & . Will we see you tomorrow?

Stop by the museum and check out one of the best kept secrets in Oxnard!

Let our docents tell you the stories of works by American artists like John Stobart or Thomas Hoyne or our classic paintings by Backhuysen or Boudin. Learn about how early sailors navigated the high seas and the stories of local shipwrecks. Plus view our temporary exhibits featuring artists from the local area and beyond. All with a breathtaking view of the Channel Islands Harbor!

Explore the stunning beauty of the Channel Islands through the lens of Chuck Graham! On display here at the museum for just a few more short weeks, this opportunity to explore the islands from mountain peaks to sea is not to be missed. Come see the islands and their wildlife from Chuck’s up close and dramatic perspective, here at the museum now through August 24th.

A few more pics from our fun volunteer picnic yesterday. Thank you to everyone for all that you do and making this such a fun event 🤩

Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do and we couldn’t do it without them! Thank you for all that you all do for the museum 💛

Want to learn more about getting involved with this great group of people who support the museum? Say ‘Yes’ in the comments and we’ll reach out.

Enjoying a great afternoon at the museum 🖼️ Did you know that kids are always free and every ticket comes with a free docent tour? Our docents are amazing and can tailor your tour based on the interests of your group and we offer fun kids activities -just ask at the front desk.

Summer is here! The fog has cleared and we are enjoying our beautiful sunny days and cool ocean breezes!

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Come see us! We’re open both Saturday & Sunday 12pm - 4pm.

Celebrating this year’s annual AdventureSail® Day that took place on Saturday. The event’s purpose is to introduce young girls to new experiences on the water, and to female role models in the maritime industry. It was a successful collaboration between the Channel Islands Yacht Club (CIYC), Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM), Central Coast Ocean Adventures Foundation, (CCOAF), and many community skippers and volunteers. Thank you all!

We are thrilled to announce the completion of a remarkable new exhibit in our museum-the Knot and Sail Display, designed and crafted by our own Mark Casebolt.

To create this exhibit, Marc invested over 200 hours of research, practice, and work. Every detail, from the hand-stitched seams to the sewn grommets and bolt rope, is crafted with the same materials and techniques used by sailors in the mid to late 1700s. This project highlights the refinement and thoughtfulness that went into every part of a sail representing the pinnacle of technology at the time.

Make your plans to come see this beautiful new exhibit along with our other collections this weekend. The museum is open Thursday - Monday 12 - 4pm.

Come on down to our free Father's Day event on Sunday. We will have a classic car show, live music, and fun activities for children and families. 10am - 3pm.

What an event! The World Ocean Day, sponsored by the Port of Hueneme, was held at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum yesterday to acknowledge our community and industry leaders in addressing environmental and local wildlife protections. Initiatives included the establishment of the Santa Barbara Channel as a Whale Heritage Area - a huge accomplishment! - slowing commercial cargo ships in the channel to reduce whale strikes, and making the Port of Hueneme a zero emissions port by 2030. An inspirational example of how local leaders, commerce, and scientists come together to make our planet a better place. Environment or economy? We CAN have both!

Don’t miss the Celebration of the Whales on Sunday, April 7th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Channel Islands Harbor will host the free family-friendly whale-themed festival from Farmer’s Market to the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. This year’s event will feature a concert in the park, a children’s fun zone, and chalk artists.

At the Maritime Museum, we will have fun activities and crafts such as knot tying and model boat building. Interactive educational stations will allow children and families to learn more about these majestic animals. Food trucks will also be available, and the Museum will be open during the festival.

The festival celebrates the migration of whales along the California coast. Our coastline here supports a rich variety of whales, in fact our whale watching partner, the Island Packers, report sightings of Grays, Humpbacks, Minkes and even Orcas right here off our coast!

We hope to see you!

Click on the photo below to learn more!

Santa Barbara Channel becomes 2nd North American Whale Heritage Area The area is a world-class destination for whale watching

A huge thanks to everyone who came out to the Channel Islands Maritime Museum to enjoy the Holiday Village of Lights with Santa Clause (who arrived by fire engine). We enjoyed crafts, a scavenger hunt with the kids, and of course Santa Claus. Later that night we sold-out our fundraiser, the Parade of Lights Viewing Party in our upstairs gallery. What a night!

It's gonna be a sellout! We have only 30 tickets left for this Saturday's Parade of Lights Viewing Party in our upstairs gallery. These will go fast, so if you want to watch the party from an exquisite location on the Channel Islands Harbor while enjoying drinks and appetizers. Come join us!

https://www.cimmvc.org/event-details/parade-of-lights-viewing-party-1

Watch the Channel Islands Harbor Parade of Lights from the warmth of our beautiful upstairs gallery!

Support the Channel Islands Maritime Museum at this fun and elegant event. The festivities will include beer, wine, champagne and tasty hors d’oeuvres.

Doors open at 6:30pm and the parade starts at 7pm on Saturday, December 9th. Tickets are available at the link below.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

https://www.cimmvc.org/event-details/parade-of-lights-viewing-party-1

A big THANK YOU to all our volunteers for making our scavenger hunt during the Channel Islands Harbor Parade of Frights a great success. The kids had a great time - as did we all!

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum is pleased to host photographer and photorealist painter Connie Jenkins. Jenkins’ work captures the minuscule and marvelous details of intertidal zones across Southern California. Intertidal zones are uniquely balanced ecosystems, existing anywhere the ocean meets the land. From towering, rocky ledges to sloping sandy beaches to mudflats extending for hundreds of miles, intertidal zones are home to abundant biodiversity, hundreds of varying species such as urchins, sea anemones, barnacles, chitons, crabs, isopods, mussels, starfish. Jenkins writes: “It is my hope that the experience of viewing these works can bring a greater awareness of the value of these astonishing and seldom-seen habitats, inspiring a sense of responsibility for their protection and preservation.”

Jenkins has exhibited across the United States and in Japan over the course of her career, imparting her artistic skills to students all around California, including at the University of Southern California, California State Long Beach, and multiple colleges located in Santa Monica, Ventura, and Claremont.

Connie Jenkins' photography will be on exhibit through through January 3rd, 2024.

We have some wonderful folks waiting to meet you on day 2 of Art Comes Alive today at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum! Come take a stroll through maritime history with live characters and beautiful art. Art Comes Alive is happening from noon until 4 pm today.

Paintings & ship models come to life with live maritime characters from the ages at Art Comes Alive at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum on August 19 and 20!
Visit with kings and queens, rebels and artists, sailors and scientists- historical and fantasy characters, local and worldwide.

Celebrate 150 years of Ventura County’s Maritime Legacy with special portrayals of local people who played important roles in VC history.

See what life would have been like on board a tall ship as a sailor in the 1800s with CI Harbor's educational ship Mystic Whaler.

Win prizes for meeting characters during your visit.

Enjoy the CIMM photo station – costumes, hats, and props for the entire family to try on and pose with!

Tickets are available at https://www.cimmvc.org/events-activities

Learning about famous women in maritime history today at the Museum as part of the Girls in Sailing Day in partnership with the educational tall ship Mystic Whaler, Channel Islands Women's Sailing Association, and Channel Islands Yacht Club.

Paintings & ship models come to life with live maritime characters from the ages at Art Comes Alive at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum on August 19 and 20!

Visit with kings and queens, rebels and artists, sailors and scientists- historical and fantasy characters, local and worldwide.

Celebrate 150 years of Ventura County’s Maritime Legacy with special portrayals of local people who played important roles in VC history.

See what life would have been like on board a tall ship as a sailor in the 1800s with CI Harbor's educational ship Mystic Whaler.

Win prizes for meeting characters during your visit.

Enjoy the CIMM photo station – costumes, hats, and props for the entire family to try on and pose with! Tickets are available at https://www.cimmvc.org/events-activities

It looks like these two ladies might be thinking about Art Comes Alive at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. And why shouldn't they be!

Join CIMM for a unique experience where paintings and ship models come to life in the Museum's galleries on August 19 and 20. Visit with kings & queens, rebels & artists, historical & fantasy characters, local and worldwide. Tickets are available now at https://www.cimmvc.org/events-activities

The beautiful artwork of Brenda Mercado is currently on exhibit at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. We hope you will make plans to come and experience these incredible pieces as so many already have...

Great article and photos by Chuck Graham on the Channel Island Fox...

https://www.independent.com/2023/07/17/island-foxes-are-back-at-the-channel-islands-on-santa-barbaras-coast/

Eugène Louis Boudin, born on 12 July 1824, was one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors. Boudin was a marine painter and his reputation for his sensitive and lifelike representation of the elements led artist Camille Corot to refer to Boudin as “le roi des cieux” (“the king of the skies”).

Born at Honfleur, Boudin was the son of a harbor pilot. In 1835 the family moved to Le Havre, where Boudin's father opened a store for stationery and picture frames. Here the young Eugene worked, later opening his own small shop.

In his shop, in which pictures were framed, Boudin came into contact with artists working in the area and exhibited in the shop the paintings of Constant Troyon and Jean-François Millet, who, along with Jean-Baptiste Isabey and Thomas Couture whom he met during this time, encouraged young Boudin to follow an artistic career. At the age of 22 he abandoned the world of commerce, started painting full-time, and travelled to Paris the following year and then through Flanders. In 1850 he earned a scholarship that enabled him to move to Paris, where he enrolled as a student in the studio of Eugène Isabey and worked as a copyist at the Louvre. To supplement his income he often returned to paint in Normandy and, from 1855, made regular trips to Brittany.

On meeting the Dutch painter Johan Jongkind, Boudin was advised by his new friend to paint outdoors. He also worked with Troyon and Isabey, and in 1859 met Gustave Courbet who introduced him to Charles Baudelaire, the first critic to draw Boudin's talents to public attention when the artist made his debut at the 1859 Paris Salon.

In 1857/58 Boudin befriended the young Claude Monet, then only 18, and persuaded him to give up his teenage caricature drawings and to become a landscape painter, helping to instill in him a love of bright hues and the play of light on water later evident in Monet's Impressionist paintings. The two remained lifelong friends and Monet later paid tribute to Boudin's early influence. Boudin joined Monet and his young friends in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1873, but never considered himself a radical or innovator.

Pictured: "Le Havre, bassin de L'Eure" by Eugene Boudin on permanent exhibit at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum.