Illuminating the Past

The California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks (CMATO) is presenting an art demonstration, “Illuminating the Past” with artist, historian and lecturer Sylvana Barrett on Saturday, April 9, 2016, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the CMATO Operations Center at 1948 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

Sylvana Barrett will lead a hands-on demonstration on the art and production of illuminated manuscripts. Barrett will share information about how semi- precious stones are ground finely into powders, how natural earth pigments, gossamer leaves of hammered gold and silver were and are continued to be used to create illuminated manuscripts and other works of art. A frequent museum lecturer and workshop leader she has made it a personal mission to share this knowledge and these beautiful materials with artists and art lovers alike.

In addition to lecturing and producing museum didactics for exhibitions, Barrett has been featured in the award-winning film produced by the J. Paul Getty Museum, “The Making Of A Spanish Polychrome Sculpture”, as well as in a National Geographic’s television production, “How It Was: Secrets of Mona Lisa”. Her recent speaking engagements include a TEDx event where she spoke on the topic of looking at paintings through the eyes of the artists who created them. Current projects in production include an illustrated, chapter by chapter visual guide to the fourteenth century artist’s manual by Cennino Cennini, “IL Libro dell’ Arte”.

Admission to “Illuminating the Past” is $30 for the public and $20 for CMATO members. To reserve your seat, please contact Bill Mercer at info@cmato.org or 805-405-5240.

The California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks is a non-profit organization committed to serving diverse audiences through the exhibition, interpretation, and exploration of the fine and design arts. CMATO is dedicated to educating the community about the visual arts and to establishing a premier art museum that will serve Ventura County and surrounding communities.