For The Kids : ARTS CENTER : Observing by Doing : Special programs at Oxnard’s Carnegie cultural center put the creative process in children’s hands.

In the basement of the Carnegie Cultural Arts Center in Oxnard, a group of third-graders watched as artist Kim Loucks sketched a desert scene and then livened it with pastel colors.

“Don’t be scared to experiment--try the unexpected,” said Loucks, wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words Art Saves Lives. She counseled them, “Don’t ever worry about what someone else might say about your drawing.”

The students were touring the arts center, and part of the excursion included a quick art lesson from Loucks, who gave them some tips about using pastels. She also acquainted them with some basic art terms such as landscape , portrait and horizon.

On this particular day, the pastel instruction took on special meaning. Under the guidance of a docent, the children later gazed at 75 pastel landscapes by artist Theodore N. Lukits, whose work is on exhibit at the center. They saw the large box of pastels used by the artist.

The third-graders at Lemonwood School are among some 4,000 Ventura County children who annually tour the center, the only fine arts center in the county.

Since 1985, the center has offered tours during the school year, along with a variety of after-school and weekend art instruction for tots on up to high school students.

The arts center is also open to viewing by the public free of charge, although a donation is requested. The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

The center itself is a work of art. Built by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie in 1906, it was the first municipal building in Oxnard and has served as the library and, until 1949, the City Hall.

It is graced by columns inside and outside, tall ceilings, ornate scrollwork and a mighty chandelier in the lobby.

Owned and operated by the city of Oxnard, the center was targeted for elimination a year ago when city officials sought to reduce their budget deficit. The center survived, but its funding was cut, causing staff cutbacks and a reduction in hours.

Nonetheless, the center still offers special programs, thanks in part to grants from Mervyn’s Department Stores and Procter & Gamble, curator Suzanne Bellah said.

Mervyn’s is sponsoring a new art program for children 3 to 5 years old this summer. The youngsters will use paint, melted crayons, ink, glue and pasta to create works of art.

The two three-week sessions will be held one day a week from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. The first is on Fridays, beginning July 12, and the second on Thursdays, beginning Aug. 8. The cost is $10 for three classes.

Procter & Gamble is also offering six-week summer sessions for youngsters 6 years and up. The classes begin this week, but Bellah said it is not too late to sign up for the remaining classes.

The sessions include weekly 90-minute instruction in oil painting, drawing, art from other cultures and mixed media. The fee is $45.

During the school year, Mervyn’s sponsors family art workshops one Saturday each month for children 6 years and older. The instruction focuses on the medium used in the center’s current exhibit.

The Lukits exhibit and a smaller show of works by landscape artist Emil Kosa Jr. will run through Sunday at the arts center. They will be followed by the Oxnard Art Assn.’s eighth summer show, running July 18 through Aug. 17.

The center has its own permanent collection of 180 artworks, mostly from 20th-Century California artists. But the traveling exhibits, which change bimonthly, generally fill the two-story exhibition space.

The classes and workshops are often keyed to the current exhibit. During an exhibit this winter of photographer Jack Birns’ work, youngsters experimented with printmaking. Artists are hired to teach whatever medium is on display, Bellah said.

“The children can visually and manually see things.”

* WHERE AND WHEN

The Carnegie Cultural Arts Center is at 424 S. C St., Oxnard. Admission is free. For information on classes, call 984-4649.