Future Foundation seeks home for the arts

A permanent home for the visual arts was the focus of a Conejo/Las Virgenes Future Foundation meeting held Nov. 1, in Westlake Village.

The foundation, a regional nonprofit think tank, conducted community surveys last month to gauge how residents, educators, arts organizations and local governments feel about the need for constructing a separate building to showcase the visual arts in the area.

"It's such an important program for the community," said Audrey Brown, vice chair of the foundation and assistant city manager for the city of Westlake Village.

The brainstorming session explored location possibilities for a center, whether a museum should be included in the plan, and the need for rotating exhibits to display local art.

Other possibilities for the center include educational classrooms, artist studios, retail and storage space, and administrative offices.

Two performing arts education centers are in development for the Agoura and Calabasas high school campuses. The design plan includes lobby space for art exhibits, but, according to Las Virgenes Unified School District board member Dave Moorman, the space will most likely be used to showcase student art, although the possibility exists for outside artist exhibitions.

Moorman, who is also a board member for the foundation, said that while there may be some opportunities to use the performing arts centers for the greater Conejo community, there are some "sticking points," including safety and security issues linked with public art being displayed in school settings.

The school facilities, he said, could provide some space for outside art exhibits, but he didn't believe the centers would be the "permanent solution" to fill the void in the greater Conejo Valley.

"This is really a classic example of what the Future Foundation is really about," Moorman said. "It only makes sense to get a bunch of people in a room together and see what everybody thinks."

For further information, contact the Future Foundation at (818) 8801054, or email the organization at clvff@juno.com.