• Community Workshop

• This workshop is part of “Rooted: Celebrating Chumash Culture” a two-day gathering honoring Chumash traditions through storytelling, art, community workshops, and tomol viewing.

• Saturday, Sept. 27, 10am-12pm

• $10. per person

• Pre-Registration Required

• Ages 6 thru Adult

• Youth ages 6 -12 must be accompanied with a registered adult

• Teaching Artists: Alan Salazar & Mona Lewis

• Located at the OASIS our outdoor gathering space adjacent to Vita Art Studios 50 West Main St.

Join Chumash elder Alan Salazar and artist Mona Lewis for a special hands-on workshop celebrating the traditional art of Chumash abalone jewelry. Participants will select a piece from Alan’s personal abalone shell collection, learn how to carefully polish and oil the shells, and create their own unique necklace to take home.

As you work, Alan will share traditional Chumash stories, offering deeper insight into the cultural significance of abalone and its role in Chumash life. This workshop is a rare opportunity to connect with Indigenous traditions through both art and storytelling, guided by two inspiring teachers. All materials are provided. Open to all ages 6 & up no prior experience necessary. This workshop is a part of the 2 day event :“Rooted: Celebrating Chumash Culture”

• Saturday, Sept. 27, 1-3pm

• $10. per person

• Pre-Registration Required

• Ages 8 thru Adult

• Youth ages 8 -12 must be accompanied with a registered adult

• This workshop is part of “Rooted: Celebrating Chumash Culture” a two-day gathering honoring Chumash traditions through storytelling, art, community workshops, and tomol viewing.

• Located at the OASIS our outdoor gathering space adjacent to Vita Art Studios 50 West Main St.

• Teaching Artist: Mona Lewis with Alan Salazar

Join Chumash and Tataviam elder Alan Salazar and artist and author Mona Lewis for a unique and immersive experience that brings traditional Chumash stories to life through art.

Alan will begin by sharing traditional Chumash stories passed down through generations—tales of animals, nature, and sacred lessons rooted in the Central Coast landscape. After listening to these stories, participants will be invited to grind local ochre stones into natural earth pigments and use them to create an illustration inspired by the story that spoke to them most. Artist Mona Lewis will guide participants in using these handmade paints to create their artwork inspired by the Chumash stories.

All materials are non-toxic, respectfully and locally foraged., and provided.

• Saturday, September 27

• Time: 3:30-5:00pm

• All ages

• $5. per person

• Located at the OASIS our outdoor gathering space adjacent to Vita Art Studios 50 West Main St.

• Bring your own beach chair

• This workshop is part of “Rooted: Celebrating Chumash Culture” a two-day gathering honoring Chumash traditions through storytelling, art, community workshops, and tomol viewing.

• Dress for outdoor Ventura weather, a hat is suggested

• feel free to bring a beverage and snack

Join us for a powerful afternoon of traditional Chumash storytelling with Elder Alan Salazar and guest Chumash storytellers. Appropriate for all ages, this gathering honors ancestral stories that have been passed down for generations—tales of animals, nature, and sacred lessons rooted in the Central Coast landscape.

Through humor, wisdom, and heart, Alan and his guests will offer a rare opportunity to experience the depth and richness of Chumash culture. This is not a performance, but a communal experience—one that celebrates storytelling as a way to teach, remember, and connect across generations.

Please bring your own beach chair, Dress for outdoor weather, a hat is suggested. Feel free to bring a beverage and snack.

• Sunday, September 28, 2-4pm.

• $10 per person

• Adults

• Pre-registration required, spaces are limited

• Located at the OASIS our outdoor gathering space adjacent to Vita Art Studios 50 West Main St.

• This workshop is part of “Rooted: Celebrating Chumash Culture” a two-day gathering honoring Chumash traditions through storytelling, art, community workshops, and tomol viewing.

• All materials provided

• Teaching Artist: Kat High

Discover the essentials of basket weaving in a welcoming, hands-on class led by Kat High, a respected Hupa descendant, artist, storyteller, and teacher. Using round reed—an accessible material perfect for beginners—you’ll learn time-honored techniques while honoring the deep cultural roots of Native Californian basketry.

Kat High is part of a statewide movement revitalizing Native basketry and traditional ecological knowledge. Through her organization Kidiwische Connections, she leads programs that reconnect people to land, plants, and sustainable lifeways. A member of the California Indian Storytellers Association, Kat weaves cultural history and living stories into her teaching practice. Her advocacy and teachings have been featured in the PBS series Tending the Wild.

• Sunday, Sept. 28, 12-2pm

• $10. per person

• Pre-Registration Required

• Ages 8 thru Adult

• Youth ages 8 -12 must be accompanied with a registered adult

• This workshop is part of “Rooted: Celebrating Chumash Culture” a two-day gathering honoring Chumash traditions through storytelling, art, community workshops, and tomol viewing.

• Located at the OASIS our outdoor gathering space adjacent to Vita Art Studios 50 West Main St.

• Teaching Artist: Matthew Vestuto & Gabriel Pedraza

  Join Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians tribal members Matthew Vestuto and Gabriel Pedraza for a hands-on workshop in the traditional art of Chumash cordage making. Participants will learn how to work with nettle fibers, discovering the techniques used by the Chumash people to create strong, versatile cordage essential for daily life. All supplies are provided. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to connect with traditional knowledge, practice time-honored skills, and gain a deeper appreciation of how natural materials are transformed into tools of utility and beauty.

• Sunday, September 28, 10:30am-12pm.

• $10 per person

• ages 8 through adult

• Youth ages 8 -12 must be accompanied with an adult also registered in the workshop

• Pre-registration required, spaces are limited

• All materials provided

• Located at the OASIS our outdoor gathering space adjacent to Vita Art Studios 50 West Main St.

• This workshop is part of “Rooted: Celebrating Chumash Culture” a two-day gathering honoring Chumash traditions through storytelling, art, community workshops, and tomol viewing.

• Teaching Artist: Julia Samaniego

Learn how to create meaningful sage bundles using white sage (Salvia apiana) and complementary plants—ethically grown, respectfully gathered, and made without buying commercially harvested smudge sticks. This foundational workshop centers cultural respect, plant stewardship, and hands-on technique. Julia Samaniego is a proud member of the Tataviam tribe from the Siutconga village, with ties to the Chumash through the Tapuu village. She completed the Restoration Fire Resilience Program with Community Nature Connection, training in restoration, seed cleaning, plant identification, and Native plant propagation. At the California Native Plant Society Conference, she presented on Native women’s perspectives on reconnecting with Native plants. Julia currently serves as Assistant Manager at the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing Project Nursery, where she oversees Native plant propagation, seed collection, and nursery inventory.

• Adults

• Saturday,September 27, 3-5pm

• located in Vita Art Studios

• $5. per person

• Pre-Registration Required

• Instructor: Laura Mullen

Give yourself a break in the day to play with language: this generative mini poetry workshop, in which chance procedures and imaginative writing prompts lead to creative discoveries, is a chance to renew and refresh your joy in self-expression. Guided and encouraged by poet Laura Mullen, you’ll have the opportunity to explore your own psyche and the works of art on view inside the Vita Art Studios, which will all be open for viewing. You can share and discuss what you create—if that appeals to you. No pressure! What you can count on is the opportunity to tune into your own poetry super-powers and have fun.