Community members pay tribute to Ukraine at Oxnard's Carnegie Art Museum
Recent visitors to downtown Oxnard may have noticed a splash of blue and yellow at the Carnegie Art Museum.
Front columns of the stately building on C Street have been wrapped in the colors of Ukraine's national flag, a band of blue over one of yellow. On Saturday, two painted canvases featuring blue-and-yellow images leaned against a pair of columns.
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Oxnard resident Lucy Cartagena, 56, said she and several community members put up the decorations to show solidarity with Ukraine from the heart of Oxnard. She wanted to bring attention to Russia's invasion of the country in hopes that people "realize what's happening."
"I want them to care," Cartagena said.
The effort was not affiliated with the city of Oxnard, which owns the building, or any organization, she said.
Four people helped her set up the project on Tuesday, she said. One of them, Denis O'Leary, contributed the art. One painting depicts a young girl clad in blue and yellow holding a blue-and-yellow balloon. In the background, a dark tank approaches.
The museum at 424 S. C St. was built in 1906. It was shuttered by budget cuts in 2019 and remains closed to the public.
Around midday on Saturday, few pedestrians were in the area and traffic on C Street was light. One person walked up the museum steps and took pictures with his phone, while some others strolled by without looking up. Some drivers appeared to glance at the display through car windows as they passed the site.
Cartagena said she hopes the tribute will stay up until May Day, on May 1, but worries it might be removed before then or result in fines.
Cytlalli Salgado is a breaking news reporter for the Ventura County Star. She can be reached by calling 805-437-0257 or emailing cytlalli.salgado@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ukraine tribute seen at Carnegie Art Museum in downtown Oxnard
