ART TALKS: 2008

MARCH

Saturday, March 15 - Lotte Streisinger Book signing, and Lecture. Lotte Streisinger will talk about her art and have two of her books that will be on sale. Her first book, From the Sidelines, is about the Institute of Molecular Biology at the UO, where her husband, George Streisinger, was a pioneering molecular biologist and co-founder of the Institute. It takes the reader behind the scenes as a scientific revolution unfolds.
    The second book, The Potter and the Muse, is about her work as a long time potter and presents a lively, informative, and original discussion of the creative process illustrated through the medium of clay. It is based on Streisinger's studio notebooks and those she has been keeping about nature and travel.
    Streisinger's exhibit "Arts and Letters" presents both her original prints and how Portland book designer, Chris Michel, manipulated these prints into book illustrations. Also on view will be a print series, "The Months," which the artist worked on while waiting for her second book to be published.

APRIL

Friday, April 18 - John Spragens. Photographer John Spragens presents a brown bag noon lecture and slide show on his progression from photographing jazz musicians to creating the Jazz in Motion abstracts on view at DIVA through April.

MAY

Friday, May 9 - "The Quilt as Art". Laura Jaszkowski Jennings' work is part of the Currency Exchange International Quilt Exhibit at DIVA. She will give a presentation on what makes an art quilt different from a traditional quilt.

Friday, May 16 - Sculptor Jud Turner. Sculptor Jud Turner will discuss his works, formed from welded steel 3/32" rods and currently on exhibit at DIVA - and his creation process in bringing it about. Bring your lunch and enjoy this Friday Art Talk Event.

JUNE

Sunday, June 15 - "Stencil Nation". Author Russell Howze will visit Eugene to give a slide-lecture presentation at DIVA related to stencil art. Howze will be promoting his new book Stencil Nation: Graffiti, Community, and Art. This new publication contains work of hundreds of known and unknown stencil artists that together provide a most concise chronology of the art form to date.

JULY

Friday, July 4 - Kinetic Sculptor Don MacLane. Sculptor Don MacLane will give an informative Art Talk related to his interactive kinetic sculpture on exhibit at DIVA just before the downtown First Friday Art Walk.
     Don MacLane, a sculptor based in Portland, has his own totally different interpretation of motion on display. MacLane contributes a display of interactive kinetic sculpture, titled "Exploring Cycles." These steel and stone contraptions invite viewers to explore the variations that can arise in rhythmic motion patterns. View an Oregon Art Beat video of Don MacLane and his work.

AUGUST

Friday, August 8 - Installation artist Michael Boonstra. Patrons are encouraged to bring their brown bag lunch and enjoy installation artist Michael Boonstra's will discuss his current DIVA exhibit, "In Light Of" during a free Art Talk at 12 noon on Friday, August 8th.
    The focal point of Boonstra's exhibit is two giant camera obscura structures installed on the north end of the gallery. Hundreds of pinholes drilled in these large structures project the scenery outside the (normally shuttered) windows into the gallery, bringing the colors and the movement of the exterior inside. In addition, Boonstra displays two-dimensional translucent backlit drawings that reference landscapes and natural phenomena. "Much of my work is about topographies, or the study of place," explains Boonstra.
    Originally from Michigan, Boonstra received his MFA from the University of Oregon in 2002. Since then, he has had solo exhibitions and commissions throughout the northwest, and participated in numerous group exhibitions nationally. More about Michael Boonstra is available at his web site.

Friday, August 15th - Jerry Ward. Watercolorist Jerry Ward will give a noon-hour talk on August 15th about his work currently on exhibit in DIVA's Members' Gallery.Ward's exhibit entitled "Rural Landscapes: The Dark Side" expresses the artist's interpretation of the isolated rural landscapes of Eastern and Central Oregon. Ward uses color, scale and composition to emphasize the isolation, the cold shadows and the eerily empty skies of life on endless plains.

Friday, August 20 - The Hungry Soul: Saints and Servers with Denise Wendt. Mixed media artist Alison McNair and photographer Denise Wendt discuss the soul of narrative in their exhibit The Hungry Soul: Saints and Servers, Friday, August 15th at noon. Join them downtown at the DIVA for a passionate discussion of the content of their work, and the challenge of reinterpreting their community involvement with hunger in Lane County for a gallery setting.

Friday, August 22 - "Cyber Collisions and Digital Art" with Melissa "Mimi" Nolledo. Filipino-American digital artist Melissa "Mimi" Nolledo, whose works are on exhibit at DIVA through August, will give a presentation on the creative process, specifically how artists can interact, collaborate, and create, via the internet.  Nolledo is part of a group of cyberartists known as "Bangaan" (Tagalog for collision) comprised of Filipino expatriates in China, Australia, United States, and the Philippines, and will demonstrate their process via powerpoint. Learn more about the artist online at her web site: <http://www.miminolledo.com/>.

SEPTEMBER

Wednesday, September 17 - Jerry Ross, Painter. A free noontime Art Talk will feature internationally recognized Eugene painter Jerry Ross. Ross, who is participating in DIVA's Open Studios Art Tour, will discuss his work influenced by the "I Macchiaioli" and "Verismo" schools of Italian art. Jerry Ross founded the popular Salon des Refuses art show and was a founding member of DIVA in Eugene. This series is presented as part of DIVA's on-going arts education program.

Wednesday, September 24 - Jennifer Morrell. Morrell presents an illustrated Art Talk about her work as a painter, print maker, jewelry maker and glass artist. Morrell recently moved to Eugene from Ohio. Morrell is one of 30 artists participating in DIVA's Open Studios Art Tour October 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th. A preview of her work is currently on exhibit at DIVA. Her images are whimsical and childlike, but also tend to express dark themes.

OCTOBER

Wednesday, October 1 - Judy Alison "Hands in Clay – A Tactile Conversation". Ceramic artist Judy Alison will give a free Art Talk about her work and creative process and will also lead a clay meditation in which those attending will have an opportunity to handle clay and make their own pinch pot.
    Judy Alison is a ceramic artist living in Eugene. She has taught children and adults, in schools and in her home studio. An active member of DIVA for nearly 4 years, and occasional leader of First Friday Art Walks, she is one of 30 artists participating in the Open Studios Art Tour happening October 18, 19, 25, and 26.  

Tuesday, October 7 - Art Talk: JulieAnn Mills-Testi. JulieAnn's presentation will focus on her work and her inspirations. Her work is currently on display as part of the Open Studios Art Tour preview show at DIVA. JulieAnn is a member of The Mouth and Foot Painting Artist organization.

Thursday, October 9 - Art Talk: Sculptor Mark Andrew. Sculptor Mark Andrew will discuss his work that will be found on DIVA's Open Studio Art Tour October 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th. Andrew is a member of the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association (as well as the Pacific Northwest Sculptors), and has carved and taught at various symposia.

Friday October 17 - Deborah Willis - the Photography of Charles Harris. Professor Deborah Willis of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts discussed the photography of Charles "Teenie" Harris on view at DIVA through November 22nd.
    Harris' photographs reflect African American urban life in the mid-20th century from the Depression to the Civil Rights Movement, from children playing on a hot day to celebrities like Louis Armstrong. His ability to capture the story with a single photograph earned him the nickname "One Shot".
    Professor Willis, one of the nation's leading historians of African American photography, is the is the curator of the touring exhibit of Charles Harris' work.

Friday, October 24th - Jessica Weitzel. Weitzel's presentation is titled "The art student, the art, and everyone else." Jessie Weitzel will be talking about the intentions of her work, currently on exhibit at DIVA, as well as purposing ideas about the accessibility of art as a creative medium. The presentation included an interactive discussion with a power-point presentation of her work.

NOVEMBER

Saturday, November 8th - Textile Art with Material ARTistry Group. A presentation by the Material ARTistry group will focused on the textile exhibit "Rhapsodies in Hue" now on view in DIVA galleries one and two. 
   The Material ARTistry group's passion for creating art that makes use of fiber, textiles, thread, and other seemingly humble materials brings together the diverse visions of Sally Zehrung, Jae McDonald, Mardee Hansen, Sandra McMorris Johnson, and Janet Hiller. Each artist is drawn to the idea of presenting ideas which appeal to two senses simultaneously—the visual and the tactile. Each works in some way with cloth but the results are as varied as their makers.

Friday, November 14 - Special Film Screening "The Art of Quilting" (60 mins.) The film explored the diverse techniques and artistry reflected in contemporary American art quilts. Discover how the boundaries of traditional American quilt making have expanded to an art form that now adorns the walls of exhibit halls and art galleries worldwide. The Art of Quilting honors the artistry America's contemporary art quilters by visiting art quilt exhibitions across the country and through personal interviews with noted fabric artists.
    This film was shown in conjunction with Material ARTistry: Rhapsodies in Hue now on exhibit in galleries one and two. The exhibit refelcts a passion for creating art that makes use of fiber, textiles, thread, and other seemingly humble materials brings together the diverse visions of Sally Zehrung, Jae McDonald, Mardee Hansen, Sandra McMorris Johnson, and Janet Hiller, the members of Material ARTistry.

DECEMBER

Friday, December 5 - Daniel Heila, Installation Artist. Daniel Heila will discuss his current installation Mortal TRIO. Topics covered will be; integrated domestic/creative life, witnessing environment, and questions from audience. Daniel Heila is a multi-media artist living in the Northwest who focuses on the depths of simple moments, beauty of the mundane, and the interface of artist and environment.

Friday, December 12 - Linda Rees, Tapestry Artist . Rees will discuss her work in the main gallery and how her style fits into the contemporary tapestry medium.
    Rees begins her work by making yarn wrappings until she has found a combination and a sense of ratio to use for the selected colors and then lets them dictate the style and the subject matter.
    The use of a limited number of colors for any tapestry, preferably no more than six yarns, has persistent throughout her 40 years of weaving. In general, designs evolve directly from the yarn selection. Linda says that it may seem an odd way to develop a work, but it is how she is able to visualize her art - letting the color interaction define the imagery.