Art On Exhibit this January in Salem

Explore art & culture in Salem this January through these exhibits (and events).

HALLIE FORD MUSEUM OF ART

Featuring works by Pacific Northwest and Native American artists and a diverse collection of traditional European, American and Asian art, and antique artifacts. Hallie Ford Museum, 700 State St, is open 12 to 5 p.m. Tues — Sat. 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 June 21, 2025

Nancy Floyd: For the Love of Trees features recent work by this award-winning Bend, Oregon photographer and author. In 2022, Floyd was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to embark on a multi-year project exploring the unique bond that Oregonians have with the forest and trees, including those who study trees, those who protect trees, those who make a living off trees, and those who see trees as part of their daily life. In the process, she has interviewed key stakeholders in the timber and forestry business; followed workers into the forest as they cut or studied trees; visited mills and shadowed those who work there; and accompanied workers at tree farms as they planted and nurtured trees. The exhibition will feature a range of work from the past two years.

January 25-March 22, 2025

Brenda Mallory: The North Star Changes features the sculptures and large-scale installations of Brenda Mallory, a nationally recognized Portland mixed-media artist. Organized by the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, the exhibition features 36 objects on loan from public and private collections throughout the western United States, including several from the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. The title of the exhibition is based on the idea that, while the North Star or Polaris is usually thought of as permanent, in fact it has changed its location over the course of thousands of years. “The idea of change has always been in my work,” Mallory has said.

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, 24 2025

Souvenirs of Imaginary Places: Photographs by Randall Tosh — Salem photographer Randall Tosh has been exploring antique photographic processes for most of his photographic career. He is interested in the inherently uncanny property of images produced by these old processes, which seem to recontextualize objects, people, and landscapes into an idyllic nineteenth-century past. Randall’s interest in antique processes extends to antique photographic equipment as well, and he uses an array of antique lenses to produce his work.  

January 29 to May 16, 2025

​​New Energy: Recent Work by Matthew Shoki Tanabe and Adam Zeek — Shoki Tanabe and Adam Zeek were born on different continents, Shoki in Tokyo and Adam in Oregon, but both grew up in Salem, and graduated from South Salem High School.  Now the lifelong friends are collaborating on their first major joint exhibition.  For New Energy, Shoki Tanabe will show paintings in acrylic, graphite, and oil pastel on canvas or wood.  Adam Zeek will exhibit wood carvings and multimedia works.  

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 presents curated rotating exhibits featuring regional artists.

Through January 24, 2025

Souvenirs of Imaginary Places: Photographs by Randall Tosh — A companion to the exhibition at Level 2   Gallery at the 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

January 3 to February 2

Featured artist Robin Kerr's work is a study in contrasts, reflecting the experience of an immigrant "in limbo" between cultures. Working with paint, wax pastels, ink, and graphite, Kerr's pieces juxtapose large, bold shapes with intricate, delicate lines, and dominant color blocks with subtle, unexpected details. This blend of certainty and uncertainty, boldness and ambiguity, brings tension and perhaps even an element of confusion to her compositions: things are not always as they appear.  

Guest artist Peregrine takes a multimedia approach to their body of work Cut and Draw, informed by their experiences as a contemporary non-binary artist. Inspired by the visual storytelling of vintage movie posters, they combine elements from diverse sources like art textbooks, fashion catalogs, and children’s books to build surreal collaged compositions that evoke the “who, what, and where” of a narrative. Each collage is then transformed into a linocut print to create mirrored reflections of the image across mediums.

Opening Reception: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan 3

SALEM ART ASSOCIATION

The Salem Art Association (SAA) aims to actively engage the community in the appreciation of the arts through contemporary art exhibits and events, and arts education for youth and adults. Bush Barn Art Center & Annex, 600 Mission St. SE | 503-581‑2228, salemart.org

January 1-30

Artist in Residence | Ryan Hopper — "My name is Ryan Hopper currently residing in Salem, Oregon graduated from Arizona State University with my BFA in Art Education. I’m from Tuba City, Arizona located on the Navajo Nation. Born and raised on a sheep camp from a family of shepherds, weavers and traditional healers. A lot of my inspiration comes from studying wildlife, landscape artworks and looking at works of art by various different artists from Robert Bateman, Andrew Wyeth and etc. The wildlife art of Bateman is what fuels my appreciation of the wildlife art and Wyeth contemporary paintings that show me they can be seen with an artistic imagination that can be received within a more profound way. 

My works are done primarily within printmaking processes and oil paintings that capture both land and animals with a decorative element to be incorporated in homes and public spaces. There is nothing like being surrounded by nature, beauty and animals. Thus, most of my work incorporates these images from my travels, photographs and observing animals within their natural habitat."

January 10 – February 23, 2025

ReEnvisioned: Contemporary Portraits of Our Black Ancestors | Jeremy Okai Davis — In 2022, SAA commissioned Jeremy to paint a series of portraits as part of their broader effort to reinvent and reimagine the Bush House Museum. As curators of this historic site, they are acutely aware of the harm Asahel Bush inflicted on people of color in our state. They are also aware that people of color are painfully underrepresented in most permanent collections, including theirs.

Their invitation to Jeremy was simple: tell the story of early Black pioneers whose contributions to Oregon history have long been overlooked. For this installment of portraits, Jeremy chose two major figures – Letitia Carson (1815-1888) and Thomas C. King (1847-1904).

An Angel Will Appear | EGOR Eilish Gormley —  EGOR (Eilish Gormley) presents a mythology on an inquisitive woman’s choice of fate, in the form of film, music, and painting: “An Angel Will Appear” Our protagonist, in a deja vuvian moment, realizes that she is about to be visited by an angel. She is overjoyed. Her excitement fades as reality unfolds. This may not be an announcement she desires. She must act fiercely in order to take the reins of her fate.

EGOR is a Portland-based painter and performer. a fusion of video, audio, and experimental animation, her narrative-driven work focuses on tactile and physical media while primarily engaged with and distributed through the digital landscape.

Reception: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 10

ARTISTS IN ACTION GALLERY

An artist co-operative featuring 22 artists that share a space with Elsinore Framing at 444 Ferry St SE | AiAArtGallery.org

January 2 through 31, 2025

Art: Our Meadow by Lorraine Dye

Celebrate the New Year! Celebrate Art! — Discover a captivating selection of brand-new artworks created by each member artist, showcased prominently along the gallery's front window.

Throughout the gallery explore a rich array of 2D and 3D artwork by our 22 artists: Judith Baer, watercolor; Pauli Bailey, acrylic; Susan Grace Branch, acrylic; Cameron Covey, digital photography, wool and fabric; Anna Davis, mixed media; Bob Dodson, mixed media; Lorraine Dye, charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, pastel; Dee Hendrix, watercolor; Jean Lea, acrylic; Barbara LeFiell, jewelry; John Mohney, watercolor; Michelle Myers, watercolor; Elizabeth Lisle Palmer, mixed media; Abel Poton, acrylic; Neale Quenzel, oil, mixed media; Jim Richards, oil; Olga Walmisley-Santiago, acrylic; Jim Schaff, digital/photography; Susan Thompson, acrylic; Diane Trevett, oil, acrylic, charcoal, pastel; CC Willow, oil; Patricia Young, acrylic.

Reception: 5 to 8 p.m. Jan 3

BUSH HOUSE MUSEUM

Through June 29, 2025

Favorite Things II | Jason Hill — Favorite Things is a portrait and short film series depicting regional artists with items that are precious to them. Developed by Portland filmmaker and photographer Jason Hill, this work documents a collaboration wherein artists were instructed to share and speak about a favorite item in a studio setting. The results are an experiment with light and color to create magical portraits and filmed testimonials.

GRETCHEN SCHUETTE ART GALLERY

The gallery is located in building 3 on the Chemeketa Community College campus at 4000 Lancaster Dr. NE. For more information and open hours, call 503-399-2533. Learn more here.

January 15 through February 7

Reflections — Jessica Ramey’s solo exhibit Reflections is a dynamic range of works that invites visitors to engage in introspection while examining themes of identity, perception, and connection.

“The title,” says Jessica Ramey “Reflections, speaks to the dual nature of the exhibition: it’s a space to look inward and examine personal truths, while also considering how our experiences, relationships, and environments shape who we are. Every piece in this show reflects the interplay between individual vision and collective experience.”

Visit Reflections and take in the inspiring discovery of the intersections between self and community.

Reception: 12 to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 22

Cultural Exhibits

WILLAMETTE HERITAGE CENTER

14 historic structures house permanent and changing exhibits, a research library and archive, a textile learning center, and rentable event spaces over a five-acre campus, which also has retail shops, art galleries, artist studios, and offices. 1313 Mill St SE | 503-585-7012, willametteheritage.org

January 24 through May 24, 2025

Let’s Play is a look at sports in the Mid-Willamette Valley through the lens of historical artifacts and photos. 

WORLD BEAT GALLERY

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. 390 Liberty St SE | 503-581-2004, salemmulticultural.org

Through February 6, 2025

Angkorian Might — An immersive exhibit exploring the culture of Cambodia