(Above: Collages by Dori Koberstein make up a show at the Eugene Public Library)

Posted by Anne-Allegra Bennett

DOWNTOWN EUGENE’S FIRST FRIDAY ARTWALK – APRIL 6, 2018

Enjoy the spring weather (we hope) while joining in the fun at Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk on April 6. The official guided tour host is Angela Norman, the market director of the Lane County Farmer’s Market. (Incidentally, the market officially opens for the season at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 7.)

An artist herself, Norman works primarily as a painter and printmaker, and is currently MECCA’s Board Treasurer. The guided tour begins at 5:30 p.m. ArtWalk is a free event and goes from 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Colleen Cox’s Deruta Italian vase is one of the items in an exhibit of art by LCC students

Official guided tour

Starting at 5:30 p.m. at the LCC downtown campus (101 West 10th Ave.), the art programs at Lane Community College present a showcase of student work from the visual, performing, and culinary arts, with works ranging from sculpture and ceramics to pencil, print, and multimedia design. There will be live performances on the hour by students within the music, dance, and theater programs. Culinary arts student will be prepare dessert.

At 6:00 p.m. the tour heads to Broadway Commerce Center (44 W. Broadway), where the ArtCore Spring Student Showcase features art by students at Cascade Middle School, Hamlin Middle School, Kelly Middle School, Network Charter School, and Oaklea Middle School. ArtCore is an immersive arts-integration research program that works to develop and implement arts-integrated curriculum and practices through its students, teachers, and ArtCore “Weavers.” See what they’ve been working on, from music, to theater, to 2D and 3D art. Hear from the weavers and students, and watch videos of their activities.

The tour makes its way next to InEugene Real Estate (100 E. Broadway) at 6:30 p.m., where Greta Latchford’s creations, which use an innovative combination of stained glass and textiles, are on display.

Erik Sandgren’s painting of Seal Rock on the central Oregon coast is part of his one-person show at the Karin Clarke Gallery

At 7:00 p.m. at the Karin Clarke Gallery (760 Willamette St.), there’s a show of work by noted Northwest artist Erik Sandgren. Titled “Land and Sea,” it features a large-scale exhibitionof landscape paintings. Originally from Corvallis and now living in Portland, Sandgren is the son of a prominent painter and OSU teacher Nelson Sandgren. Erik Sandgren studied painting and printmaking at Yale (BA) and Cornell (MFA), and served as a “one-man art department” at Grays Harbor College in Washington for two decades. The show includes 40 paintings of landscapes and seascapes of the Northwest.

MECCA artists specialize in creating art from recycled or otherwise castoff materials; this piece is by Julie Williams

The last stop of the April tour is MECCA (449 Willamette Street) at 7:30 p.m. In an effort to combine scrap and fine art, MECCA challenged artists to make inspiring, thought-provoking, and creative works out of a mystery box of materials. Participants were given a mystery box, a MECCA gift certificate, and two months to create. The award-winning pieces will also be showcased at Metamorphose Earth Day event in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul and BRING Recycling. Stop by during the ArtWalk to vote for your favorite.

More arts and culture

As usual, many other galleries, shops and eateries will be open during the ArtWalk, including these:

  • Book of Mirrors Tattoo (27 West 5th Ave) — “Phantom Limb,” oddities, etching on glass, and animal skulls by Lindsay Swing.
  • Cowfish (62 W. Broadway) — Mixed media work by Heather Ulibarri-Devaul.
  • ECO Sleep Solutions and Gallery (25 E. 8th Ave) — Felted wool home décor and apparel by Tylar Merrill; clay tile collages by Annie Heron; whimsical hand-painted wood pieces and hand-painted silk apparel by Lybi Thomas; wood sculptures and stone carvings by Cedar Caredio; and Luminessence light sculptures by Stephen White.
  • Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave) — “Painting with Paper,” works in collage by Dori Koberstein. Concert: Eugene Taiko performs high-energy Japanese drumming, starting at 6 p.m.
  • Euphoria Chocolate Company (946 Willamette St) — Springfield area photographer William Craighead brings together personal favorites from his body of work, featuring a compilation of neighborhood canine portraits. Information at craigheadshots.com
  • Framin’ Artworks (505 High St) — Work by Nancy Frances Cheeseman, who is exploring a new series on wood panel in which she layers paint using various tools to add line detail. There are also pieces by Kristina Rust, and Kendra Shackley.
  • Goldworks Jewelry Art Studio (169 E. Broadway) — Original jewelry by Goldworks staff.
  • The Lincoln Gallery (309 W. 4th Ave) — “Composed,” artwork inspired by music and composition. Since October 2017, the OSLP Arts & Culture Program has partnered with the Eugene Symphony for their Art & Music Together Class. Participants in this class created artwork inspired by the music, compositions, and process of Eugene Symphony guest composer Augusta Read Thomas.
  • LovaKava Kava And Kombucha Bar Bohemian Vegan Restaurant (120 W. Broadway) — An extraordinary, multifarious collection of oil paintings and sculptures by Natasha Butsenina, Kelly McDermott, Kaylee Kirtley, Lena Demosthenes, and Dave Race. Pieces range from still life seascape scenes, surrealism, eclectic spiritual and even works inspired by the Polynesian and Micronesian Islands of the South Pacific. The kava bar itself is the artistic creation of a local Eugene master architect, Joseph Moore.
  • MAVEN (271 W. 8th Ave) — “Walking between theworlds” art by Haley Jensen, using 35 mm photography. Info at Haley-Jensen.com. Plus samples from French Cookie, One Love Wines, and Maven.
  • MODERN (207 E. 5th Ave) — Abstract landscape oil paintings by Abbas Darabi.

    Demetra Kalams is one of the artists whose work is on exhibit at The New Zone Gallery

  • Mosaic Fair Trade Collection (28 E. Broadway) — Colorful hand-woven African market baskets and fair trade wine tasting.
  • The New Zone Gallery (220 W. 8th Ave) — Featured artist Demetra Kalams’ still life and figurative sketches in both charcoal and watercolors. Copper panel and woodwork by Scott Kuszik in the Klausmeier Room. Music by guitarist Timothy Patrick.
  • Oregon Art Supply (1020 Pearl St) — “Cymbals and Happenstance,” mixed media artwork by Janine Etherington. Info at janineetherington.com. Open until 7:30 p.m.
  • OUT ON A LIMB Gallery (191 E. Broadway) — Pen-and-ink drawings by Ayana Perry.

    Ayana Perry’s pen-and-ink drawings are on display at the Out on a Limb Gallery

     

  • Passionflower Design (128 E. Broadway) — DIY terrarium demonstrations, with learn tips, tricks, and techniques for creating a little piece of art from natural elements. Open until 7:00 p.m.
  • Raven Frame Works (325 W. 4th Ave) — Painting, pastel, bronze, and engraved acrylic by award-winning artist Dan Chen, best known for his artistic interpretations of nature, including classic Chinese brush calligraphy transformed into three-dimensional bronze.
  • Townshend’s Teahouse (41 W. Broadway) — “Surviving The Collapse of Society,” digital collages and a presentation of empowering books and zines by Sage Liskey.
  • White Lotus Gallery (767 Willamette St) – “Peer Gynt: Paintings by Satoko Motouji,”through May 12; paintings form background stage design for the Eugene Ballet

    Satoko Motouji’s paintings are on display at the White Lotus Gallery and also will be projected as backdrops for Eugene Ballet Company’s performances of “Peer Gynt” in mid-April

    Company’s upcoming performance of “Peer Gynt.” Costumed ballet dancers on hand at 5:30 p.m. during the ArtWalk.

Additional (free) events

  • NERD ART NIGHT (Game Pub, 881 Willamette St) – “NERD ART NIGHT ” features local talents Cortney Fellet of Steel Web, and Kylea Phillips, Chelyce Chambers, Samantha Westrope, Tommy Harbour, Kelli Harbour-Byers and Jesse Tannehill of Spooky Swirl Arts. Grab a drink and check out some Geektastic artwork from 7:00-10:00 p.m., with  a New Cosplay Contest. Ages 21+ only.
  • Product of Eugene Student Showcase (942 Olive St) – Over the past ten weeks, middle and high school students from across Lane County have partnered with alumni and faculty of UO’s Department of Product Design to create new and innovative products ranging from the “ideal mug” to biodegradable kitchen products. Meet the students and see what they have created! Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • No Shame Eugene (99 W. 10th Ave) – Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with live music. The show begins at 8:00 p.m. with fifteen original, 5-minute acts including monologues, sketch comedy, and the experimental. Each show consists of the first fifteen acts to register with the host when the doors open. Com to perform, but there’s no shame in just watching.

 

Downtown Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk is coordinated by the Lane Arts Council

Masks by eighth-graders at Kelly Middle School are part of a student art exhibit at the Broadway Commerce Center