Museum of Ventura County announces return of Bonita C. McFarland Scholarship

Museum of Ventura County is now accepting applications for its Bonita C. McFarland Visual Arts Scholarship. The scholarship fund has a total of $17,500 to be awarded to eligible applicants who are high school seniors enrolling in college courses in fall semester of 2022 or any continuing visual arts college student who is a Ventura County resident. Requirements for submission are a completed application, 400 word essay about their art and career or education goals, a letter of recommendation and prior artwork or projects. Applications are due no later than February 28, 2022. Students are allowed to submit up to 10 bodies of work, and are encouraged to start early. For further details and to apply, visit: venturamuseum.org/bonita-c-mcfarland.

Funds for the scholarship are provided through an endowment of the scholarship’s namesake, Bonita C. McFarland, a generous supporter, and longtime donor to the arts of Ventura County. The funds are held, administered and awarded by the Museum of Ventura County, to individuals based on artistic merit, eligibility, and needs of the applicant. Past recipients have received over $500 each, after being carefully selected by a collaborative committee consisting of Museum of Ventura County personnel and members of the Museum’s Fine Arts Committee.

“It’s always an exciting time to see the creativity of these young, dedicated and hard-working artists flourish,” says chair of the Fine Arts committee Linda Edison, “Last year’s talent was truly outstanding. Each piece was filled with individuality and excellence. I can’t wait to see how students take this opportunity to represent our county this year.” Last year’s scholarship winners were Cal State University Northridge students Yasemin Zografos (Thousand Oaks) and Amelia Compton (Camarillo), Moorpark College student Jullianne De La Cruz (Oxnard), and California Institute of the Arts student Amelia Compton (Camarillo).

The committee will review submissions in March of 2022, and scholarship winners will be announced in April. An awards reception at the Museum of Ventura will be scheduled in the Spring to celebrate the honorees accomplishments. Stay up to date with the scholarship awards process, by visiting the museum online at: venturamuseum.org.