Image: Nowhere

Sam MacKenzie (Photo ‘06) recently showed her piece pigtails in “Stitch Spectacular” at Dimensions Gallery in Savannah, GA. http://stitchspectacular.wordpress.com

Ryan Pierce (Drawing ‘03) has new work featured in “A Fragile Reality” at Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland in March. He is the recipient of a 2009 Project Grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council for an upcoming book project. Ryan wrote a catalog essay for “Warlord Sun King,“ an upcoming show by Bruce Conkle and Marne Lucas at the Marylhurst Art Gym. Ryan is currently co-founding “Signal Fire,“ an organization dedicated to facilitating wilderness opportunities for artists and writers. This summer Signal Fire will support four artists with residencies on Mt. Hood. More information at http://www.signalfirearts.org. Ryan is co-teaching a related workshop, “Desert Notes/ River Notes” through OCAC in June. The five-day workshop will combine observational drawing and nature journals with hikes in Eastern Oregon’s Blue Mountains. http://www.ryanpierce.net

Ben Neubauer (Metals ‘00) will be exhibiting in the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore February 24 - March 1st. April 4th and 5th he will be exhibiting at a home show in Portland at 6312 SW 27th, Portland, 97239, the home of Ann Williamson. All are welcome. Please visit benneubauer.com for more details.

Julia Garretson (Metals 06) is included in the Cracked Pots Ungarden Art Show, March 7th, 2009, 11-6 at the McMenamins Grand Lodge.  This is a show of recycled arts for the inside, she will be showing jewelry and paper shades.  Some of these item are also on her website http://www.JuliaGarretson.etsy.com 

Cristina Aucone (Wood ‘05) of Modica Design, was recently accepted to the juried online gallery Trunkt.org for her line of wood and resin jewelry.  Her eco-work made from reclaimed wood has been featured and sold on E-Bay’s World of Good:  http://worldofgood.ebay.com  an online marketplace that convenes thousands of People Positive and Eco Positive sellers and products all in one place.  Most recently, Cristina taught a 3-day workshop at The Rebuilding Center in Portland on how to incorporate found objects into inspiring jewelry.  You can visit her website at http://www.modicadesign.com.

Shannon Lowry (Ceramics ‘08) has been invited to participate in Cross-Border Dialogue, a show to be held in the West Bank and Gaza. Her work was also included in a feature article in the January 2009 issue of Ceramics Monthly. Find out more about her ongoing explorations at her new blogsite: http://adventuresofshalo.blogspot.com/

OCAC alumni Brennan Conaway, Matt McCalmont and Charissa Niles, are showing “Out of Place,“ an exhibition by nowhere arts collective February 28-March 28 at Disjecta in Portland. ‘Out of Place’ is an exhibition of work created during Nowhere’s residency at the Center for Land Use Interpretation in the summer of 2008. The CLUI facility is located on the Nevada/Utah border in the small town of Wendover. Nowhere traveled extensively in this arid region, “gradually understanding that the desert is not empty, but full of life and rich with history.“ In Out of Place, they bring these observations to Disjecta’s main exhibition space and explore the fact and folklore of the American West. Matt McCalmont modified a small motorcycle, making it possible to take a solo journey and record the rough surfaces of his travels. Brennan Conaway produced the film ‘Trajectory’ that documents a ‘weapons test’ in the desert, where he fired a bullet at the distant horizon and then went searching for it. Charissa Niles discovered an abandoned railway and is ‘reclaiming’ the tracks to convey hand-built vehicles that don’t require fossil fuels.  Founded in 2005, Nowhere is an art collective based in Portland, Oregon. http://www.disjecta.org/events/outofplace.php