Oregon artists on display
The CommuterWednesday, January 20, 2010
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Aleatha Skinner
The Commuter
What do students do when they are waiting for classes in North Santiam Hall or South Santiam Hall? Visit the galleries!
Diedra Peters says, “Actually, I like looking at exhibits. They’re more entertaining than looking at white walls.”
Alyssa Johnson, who says she looks at the exhibits almost every day, quickly points to Robin Bachtler Cushman’s painting entitled “Caravanserai” and says, “my favorite one is that one.”
“Actually, I look quite often,” says Jeremy Cornforth. “I take the time to stop and look one or two times a week when I’m walking around the building.”
This term, the works of photographers Kurt Norlin and Robin Bachtler Cushman, artist Jim Adams, and the glass works and collection of Bill and Jane Siebler are featured throughout the school.
Adams and Cushman’s exhibit, “Twist”, and the Siebler’s “A Passion for Glass” display are located in the North Santiam Hall gallery. A portion of the glass collection is also located in the library.
Norlin’s display, “Desert Dance”, is located in the South Santiam Gallery.
The Artists and Their Displays
Jim Adams, a California native, has taught at Oregon State University and LBCC. Adams offers several pieces of abstract, mixed media art for students to wrap their minds around.
In a recent LBCC news release he said, “My artwork is a kind of spontaneous expression of some sort of inner tale that wants to be told.”
“I am not telling specific stories so much as presenting a state of mind. My goal is to create imagery that will be intriguing to the viewer in its complexity, humor, and technical excellence.”
And that’s one good reason to view his work. You can actually spend a lot of time trying to discover the state of mind Adams was in at the time or the state of mind he wants you in as you study his work. The imagery is definitely complex and humorous. If it is your cup of tea, you will find it intriguing.
Kurt Norlin, an Oregon native and former LBCC instructor said, “Photographing the land is kind of a dance between the photographer, the camera, the land, the light and the weather.”
On Thursday, Jan. 21, Norlin will present a gallery talk at a reception from 7:30 – 9 p.m. in the SSH Gallery, “where he will discuss his own work as well as the tradition of panoramic landscape photography in the American West”, according to LBCC’s news release. Students and the community are invited.
Robin Cushman, another Oregonian, is a commercial and fine art photographer who reportedly says that she is “interested in the ways in which nature is repackaged and re-presented and how humans interact with such artificially constructed nature.”
Bill and Jane Siebler, retired educators and current Corvallis residents, have been collecting glasswork since the late 70s. Their collection includes the works of artists from the Northwest and around the world. There are several pieces made by Bill, who has become a skilled marble maker.
The Art Selection Process and Purpose
Gary Westford, Fine Arts instructor, and Rich Bergman, the gallery coordinator and former LBCC instructor, are part of the team that selects the artists and works that will be displayed each year. Westford says, “The team is specifically interested in showing high-quality work featuring Pacific Northwest artists that we can share with students and the community in general.”
Their goal is to “use art as a tool and vehicle to share experience and culture,” says Gary Westford. “All of us are extremely busy with life—classes, kids, the economy—and I can see where it is easy to not take time to look at works of art… We are over-stimulated in our culture … we need to take time.”
Rich Bergman, former LBCC instructor and current gallery coordinator says, “Everybody who passes [the exhibits] and even takes a casual glance might have a nice break in their day. It only takes a little bit of art to plant a seed for the future. It enriches our outlook on life.”
Librarian Brian Miyagashima is very supportive of using library display areas for exhibits. “It’s good to integrate art into the environment of this campus,” he says.
“Desert Dance” will be on display through Jan. 29 in SSH. “Twist” can be viewed through Feb. 26 and will occupy both floors of NSH. “A Passion for Glass” can be seen until March 19.
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