Architect, Charles Rose, has began collaboration with OCAC and artists who will integrate artwork into various portions of the building.

The new insulated Sarnafil roofing system, a vinyl membrane for green building, has been installed at the main Drawing, Painting and Photography Building (DPP). 

The Thesis Bulding has been framed and sheathed.

The canopy connection between the Thesis Building and the main DPP building has been completed and is ready for roofing materials to be applied. Structural steel work for the second story exterior deck was installed and is ready for fire-treated decking.

The large concrete retaining wall for the DPP stairs connecting to the Centrum building was formed and poured. The irrigation work for the landscaping work has also started.

Washington County has approved the plans for the facilities permit for OCAC. This will allow the new sidewalks along Leahy Road and Barnes Road to start shortly, as well as revisions and traffic controls to the main entry to OCAC from Barnes Road.    

The fire sprinklers and plumbing work is roughed-in on the photography department lower level of the DPP Building.

Image: Josh Smith

Colleen Flanigan (Metals, ‘97) plans to go back to Bali this December to build some more reefs (hoping wave energy) and do R&D with Capacitor http://www.capacitor.org  for a performance, art, science production about the oceans, corals, and movement. The mission to bring more awareness and empathy through the arts to the beauty and fragility of the mystery below the surface.  More information about the art piece she is hoping to incorporate at http://biorockbali.webs.com/  and http://www.globalcoral.org
Colleen Flanigan is also the Sept-Oct ‘09 featured member for Art and Science Collaborations, Inc. http://www.asci.org/artikel1053.htm

Ryan Pierce (Drawing ‘03) presents “Written from Exile,“ a solo exhibition at Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland, October 1-31. The suite of new paintings and sculptures recycles the narrative themes of Jerzy Kosinski’s “The Painted Bird,“ to pose questions about the human displacement that will occur due to global warming. A related book, partially funded by the Regional Arts and Culture Council, will be released at a gallery reception October 31. Also in October, Igloo Gallery will host a group show highlighting the 2009 residents of the Signal Fire program. http://www.ryanpierce.net and http://www.signalfirearts.org.

Sarah Turner (Metalsmithing ‘99) is co-curating an exhibition, ‘to be determined - an exhibiton of the first five’ with Maria Phillips (AIR ‘98) at the University of Colorado, Fort Collins (10/23-11/20/09) http://welcome2.libarts.colostate.edu/centers/hatton/first-five/first_five.html. At the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Sarah introduced a new lecture series, [FALL] Edition, and has started a new visiting fellowship in critical studies http://www.cranbrookart.edu/Pages/CriticalStudies.html.

Lori (Weyand) Mason (Fibers ‘95)  has recently been focusing on her memorial quilt commissions in addition to continuing her partnership with RJR Fabrics in producing a line of printed fabrics for quilters.  Look for her newly designed website to launch in the coming few months at http://www.lorimasondesign.com/

Judilee Fitzhugh (Fibers ‘02) and Peggy Harkins (Fibers ‘04) are showing at the annual Local 14 Show and Sale October 1-4 at the Forestry Center. This year’s theme is “Warm Your Heart with Local Art.“

Josh Smith (Wood ‘08) has been selected to participate in K Space Contemporary’s Third Coast National juried by Fairfax Dorn, founder of Ballroom Marfa. Smith’s work will be on exhibit Oct. 17-Nov. 28. He is also currently the Artist-In-Residence in Sculpture at Pacific NW College of Art.  http://www.kspacecontemporary.org

Image: Steve Hohenboken

Steve Hohenboken (Drawing and Textiles ‘91) is starting the MA in Art Therapy Counseling program at Marylhurst University this Fall. His photography can be seen at http://www.stevehphoto.blogspot.com.

Brandy Cochrane (Metals ’04) has an upcoming exhibition with local artist and director of galleryHOMELAND Paul Middendorf.  Part sculptural collaboration and part installation, The Dregs will be an examination of and tribute to the simple yet unusual life of a small Portland family using items that remained in their Irvington duplex after it was inherited by the current occupants. This show will take place at The Art Gym at Marylhurst University from January 10 to February 15, 2010 and is generously funded by a RACC project grant.

Marilyn Joyce (Drawing/Painting ‘06), Moe Snyder (Book Arts ‘07), Andi Smith (Metals ‘06) and Warren Buss have joined forces to form Random Occurrences Press. Their first group effort has been juried into Broadsided, the October show at 23 Sandy Gallery, NE 23rd and Sandy, in Portland.

Gail Cunningham (Fibers ‘03) had a solo show “Social Diagrams” at Bambi Gallery in Philadelphia, PA in September, and has another show planned for May at Hudson Beach Glass, also in Philadelphia. She just launched a website of her work: http://www.gailcunningham.com

Heidi Paul (Fiber ‘96) exhibited 3 conceptual felt pieces at the Santa Cruz Art League’s annual Fiber Exhibit this past July and will be teaching a feltmaking class at the Southwest School of Art & Craft in San Antonio in October.  Heidi also participated in the SF ACC show last August with her reclaimed cashmere work.  http://www.designbyheidipaul.com

Mary Wells (Book Arts ‘03) will be participating in the 16th Annual Sitka Art Invitational to be held November 13 – 15th at the World Forestry Center, Portland, OR. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology located on Cascade Head on the Oregon coast. http://www.sitkacenter.org

Lisa Sikorski (Metals ‘03) finished her MFA this May with a project titled “Bake Sale”. The project is a response to our current economic climate (CEC) and raised money for 5 different departments across the UW Madison campus. Please visit her blog for more info this and upcoming projects: http://onesmartcooky.blogspot.com/. Lisa also was an Artist in Residence and a guest chef at Mildred’s Lane, a J Morgan Puett/Mark Dion collaboration, in eastern Pennsylvania in August. 

Alissa Barbato (Ceramics ’05) began the MFA in Ceramics program at Rochester Institute of Technology in September.

Image: Janice Green

Janice Green (Ceramics, ’03) had a group of tea sets shown and sold at the spring Oregon Potter’s Association Showcase at the Oregon Convention Center. She also has work at White Bird gallery in Canon Beach, Oregon.

Shannon Lowry (Ceramics ‘08) current graduate student at the University of Colorado, has images of her in-progress performance/installation , titled   ‘f-r-a-g-m-e-n-t-e-d-s-e-l-f’ in addition to related writings and process photos available to view at http://adventuresofshalo.blogspot.com/

Danielle Sommer (Postbaccalaureate, Book Arts ‘07) is finishing her MFA in Printmaking at the California College of Arts in San Francisco.  She works as an arts writer for KQED and is participating in SMITHS, a storefront project organized by the artist Allison Smith.

Dan Anderson, Chris Held and Brian Pietrowski of VonTundra showed new installation based works at galleryhomeland in Portland in September. Von Tundra is a Portland-based design house specializing in the creation of contemporary furniture, fixtures, installations, and interiors. Since the group’s founding in 2007 its three members have honed an aesthetic vision that unites Modernism’s efficient lines with the warmth of familiar materials and handcrafted integrity. As both a licensed company and artist collaborative, Von Tundra pursues a range creative endeavors from client-inspired projects to conceptually focused gallery exhibitions.

Sam McKenzie organized the Heidel and Marino Sculptures Show at the Sixth Street Gallery, 105 W. 6th St. Vancouver, in September 2009.

Image: Leigh Radford

Leigh Radford published a free pattern for “Recycled Glass Covers” on the popular design blog, designsponge. 
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/09/diy-project-leigh-radfords-recycled-glass-covers.html

Read the review by Portland Monthly magazine of the work by OCAC student Jason Rens at Nationale.
http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/blogs/culturephile-portland-arts/jasoncharlesrens-nationale/

Tiandra Cumminswon a scholarship from the Seattle Metals Guild, and was a featured artist in their newsletter.
http://www.seattlemetalsguild.org

Image: Karl Burkheimer and Matt Johnson discuss their collaborative project on view at the Museum of Contemporary Craft.
Image courtesy of Museum of Contemporary Craft.

Karl Burkheimer, OCAC Wood Department Head, will be featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon ArtBeat on October 15.  http://www.opb.org/programs/artbeat/

OCAC Studio School instructor, Rebecca Scheer, and Miel Paredes, OCAC metals studio manager collaborated on work they showed at Art in the Pearl over Labor Day weekend in Portland.
http://www.mielmargarita.com and http://www.rebeccascheer.blogspot.com

Micki Skudlarczyk, former OCAC studio manager and Studio School instructor, is in Holland for the next 3 months collaborating on an art project with dutch artist Jacomijn Schellevis. They are researching the mythology and belief systems around death and the afterlife as they were experienced in the Province of Overijssel, Netherlands from the Stone Age to the advent of Christianity.  http://www.origin-oorsprong.com