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Museum of Contemporary Craft
Showcases Portland Open Studio Tour Artists
March 3 – April 4, 2009
Above, the Community Showcase on the second floor of the museum.
Come and marvel at a wood-turned cowboy hat, fused glass, woven and ceramic vessels, a hand-printed art book, knitted wire and bead choker, and sculptures made with aluminum screening, wood, clay and crocheted copper wire at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. This community showcase features just a few of the wide range of talented artists from the 2008 Portland Open Studios Tour.
Over 90 artists were juried into the 2008 Studio Tour which is held on the second and third weekend in October. This unique self-guided tour gives you the opportunity to watch artists at work in their studios. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to do a demo for studio or museum visitors, you can ask the artists, like I did.
Here are a few responses from last week’s artists, Wendy Dunder, Bonnie Meltzer, Susan Gallacher-Turner and Careen Stoll.
Wendy, what were your feelings about doing demonstrations during the studio tour and/or at the museum?
“I thought it was a perfect chance to meet my neighbors, who must have been curious about what I was doing.”
Bonnie, do you enjoy demonstrating your art to the public? Why?
“Actions speak louder than words. It is so much easier for some artists to show what they are doing than to tell about it. Although those of you who know me, know I do talk a lot. I find that there is real communication when I demo. More questions than when they are just looking at finished artworks and people are more at ease. It is also easier for me to find which subjects to bring up.”
Careen, how do you decide what kind of demonstration to do? Or what part of what you do as a demo?
“I pick something that is as dramatic as possible without being inaccessible… larger bowls, taller vases. I try to blend the “exciting parts” of seamless pulling with the slow careful decision-making aesthetic decisions like spouts and handles, to give people as accurate a picture of my process as possible.”
Susan, do you find that your demo piece becomes a finished art piece or is it just an example for demonstration purposes?
“Last year, I would’ve said, a demo is just a demo. But since I’ve been doing these demonstrations, all of my ‘demo’ pieces have turned into 2 finished masks, 1 sculpture and a copper repousse’ landscape. I’m amazed at that.”
Any other comments/ideas you’d like share with other artists out there?
Wendy: “I had done a winged man piece that was less than perfect, but that had lots of hours in it. A 10 year old boy really loved it. The price was $60. He asked his mom if he could buy it. She said “You have your Christmas Money.” I sold it to him for $40. And I am sure he has become an artist or at least an art collector.”
Careen: “In a crowd of people watching me, I focus on the kids- “here, do you want to play”, and I hand them a ball of clay.”
Bonnie: “At first I didn’t think anyone would be interested in seeing someone crochet. Boy, was I wrong. They want to touch the wire, touch the pieces. We are so used to our processes we forget that it isn’t second nature to everybody.”
Susan: “I always share the fact that I was fascinated with the hardware store as a kid and I’ve found out many people share that fascination with me.”
This month, you can see some of our artists at work every Saturday from 1-4pm doing demonstrations of fiber, clay, wood and more in The Lab on the second floor of the Museum.
The Museum of Contemporary Craft showcase features 16 artists: Maggie Cassey, Nanette Davis, Wendy Dunder, Nicky Falkenhayn, Susan Gallacher-Turner, Jerry Harris, Gwen Jones, Ken Forcier, David Kerr, Morgan Madison, Bonnie Meltzer, Gene Phillips, Tom Soule, Careen Stoll, Sara Swink, Jan Von Bergen, and Shu-Ju Wang.
The exhibit is open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-6pm through April 4, 2009. For more information about the community showcase program at The Museum of Contemporary Craft visit their website at http://contemporarycrafts.org/programs_community.php.
Below top, Wendy Dunder talks to a museum visitor about her art; bottom: details in the showcase.
Call to Artists
PORTLAND OPEN STUDIOS
Celebrating 10 Years: 1999 – 2009
Deadline Monday, March 16, 2009
Metro Portland Artists wanted in all media to open their studios to the public on October 10, 11 (east side) and October 17, 18 (west side). Artists may choose to be open one or both weekends. Show your art processes, sell your artwork, build an audience and communicate with the public. Artists are selected for the event by jury and will have an image of their artwork published in the Tour Guide and on the web.
2009 Purchase Prize
To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, Portland Open Studios will be awarding up to $1000 to the City of Portland for the purchase of artwork from one or more of our 2009 artists. Representatives from the Mayor’s office will make the official selections, and City Hall will host an exhibition of the 2009 artists.
New-Applicant Scholarship Opportunity for new 2009 applicants
The scholarship is open to any artist who would be participating for the first time regardless of media, age, and gender. The scholarship waives the $160 jury and participation fees and the winner is awarded an additional $100 stipend. All new applicants are considered for this scholarship.
Emerging Artist Scholarship Opportunity for artists between 20 and 30 years old
Kimberly Gales Emerging Artists Scholarship is awarded to one or two emerging artists every year. The recipient will have all fees waived and receive a $100 stipend.
Information, directions and the online application at http://www.portlandopenstudios.com/apply.html
Deadline for artist’s application and scholarship both: MARCH 16, 2009.
To see what past participating artists have said about the event, read the testimonials from past participants.
By Shu-Ju Wang
Below, Laura Russell at 23 Sandy Gallery during The Quiet Fire, an exhibit of Stewart Harvey’s photographs of Burning Man.
After hearing through the grapevine that Laura Russell, artist and gallery owner, had been singing the praises of Portland Open Studios, I talked to Laura to find out more.
LR: Portland Open Studios is one of the best things I ever did for my gallery and for my career.
SJW: In what ways?
LR: I was new to Portland, had been here 6 months, maybe 9 months. I didn’t know anyone, didn’t have any contacts. When I participated in Portland Open Studios, 250 people came through my studio in one weekend. Not only did they purchase my artist’s books and photographs, they also signed up for my mailing list, and they’ve been following my career ever since. When the gallery opened, they were also the first people to come to the gallery, and they’ve been coming every month.”
SJW: That’s very organized, to have created a mailing list from your first Portland Open Studios weekend.
LR: Organized to a fault, but it works and I won’t be here today without it. Artists have to find a way to do the business side.
SJW: When did you decide to open a gallery?
LR: I’ve wanted to do it for 10 years. I was inspired by a couple in Denver who owned side-by-side businesses in a cute commercial duplex — Fred’s Barbershop on one side and Ethel’s Beauty Shop on the other. Steve (Laura’s husband) and I were going to be Fred & Ethel, too, with Steve’s commercial real estate business on one side and my art gallery on the other side. Whenever we saw a cute little space, we talked about it. Over the years, it evolved into a dream of a live and work place. After we had been in Portland for 2 years, we started looking around for a potential space, and within a week we found the right place.
SJW: Did you always know it would be a photography gallery because you’re photographer?
LR: I always knew it’d be a combination of photography & bookarts, the two mediums work together really well and I want to go with what I know. The third thing I show twice a year is graphic arts.
SJW: You were featured in the Oregonian A&E section as one of the movers & shakers (“the power 9″) of the Portland photography scene. How do you feel about that? And since you’re relatively new to Portland and the gallery is new, how do you go from being new to being “the power 9″?
LR: That is all about business. I knew I had to work really hard because I’m in an odd location, so PR is important. I’ve spent a huge amount of time on PR for the gallery which has really paid off. DK Row has written about the gallery
several times. A lot of the success is due to a professional approach to PR — be consistent with press releases, make contact with local publications, find out how they like their press releases, find out what types of information they need, and follow through. I worked really hard to establish an identity and to get press for every show; I target marketing efforts carefully and send them to the people who are interested in that particular medium or subject.
SJW: Do you feel more pressure, now that you’ve been named a mover & shaker?
LR: It did make me think a bit more about what I’d do for 2009.
SJW: Given that in a relatively short time in Portland, you’ve achieved an enviable amount of success, do you have any advice to other artists?
LR: They have to realize that they’re in business and treat it as a business to make a living. I took what came out of Portland Open Studios and used it in a lot of different ways. I have a mission to promote book arts, and events like Portland Open Studios really introduce people to book arts. It’s great to sell my own work, to build a customer base in Portland, and to promote book arts. The better people are educated about it, the better the market place will be.
SJW: Anything else?
LR: I’d tell every artist to do Portland Open Studios — it’s good for business and it’s good for ’stroking’, and all artists need both. I’d tell them to get involved, the more involved you are, the more you get out of it. You never know when the contacts you make will come back and help you. Portland Open Studios is one of the best things I’ve done, and one of my favorite events to go to; I try to visit as many artists as I can every year.
To learn more about Laura’s gallery, 23 Sandy, please go to http://23sandy.com/. To see Laura’s artwork, visit her website http://www.laurarussell.net/.
To read DK Row’s piece about the key players in the Portland photography scene, please go to Oregonian’s Visual Arts Blog.
To apply to the 2009 Portland Open Studios, please go to http://www.portlandopenstudios.com/apply.html.
Below, 23 Sandy Gallery, located at 623 NE 23rd Avenue, Portland, Oregon.
By Susan Gallacher-Turner
Above, Concourse E at PDX.
As you walk through Portland International Airport, be sure to check out the artOJECTS showcase in Concourse E, you’ll find the sculpture work of two Portland Open Studios artists, Bonnie Meltzer and Carole Murphy.
These two sculptors are featured along with 13 other artists from the Pacific Northwest Sculpture Guild as part of the artOBJECTS program coordinated by The Regional Arts & Culture Council. This program, with rotating exhibits every six months, features small scale three-dimensional artwork in a 40 foot long, floor to ceiling glass case showcasing the diversity of the local and regional art scene.
So next time you’re at PDX, take a side trip to Concourse E and check out the sculpture work of these Portland Open Studio Artists. The exhibit runs through June 2009.
Below, sculptures by Carole Murphy (top) & Bonnie Meltzer.
