The InstigatorIn·del·i·ble: not able to be forgotten or removed.
Explore a slice of Salem’s vibrant artist community through indelible: Artists Portraits by Diane Beals. Presented by the Oregon Artists Series Foundation, this two-part exhibition highlights 14 artists who have made indelible and memorable marks through their art and creative practices.
Documentary photographer Diane Beals has captured the artists in a series of black and white images. View portraits of the artists in their workspaces at Level 2 Gallery at Salem Convention Center. And see an extension of the exhibition — a companion to the portraits — in the Art Hall at Salem Public Library. The companion photos capture an aspect of each artist’s process such as a tool, materials or a work of art in progress.
While the artists depicted at the Level 2 Gallery are fully identified, the works at the Library are not, inviting the viewer to closely study the photographs to match each artist with a process shot.
Photographed artists include Rob Bibler, Jon Colburn, Nancy Eng, Carol Hausser, Bonnie Hull, Kristin Kuhns, Nancy Lindburg, Sue-Del McCulloch, Jude Morales, Dave Nichols and the late Sandra Nichols (working collaboratively as nic and sloy), Randall Tosh, April Waters, Krista West, and Gary Westford.
Artist Diane Beals has spent the past decade photographing the people of our city from documenting the work of the Alzheimer’s Network of Oregon through their residents to chronicling girls age 6 to 18 and showcasing what each is passionate about: a catcher in her softball uniform, to inside a church, to someone wanting to be photographed with her grandpa.
But most notable may be her street photography documenting the houseless community in our city. The thread connecting them all — Diane presents her images “…in a way that will make you really want to look. Where in real life, most will turn away.”
The exhibition is on display at Level 2 Gallery through October 3 and in the Art Hall at the Salem Public Library through September 30.
About Level 2 Gallery
Level 2 Gallery at the Salem Convention Center (SCC) is a project of the Oregon Artists Series Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed in 2008 to promote art in public spaces in Salem. OASF facilitates art in and around SCC, including through Level 2 Gallery, which presents changing exhibits of work by established and emerging artists. Level 2 Gallery is open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, during special events or by appointment by calling 503-589-1700. Learn more at oregonartistsseries.com.
About the Art Hall at the 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. The Art Hall is open at all times when the Library is open.
This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 14 (Summer 2022)
Carlee Wright
