(Above: Desert Morning, a photograph by David Simone, is part of an inaugural art show of work by PhotoZone member artists at the new Don Dexter Gallery in northeast Eugene.)

By Randi Bjornstad

Eugene dentist Don Dexter has been a supporter of the visual arts for years, up to and including turning the walls of his longtime dental practice at 2233-B Willamette St. into a rotating gallery of works by local artists and photographers. That location is now closed, and his new endeavor, the Eugene Dental Sleep Center, and the art gallery, have been relocated.

Dexter describes his gallery as “an Indigenous-owned business that also serves as a community space for health, wellness, art, and cultural events.” He devoted space in his regular dental practice to showing artwork by area artists beginning in 1997.

Eugene dentist Don Dexter has opened a standalone art gallery in Crescent Village, off Chad Drive in northeast Eugene.

That has turned into the standalone Don Dexter Gallery, which will have its grand opening reception from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 15.

The first show at the gallery, which will be on the walls through June, consists of  photographs by members of the PhotoZone Gallery, a collective of local art photographers.

The idea for a freestanding gallery is an offshoot of Dexter’s other recent new endeavor, a facility where he can accommodate patients of dental sleep medicine, a specialty he began studying and practicing in 2012.

According to the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the practice involves the use of an “oral appliance” similar to an orthodontic retainer that covers the teeth of a person suffering from conditions such as abnormal snoring or sleep apnea.

“I have studied and practiced dental sleep medicine extensively since 2012,” Dexter said in announcing his new facilities. “As the most qualified and experienced provider in the community, I am fully committed to treating this serious medical condition that is often undiagnosed or left untreated.”

The new Don Dexter Gallery is the latest in the Eugene dentist’s ways of supporting local artists

Both his Eugene Dental Sleep Center and the Don Dexter Gallery are located on Tennyson Ave. in Crescent Village. The gallery is on the second floor of the Inkwell Building, at 2911 Tennyson Ave., No. 202. The sleep center is adjacent at No. 203.

Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, plus possible weekend visits by appointment.

Featured artists with work in the Don Dexter Gallery show include Mark Anderson, Bryan Andresen, David Becker, Linda Devenow, Ron Dobrowski, Greg Giesy, Sandy Brown Jensen, Don Myers, Sandi T. O’Brien, Walt O’Brien, Patrick Plaia, Doremus Scudder, David Simone, and Michael Z. Taylor.

Grand Opening of Don Dexter Gallery

When: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, 2023

Where: 2911 Tennyson Ave., No. 202, in Crescent Village off Chad Drive in Eugene

Regular gallery hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday; weekends by appointment

Information: Online at dondextergallery.com

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