(Above: Art by several of Eugene’s fabled SLUG Queens is on display at the Broadway Commerce Center. This creation is by Kasey Daggett.)

Edited by Randi Bjornstad

As has become the norm since the opening of the new facility, aficionados of downtown Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk can stop by the Farmers Market Pavilion at 85 E. 8th Ave. to pick up the map for the ArtWalk’s monthly self-guided tour.

Also on tap at the Pavilion will be “The Block is Hot,” an artist showcase that presents a wide variety of visual artistic styles, including that of self-taught portrait painter Lola Buckwald and Eugene native Bobby Green Jr., aka DJ SMuve on the 1’s and 2’s, as well as performances by Theo Sol Energy, ChoSin, Amiia Nectar, Julian Outlaw, Justice Gbada, Munya Mambira, and Savelle Tha Native.

From that hub, the art walk fans out throughout downtown, with many galleries, shops, and other art venues open for the evening, listed alphabetically below and open from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., unless specified otherwise.

ArtWalk stops

Art with Alejandro (Second floor, 5th Street Public Market, 246 E. 5th Ave., Suite 224) — Diverse works by the artist, completed or in progress, with varying styles and subjects.

Found My River, by Arianne “Air” Taylor, is part of the artist’s multi-media presentations at ArtCity Studios on Broadway.

ArtCity Studios on Broadway (160 E. Broadway, basement level) — Featuring The Soul Success Medals for Humanity art experience by Arianne “Air” Taylor, accessible via cellphone or headphones, as words and art communicate and celebrate humanity’s invisible strength; remarks by the artist at 6:30 p.m. Also on display, experience Nolan Day’s Astral Projection Mapping, illuminating a small section of our reality with a light bending audio-visual experience.

Beaudet Gallery (5th St. Makers Row, 590 Pearl St., Suite 106) — Recent jewelry creations by Charles Beaudet for the summer of 2023.

Books with Pictures Eugene (99 W. Broadway, Suite C) — Artwork by Ben Wrex, a non-binary, disabled, queer artist living in the Pacific Northwest who loves to paint, create illustrations, and draw comics.

Broadway Commerce Center (44 W. Broadway) — The SLUG Queens slime their way onto the art scene with their first art exhibition, SLUG Queen Art-stravaganza, featuring creations from a dozen past queens in a variety of mediums including paintings, prints, quilts, textile art, and sculpture.

Epic Seconds (30 E. 11th Ave.) — The One Wall Gallery presents Parallel Lands, work by John Richardson and Benjamin Terrell, different in approach and medium but both examining the relationship between shape and space as well as the mysteries behind existence. On display though July 31, with another display by the artists running concurrently at the University of Connecticut, where Richardson teaches.

Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave., second floor Newspapers and Magazines Room) — Momentary Emotions, paintings by Uyen-thi Nguyen, a member of the Springfield Arts Commission and head of youth art programs at Emerald Art Center, as well as a member of the Plein Air Painters of Lane County, the New Zone Gallery Artists Collective, and the Eugene Figurative Arts Group. Music from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. by The Olivia Fields Quintet features jazz standards and originals.

Flux Crystals (280 W. Broadway) — Art by Heather Sterling-Minder depicts the figure in imagined, ethereal, and dreamlike spaces, using allegory and symbolism to convey a message representing the individual human spirit.

Jenifer Billman-Mann uses impasto technique with palette knives to create her landscapes.

J. Scott Cellars on 5th Tasting Room (207 E. 5th Ave., Suite 105) — Impressionist landscape paintings of the West by Jenifer Billman/Mann, using the impasto technique with palette knives. Also on display, The Practice of Discovery, abstract paintings by Carolyn Quinn expressing a visual composition of energetic fields guided by intuition, dreams, and channeling.

Karin Clarke at the Gordon (590 Pearl St., Suite 105) — A changing inventory of large and small paintings, prints, photography, cards, and mixed-media works by Northwest artists such as Robert Schlegel, Rick Bartow, Bets Cole, and others.

Nearly 30 paintings by renowned Oregon artist Mark Clarke are on display at the Karin Clarke Gallery

Karin Clarke Gallery (760 Willamette St.) — Mark Clarke: Northwest Master, a varied exhibit of landscapes, figures, and abstract paintings from the estate of one of the gallery’s most
popular artists. Curated by the late artist’s daughter, gallerist Karin Clarke, the show features nearly 30 of Clarke’s works, on display through Aug. 12.

The New Zone Gallery (110 E. 11th Ave.) — In addition to the expected eclectic mix of art created by New Zone members,  three special shows are on display through July:

  • Neural Magic for Freedom and Fun, paintings about transformational integration through creative play by Sarjé Haynes.
  • Transitive Fade, oil paintings exploring impending age by Wanda Seamster.
  • Creative Essence, a show by Sheri Smith, Roka Walsh, Anna Golden, and Indra Stern-Hayworth, four women artists inspired by the natural world.
  • Plus live music by Rich Doss during the ArtWalk.

One Vision Nutrition (946 Willamette St.) — Hand Made, oil and watercolor paintings by Robert Canaga using handmade paints, created by either grinding rocks into pigment or creating lake pigment from flowers.

Starlight Lounge (830 Olive St.) — Art by Jacob Lee, using acrylic and spray paint to create mostly abstract works, plus pieces featuring pop culture characters. For ages 21+ only.

Artist Kenji Shimizu

Windowfront Exhibitions — Where empty downtown storefronts become galleries:

  • 824 Charnelton St. — Vexing me!, a multi-medium installation by Zoë GamellBrown welcoming visitors to a Guyanese American meal, centering on the multiplicity Guyanese identity and extensions of the Caribbean to the Gulf Coast.
  • 99 W. 10th Ave., south windows – Diversity Project, a photography installation by Kenji Shimizu, examines diversity from an immigrant’s point of view via portraits of immigrants painted to resemble the style of Renaissance paintings, with the goal of shining a  spotlight the richness of diversity in the community.

Special Event

#instaballet (Capitello Wines, 540 Charnelton St.) — The audience helps Eugene Ballet’s #instaballet make a new dance in real time by suggesting new moves for the local, professional dancers to perform. No dance experience is necessary, all ages are welcome to offer suggestions. Stop by anytime between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. to be a part of the creative process, and the free,
community-created dance will be performed at 8 p.m.

July 2023 ArtWalk sponsors

  • Oregon Pacific Bank —  a community-focused financial institution committed to businesses, nonprofits, and communities across Oregon.
  • Oregon Country Fair — Open July 7, 8, and 9 at the Oregon Country Fair grounds near Veneta, featuring 17 entertainment stags (ranging from music to puppets to vaudeville to aerial acts), more than 300 craft booths, and 80 food booths.

About Lane Arts Council

Lane Arts Council is a nonprofit organization that works to cultivate strong and creative arts communities throughout Lane County, providing high-quality arts experiences, engaging people
of all ages in arts education and participation.

Artist Robert Canaga’s work is on display at One Vision Nutrition, featuring paintings he made from pigments he ground himself from rock or flowers.