(Above: “The Archeron River of Pain,” a monoprint by Sadie Smith, is on exhibit at Vistra Framing & Gallery)

(Posted by Anne-Allegra Bennett)

It’s a double dose of arts and culture on Sept. 7 when downtown Eugene becomes the stage for both the kickoff of the 2018 Fiesta

Fabulous roping skills developed by Mexican cowboys have become performance as well as practical; above is an example from a performance during the 2016 Fiesta Cultural in downtown Eugene

Cultural months of activities and the September version of the First Friday ArtWalk.

Fiesta Cultural offers an ongoing schedule of events throughout the fall to celebrate the rich diversity of LatinX — the term is pronounced lah TEEN ex and is a suggested gender-neutral term to encompass Latino and Latina — arts, culture and social heritage in Lane County.

This is the fourth year of the Fiesta Cultural celebration, and the Sept. 7 event begins at 5:30 p.m. in Kesey Square at Broadway and Willamette streets with a dance and charrería (roping) performance, followed at 6 p.m. with a dance party with music by Los Cumbiamberos and Son de Cuba as well as youth art activities, printmaking by Eugene Printmakers, piñatas, and lots of tasty foods.

Official guided tour

Given the combination of events, the First Friday ArtWalk will be a bilingual affair, led by Pauline Romo, the former director of Downtown Languages.

Romo will gather up those who want to participate in the official guided tour in Kesey Square for the dance and roping performances, after which the group will take a look at 6 p.m. at art by local LatinX artists that is on display in the square.

At 6:30 p.m., the tour moves on to the lower level of the Broadway Commerce Center (44 W. Broadway), where panels and small murals by Esteban Camacho Steffensen are on display. The second floor has a history display called the Latino Roots Project, sponsored by the Center for Latino/a and Latin American studies at the University of Oregon. It includes 15 bilingual portable panels with a timeline and photographs of LatinX history in Oregon; see more about the project at cllas.uoregon.edu.

“Maya Priest,” by Isabel Dutroncy, is part of a show at the Euphoria Chocolate Company

Next up on the tour is 7 p.m. at the Euphoria Chocolate Company (946 Willamette St.,with a show of oil-on-wood paintings by Isabel Dutroncy, examining the people, places and art that make up Mexico’s rich culture of stories, myths and legends.

The last stop on the tour is at 7:30 p.m. at Oregon Art Supply (1020 Pearl St.), where Beth I. Robinson has a show called “Absent,” consisting of a digital college mixed-media exhibit that includes found objects, collage, and cut edges, as well as soft pencil lines and patterns.

More arts and culture

As always, many other galleries, shops and businesses remain open late for the First Friday ArtWalk:

  • Alexi Era Gallery & Projects (1712 Willamette St., Suite 100) —  “100 Postcards for Foxes,” a fundraiser for Save A Fox, which rescues foxes from fur farms. Prices range from $5 to $50, and are ready to take home right away, with all proceeds going to Save a Fox. The exhibit runs through Sept. 28.
  • Cowfish (62 W. Broadway) – Paintings by Jesse James.
  • ECO Sleep Solutions and Gallery (25 E. 8th Ave.) — Felted wool home décor and apparel by Tylar Merrill; clay tile collages by Annie Heron; 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.
  • Epic Seconds (30 E. 11th Ave.) — “The Space Between Us,” paintings by painters Duskin D’Fonseca Becker and Ronald Eugene Pennington, examining space, spirituality, other life forms, and the place of humans in the vast universe.
  • Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave.) — Oil paintings by Maureen Campbell; performance at 6 p.m. of Shakespeare’s classic “Layers of Lear,” by Fools Haven, with commentary by Judith “Sparky” Roberts.
  • Framin’ ArtWorks (505 High St.) — Watercolors by Lisa Livoni and art by Margaret Plumb.
  • Goldworks Jewelry Art Studio (169 E. Broadway) — Original jewelry by Goldworks staff.
  • InEugene Real Estate (100 E. Broadway)  —Limited edition framed prints by San Francisco Bay Area artist Eric Joyner, featuring robots, dinosaurs, and doughnuts.  Website: ericjoyner.com.
  • Karin Clarke Gallery (760 Willamette St.) — “Mark Clarke: Classics,” a full-gallery exhibit of acrylic landscape paintings of various sizes, from large-scale to small, done in his signature soft-edge style.
  • The Lincoln Gallery (309 W. 4th Ave.) — “Look Me in the Eye,” a show celebrating diversity through September 28; work by Art Forum members in The Community Room.
  • LovaKava Kava Bar & Restaurant (120 W. Broadway) — Work by Tammie Albert.
  • MAVEN (271 W. 8th Ave.) — New works by Marlis Badalich, plus treats by French Cookie and wine tastings and music by DJ Miles Airon.
  • MODERN (207 E. 5th Ave.) — “Untethered,” a show about freedom and flux featuring mixed-media work on canvas by Aidan Holpuch, exploring the space beyond our self-imposed limits and the wild, disorienting fervor that follows cutting the ties that no longer serve us.
  • Mosaic Fair Trade Collection (28 E. Broadway) — Fair trade art and handicrafts from around the world, plus fair trade wine tasting.
  • The New Zone Gallery (220 W. 8th Ave.) — “Florals ‘N

    Artist Bob Fulton has a show in the Klausmeier Room at The New Zone Gallery; the show is called “Different Dimensions”

    More,” featuring a collection of watercolor paintings and tile pieces by Robin Marks-Fife; “Different Dimensions,” semi-abstract sculptural pieces by Bob Fulton in The Klausmeier Room; and music by Maynard Evans from Oceanside, Calif., on guitar.

  • OUT ON A LIMB Gallery (191 E. Broadway) — Fine art printmaking and illustration by Diane Sandall.
  • Starlight Lounge (830 Olive St.) — Surrealist artwork by Wes Fry. Instagram: @wesfrystudio, website: wesfrystudio.com.
  • Townshend’s Teahouse (41 W. Broadway) — Work by the members of the community Art Forum.
  • Vistra Framing & Gallery (411 W. 4th Ave.) — “Exploring the Underworld,” oils, acrylics, mono prints, and mixed media pieces by Sadie Smith;  also check out JS Bird’s acrylic-on-paper organic forms and patterns created from the human mind; on display through October.
  • White Lotus Gallery (767 Willamette St.) — “New Works by Northwest Regional Artists,” including Li Tie, Jon Jay Cruson, Helen Liu, Jamie Newton, Connie Mueller, Nancy Pobanz, Satoko Motouji, Mike Van, and Peggy Prentice. Ends Sept. 15.

Additional free events

  • #instaballet (Capitello Wines, 540 Charnelton St.) — Dancers from Eugene Ballet Company make a new ballet on the spot, incorporating suggestions from the audience, beginning at 5 p.m.; the final dance is performed at 8 p.m. All ages are welcome; no dance experience necessary.
  • Pabst 5th Annual Art Show (Horsehead Bar, 99 W. Broadway) — Cool Blue invited local artists of all mediums to participate in this PBR-inspired art show and contest. Vote for your favorite between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The grand prize winner receives a year’s supply of PBR (rules and regulations apply). For ages 21+ only.
  • Lane Community College, Mary Spilde Downtown Campus (101 W. 10th Ave.) — Open house features artwork by LCC students and teachers; music; information about courses; prizes, and LCC’s latest addition, a new food truck.
  • No Shame Eugene (99 W. 10th Ave.) — Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with live music. The show begins at 8 p.m., and consists of the first 15 original, 5-minute acts (including monologues, sketch comedy, and the experimental) that sign up after the doors open. Come to perform, but there’s no shame in just watching.

About Lane Arts Council

Lane Arts Council, founded in 1976, is a nonprofit organization that cultivates strong and creative arts communities in Lane County, including in-school arts education programs, support of local artists and arts organizations, and coordination of community programs such as downtown Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk.

“Isabel on Campus,” an infrared print by Susan Detroy, is part of a show at The Lincoln Gallery