VizArts Monthly: Release | Oregon ArtsWatch

We are back once again with a new month full of exciting events! Is it just me or did June go by quickly? It seemed to me that only yesterday it was the beginning of summer, and now we are already in the middle of it (despite the capricious weather)! I feel like sometimes the world is moving so fast and we’re constantly running to catch up. Let’s stop for a moment and breathe in the world around us. This month’s very casual theme suits summer: July is the perfect time to take a break and slow down.

There are plenty of things to stop and see throughout Oregon this month. Start your slowing down journey by visiting Portland galleries, including Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Chefas Projects, Carnation Contemporary, Multnomah Arts Center Gallery, The Oregon Historical Society, and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. Continue your mindful tour of Eugene at the Karin Clarke Gallery and Maude Kerns Center for the Arts. Finally, end by taking a moment in Bend at the High Desert Museum to see the natural beauty of the High Desert region.

Rural observations
Robert Schlegel
June 26 – August 3
Karin Clarke Gallery
760 Willamette St, Eugene, OR 97401 (Wednesday-Friday 12:00-17:30, Saturday 10:00-16:00)

Robert Schlegel’s newly framed works are on display at Karin Clarke Gallery through August 3. Schlegel, a landscape and portrait painter from Banks, Oregon, died in 2021. The paintings in the exhibition are from Schlegel’s later years, when he turned his attention to the “balance and imbalance” of landscapes and figurative work. The works are not photographically realistic, but rather lean toward a representational style that evokes the feelings and characteristics of the world he captures. The scenes feel familiar and recognizable, but leave the viewer wanting to learn more about the place and the stories behind it. Stop and take a moment to celebrate Robert Schlegel’s life and career and get lost in the mini-worlds he created.

Movement of Thought: Paintings and Works on Paper
Lonnie Holley
July 11-27
Elizabeth Leach Gallery
417 NW 9th, Portland, OR 97209 (Tuesday-Saturday 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.)

Lonnie Holley’s third solo exhibition at Elizabeth Leach Gallery features new works in spray paint, oil sticks, gesso and acrylic. Each of Holley’s featured works uses a labor-intensive stenciling technique to create optical illusions among highly detailed images. Each time a viewer looks at Holley’s work, new details emerge. Engaging with these compositions forces the viewer to slow down and absorb the diverse images and worlds found in Holley’s detailed works. Second exhibition at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery, City of Apparitions by Matthew Picton, consists of six three-dimensional, hand-cut paper sculptures.

Banshee hair
Emilia the Wise
June 14 – July 13
Chefs’ designs
134 SE Taylor St, Suite 203, Portland, OR 97214 (Wednesday-Saturday 1-6 p.m.)

Emily Wise Banshee Hair follows the journey of three sisters as they explore otherworldly and surreal territory, uncovering myths and questions surrounding the supernatural entity, the banshee. Wise’s vibrant paintings intertwine botanical elements with the female form, exploring myths, relationships, and the existence of sacred feminine space. The images in Wise’s individual works overlap and interpenetrate, creating a stunningly detailed composition that leaves the viewer captivated and immersed in the stories she creates.

Stream of stream
Brittney Connelly
July 12-28
Contemporary carnation
8371 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR 97217 (Saturday and Sunday 12:00-17:00)

This year’s offering at Carnation Contemporary by Brittney Connelly is more than just an exhibition, it is an immersive opportunity to slow down and connect with the surreal beauty of our collective world and journey. The installation incorporates the media of light, sound and water in the form of a 62-foot rain curtain to represent places in our memories that stay with us, while encouraging us to think about places that do not. Likewise, it explores the mundane beauty of everyday life and forces us to think about the moments and memories – big and small – that define who we are. Join Carnation Contemporary and Brittney Connelly for experiential dinners on July 12, 19 and 26.

Ancestors
Curated by Kanani Miyamoto and Steph Littlebird
June 21 – July 27
Multnomah Art Center Gallery
7688 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR 97219 (Monday-Thursday 9:00am-9:30pm, Friday/Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm)

Kanani Miyamoto and Steph Littlebird are co-curators of a group exhibition on the influence of ancestors on our identity. Featured artists include Amber Kay Ball, Anthony Hudson, amoqiix-araceli, Molly Alloy, marvin parra orozco, Arie Beston, Marybel Martin, Amie Pascal, Jerome Alexander Sloan, Nica Aquino and Christina Martin. Using a variety of art mediums, including painting, sculpture, and beadwork, artists slow down, remember, connect with, and communicate with their ancestors. The artists’ works encourage us all to reflect on our ancestors and the role their past plays in our contemporary identity.

Fundamentals of Creativity: 20th Century Oregon Artists and the Legacy of Arlene Schnitzer
June 28 – January 2
Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205 (Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm)

A new exhibition at OHS celebrates the legacy of Arlene Schnitzer and her pivotal role in Oregon’s art community. In 1961, Arlene noticed the lack of opportunities for artists to sell their art in the Portland area and opened the Fountain Gallery. Arlene Schnitzer and her family played an important role in Oregon’s thriving art community and contributed to public art access, art education, and art preservation. Notable artists featured in the exhibition include Louis Bunce, Carl Morris, Hilda Morris, Mike Russo and Mel Katz, and some of the works from Schnitzer’s collection are on public display for the first time.

Art in the West
July 20 – September 20
High Desert Museum
59800 US-97, Bend, OR 97702 (Monday-Sunday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)

Annual exhibition judged by the High Desert Museum Art in the West returns in July with a silent auction featuring breathtaking works of art depicting the landscapes, wildlife, people, cultures and history of the High Desert region. Notable winners from this year’s show include the Jury Prize for Monte Yellow Bird Sr. and the Curators’ Award for Analee Fuentes. Other participating artists include Jake Trujilo, Kat Houseman, Richard York, Shannon Schacht, Barbara Van Cleve, Stuart Breidenstein and Ott Jones. Proceeds from the event will be donated to featured artists and will support scientific, artistic, historical and educational programs in the High Desert region.

Tell me a story
Jeff Leake and David Carmack Lewis
June 21 – July 19
Maude Kerns Art Center
1910 East 15th Ave, Eugene, OR 97403 (Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:30pm, Saturday 12:00pm-4:00pm)

Portland artists Jeff Leake and David Carmack Lewis showcase their narrative works in an exhibition Tell me a story at the Maude Kerns Center for the Arts. Both artists explore landscape images and the intersections of culture and nature in their works. They focus both on incorporating specific stories experienced in real landscapes, as well as on imaginary places and the stories associated with them. They will also be on display at the Maude Kerns Art Center in July In full bloom by Californian artist Jennifer Lugris, depicting a wide spectrum of struggles and tribulations, as well as the joys of motherhood.

Chim: Between destruction and resurrection
David Seymour
July 7 – September 15
Oregon Jewish Museum and Holocaust Education Center
724 NW Davis St, Portland, OR 97209 (Wednesday-Sunday 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM)

Take a moment this July to explore the effects and unseen aftermath of the Holocaust through David Seymour’s exhibition Chim: Between Destruction and Resurrection at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Holocaust Education Center. This photography exhibition presents the post-war reconstruction of Europe and the hidden details of the reality of life after World War II. Although the destruction of war is present in Seymour’s work, his photographs are intimate and focus on the lives of ordinary people. Seymour’s photographs reveal reality after war and destruction, challenging the viewer to stop and think. Also on display The magical world of Leonora Carrington which includes 17 engravings of costume designs for a theatre performance entitled Dybbuk by surrealist artist Leonora Carrington.