(Above: Blacks and Bays, Dapples and Greys, a watercolor by Catherine Meyer at Framin’ Artworks)

Posted by Anne-Allegra Bennett

It’s supposed to be almost-summer weather during the Lane Arts Council’s First Friday ArtWalk on June 7. The official tour host will be Janelle McCoy, executive director of the Oregon Bach Festival. The monthly downtown Eugene ArtWalk features many distinguished artists from throughout the local community.

Official guided tour

The free First Friday ArtWalk runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and gives people the choice of taking a guided tour of featured art spots or meandering through the entire downtown to see the panoply of galleries, businesses, and other spaces where arts will be on view.

The guided tour begins at 5:30 p.m. at The New Zone Gallery (22 W. 7th Ave), where works by artists Marilyn Marcus and Grant Bruckner will be featured. Marcus displays watercolors and stained-glass mosaics, and Bruckner’s work includes felt and acrylic pieces, including a life-size warrior statue. Classical guitarist David Rogers will perform.

At the  6:00 p.m. stop at Paul Schatz Fine Home Furnishings (566 Olive St.), works by painter/photographer/printmaker Robert Canaga are on exhibit as Canaga showcases his paintings in a show whimsically titled Yes, It Goes With Your Sofa. The paintings utilize cold wax and oil paint, and sometimes raw pigments and oil bars. Canaga has shown his work widely, including recently at the Oregon State Capitol and Coos Art Museum.

Marjorie Taylor of Velvet Edge Boutique creates tableaux using “taxidermy” figures she makes from faux fur and other fabrics; image by Rob Sydor

Velvet Edge Boutique (248 E. Fifth Ave., Suite 15, part of the 5th Street Public Market) is the tour’s stop at 6:30 p.m. There, Vegan Taxidermy features the latest creations of Velvet Edge co-owner Marjorie Taylor, using materials also found in animal taxidermy — foam molds and realistic plastic eyes — as well as recycled needlepoint, faux fur, and other fabrics. Her previous projects have included neuroscience images portrayed in hooked rugs, beadwork and quilting, and dresses made of recycled materials such as playing cards, circuit boards, and bubble wrap. One of her dresses has been worn at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm.

The tour’s last stop is at 7:00 p.m. at Framin’ Artworks (505 High St.), where colorful works by Holly Wilson and Catherine Meyer are on display. Wilson’s work is a collection of pastel floral pieces called Jewels of My Heart. She recently relocated to Eugene from Roseburg, where she ran a fine-art gallery. Meyer’s show, Interlude, combines images of tropical fish and abstract forms, using layering, stenciling and painting.

More arts and culture

As usual, in addition to the stops on the guided tour, many other galleries, shops, eateries and other art-supporting venues are open during downtown Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk, including these:

  • 510 Oak Building (510 Oak St.) — Slippages: ai as creative practice, works that reflect on the slippages at play in cultural as artificial intelligence gains ascension, by Thomas Newlands, Gaby Burkard, Amelia Thompson Zachary Boys, Colin Willoughby, Sarah Carlson, Ella Hansen, Kory Schneider, and Colin Ives.
  • Broadway Commerce Center (44 W. Broadway) — Annexed, photography by Joe Peila.
  • 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 and other items by Lybi Thomas; wood and stone carvings and wood sculptures by Cedar Caredio; and Luminessence light sculptures by Stephen White.
  • Epic Seconds (30 E. 11th Ave.) — “Macedonian Noir,” a small retrospective of Robert Dandarov’s artwork over his multi-decade career and the first showing of a number of exciting new works from a series still in progress. On Instagram: robertdandarov.
  • Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave.) — Abhinav Vats: Mixed Media Art, colorful works created with acrylic paints, pens, incense ash, and more. Music at 6 p.m.: Swing classics with Blue Skies Big Band and vocal trio, The Jewel Tones.
  • Euphoria Chocolate Company (946 Willamette St.) —  Fine art linoleum-cut block prints by Jesus Cruz, Jr.
  • InEugene Real Estate (100 E. Broadway) — Water, Flower, Paint, recent work in acrylic ink, pen, and marker by Emily Proudfoot.
  • Karin Clarke Gallery (760 Willamette St.) — Rick Bartow (1946 – 2016): Animal Spirits, 25 works on paper, ranging from small etchings to large, colorful monotypes, mostly featuring animal imagery, by the late Wiyot tribal member and prominent Native American artist.
  • The Lincoln Gallery (309 W. 4th Ave.) — Unconventional Canvas, a showcase of artwork inspired by the idea that anything can be a canvas for creativity, from stones and metals, to windows and doors, to clothes and dolls, to furniture and household items; plus Portrait of a Woman: Beyond Imagination, a show by Susan Detroy in the Community Gallery.
  • LovaKava Kava Bar & Restaurant (120 W. Broadway) — Acrylic pouring art by Codie Cheyenne Wilson.

    Gratitude, a photograph by Kaylee Prebeck, part of a display at Starlight LoungeWilson.

  • Mosaic Fair Trade Collection (28 E. Broadway) — Beadwork and textiles by students at Muso Danbé, a life-skills center for orphaned and handicapped young girls in Mali, West Africa.
  • Oregon Art Supply (1020 Pearl St.) — Art by Sarah Grew, including mixed media works on paper and paintings on steel. Open until 6:00 p.m.
  • Passionflower Design (128 E. Broadway) — Jewelry, clothes, and gifts featuring regional and U.S. artists and designers. Open until 6:30 p.m.
  • Starlight Lounge (830 Olive St.) — Looking Back, photographs by Kaylee Prebeck, capturing life through the wing mirror of her car. Website: kayleeprebeck.com.
  • Townshend’s Teahouse (41 W. Broadway) — Original artwork on display.
  • White Lotus Gallery (767 Willamette St.) — Rainwork, Linework & Things with Wheels by Jamie Newton, ranging from acrylic and ink paintings, sculptures, and artist books to frost catchers, wind and bird drawing machines, and ephemeral art.

    Six Circles Drawn in the Rain is part of Jamie Newton’s one-man show at White Lotus Gallery

Additional Free Events

#instaballet (Capitello Wines, 540 Charnelton St.) — Dancers from Eugene Ballet Company make a new ballet, with the help of the audience, who suggest steps and movements that result in audience-driven art created in real time. No dance experience is required and all ages are welcome. The final piece will be presented at 8:00 p.m. Also on display: Acrylic abstracts by Jeremy Brooks.

ArtsAlive: American Heritage (Kesey Square, corner of Broadway & Willamette streets) — The  interdisciplinary and spontaneous arts collaboration presents performances by Xcape Dance Company, Track Town Swing with Calamity Jazz, and m5 vibe. The audience an ketch, paint, or draw the dancers and musicians, and join the community dance, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Artist Alley (Kesey Square) — Local artists showcase their original artwork in this marketplace atmosphere, 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Little Hands Art Center (245 W. Eighth Ave.) — The center provides child care with art projects, games, and movies during the First Friday ArtWalk for  $6/hour per child, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sign up at littlehandsartcenter.com.

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 15 original, 5-minute acts that include monologues, sketch comedy, and the experimental, made up of the first 15 acts to register with the host when the doors open. Come as a performer, but there’s no shame in just watching.

About Lane Arts Council: Founded in 1976, the Lane Arts Council is a nonprofit organization that cultivates strong and creative arts communities in Lane County. Activities include in-school arts education programs, support for local artists and arts organizations, and coordinate programs such as the popular First Friday ArtWalk.

  • June ArtWalk Sponsor: Oregon Bach Festival
  • June ArtWalk Media Sponsor: KLCC 89.7-FM Public Radio

Robert Canaga’s painting, A Drive Up the Coast, is part of the Eugene artist’s show at Paul Schatz Fine Home Furnishings