On Exhibit through Saturday, May 24.
 Bent Frames by University of Oregon Video Artists. DIVA's Media Arts Gallery is host to the work of 20 student filmmakers during the month of May. Bent Frames is a compilation of "cameraless films," a technique that involves altering scraps of old film footage or working with film leader or acetate. The filmmakers create new compositions by cutting and splicing the leader and or scraps of 16 mm film, sometimes painting on or scratching the surface of the film to create their work. Each artist's composition is approximately two minutes long and the combined works, mastered to digital, play in a looping sequence with a total length of 40 minutes. A joint effort of graduate and undergraduate students, "Bent Frames" explores the possibilities of a physical encounter with the film medium, its characteristic aesthetics and its symbolic language.
Currator: Kartz Ucci, Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Oregon.
 Currency Exchange International Quilt Exhibit. A collaboration of 90 fiber artists from the United States, Japan, and New Zealand, this exhibit of art quilts has been on a world tour since 2006. The main exhibit organizers, Sue Cutsogeorge of Eugene, Oregon and Izumi Takamori of Tokyo, Japan, see this project as a way to promote international friendship and understanding among quilters of different countries and cultures. The 30 American artists represented in the show are comprised mainly of Willamette Valley artists, including members of the art quilt group "Tactile Expressions," who exhibit throughout the region on a regular basis.
The "Currency Exchange" theme of this show challenged the participating fiber artists to develop a small quilt based on a motif from a coin or bill from any country in the world. The idea was not to replicate or copy the entire coin or bill, but to use that motif as an inspiration for design a unique piece of art. Each of the 90 quilts on display is 20 inches square, and packed with vibrant colors and textures. The quilters represent various levels of fiber arts experience and various styles of work, and the overall result is a brilliant symphony of talent.
 As the Road Turns by Kristi Koons. This exhibit is a chronology of one woman's decade-long journey on her life's path. A visual travelogue of seasons, places, faces, and community stories and events, Koons has captured the essence of her life's journey through Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, Oregon, and beyond. A combination of photography and mixed media, the exhibit deals with issues of family and personal transformation. Koons sees her background in photojournalism as an opportunity to take her photography—and her life—to the next stage. "No matter what images may come or how many miles and events and re-inventions of yourself occur, be engaged and ready," she advises. "Keep on clickin' no matter what life brings."
Kristi Koons is chair of the Media Arts Committee at DIVA and devotes substantial time and energy to organizing local cultural events.
 In Dust We Trust by Tom Bodhi Reeves. "Burning Man is an event that no words can describe," declares Reeves, who has been participating in the event since 2001. In lieu of words, Reeves aims to capture the ephemeral nature of the art festival held annually in the Nevada Desert through his photography. This exhibit chronicles a five-years of impromptu art installations on the windblown playa, where the landscape is often dominated by whiteout dust storms. His photographs capture the temporary landmarks of the "city of art" that is fleetingly built by thousands of people from all over the world. "What happens out there out to be experienced by everyone," explains Weeks. "Each moment instills a hope that no matter the setting or conditions, the true human spirit will always thrive."
 Prints and Drawings About People by Steven Weeks. "I aim to represent the various forms of poetry in the world," says Weeks of his artwork. "Poetry is not only expressed through words, but visually through images as well." This ambitious goal is tackled by contrasting subtle ink and brush drawings with bold, colorful screen prints. Each screen print is an exact copy of the corresponding ink drawing, but enhanced with multiple colors and text. These paired art pieces represent the uncomfortable moments that occur in interpersonal relationships, evoking the strange and complicated realities of social dynamics.
 3/32": Wide Variety in a Narrow Medium by Jud Turner. Jud Turner has been welding steel into works of art for more than 14 years. This exhibit of new works focuses on creations that he has made entirely out of 3/32" steel welding rods. The simple material has given rise to a very diverse range of work. The 2-dimensional wall hangings in the exhibit emphasize the linear qualities of the medium, as if they were elegant line drawings made out of steel. In contrast, the fully-formed animals and figures (including a life-sized self-portrait of the artist himself) remind the viewer of tightly-wrapped baskets or swirling tornados in space. The sculptures are accessible on many levels, and are quite a lot of fun to look at.
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