(Above: A “geotopia” piece by artist Dave Snider, on display at InEugene Real Estate)

Edited by Anne-Allegra Bennett

Join in the fun on downtown Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk guided tour on February 2. The tour begins at 5:30 p.m. at Broadway Commerce Center (44 West Broadway), hosted by Francesco Lecce-Chong, music director and conductor of the Eugene Symphony. Lecce-Chong is acclaimed for his dynamic performances, commitment to innovative programming, and passion for community engagement. As a guest conductor he has appeared with orchestras around the world.

The ArtWalk is the perfect opportunity to see what’s happening in the community while getting an inside look at some of the work of creative artists in the city. The walk is free.

Guided tour

At its first stop at 5:30 p.m. at Broadway Commerce Center (44 West Broadway), Harmonic Laboratory presents “City Synth,” an intermedia installation that turns Eugene into a musical instrument. Four live video feeds of Eugene will be projected into the Broadway Commerce Center. They also control different sonic elements of a musical synthesizer that can be heard inside the space. With this the cityscape becomes a soundscape. Through audience interaction, participants may select between various video feeds, alter synthesis variables, and digitally remix video parameters, performing the city as these live videos unfold before them. City Synth is a collaboration between Harmonic Laboratory, South Eugene Robotics Team (SERT), and XS Media. The project is made possible by a Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund Grant. Harmonic Laboratory is an award-winning art collective that has curated art festivals and developed works for stage, gallery, and common spaces since 2010. The group’s mission is to inspire ideas and community through arts and technology collaborations.

The ArtWalk’s next stop at 6:00 p.m. makes its way to Euphoria Chocolate Company (946 Willamette Street), where Andrea Ros exhibits her project, “Apocalypse Carousel.” Featuring her Nuno and needle felted tapestry work, the show focuses on the need to give the world and its life forms loving attention, while serving as a reminder to make time to embrace its beauty and love. A local Eugene artist, Andrea Ros works in fiber, paint, and printmaking. She creates hand-printed zines and is a volunteer carver at the historical Albany Carousel. On March 10-11, she will give a marionette class at Oregon Supported Living. See a video about her art process at ApocalypseCarousel.com.

At 6:30 p.m. the tour makes a stop at Karin Clarke Gallery (760 Willamette Street). Bay Area artist and art teacher James Kroner’s work is on display at the gallery through February 24. He is known for his strong emphasis on composition, mood, light, and atmosphere. Kroner grew up in California, and started taking formal art classes at the College of San Mateo in his early twenties. Inspired by the experience, he switched his studies from philosophy to art. Kroner also studied painting at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He earned numerous awards and scholarships, and the opportunity to attend a Study Abroad Program in Italy (Summer 2011). His work has been exhibited in both solo and group shows since 2006. He leads workshops on plein-air painting in Europe and in the United States.

For the first time, Le Café Maison (488 Willamette Street) joins the ArtWalk at 7:00 p.m., with a show featuring John Trovillion., who describes the exhibit as “done exclusively on jet black paper using oil based colored pencils.” He  uses drawing as “a way to direct my focus into cool places, so I have always done it to escape to a reality somewhat less hectic than the real world.”

The tour makes its last stop at Framin’ Artworks (505 High Street) at 7:30 p.m. “Resilient Endurance” is a combined show featuring the landscape and atmospheric work of artists Cyndy Duerfeldt and Kelley C. Roberts, primarily watercolors for Duerfeldt and acrylics for Kelley. Duerfeldt, a Eugene native, is a painter and printmaker, with degrees in arts management, printmaking and telecommunications and film from the University of Oregon. Roberts, an award-winning artist from Puyallup, Wash., is a student at the UO.  The stop features live jazz music by a duo that includes Duerfeldt.

More arts and culture

In addition to the guided tour, many other galleries and businesses will be open during the ArtWalk, from 5:30-8:00 p.m.

• Cowfish (62 W. Broadway) — Cocktails and original art.

• ECO Sleep Solutions and Gallery (25 East Eighth Ave.) – Felted wool home décor and apparel by Tylar Merrill; clay tile collages by Annie Heron; hand-painted wood and linen pieces and hand-painted silk apparel by Lybi Thomas; stone carvings, wood sculptures and masks by Cedar Caredio; and Luminessence light sculptures by Stephen White.

The Delgani Quartet performs at the Eugene Public LIbrary during the First Friday ArtWalk

• Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave.) – Artwork by participants in the Open Arts Studio at the OSLP Arts and Culture Program, plus Native American Art in connection with the NEA Big Read of Joy Harjo’s “How We Became Human.” The Delgani String Quartet performs classical and contemporary works featuring Jannie Wei and Wyatt True (violins), Kimberlee Uwate (viola), and Eric Alterman (cello). Starts at 6:00 p.m.

• Eugene Yoga (245 E. Broadway) — Photographs of Oregon and other places in the Pacific Northwest and beyond by Katsuyuki Shibata.

• InEugene Real Estate (100 E. Broadway) — “Geotopia,” analog/digital hybrid pieces that include acrylic, graphite, encaustic, collage, and more by Dave Snider create an inventory of early memory, nostalgia, and architecture melded with nature. 

• The Lincoln Gallery (309 W. Fourth Ave.) —“Call for Sunshine,” an exhibition of warm art with a common color theme of yellow to brighten up the winter months, featuring work from artists at the OSLP Arts & Culture Program and from other artists in the community. The Community Room Gallery hosts a show, “Visions Of Me: Self-Portraiture by Anthony Pope.”

• The New Zone Gallery (220 W. Eighth Ave.) — Featured Artist Robert Horner displays his woodcut natural forest scenes in “Northwest Images.” The Klausmeier Room houses a Steam Punk showcase by Michael Kerns. In addition, Sarah Ashburn and Satysha Whitworth, students at Academy of Arts and Academics in Springfield, show art pieces created during their internship with New Zone artists. Music by guitarist  David Rogers.

• Maven (271 W. Eighth Ave.) — Megan Dixon of Portland weaves connection between the conceptual and avant-garde traditions in the fine art world and underground counterculture’s Transformational Art, layering geometric patterns over organic images. Information at megandixon.art. Also on the agenda: samples of French Cookie, One Love Wines, and Maven’s steamed buns, with music by Marmalade (DJs).

Jordan Walker is one of several artistic staff members  with work on display at Oregon Art Supply

• Oregon Art Supply (1020 Pearl St.) — A staff show titled “At Shift’s End,” with work by Clayton Sukau, Shannon Rivers, Lindsay Kunhardt, Megan Wyma, Jordan Walker, and Laura King. 

• Out on a Limb Gallery (191 E. Broadway) — Nature paintings by Cada Johnson.  Information at cadajohnson.com.

• Passionflower Design (128 E. Broadway) — Demonstration of portable letterpress work by Kristen Walker from Twin Raven Press with DIY opportunities.

• Raven Frame Works (325 W. Fourth Ave.) — Art by award-winning artist Dan Chen in a wide range of media including painting, pastel, bronze, and engraved acrylic and depicting the natural world, focusing on plants and animals.  

• Townshend’s Teahouse (41 W. Broadway) — Original artwork.

• White Lotus Gallery (767 Willamette St.) —“Under 21: Small Formats of Paintings and Prints,” through March 24th.

Additional activities

• Lane Arts Council’s First Friday ArtTalk (942 Olive St.) — Wilson W. Smith III, a 34-year senior designer from Nike, explores the role of design thinking from the feet up, with the goal of enhancing quality of life for all, in a talk titled “Design Think, On Your Feet.” The presentation begins at 6 p.m., sponsored by the UO Department of Product Design and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

• “NERD ART NIGHT 4” (Game Pub, 881 Willamette St.) — “NERD ART NIGHT 4” features the talents of Cortney Fellet of Steel Web and Kylea Phillips, Karrashi Art, Samantha Westrope, Tommy Harbour, Kelli Harbour-Byers and Jesse Tannehill of Spooky Swirl Arts, featuring drinks and Geektastic artwork. Hours are 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., for ages 21 years and up.

• No Shame Eugene (99 W. 10th Ave.) – Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with live music; show begins at 8 p.m. with 15 original, 5-minute-maximum acts including monologues, sketch comedy, and the experimental. The show includes the first 15 acts to register with the host when the doors open. Come to perform, out there’s no shame in just watching.

First Friday ArtWalk sponsored by the Lane Arts Council