The InstigatorOctober art highlights include the highlights from the Hallie Ford Museum of Art collection, Artists in Action’s Paint and Write the Town exhibition, plus work by Robin Kerr, Corrine Loomis Dietz, Gary Westford and 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 December 2
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial features a selection of over 20 contemporary prints created by artists Emily Arthur, Jeremy Okai Davis, John Hitchcock, Lehuauakea, Cory Peeke, Ralph Pugay, Wendy Red Star, and Fox Spears during their recent residencies at the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts (CSIA). The Hallie Ford Museum of Art serves as the repository for the Crow’s Shadow Print Archive and as a dimension of the collaborative agreement with CSIA, hosts biennial exhibitions. This exhibition has been organized by the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in partnership with the CSIA, and curated by Rebecca Dobkins, professor emerita of anthropology at Willamette University and curator of Indigenous art at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.
Through December 16
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at 25: Highlights from the Permanent Collection — The Hallie Ford Museum of Art opened its doors for the first time in October 1998, and over the past quarter century has built an encyclopedic collection of Western and non-Western art and has mounted a dazzling array of temporary exhibitions intended to instruct, inspire, and delight. Over the years, the development of the permanent collection has been guided by Hallie Ford Museum of Art staff and its faculty-curators, as well as by the generosity, vision, and largesse of its many donors and patrons.
To celebrate its remarkable history and growth over the past twenty-five years, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art’s director, curators, outside scholars, and others have teamed up to mine the collection to reveal its many hidden treasures, often for the first time.
The exhibition represents a visual journey through the museum’s diverse permanent collection, featuring close to 100 works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Northwest artists, as well as works from around the world, including ancient, traditional, and contemporary art, and pieces from the recently acquired Museum of Contemporary Craft. Visitors are invited to make their own visual connections between the thoughtfully juxtaposed works of art.
Miraculous Occurrences: Paintings by Gary Westford at Level 2 Gallery in Salem Convention Center
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 January 22
Miraculous Occurrences: Paintings by Gary Westford — “As an artist, I construct visual narratives that speak to our time, and yet, are timeless and universal. I’m committed to making good paintings that show a love for the medium of oil paint, and to a vision that is both clearly realized and open to interpretation,” says Gary Westford. “These Miraculous Occurrences paintings bear witness, as narratives, for what I have seen and experienced over time.”
Gary Westford was born in Oakland, California, and moved to Oregon in 1979. An artist and curator, he lives and works in Salem. He received an MA in painting from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied with Elmer Bischoff, Joan Brown, and Robert Colescott. His paintings and mixed media constructions have been shown in over thirty regional, national, and international juried exhibitions in the US and Canada. He credits the work of Surrealist painter Rene Magritte, poet W. H. Auden, composer Erik Satie and filmmaker Stanley Kubrick among his artistic influences.
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 January 24
Miraculous Occurrences: Paintings by Gary Westford — This show is a companion to the work on display at Level 2 at Salem Convention Center.
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
Robin Kerr, “How Are You” Acrylic paint, ink, wax pastel, fabric collage on panel, 36” x 60″
October 4 through 28
Featured artist Robin Kerr’s exhibit A Moment of Your Time is a work of abstract(ed) mixed-media that uses the solidity of vessels contrasted with the etherealness of flowers as reminders of the beautiful, confounding, complexity of our world. The fabric collage, scribbly lines, rag-applied paint and tiny details give this classic genre a fresh and contemporary interpretation. The unexpected combinations of material, color, patterns, scale, aspect and perspective encourage a second look. Perhaps a memory, feeling or idea is brought to mind that prompts a smile, question, or the beginning of a story. In any case, the work is successful if a dialogue of sorts occurs between the viewer and the art.
“In my process, I use acrylic paint, wax pastel or pencil, and ink. Paint is ragged onto the canvas or panel first, then the various shapes or marks are layered on top. Restrict methods using blue painters’ tape or vinyl cutouts form the bigger shapes where multiple layers of acrylic paint and wax pastel are blended and smudged together. The very fine lines are created by scraping off the top layer of wax pastel using an Xacto knife. This method is similar to sgraffito used in pottery. A metal etching tool is sometimes used to indent the wax pastel or paint to create texture or transfer color. Often a piece of fabric, sometimes a fragment of the original ragging cloth, becomes a collage element.”
Corrine Loomis Dietz, “Symbols of Bounty” Acrylic on panel, 35” x 23″
Guest artist Corrine Loomis Dietz is a long-time Salem resident. Corrine was born in Michigan, growing up on the shores of Lake Huron. Her family relocated to the PNW in her teens and she went on to earn a BFA in Painting from CWU. In 1980, she moved to Oregon, developing a long history of work in art and photography. In 1999, Corrine became a Certified Working Artist for GOLDEN Artist Colors, teaching and lecturing about acrylic paint systems throughout the NW. The past 23 years of training and sharing process with other artists deeply impacted her methods and approach to paint. Today Corrine’s studio practice is about working fearlessly. She focuses her efforts on investigating memories and the color interaction from a wealth of pigments. For the artist, the act of painting is a constant play of energy, always questioning outcomes through abstraction.
SALEM ART ASSOCIATION
Salem Art Association (SAA) at Bush Barn Art Center & Annex, 600 Mission St. SE. Visit the center 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 503-581‑2228 or visit salemart.org.
Through October 19
Salem Art Association welcomes John Van Dreal in an Offsite Artist-in-Residence through October 19 at 595 Leslie St. SE, Salem, 97301. John will be exhibiting many of his works in the A.N. Bush Gallery in January-February 2024.
“My artistic style and method, as well as my philosophy about art, are founded in my admiration for Northern European realism, American realism, and Tonalism. As a craftsman, I build surface and texture through layered oil painting combined with thin applications of translucent glazing. I have found that such an approach allows me to capture light as well as render form that has an intrinsic identity and offers the viewer a subtle expression of beauty as it is found in landscape, still life, and figure. I study and report form by concurrently sketching and painting as I move a work forward to completion. Using this method, combined with traditional aesthetic principles, allows me to create contemporary images that are luminous, tonal, evocative, and spiritual and that connect with the viewer on a personal level. By indulging in form and the aesthetic, I attempt to paint the denominators most common to human beings in their search for the beautiful and sublime. Thus I hope my art offers a connection to good things.”
Open studio hours are Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. from October 5, 12 and 19. SAA patrons may visit the studio, talk with John, examine the art, and observe and discuss the creative process of John’s contemporary art.
SAA patrons may visit the Van Dreal home collection of John’s art and dozens of other notable Northwest artists, 3:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday, October 7. Limited tickets. Click here to RSVP.
Through October 21
Murmurations | Anne Kresge & Mike Nord — A gathering of visual/sound experiences. “The visual work for this exhibition evolved over time from concept to dreaming to exploring materials to creating. The theme represents the coalescing and dispersing of forces and elements.” — Anne Kresge. “The Murmurations soundscape aims to transform the Annex Gallery environment into one that is sonically enveloping and time-based. This is intended to heighten viewers’ interaction with Ann’s works in the space and their connection to the coalescing and dispersing that creates murmuration.” — Mike Nord.
Through October 29
Zaptoec Weaving: Francisco Bautista — I am Francisco Bautista, the fourth generation Master Weaver in my family. My wife, Laura, and I were born in Teotitlán del Valle, a Zapotec village in Oaxaca, Mexico. We have always been fascinated by the infinite possibilities of crossing threads. We use only hand-spun, hand-dyed wool, and weave each of our works on a foot pedal loom. The vibrant colors you see in our weavings come from our own natural and aniline dyes. Together we work to ensure that the quality achieved by the Master Weavers of old will continue to live on in each piece we weave.
The Art of Lillian Pitt: Past and Present — Lillian Pitt is a Pacific Northwest Native American artist whose ancestors lived in and near the Columbia River Gorge. The focus of her work is on creating contemporary fine art pieces that delight today’s art lovers, and at the same time, honor the history and legends of her people.
October 6 through 29
The Quinceanera Project — This exhibition was created with the idea of encouraging young people to be excited about making art and expressing their cultural heritage. The idea was to involve high school students from beginning to end in the process of creating an exhibition of photography that was meaningful to them. The students were involved in planning the project, finding a photographer and equipment, finding models, setting up a schedule and preparing and hanging the exhibition.
Exhibition curator is high school sophomore Sofia Castellanos, and student models Rocio Panuco, Virginia Vargas Reyes and Marissa Flores. With technical assistance from Frank Miller, a professional photographer, who generously mentorship and photography for the show.
The exhibition consists of 12, 8 x 10 matted photographs of the young women in their Quinceanera dresses, together with written work explaining the cultural and emotional reasons behind the celebration. Reception: 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 7
GALLERY 444
At Gallery 444, located within Elsinore Framing at 444 Ferry St. SE, see Artist in Action’s Paint & Write the Town exhibition, plus the Watercolor Society of Oregon during October. Info: 503-581-4642, elsinoregallery.com
