The second Contemporary Northwest Art Awards exhibition at the Portland Art Museum showcases seven exceptional Northwest artists June 11-September 11, 2011. The exhibition explores the work of Chris Antemann, John Buck, John Grade, Jerry Iverson, Susie Lee, Megan Murphy, and OCAC faculty member Michelle Ross, and is accompanied by a catalogue and exhibition-related programs. The artists’ work ranges from delicate, figurative porcelain vignettes to heroic-scale sculpture, and from film and video installations to glass and mixed-media painting. At the exhibition’s opening celebration, one artist will be awarded the $10,000 Arlene Schnitzer Prize. The prize winner will be selected by the Museum’s curators and Director Brian Ferriso.

Inaugurated in 2008 to recognize outstanding contemporary art and artists from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, this ambitious program was developed to highlight both emerging and established artists. The exhibition builds on the Museum’s commitment to the Northwest’s visual arts community. A wide range of regional arts professionals nominated artists on the basis of quality, innovation, relevance to community or global issues, continuity of vision, and dedication to studio practice. The Contemporary Northwest Art Awards are organized by the Portland Art Museum and curated by Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, The Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art.

OCAC faculty Barb Tetenbaum and Marilyn Zornado’s animated short,“Old-Time Film”, will be shown as part of the upcoming NW Animation Festival June 3, 4 & 5 at the 5th Avenue Cinema at 510 SW Hall Street in Portland. This project was funded in part by a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council.
http://www.nwanimationfest.com/

Image: Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer
Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer, fibers instructor, is showing work in “Parallax: Views of Contemporary Quilt Artists,“ May 31-June 25 at Booksmart Studio at 250 North Goodman Street in Rochester, NY. The show includes ineteen contemporary quilters whose work embodies the concept of parallax, presenting images and ideas from multiple perspectives.

Image: Bill Will
The 27th Annual Festival of Flowers celebration officially opens June 3rd in the heart of Downtown Portland! This year’s design, You Are Here, designed by OCAC faculty member Bill Will, will be on display at Pioneer Courthouse Square through June 14th.

You Are Here will encourage visitors to look beyond our own geographic borders with the installation of a colossal map of the world using more than 20,000 colorful potted flowers. This massive floral installation will be on display through June 14th and host more than 350,000 people to celebrate spring and herald the arrival of the summer season with flowers and fun.

All of the flowers, vegetables and plant material utilized in this year’s installation have been locally grown and will be available for purchase—well below retail prices - during the annual Flower Sale at Pioneer Courthouse Square beginning at 8:00AM on June 15th. Choose from a wide variety of plants including salvia, impatiens, lobelia, pansies, begonias, vegetables, herbs, grasses and many more starting at only $.83 a piece!

Image: Michael de Forest
OCAC wood faculty Michael de Forest will participate in the 2-month International Turning Exchange residency at The Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia, PA, June 1-August 8, 2011. Three nationally known wood turners, a sculptor and Michael will share work space and collaborating together on projects. 

The grand finale exhibition for the 2011 International Turning Exchange program is the exhibit, allTURNatives: Form + Spirit 2011, at the Wood Turning Center. This multi-disciplinary exhibit will reflect each resident fellows’ experiences including objects produced before and during the residency. Three-dimensional work will be accompanied by photos, essays, films, journals and other documentation depicting the summer experience. Included will be each fellow’s statements about their personal and professional experiences.

Michael de Forest is interested in the asymmetry of form and curves that flow through his work. Conceptually, de Forest is fascinated by looking at work as portraiture. His use of color and texture supports the physicality of objects being lopsided and showcasing subtle imperfections. During his residency he will be developing a brickbuilding technique he learned in Ghana. Through this process and experiments, he will generate compound curves for sculptures and vessels both functional and non-functional.

OCAC Wood Department Head Karl Burkheimer is exhibiting “In Set” at PDX Contemporary’s Window Project from May 28, 2011 - July 2, 2011.
http://www.pdxcontemporaryart.com