Pictured: “I Was Born a Painter” – Frida Kahlo, mixed media, magazine scraps,

by Rogene Mañas in “The Art of Bricolage”

In This Newsletter

March is a great time to visit the Art Center and explore!

Be sure to stop by and see “The Art of Bricolage,” featuring nine Oregon artists creating artwork with recycled materials in an exhibit that encourages the concepts of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Reimagine.” The exhibit is on display through Friday, March 22nd. Join us for an Artist Talk on Saturday, March 9th, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm.

We have exciting new classes and workshops planned for our upcoming Spring term starting this month with our new Spring Break “Imaginary Worlds” camp for youth and a young adult “Copic Marker Lab.” This is a great opportunity to support the curious and creative kids in your life. The Art Center offers need-based scholarships for all ages.

Join us for the annual Jello Art Show and Art Center fundraiser on Saturday, March 23rd, from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. This year’s inspiring theme is “The Good, The Bad, The Jello.” The always entertaining Radar Angels will be “Bringing the Silly Back” with another fun performance. Break out those Jell-O molds, find something fun to wear, and bring your jiggly and wiggly art creations to the Art Center to help us celebrate the beginning of Spring.

The Art Center is also excited to welcome the return of our Art and the Vineyard festival on July 5, 6, & 7 in Alton Baker Park. This annual celebration of the arts, and fundraiser for the Art Center, has been greatly missed and we are thrilled to bring it back for our community.

Thank you for supporting the Art Center. Happy Jello!

All my best,

Michael Fisher

Executive Director

Art and the Vineyard Calls to Artists

Artists’ Marketplace

The Artists’ Marketplace features over 100 artist booths located in the heart of the festival. The Marketplace represents the primary focus of the festival and is considered the top attraction by festival patrons. The Artists’ Marketplace is open to all artists and craftspeople producing original art. Commercially produced work, art assembled from kits, or imported art and goods are not accepted.

Submission Deadline: May 3, 2024

For more info and to apply, visit:

Art For Your Garden

The Art For Your Garden area includes artworks within a unique landscape design to emphasize the beauty in nature and to provide ideas on how to incorporate art objects

in a garden setting. Handcrafted garden furniture, pottery, planters, tiles, masks, birdbaths, fountains, bird feeders and houses, wind chimes, lanterns, sculptures, window boxes, gates, and abstract pieces are placed in appropriate, aesthetic settings to suggest to buyers that art belongs in gardens, on porches, and by pathways.

Submission Deadline: May 3, 2024

For more info and to apply, visit:

Join us for an evening of beautiful music performed in Spanish by Leonel Soto at the Art Center on Friday, March 8 at 7:00 pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Leonel Soto is a singer-songwriter from Sinaloa, México. He merges poetry with acoustic sound using diverse musical genres such as trova, rock, jazz, pop, and norteño. Soto has performed in Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, Italy, and the United States and is currently touring solo with “Acusticósfera.”

Doors open at 6:30 pm. Music begins promptly at 7:00 pm.

This event is presented by Comunidad y Herencia Cultural y Eugene Arte Latino in collaboration with Propulsion Network and the Maude Kerns Art Center.

Mark your calendars for Maude Kerns Art Center’s first annual Studio Tour, which takes place on Saturday, April 13, from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Don’t miss this special opportunity to see behind the scenes and experience the working studios of some outstanding local artists. A fundraiser for the Art Center, the tour features four host studios – those of Tim Boyden, Ann Bumb Hamilton, Rogene Mañas, and Tylar Merrill – and includes work from contributing artists Kathy Frazer, Shelly Fredenberg, Annie Heron, Dave Imus, Demetra Kalams, Rebecca Mannheimer, Patrice Peterson, Holly Phillips, Bea Roberts, and Michael Whitenack.

To make sure you have a spot reserved, visit

“The Art of Bricolage” through March 22

Don’t miss this exciting show of artwork created with recycled materials by nine Oregon artists. Included in the exhibit are costume designer and textile artist Anna Bjornsdotter; found object assemblage and folk artist Stephanie Brockway; torn paper collage artist Esther Finch; vintage textile collage artist Mavis Leahy; mixed media artist Rogene Mañas; bricolage artist Dan Pillers; metal collage artist Emily Pratt; textile artist and vegan taxidermist Marjorie Taylor; and sculptor and wood carver Michael Whitenack.

The exhibit features work in a wide variety of unusual mediums, including salvaged wood, grocery bags, tissue paper, magazines, papier mâché, tin, nails, vintage textiles, and recycled needlepoint. The Title Sponsors for “The Art of Bricolage” are Nancy Pobanz and David Wade. 

An Artist Talk in conjunction with “The Art of Bricolage” with artists Rogene Mañas, Dan Pillers, Marjorie Taylor, and Michael Whitenack takes place on Saturday, March 9, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm.  The Artist Talk is free and open to the public.

Pictured: Secret Escape, tin, nails, and wood, by Emily Pratt

Upcoming

A David Lunney Retrospective opens on Friday, April 5 and is on view through April 26. Lunney (1931 – 2019), who served as the Artistic Director of the Oregon Repertory Theatre in Eugene for seven years, had an extensive background in film and television as the head of an independent production company in Los Angeles. Perhaps less well known is his lifelong immersion in the visual arts. In his work he drew from many different sources, including anthropology, literature, and shamanic traditions which he wove into his own personal mythology. Lunney was particularly inspired by the landscape, architecture, and history of Florence, Italy, where he lived for many years.

Don’t miss this special opportunity to see David Lunney’s monotypes, prints, paintings, and drawings, many of which have never been exhibited before.

Pictured: Pomodoro, mixed media by David Lunney

Jello Art Show 2024

“The Good, the Bad, The Jello”

Join us for the 2024 Jello Art Show, “The Good, The Bad, The Jello,” on Saturday, March 23, from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. Our marvelous food show features artworks made of jello, a benediction by Slug Queen Jubilee Hedonisto, and a performance by Eugene’s inimitable Radar Angels at 7:00 pm. The suggested donation for the Jello Art Show, which is a fundraiser for the Art Center, is $3 per person and $5 for families.

Call to Jello Artists: Jello artists are invited to bring their jello artworks to the Art Center for display between 3:00 and 4:30 pm on Saturday, March 23 before the show. There is a $3 display fee for each jello artwork submitted. In this non-juried show, everyone’s creations are welcome.

Pictured: Jello Art Show 2023

Members Gallery and Gift Shop

Work by Art Center members and Club Mud ceramicists is exhibited in the Members Art Gallery on a quarterly basis. The Winter Members Art Gallery is on display through March 22.                   .

Pictured: Plum Blossoms by Sheryl LeBlanc on display in the Members Gallery

Online Members Gallery

Maude Kerns Art Center member artists are invited to participate in our Online Members Gallery. This online venue is an excellent way to continue to share your work with the community. Members can show up to five pieces of their two- or three-dimensional work online in our Online Members Gallery. Interested parties can shop for pieces and purchase them online. Submissions are ongoing.

Please email the Exhibits Coordinator Liberty at exhibits@mkartcenter.org for more information about how to be involved or how to update your submissions. 

Featured Artist of the Month

For March, the featured artist exhibiting in the Online Members Gallery is Tim Boyden, creator of FUNctional art and one-of-a-kind rustic furniture made from repurposed items found in nature or manmade broken discards. To see a video created about Boyden and his work, click: Tim Boyden Video.

At Home in Oregon; at The Gallery at the Airport, April 11 – July 9, 2024: The Art Center is extending a call to artists to submit artwork for the upcoming “At Home in Oregon” show to be displayed at The Gallery at the Airport in Eugene. This call is open to any current member of the Maude Kerns Art Center and there is no fee to apply. If you're not a member, visit here to become a member. Subject matter that is realistic, imagined, or abstract is welcome. The submission deadline is Friday, March 8, 2024. For the complete prospectus or to apply, visit www.mkartcenter.org.

Maude Kerns Art Center is currently accepting submissions for its 2025 – 2026 Exhibits Season. Local, regional, and national artists (individuals and groups) working in 2- and 3-dimensional mediums, as well as installation art, are invited to submit their work for consideration. Solo, group, and/or themed shows will be curated based on the content, quality, and number of submissions. There is a $35 application fee. Submission deadline: Monday, April 15, 11:59 pm (MST). For the complete prospectus or to apply, visit www.mkartcenter.org.

Mayor’s Teen Art Show: Teen artists ages 13 – 19 years living in the greater Eugene area are invited to submit original 2- and 3-dimensional artwork for the 25th Annual Mayor’s Teen Art Show, September 6 – 27, 2024. Original 2- and 3-dimensional media will be considered, including painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, digital art, video art, collage, fiber art, costumes or wearables, jewelry, and assemblage. Awards offered include cash prizes, art supplies, and more, including the Mayor’s Choice Award.

The submission deadline is Friday, May 31. Applications may be submitted on paper or digitally from our website: www.mkartcenter.org.

Arts Education & Enrichment Programs

While it is starting to look like Spring outside, we are still finishing up our winter term through March.

Don’t miss the following opportunities this month:

●    High School Open Studio is March 9th. See more below.

●    Spring Break camps will be happening at the end of March. There are still a few spots available!

●    Spring term registration will open soon. See below for highlights including afterschool classes, day, evening, and weekend classes for adults, and Artist Services classes. 

March is our month for Spring Break camps and young adult labs! Join us for a week of creative fun!

Spring Break Art Camp & Lab

If your youth or young adult is looking for a creative outlet over the week of Spring Break, March 25 – 29, our Imaginary Worlds Camp for ages 6 – 11 and the Copic Marker Lab for young adults, ages 11 – 16, offer great opportunities for artistic exploration.

Register today!

Imaginary Worlds

Sara S. Spahn & Karleena Graham

March 25 – 29

8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Register Today!

Jump into a week of building fantastic worlds where wonderful characters and mythical animals come alive! Learn about scale and perspective as we design dioramas with foreground, middle ground, and backgrounds. Get inspired by artists like imaginative Italian portrait painter Guiseppe Archimboldo and learn to build characters in three-dimensional form using paper, clay, and bright colors of paint! Join us for this special week of creative fun!

Copic Marker Lab (for ages 11 – 16)

Diana C. Patin

March 25 – 29

9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Register Today!

Spend the week immersed in drawing with Copic markers. These versatile and boldly colored markers are great for learning how to blend colors, understand shading, and highlight to create dimension in your drawings. Discover how to make dynamic blending groups, work with a limited color palette, add details with fine line and brush pens, and experiment with different kinds of paper.

Volunteers Needed!

Calling all volunteers! During Spring Break week, March 25 – 29, we rely on our volunteers to provide positive encouragement, creative fun, and teacher support in our youth camps. If you like to encourage youngsters ages 6 – 11 and enjoy supporting a teaching artist in the classroom, we encourage you to apply to volunteer!

Please fill out the volunteer form and we will be in contact shortly.

Art Horizons is an art program for high school students, ages 15 -18. It is built around Maude Kerns Art Center’s project-based curriculum that supports the creative endeavors of teens.

High School Open Studio New!

2nd Saturday of every month, 12:00 – 4:00 pm

March 9 & April 13

Register here:

Sign Up for March 9th Session

Sign Up for April 13th Session

Join us the 2nd Saturday of every month! High school students, ages 15 - 18, are invited to work alongside a teaching artist to hone your creative ideas and investigate new methods and concepts that inspire and challenge your artistic practice. In this studio class, you will have access to painting, drawing, and mixed media materials. Each week we will look at the work of contemporary artists, investigate their approaches and methods, and gain inspiration for our creative processes. Bring your ideas, your art, and your unique self, and contribute to a thriving high school arts community.

Ride the Bus to join us!

Check out Lane Transit District’s K-12 Ride for Free program.

Maude Kerns Art Center is two blocks away from the EMX line (located on Franklin Blvd).

Spring term April 8 – June 14

Registration will open on our website March 8th

*Scholarships are available

There’s something for everyone! Check out our new afterschool programs for youth and young adults; weekend Open Studios for high school students; adult day and evening classes; and weekend workshops for families and adults. Below are a few highlights for the Spring term. Visit our website www.mkartcenter.org on March 8th for the full schedule of classes. 

Youth

Painting and Drawing Like the Pros!

Thursdays, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

April 18 – June 6

Painting and drawing like the Pros! - Get ready to investigate artists like Van Gogh, Wolf Kahn, and Janis Zroback. Roll up your sleeves and learn how they paint and draw as they do! There are many ways to make art. We will be exploring acrylic and watercolor painters, artists who draw with colored pencils, and more in this 8-week class. Learn techniques in painting like salt resist or drawing methods like cross-hatching. If you have looked at art and wondered "How did they do that?", this class will start to answer the question. See you in the studio!

Middle School (After School)

Explorations in Acrylic Painting

Mondays, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

April 15 – June 10

Roll up your sleeves and learn acrylic painting! We will paint subjects such as stylized animals, outdoor and city scenes, and a painting of your own design. For the first projects, we will work from an example painting that the instructor provides, getting familiar with the process and various techniques. As we progress, you will work more independently on your own project ideas. Focus on developing painting techniques like color mixing, color temperature, painting in layers, and composing with shapes.

Learning Watercolor Techniques

Tuesdays, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

April 16 – June 4

Take a deep dive into different methods of watercolor painting! Learn how to load your brush with several colors of paint and experience wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, or dry-brush painting techniques. We will discuss controlling paint and color theory. Students will paint abstract and/or realistic watercolor paintings. Discover reverse color painting inspired by Kendra Norton who uses an ultra-fine black marker to create intricate details. No experience is necessary.

Adult Classes (Day and Evening)

Beginning Oil Painting

Wednesdays, 6:00 – 8:30 pm

April 10 – May 29

Explore the fundamentals of oil painting. You will be introduced to the tools of this medium and techniques such as paint mixing, value study, and color theory. Aided by instructor demonstrations, you will learn how to paint landscapes, create atmospheric abstract art, and work from still-life displays. The last two weeks will be dedicated to harnessing the techniques and tips you have learned as you work to complete your own oil painting. No experience is necessary.

Weekend Workshops (Adults and Families)

Our adult workshops offer insights into creative approaches or methods that expand your artistic practice. Family weekend workshops continue to offer creative time together! Join us on a weekend!

Introduction to Scratchboard

12:00 – 3:00 pm

Two Saturdays, June 1 & June 8

Discover the intriguing art of scratchboard over two Saturdays. On day one, you will be introduced to the history and evolution of the scratchboard art form. Discover how to select the perfect photo reference and begin creating your first scratchboard. Day two will be an open class with demonstrations by the instructor and one-on-one feedback as you continue working on your design. By the end of the class, you will walk away with your very own scratchboard masterpiece. Please see the materials list for materials you will need to bring with you each day.

Artist Services

Basic Portfolio Development 

Tuesdays 

12:30 – 3:00 pm 

April 30 – June 4



This class series is designed for working artists who wish to build foundational skills for entering the art world. Over 6 weeks, you will spend the necessary time focusing on the concepts and visual characteristics that shape your work. Reflecting on the personal and professional experiences that drive your art practices will help you articulate and present your art. You will emerge with the elements of a portfolio: an artist résumé, artist statement, biography, and a basic visual portfolio to begin seeking professional opportunities.

Intro to Documentation & Web Design

Tuesdays

6:30 – 8:30 pm 

April 30 – June 4

Learn to photograph your artwork and build a basic website for showcasing your art. Students will emerge from this class with a live website, including Home, About, and Image Gallery pages. No prior experience with photography or coding experience is needed to learn to create and build your web presence. All levels are welcome whether you are a hobbyist to emerging artist, or a seasoned practicing artist. We can support and learn from one another's creative and entrepreneurial goals.

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! 

In the event of bad weather, the Art Center will close if the 4-J School District is closed. Classes for that day will be cancelled and a make-up session will be held at a later date. If the 4-J School District is delayed, all Art Center classes before 12pm will be cancelled. Call 541-345-1571 after 12pm on the day in question to check for afternoon and evening classes.

Curious about film photography? Eugene Darkroom Group has an extensive catalog of class options for everyone from the complete beginner to the old hand who needs a bit of a memory refresher. We love analog photography and would love to share it with you! Check out eugdarkroom.org/education for more information and class options.

Register for the Emerald Print Exchange

The Emerald Print Exchange wants YOU to participate in 2024! Register Here!

Multi-Color Etching with One Plate

Master printmaker Yuji Hiratsuka teaches his distinct and engaging method of producing beautiful multi-color images from a single copper plate. Friday thru Sunday, March 8 – 10, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Register Here!

BIG INK Workshop

BIG INK returns to the WhitPrint studio for a weekend of giant woodblock printing, April 27 & 28, 2024. Register Here!

Pictured: Master Mind by Yuji Hiratsuka 

Art Rescue Sale Returns: October 5th & 6th

When spring cleaning your art collection, remember the Art Center. We are accepting donations of artwork now through September 27th. 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).

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.