(Above: A painting by Eugene artist Alejandro Sarmiento, proprietor of Art with Alejandro in the Fifth Street Public Market)

By Randi Bjornstad

Downtown Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk for September starts at 5:30 p.m. at the new Farmers Market Pavilion at 85 E. 8th Ave., with live music, kids’ activities, an artist marketplace, food and drinks from local food carts. It’s the kickoff for Fiesta Cultural, the celebration of Latino/a/e/x art and culture in the Eugene community.

It’s also where you can pick up a map for the monthly self-guided tour of the arts in the downtown area. As usual, be sure to bring a mask in case a venue requests it for admission.

Places to visit

The following galleries and other venues will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., unless otherwise noted:

Allies LLC (131 E. 11th Ave.) — Allies works with adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities and offers a show called Embrace Imperfection that features work by their clients, including featured artist Libby Jensen, as well as divination pendulums by resident artist Jon Conway. Create your own butterfly as a transformation from summer to the fall season.

Art with Alejandro (Fifth Street Public Market, second floor, Suite 224) — Plein air paintings of Eugene and the Northwest by Alejandro Sarmiento.

The Barn Light (924 Willamette St.) — All My Friends Are Hot Dogs, a series by Rae Matagora.

Art by Mat Whiteley at Books With Pictures Eugene

Books With Pictures Eugene (99 W. Broadway, Suite C) — Art by Mat Whiteley, featuring drawings and prints inspired by animation, comics, and games.

Broadway Commerce Center (44 W. Broadway — Show of original artwork.

Community Cup Coffee (901 Pearl St.) — Neural Magic by Sarjé Haynes, neurographic drawings on paper; on display through October.

Dark Pine Coffee (954 Pearl St.) — Live music by Charming Tempest, the duo of Lee Herrera and Megan Smith, fusing melody, hooks, and good lyrics into contemporary pop with folk and rock overtones.

Dori Koberstein’s work is on show at ECO Sleep Solutions and Gallery.

ECO Sleep Solutions and Gallery (25 E. 8th Ave.) — Collage works by Dori Koberstein, featuring abstract representations of birds, landscapes, and flowers.

Epic Seconds (30 E. 11th Ave.) — Constantly becoming the future, new work by AGH (Abram Gabriel Hurd), channeling science fiction, fantasy and pop art in stories reminiscent of a dark yet hopeful dystopian novel; on display through Oct. 2.

Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave.) — StoryHelix in front windows, joint installation by Lane Arts Council and Wordcrafters in Eugene, inspired by community storytellers who participated in StoryHelix; Mayor’s Art Show on second floor; Embroidery Exhibit in Children’s Center, presented by Eugene Arte Latino and Comunidad y Herencia Cultural, with support of Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and the library. Open until 6 p.m.

FUSE Jewelry Collective (112 E. 13th Ave.) — Newly opened venue for creation, sale, and connection among jewelry lovers, featuring demonstrations and tours of the FUSE classroom; open to all levels of experience.

Karin Clarke at the Gordon (590 Pearl St., Suite 105) — Paintings from the 1950s and ’60s by Oregon artist Carl Hall, from nudes to lush and detailed abstracted landscapes of the Willamette Valley.

Karin Clarke Gallery (760 Willamette St.) — Eugene Biennial features juried work by 33 area artists.

The New Zone Gallery (110 E. 11th Ave.) — Displays of work by member artists plus featured work by Tiara Buckner (Traversing the Arts); Rob Bolman (This Strange and Fleeting Moment); photography by Jim Lommassson (What We Carried: Our Story, a collaborative storytelling project about lives left behind by refugees and survivors of genocide); limited time sculptural assemblages (Zotem Pole and Poseidon’s Dream). Live music.

One Vision Nutrition (946 Willamette St.) — Work by cartoonist/illustrator Erick Wonderly Varela, reflecting his experience working in a fish market, Honduran family background, and love of the natural world.

Out of Step Tattoo & Gallery (1022 Willamette St.) — Original paintings and prints by worldwide artist as well as five resident artists.

Starlight Lounge (830 Olive St. — Mixed-media art by Ecuadorian-Colombian artist Kiteñe Moyachoque, titled To Heal Rotting Wings and the Limbs That Cute Them.

Terra Pacem Winery (590 Pearl St., Suite 103) — Artworks by clients of the nonprofit Allies, LLC.

Windowfront Exhibitions — Popup artwork and installations in vacant downtown Eugene storefronts:

  • 120 Broadway — Celestial Migration, a mural by Valentina Gonzalez (VRGNZ), representing the creation story of the Coyote and the Jaguar.
  • 1059 Willamette St. — A Sunset Together, a mural by Pattrick Price using traditional formline designs and ancient petroglyph styles.
  • 833 Willamette St. — Embroidered cotton and linen serviettes (table napkins) by Mujeres con Alas, a group of women devoted to reclaiming material culture and expressing it through embroidery, oral narratives, weaving, cooking, music, and dance.
  • 856 Willamette St. — Charro Attire Exhibition: Origin and Symbolic Details of the Charro Outfit, presented by Comunidad y Herencia Cultural and Eugene Arte Latin, curated by Jessica Zapata and Antonio Huerta. Reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., with Mariachi Monumental, crafts and tamales from 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
  • 1004 Willamette St. — Eugene Arte Latino popup, featuring Eugene Printmakers, projections of photography from the book, La Riqueza Natural de México, and Mariachi Monumental. 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Special events

#Instaballet (Capitello wines, 540 Charnelton St. — The audience helps create a new dance by suggesting moves for the dancers from the Eugene Ballet to perform. No dance experience necessary; all ages welcome. stop by between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., when the final version of the dance will  be performed. Free.

Bailamos Latin Dance Network (Downtown Riverfront Park) — Experience Latino music and dance with the Network, a collective of dancers, DJs, event organizers, and instructors interested in promoting and supporting LatinX dance culture. 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free, but donations to support the Network are appreciated.

About Lane Arts Council

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

Libby Jensen is one of the artists whose work is exhibited at Allies, LLC. The nonprofit organization works with people with developmental disabilities.