March art highlights include abstracts by Seth Allen at Salem on the Edge, the opening of Nancy Eng in the Art Hall @ Salem Public Library (and the continued display of its companion work at Level 2) plus your last chance to see Willem Volkersz: The View from Here at Hallie Ford Museum of Art, and so much more! 

HALLIE FORD MUSEUM OF ART

Hallie Ford Museum, 700 State Street and is open 12 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Cost to explore is free for children, students 18+ and educators (with school ID); $8 adults, $5 seniors, and free for everyone on Tuesdays. For more information, visit willamette.edu/arts/hfma, or call 503-370-6855.

Through March 30
Willem Volkersz: The View from Here — Organized by the Missoula Art Museum and the South Dakota Art Museum, Willem Volkersz: The View from Here presents a 25-year retrospective exhibition for Volkersz, an internationally-recognized mixed media artist who is known for his neon and paint-by-number installations.

Volkersz is a significant contemporary artist and renowned collector of Folk and self-taught artists. A native of the Netherlands, he immigrated to the United States with his family after WWII and studied art and architecture at the University of Washington before earning an MFA in painting at Mills College in Oakland, CA. After teaching at the Kansas City Art Institute for 18 years, he came to Montana State University-Bozeman in 1986 to direct the School of Art and teach until his retirement in 2001. Volkersz’s work has been featured in 46 solo exhibitions and in over 200 group shows in the U.S., Canada, England, Scotland, China, and Taiwan. He is the recipient of many awards, including a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, grants from the Mellon Foundation and Gottlieb Foundation, and a 2020 Montana Governor’s Arts Award. He’s been a visiting artist and lecturer at almost 100 institutions in the U.S., Canada, Europe and China.

Through April 20
Singular Visions: Self-Taught Artists from the Permanent Collection — Over the past two decades, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art has built a small but choice collection of work by self-taught artists. Organized by curator Jonathan Bucci and drawn exclusively from the HFMA permanent collection, the exhibition includes artists who are well known in the contemporary art world, such as James Castle, Louisiana Bendolph, and James Lavadour; important regional artists Gregory Blackstock and Russell Childers; and Midwest and Southern artists Burlon Craig and Royal Robertson among many others. In addition, new acquisitions by contemporary artists working with Living Studios, a Cosrvallis and Salem studio program for neurodivergent artists, are featured in the exhibition.

While the artists in Singular Visions each bring unique approaches and backgrounds to their work, there are universal traits they all share. The work operates as a reflection of the artists’ reality – the way they see the world, generated from both personal life experiences and the community in which they live and work. Artmaking is a form of communication as artists choose to express themselves and share their personal vision to connect with others.

As the cultural divisions that have led to the othering and separating of many self-taught artists and their work is dissolving, these important artistic voices and their influence are being brought into the larger conversation about contemporary art. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is very pleased to present this first exhibition focused specifically on this growing area of the museum’s collection. — Jonathan Bucci, The John Olbrantz Curator of Collections and Exhibitions

Related Events —

All-Abilities Art Workshop with Living Studios — Make art, meet artists and learn more about Living Studios, an arts program that supports members of Salem’s neurodivergent community through two essential platforms: a facilitated studio space and social advocacy projects, each enabling and inspiring creative and innovative community outcomes. Facilitated by Jill R Baker, Living Studios artist-in-residence and art faculty at Linn-Benton Community College, and Salem-based artist, Paul Meuse, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, in the Maribeth Collins lobby at Hallie Ford Museum of Art. Free.

Free docent-guided Tuesday Gallery Talks focusing on the Singular Visions exhibition, 12:30 p.m. on March 5, 12, 19 (guided by Jonathan Bucci), April 2, 9 and 16. 

LEVEL 2 GALLERY

Level 2 Gallery at the Salem Convention Center is curated by the Oregon Artists Series Foundation. Located on the second floor of the center, it features changing exhibits of work by established and emerging artists of the region. The Gallery is accessible Monday through Friday during regular business hours, during special events or by appointment by calling 503-589-1700. Info: oregonartistsseries.com

Through June 1, 2024
Layered Impressions: Paintings by Nancy Eng — Nancy Eng is a Salem-based artist and business owner whose work is centered on two principal subjects: the landscape and the figure. “My paintings start from photos, sketches and memories, and change is an important aspect of my work. Each piece evolves from its original colors, composition and emotions, flowing through multiple layers to its final form.”

“As an artist born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I draw from the nature surrounding me. This show is exclusively abstract landscapes, created entirely without brushes. I love to use unconventional tools – silicone scrapers, color shapers, spatulas, squeegees, rollers, credit cards, pallet knives and other things to spread layers of paint. These tools allow me to paint loose and abstract impressions.”

ART HALL @ Salem Public Library

A year-round gallery space under the guidance of the Salem Public Art Commission, the Art Hall at the Salem Public Library features the Salem Reads Art Exhibit each February as part of Salem Reads: One Book, One Community. During the rest of the year, the Oregon Artists Series Foundation will present curated rotating exhibits featuring regional artists.

Through March 3
Salem Reads —  View work created by local artists inspired by The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina. Learn more about Salem Reads here.

March 4 through June 1
Layered Impressions: Paintings by Nancy Eng — See additional work by Nancy Eng in this companion show to the display at Level 2 Gallery.

SALEM ON THE EDGE

From fine art, up-and-coming artists, graffiti muralists and more, Salem on the Edge features work by PNW artists in a variety of media both for purchase and in rotating exhibits. Stop in and visit at 156 Liberty St. NE. Info: salemontheedge.com

Through March 31
Featured artist Seth Allen with new work “Glacial Erratic.”

Glaciers travel across the earth, carving valleys and sculpting mountains, indelibly changing landscapes forever. They often pick up chunks of rock and transport them over long distances. When they drop these rocks, they are often far from their origin—the outcrop or bedrock from which they were plucked. These rocks are known as glacial erratics.

This concept resonates with me and the way I create my paintings. They often begin as an undefined thought or feeling. As the painting progresses, it becomes clearer until it is dropped – often far from its origin – churned, twisted and shaped by the glacial movement of life around me.

Guest artist Joel Fleminger is a Portland artist who also creates colorful abstract work. “Every day I see compositions form with shapes, lines, and color. Sometimes the images overlap what is in front of me. Other times the imagined visuals merge and become integrated with the landscape. This is how my mind visualizes emotions and experiences. It is also the inspiration for where my work begins. The challenge is to explore these scenes and bring them to a place where they function both emotionally and pictorially. Working in this manner can make it difficult to know when to walk away. For this, I have found that when the significance of adding or removing elements no longer changes the composition as a whole or shifts my emotional response, I have exhausted the pursuit and the painting is done. While the viewer may look for an identity or literal meaning behind these abstractions, for me painting is about the process and reconciling the pursuit so that I may start again.”

Related Events —

Opening Reception — 5 to 8 p.m Friday, March 1. 

SALEM ART ASSOCIATION

Salem Art Association (SAA) at Bush Barn Art Center & Annex, 600 Mission St. SE. For more information, call 503-581‑2228 or visit salemart.org.

Through March 31
Art Teachers | After Hours — “I believe that it is important that art teachers also make art.  It is a vulnerable but glorious pursuit, and since we are asking our students to partake in the journey, it is only fair that we go along with them.

The freedom to MAKE ART is something no one can take from you.  Although it is nice to have fancy supplies, you can make art anywhere and with anything, and bring into the world something that COULD NOT EXIST without your effort.  We teach our students how to interact with supplies and ideas on a personal level to create visual representations of complex ideas and feelings in hopes that they too will become artists for life.  Art Making can join anyone on their life’s journey, it isn’t just for those able to commit to a full time artist lifestyle.  We are proud to champion that idea as ARTIST EDUCATORS, still making art!

When visiting the show, expect to see all sorts of media and all sorts of subjects as well as voices from all walks of life. We are connected by our dedication to teaching the children in our community about (and how to create) art, and also by our commitment to art making as an enriching lifelong practice.” – Curator Katie Gilmour

Young Artists’ Showcase — Featuring artwork by K-12 students in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties.

Related Events —

Opening Reception — Youth awards, 12-2 p.m. March 2 and evening reception 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 2

Gretchen Schuette Art Gallery

See fine art on display in the Gretchen Schuette Art Gallery at Chemeketa Community College where they host six exhibitions by diverse regional and national artists each year. The gallery is located in building 3 on the college campus at 4000 Lancaster Dr. NE. It is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. For more information, call 503-399-2533.

Through March 15
Chemeketa Faculty Art Exhibit

Gallery 444 & Artist in Action Co-Op

Gallery 444 and the newly formed Artists in Action Co-op gallery, are both located within Elsinore Framing at 444 Ferry St. SE. Info: 503-581-4642, elsinoregallery.com

March
CTEC Art and Technology Show.

Related Events —

Reception — 5 to 8 p.m. March 1

Cultural Exhibits

WORLD BEAT GALERY

The World Beat Gallery gives local cultural communities a space to share their heritage: the stories told and items exhibited come directly from members of our community. The Gallery is open year-round 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Saturdays by appointment at 390 Liberty St SE. Info: salemmulticultural.org