This is Sandy Brown Jensen, and you’re listening to Viz City, KLCC’s arts review program. How are you all doing out there?
Never have so many people cooked so many meals at home and never have so many people had so much internet time on their hands. The parties are over for now, and the restaurants and art galleries that give Our Fair County so much fun pizazz have closed. I leave it to you to improvise a Zoom Happy Hour with your friends, but I can help you with the gallery situation.
Eugene gallerists have risen to the pandemic moment by mounting online shows. Give yourself an art staycation and go to the Lane Arts Council’s Facebook page. Karin Clarke has a video walkthrough interview of her magnificent show The Oregon Landscape. You’ll see the sun-drenched visions of Margaret Coe, as well as Jodie Garrison’s light-filled western landscapes, and many more. Listening to gallerist Karin Clarke narrate her show in the empty gallery is both poignant and inspiring.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Arthas always had a full to overflowing Facebook presence, but currently they are putting up one minute videos of some of the current exhibitions playing to empty halls. The one of Claire Burbridge’s enormous, minute botanical drawings is just terrific with lots of close-ups on Burbridge’s detailed fungus, lichen and Northwest forest foliage, as well as views of her fascinating specimen table.
Another great Facebook location to visit and be inspired to do your own art or keep the kiddos busy, isEugene Art Studio. It offers free daily at-home art projects to help us connect while social distancing. You can create a stop animation video or do a messy paint pour. I’m thinking if every adult in America right now did a messy paint pour, there would be a collective smile seen round the world.
You’ll find links to these sites on the KLCC Viz City blog. Stay safe out there, folks and remember, as my big sister Cheryl says, “Make art every day!”
Viz City is co-produced by Terry Way and Sandy Brown Jensen.
