OJAI : Directory of Artists to Make Its Debut

The first major directory of Ojai Valley artists will make its debut this month.

The city of Ojai’s Arts Advisory Committee started gathering names for the free directory two years ago and had hoped to have it out last spring, committee member Gayel Childress said.

The directory includes about 200 names, addresses and phone numbers of writers, painters, textile workers, musicians and other artists living in the Ojai Valley.

“We figure that it represents about one-third of the artists out there,” Childress said. “You’d be surprised at the people that will come out of the woodwork next time.”

Childress said that there was no charge to be listed and that the committee did not screen artists’ skills.

“We felt we didn’t want to be a jury,” she said.

The Ojai Valley Artists Directory will be available at local libraries, City Hall, the Ojai Center for the Arts and the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce.