Pictured: The Altar to the Mt. Hood National Forest by Barbara Counsil Burney

in “Land as Deity”

In This Newsletter

It has been a busy summer at the Art Center! 

We have passed the halfway point in our youth summer art camps and middle school art labs. In August we will be offering “Nature Explorers,” “Movie Making,” and the always popular “Talia’s Creature Features” youth art camps, as well as middle school art labs in “Digital Design,” “Wearable Art,” and “Drawing Animals.” I want to say a BIG thank you to Cece, Tony, and our amazing team of summer teaching artists and volunteers for their incredible work and dedication.

Join us this Friday, August 2nd, from 5 to 7pm for the Opening Reception of our new nature-inspired exhibits “Circling the Grove,” featuring work from Eugene artist Leanne Ellis with Portland artists Lisa Brinkman and Carissa Burkett, and “Land as Deity,” showcasing the impressively large-scale “Altar Series” by artist Barbara Counsil Burney of Oakridge, OR.

Exhibit receptions are always free and open to the public. They are a great way to meet other members, new artists, and connect with the Art Center community. Check out the new works and gift items on display in our Members Gallery and Gift Shop.

Wishing you a happy and fun rest of your summer!

All my best,

Michael Fisher

Executive Director

Thank you to all the amazing artists, vendors, performers, volunteers, coordinators, staff, and community partners for your participation in the 37th annual Art and the Vineyard festival held on July 5, 6, & 7, in Eugene’s Alton Baker Park. We are so grateful for your support and perseverance. It was a warm one!

Also, a BIG thank you to everyone who braved the heat to come out to support the artists, Art Center, and the festival’s return. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you!

We are accepting artwork donations through the end of September for “Marvelous Maude’s Art Rescue Sale” fundraiser, which takes place October 5 & 6. Donations may include drawings, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, collectibles, posters, textiles, and curiosities.

Please bring donations to the Art Center office during open hours: Weekdays, 10:00 am – 5:30 pm, and on Saturdays, from 12:00 – 4:00 pm (when exhibits are on display). Your donations may be tax deductible. Tax receipts are available at the office. If you have questions or need assistance with a donation, please contact the Art Center at 541-345-1571 or email staff@mkartcenter.org.

Two Shows Open August 2

In the Main Gallery is “Circling the Grove,” featuring Eugene artist Leanne Ellis and Portland artists Lisa Brinkman and Carissa Burkett. In the Salon Gallery is “Land as Deity,” showcasing work by Oakridge-based painter and illustrator Barbara Counsil Burney. Both exhibits are on view through August 23. The Title Sponsor for “Circling the Grove” and “Land as Deity” is the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW).

Lisa Brinkman exhibits what she calls eco-printed paintings with images of plants, birds, animals, and celestial objects. Steamed botanical prints on raw silk are the springboard for her developed paintings. Carissa Burkett creates acorn cap sculptures that she envisions as meditations on the cycles of generation and rebirth. Leanne Ellis gathers plant materials that she presses and dries, next reconfiguring her collected botanicals on handmade paper.

Barbara Counsil Burney expresses her reverence for and kinship with the natural world in “Land as Deity.” Burney’s mixed media “altars” are constructed of a group of oil paintings, dried plants, and shelves to hold offerings to “deities,” such as Mount Hood National Forest and Lake Superior. She describes her goal in making and exhibiting artwork as “inspiring others to protect undeveloped wilderness areas and increasing the accessibility for all people.”

The public is invited to Artist Talks for each of the exhibits. The “Circling the Grove” Artist Talk, with the three participating artists, takes place on Saturday, August 3, from 1 – 2 pm. The “Land as Deity” Artist Talk with Barbara Counsil Burney is on Saturday, August 17, from 1 – 2 pm.

Pictured: Tribal by Leanne Ellis in “Circling the Grove”

Upcoming: Mayor's Teen Art Show

The 25th annual “Mayor’s Teen Art Show,” featuring the work of 42 talented teens from 19 schools, opens on Friday, September 6. Juried by educator Sarah S. Spahn, past “Mayor’s Teen Art Show” Best of Show recipient Troy Sproul, and educator David Palencia, this exciting showcase of art in a variety of media is on display through September 27.

Pictured: Siamese in Hydrangeas, acrylic on canvas by Josie Buffalino in the “Mayor’s Teen Art Show”

Summer Members Gallery

Work by Art Center members and Club Mud ceramicists is exhibited in the Members Gallery throughout the year with artwork changing on a quarterly basis. The Summer Members Gallery, which is on view through September 27, features artists Laurel Gravem Alvarez, Patti Lomont, Kathy Paskey, John Pellitier, Bill Rutherford, and Roka Walsh.

Pictured: Egret with a Red Sky, watercolor and gold leaf, by Laurel Gravem Alvarez

Online Members Gallery

The Online Members Gallery features Patricia Montoya Donahue for the month of August. Montoya Donohue uses natural materials gathered and harvested in Oregon to create woven baskets, sculptures, and assemblages. To see a video about Montoya Donahue and her work, visit: PATRICIA.

Art Center members can show up to five pieces of their two- or three-dimensional work in the Online Members Gallery. Interested parties can shop for pieces and purchase them online. Submissions are ongoing. Email the Exhibits Coordinator Liberty Rossel at exhibits@mkartcenter.org for more information.

Last Chance!

Día de los Muertos Exhibit: The Art Center is accepting submissions for our 31st annual Día de los Muertos Exhibit, October 11 – November 2. Work must be original and must focus on the Mexican Day of the Dead, which blends the ancient harvest rituals of the Aztec god of death and the Roman Catholic holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days. All artists, working in all mediums, are eligible. Up to 5 pieces may be submitted for consideration.

Applications may be made online or with a paper application. For online entry, go here to submit and pay the $20 fee via our online application form. For mail or in-person entry, include a flash drive with jpeg images, a completed application, a resumé, an artist’s statement, and a $20 submission fee.

Entries are due or must be postmarked by Monday, August 9. For more information, call 541-345-1571 or email exhibits@mkartcenter.org.

August 1,1876: The Art Center’s namesake, Maude I. Kerns, was born in Portland, Oregon 148 years ago. Kerns was a remarkable woman, a visionary artist and art educator and head of the University of Oregon Art Education Department for 26 years.

A child of the Victorian era, she would become the only woman artist in the Pacific Northwest to be involved in the national and international non-objective art movement. Kerns exhibited in the Museum of Non-Objective Painting (the forerunner of the Guggenheim Museum) in New York alongside the likes of Wassily Kandinsky, Alexander Calder, and Josef Albers.

The Art Center continues to honor the legacy of Maude I. Kerns by actively collecting and exhibiting her work. Our growing collection of Kerns’s work has recently been enriched by a donation of three lovely paintings on paper gifted by a donor who purchased the pieces in 1998 directly from Kerns’s great niece, Leslie Brockelbank.

To see archival paintings on paper by Kerns as well as correspondence and personal objects, be sure and visit Lane County History Museum’s “The Blue Vesper: Maude Irvine Kerns (1876 – 1965),” a companion exhibit to the Art Center’s “In the Realm of the Spirit: Work by Maude I. Kerns” (January 12 – February 9).

Pictured: Untitled painting on paper by Maude I. Kerns recently donated to the Maude Kerns Art Center

Summer Session in Full Swing

Summer session has brought enriching arts classes and workshops this term. We are delighted to have 195 youth and middle schoolers enrolled in art camps and labs. 

Introducing Tony

It takes special coordination to manage eight weeks of summer camps. Fortunately, Tony Hooks, our Summer Arts Education Intern, is a terrific coordinator and a positive and compassionate teacher of our young campers. He brings a wealth of creativity and studio knowledge to this position.

Tony graduated from the University of Oregon in 2023 with a sculpture and installation focus. He has worked with multiple local venues to organize and exhibit artwork. After graduating, Tony began working in special education in Eugene's 4J school district, where he specializes in behavioral support systems and building positive coping strategies with students K-8. Tony is also a son, brother, friend, painter, writer, reader, singer, and homemaker.

We are delighted that Tony’s goals include further teaching and involvement here at the Art Center. Welcome, Tony!

Weekend Workshop

If you haven’t joined in a creative opportunity yet this summer, see our upcoming weekend workshop. 

Experimenting with Watercolor and Relief Printmaking

Saturday & Sunday, August 10 and 11

12:00 – 4:00 pm 

Register Here!

Get ready for a 2-day, inventive, and fun workshop where you will be relief carving, printing, and experimenting with watercolor and colored pencils. Your instructor will guide you through different approaches to applying colored pencils and watercolor washes throughout the printmaking process. Discover the joy of experimenting with mixed mediums! Materials provided. No experience necessary.

Summer Teen Intensive

There is still room for teens, ages 15 – 18!

Figure Drawing from Live Clothed Model

One-Week Intensive

August 19 – 23

3:00 – 5:30 pm

Register Here!

Are you a high school student who wants to keep practicing art? Are you thinking about going to an art college after high school? No matter your skill, you are invited to learn beginning figurative drawing. The instructor will guide you through instruction about basic human anatomy and demonstrate specific techniques to render a human form. You will learn how to draw cloth/clothing as it conforms to the body beneath. You will be using a variety of mark-making tools like charcoal and drawing pencils. Materials will be provided.

Fall Term Sneak Peek!

We are looking forward to the fall term! Registration begins at 12 noon on September 2. Fall classes start in October. Below are just two of the many exciting classes that are offered. 

Wheel-Throwing Fundamentals

Evening class: October 8 – December 3

6:00 – 8:00 pm 

Daytime class: October 14 – December 8

10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Join our daytime wheel-throwing class. Whether you are new to wheel throwing or you have taken a wheel-throwing class before, join us to build your skills. This class will cover the basics of throwing, including wedging, centering, and creating simple forms on the wheel. Classes will begin with an instructor demonstration and move into hands-on activities to help you learn the basics of throwing and preparing your work to be fired. All levels welcome.

Watercolor Fundamentals

Thursdays, October 3 – December 5

6:00 – 8:30 pm

Beginner Friendly

Develop your skills in watercolor painting while watching your budget. Learn about basic materials and identify ways to mix a variety of colors with a limited paint palette. With the instructor's demonstrations and individual guidance, you will learn about transparency, value, composing and planning your images, and a variety of watercolor painting techniques. Throughout the 8 weeks, you will practice painting exercises and finish a final painting. 

Gallery Guides: Planning is underway for this year’s Día de los Muertos Exhibit, October 11 – November 2. Each year, in conjunction with this special exhibit, the Art Center offers tours of the exhibit by gallery guide volunteers.

Gallery guides lead elementary, middle, and high school students as well as other community groups through the gallery and talk about the artwork, the community altars, and the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday. 

We offer gallery guides a training so that they can learn more about the exhibiting artists and the community altars. The training is scheduled for Thursday, October 10, from 5:45 – 7:45 pm. The Art Center offers both Spanish-led and English-led gallery tours.

If you are interested in serving as a gallery guide, please fill out our volunteer form.

The Art Center currently offers scholarships for 50% of the cost of tuition for classes and camps. Scholarships are available for all age groups through the Susi Larsen & Cameron Serbu Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Madeleine Christenson Scholarship Fund. You can apply today on our website! 

August Workshop: “Intro to Stone Lithography,” August 6, 8, 10, & 11. Get up to speed on stone lithography in this four-session, in-depth introduction with Austin Armstrong.

We have partnered with Market of Choice to provide you an easy way to support the Art Center! It will only take a moment of your time to register and will help every time that you shop to support our programs and facility.

Here’s how:

Register your credit card. Each time that you use your card at any Market of Choice, Maude Kerns Art Center will receive 4% of your purchase price! Simply sign up at: eScrip Market of Choice and you will be prompted on how to enroll.

Thanks for all that you do to support the Maude Kerns Art Center. It makes a difference!

Thank you to the many volunteers, Board members, Staff, Art Center friends, and patrons who generously donate their time, talents, and treasure for the benefit of Maude Kerns Art Center.

MISSION STATEMENT

To nurture artistic expression and creativity in the individual and

to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of art and culture

in our community.