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Watch Rio Mesa High art teacher accept teacher of year award<\/p>\n
Shi Young Kim, an art teacher at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, receives the Ventura County Teacher of the Year award on May 27, 2025.<\/p>\n
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled Laura Jespersen’s last name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laura Jespersen stood with an easel outside of the St. Mary Magdalen Church in Camarillo, admiring the Spanish-style building\u2019s barrel vaults and stained glass windows. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The harsh sun cast shadows of the palm trees on the ground, and the wind made the shadows dance. It was a challenge to capture the essence of the church in paint, but after several hours, the Plein Air Ventura County organizer felt she conveyed the memories made in the more than 100 years since the building was constructed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs artists, we try to tell a story about our impression of the building, and that\u2019s what I hoped to capture in the painting,\u201d Jespersen said. \u201cI hope it inspires others to be proud of our history and what others have built for our community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jespersen\u2019s painting of the Camarillo church is just one of what will eventually be at least 100 images from the outdoor painting group’s artists of historical landmarks across Ventura County. The lifelong Ventura resident and retired architect came up with the idea for Plein Air Ventura County to complete the project in one year, starting last May. \u00a0<\/p>\n
From Grandma Prisbrey\u2019s Bottle Village in Simi Valley to the Henry Levy House in Oxnard, Jespersen researches and selects each location.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though no taxpayer funds are involved, the project became a\u00a0collaboration with the County of Ventura\u2019s Planning Division and Arts and Culture Division, the Ventura County Arts Council and the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The roughly 50 paintings that have already been completed will be displayed at the Ventura County Fair from July 30 through Aug. 10. The complete collection will be showcased during Historic Preservation Month next May at the County of Ventura Government Center\u2019s Hall of Administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a member of the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board, Anthony Angelini and his six colleagues are responsible for determining what constitutes historical landmarks. He said Plein Air\u2019s ambitious undertaking is not only artistic but also archival.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese paintings are not just something beautiful to look at like the historical landmarks themselves, but they are also part of historical preservation,\u201d Angelini said. \u201cThe collection of paintings of historical landmarks is a historical landmark in itself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oxnard resident Erin Dertner, one of the roughly 75 active Plein\u00a0Air members, agreed with the board member.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing pictures of what streets used to look like with these fabulous buildings that are no longer here and have been replaced with things that aren\u2019t very aesthetic, I think it\u2019s important to document these places while we still have them,\u201d she said. \u201cTo capture something of a bygone era that has survived is special.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dertner said of the landmarks she has painted so far, the Brandeis-Bardin Institute\u2019s House of Books, a center for Jewish culture and heritage in Simi Valley, has been the most meaningful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While walking around the site, she noticed a verse of scripture etched onto the wall: \u201cCome ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.\u201d She felt drawn to capture it above the architectural elements the other members chose to focus on. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Though Jespersen has lived in the county for her whole life and Dertner for only two years, they both said the project has allowed them to appreciate just how many historical landmarks are in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m learning a lot about this area that I never would have known about if (Jespersen) hadn’t instigated this process and exposed us to it,\u201d Dertner said. \u201cI’m very thankful, especially as someone who is new to the area.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0That, Angelini said, is the beauty of the project. When the paintings are displayed in the Hall of Administration, people who may have never visited the sites will have the opportunity to connect with them and ultimately with the county. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important that we see these landmarks as a living, breathing part of our history, and I think only an artist can really portray that depth with the public,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause it\u2019s not schematics or blueprints. It\u2019s also the people who see it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n