(Above: Sunset in Blue, oil on canvas by Cheryl Owen Wilson)

By Randi Bjornstad

Had everything gone as planned, the Maude Kerns Art Center would have a show up now titled Curator’s Choice: De Colores, celebrating the talents of Latino artists.

Janet Biles’ watercolor giclee print, The Family

But as everyone knows, things so far in 2020 typically have not rolled out as planned, and Michael Fisher, executive director at Maude Kerns, found himself in need of an alternative to an in-house show that could not go on in the context of Covid-19 sequestration and social distancing that have resulted in closure of the art center.

“We had to come up with an alternative, and we put this one together in a week,” Fisher said. “We decided to do a member show and put it all online so that our artists could display — and sell — their work.”

The result is A Change of Space: Online Membership Exhibit & Fundraiser, which “opened” on April 13 and will run through May 15.

The good part is that it’s a whopper of a show, with upwards of 300 pieces of art — painting, drawing, photography, printing, assemblage, sculpture, fiber, ceramic — that could not be accommodated in the art center’s regular gallery spaces.

The bad part, of course, is that people can see this show only via computer screens, so the impact of large pieces and the intricacy of small ones both will have to be imagined, and the social aspect of visiting a gallery alone or in the company of others won’t be part of the viewing.

Interlude, mixed-media collage by Cathy Meyer

But flexibility is the name of the game, and Fisher sees not only the immediate scramble of necessity but also the possibility of expanding avenues for people to engage in the arts in the future.

“I started out asking artists to submit photographs of up to five pieces of their work, but we were putting this together so fast — the deadline was April 10 for them to submit and we had the show posted three days later — that we decided we had to be really nimble about this,” Fisher said. “So if people didn’t have a chance to send us their entries, we still will accept them, and if people want to add more of their work, we can take those, too.

“There’s no right or wrong to this — we’re kind of feeling our way,” he said.

As for the future, the art center might decide to put every show online as well as displaying it in its gallery spaces, Fisher surmised. “We’re looking at this as an opportunity to stretch and innovate, to be more mission-driven.”

Children in Cages, assemblage by Wanda Seamster

That’s not to say that the Maude Kerns Art Center has not suffered already from the calamity of the worldwide pandemic. As of April 15, Oregon had logged 1,663 cases, with 58 deaths, with about 300 people hospitalized, about 40 of them breathing with the assistance of ventilators. Lane County had 45 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, with one resulting death.

“At this point, everything in the future is uncertain,” Fisher said. “We have no idea how long this all will go on, so we have to have a Plan B, C, and D.”

The art center has laid off all but two employees, of which he is one. “I am coming in to work every day and working all day,” and others — staff and volunteers — are working remotely.

Members of Club Mud, who create ceramics in their own studio on the grounds of the art center, are handling their own arrangements for using the facility with attention to maintaining social distance, Fisher said.

Thoughts While Listening To, ink on Kozo paper by Sandra Honda

“But a lot of the Club Mud people sell their work at the Saturday Market, and that also has been affected, so I’m sure this has been really, really hard for many of them.”

The Saturday Market website indicates that the usual first Saturday in April opening for the season has been delayed so far to May 23.

Besides art exhibits, the art classes that the Maude Kerns Art Center routinely offers also have been affected by the closure.

“We are also getting the kinks out of offering our classes online,” Fisher said. “We are offering free videos for kids and families of art projects they can do, and also free videos for adults to use.”

The center also is working to make its regular paid workshops, such as drawing, oil painting, and ink drawing, available online.

“I firmly believe in the power of art to help people get through difficult times,” Fisher said. “I’m trying to stay positive and find new ways of doing things, so we can survive and thrive.”

A Change of Space: Online Membership Exhibit & Fundraiser

When: Through May 15

Where: Online at mkartcenter.org (click on exhibits and choose current exhibit)

Information: Call 541-345-1571 or email staff@mkartcenter.org

Rogene Mañas’ paper clay/mixed-media on wood panel titled Yellow-Headed Godknowswhat

 

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