Who We Were - Carnegie Art Museum Cornerstones

The Carnegie Art Museum Cornerstones had been shepherding the museum for years, managing its collection, curating exhibitions, and designing the programs and events that brought art into the lives of our community, when suddenly the museum was shuttered.  The City of Oxnard’s new budget, with its abrupt and unexpected closure of the museum and the cancellation of our management contract, has left the arts community reeling.  We, too, were blindsided by this drastic measure, but the resulting outpouring of support from the community for the museum was more than enough motivation and inspiration for the Cornerstones to keep the flame of art alive in Oxnard.

       The Carnegie Art Museum is a cornerstone that makes Oxnard         an arts destination in Ventura County. We have found in the             institution a valuable partner that promotes local artists and             continuously gives back to the community.

-Rachel T. Schmid

Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art

Click here for a letter from CAC President, Steve Kinney

Who We Are - Carnegie Art Cornerstones

A cornerstone is a key initial piece in the solid foundation upon which something strong and sustainable is built.       

We are still here!  We will continue to build on the base we started years ago.

The Carnegie Art Cornerstones (our new name) maintains the creative flame in the very-much-alive center of the local contemporary art scene at the Carnegie Studio Gallery in Oxnard.  Our gallery was always there, next to the museum, but now it is our home and hub. 

We invite you to join us in celebrating and participating in the contemporary art scene at the Studio Gallery.

Who We Want to Be - Shining a Light on the Future

Our greatest hope is to see the museum re-open in the future. This will take some strategizing, time, treasure and, most importantly, community support.

Meanwhile, one of our immediate goals is to create a vibrant cultural anchor for the SoCal contemporary art scene in Oxnard with ongoing exhibitions, special programs/ events, children/family activities, and, of course, interactions among our artists, curators and the community. 

Come visit, view art with us, talk art with us, engage in the cultural heritage of your community with us!

See our full programming and mission statement on the website.

It's truly exciting!  Click here to learn more....

October 3rd - Nov 3rd, 2019

Trabajo. Trabaho. Work in Spanish and Filipino, share every letter but one. While the meaning of the word remains ingrained in each culture’s history through an apparent shared crossover of language, there is more than what is on the surface of what work has been shared between these communities and the work that still remains.

The Spanish Empire was known as “the empire on which the sun never sets.” The colonial imprint of Spain on both the Philippines and Latin America, have manifested in a way that has allowed both communities to share both a history of work and resilience. 

Both Latinx-American and Filipinx-American communities share the colonial imprint left by the effects of Spanish Colonization. Trabaj/ho aims to highlight how contemporary artists of Latinx and Filipinx descent are decolonizing many of these shared residual systems from Spanish colonization and what these shared experiences mean to them in their contemporary lives in America.

Click here for a list of featured artists.

Opening Reception

Thursday, October 3rd, 2019 

5:30-9:30 pm  / free admission 

Our membership program is still alive too.  Current members will continue to receive complimentary drink tickets at receptions and discounts on workshops and tours! But we are making a few changes to the various levels.... so stay tuned!

Click here to donate TODAY.