Among Ventura Mayor Carl Morehouse's 2007 Mayor's Arts Award honoree are two long-time Ventura College educators. The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 15 from 6-8 p.m. at a reception sponsored by the Crowne Plaza Hotel Ventura Beach and Weaver Wines. According to the city, each of the five honorees will be awarded with a special edition work on paper created by local artist Lis Schwitters entitled Mark of Excellence.

Linda Ottsen, long-time instructor with and producer of the Ventura College Opera and Musical Theatre productions has been selected in the Arts Leader category for the City of Ventura. In recognizing Linda, Mayor Carl Morehouse said, "Characterized as a "whirlwind force", Linda Ottsen was nominated by Ventura College President Dr. Robin Calote for her work as the Artistic Director of the Ventura College Opera and Musical Theatre (VCOMT). An accomplished professional singer, Linda came to Ventura in the late '70s and began teaching vocal instruction. She soon founded the Ventura County Opera before moving over to the VCOMT where she worked for ten years and oversaw over twenty operas and musicals including two world premieres. With a dual mission of providing 'performing arts educational opportunities for students' and 'cultural enrichment to Ventura County audiences', Linda's leadership and organizational skills have been instrumental in the growth and high artistic standards of VCOMT's productions. Under Linda's guidance, VCOMT has involved over 700 students, performed for over 40,000 audience members, and raised approximately $500,000 in donations and grants."

Nominated by fellow artist Paul Benavidez, among other nominators, Carlisle Cooper, selected in the Arts Educator category, has been teaching drawing, design and painting at Ventura College for more than forty years. A graduate of the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art, Carlisle has had over 30 one-person exhibitions around the country and Europe. Prior to teaching, he had a national syndicated cartoon strip. His absolute dedication to teaching and rigorous artistic standards have influenced several generations of young artists.Carlisle has been associated with the BuenaVentura Art Association and Ventura's popular Focus on the Masters for many years. More information on Carlisle's work and philosophy is available at http://www.focusonthemasters.com/gallery/artist_15.html and a number of his works can be viewed in his online gallery at http://www.carlislecooper.com/index.html

Linda Ottsen and Carlisle Cooper join fellow honorees Josh Addison (Arts Patron), Paul Lindhard (Artist in the Community) and Brian McDonald (Emerging Artist). The Mayor's Arts Award is a Cultural Affairs Division program designed to cultivate greater visibility and understanding of the value of the arts, build new leadership and develop new patrons for the arts.