PV Art Talk: Art As Social Commentary
 Barbara Peters - PVNN
| | A series of public programs beginning this fall in Portland, Oregon, Suddenly: Where We Live Now, was born of urban planner Thomas Sieverts's astonishing observation that "the shaping of the landscape where we live can no longer be achieved by the traditional resources of town planning, urban design, and architecture. New ways must be explored, which are as yet unclear. | | |
Famous Mexican muralists such as Diego Rivera, Siguieros, and Orozco made social statements about the problems of their times using public spaces to convey their revolutionary ideas.
Many artists have always used the canvas and murals as their billboards for criticism of public problems and ideas for necessary changes.
Now with the hot political issues and worldwide problems, Portland, Oregon is offering a wide range of expositions in September, which should prove very interesting to see. Portland Art Focus, a group of art and cultural institutions in the city, invites you to visit:
Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery at Reed College
Suddenly: Where We Live Now
August 26-October 5, 2008
Inspired by the work of urban planner Thomas Sieverts, Suddenly is a set of exhibitions, an annotated reader and a series of public events that gives the lived landscape an independent identity in the imagination of its occupants. Join us on September 2, 2008 at 7 pm for the Psychedelic Sprawl exhibition opening at the Cooley Gallery.
Feldman Gallery + Project Space at Pacific Northwest College of Art
Keep It Slick: Infiltrating Capitalism with the Yes Men
September 4-October 26, 2008
This is the first exhibition of work by the artist-activist group The Yes Men. By impersonating representatives from big corporations and government organizations, these culture-jammers expose dehumanizing business practices and enact ethical "identity correction." Keep It Slick is curated by Astria Suparak and is co-produced by the Feldman Gallery at Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University.
Hoffman Gallery at Oregon College of Art and Craft
Electoral Collage: Art & Politics in 2008
September 4-October 26, 2008
In this politically charged election year, Electoral Collage: Art & Politics in 2008 showcases work that provokes ideas and discussions about war and peace, the economy, environment, education, civil rights, justice for all and justice for the select few.
Gallery of Contemporary Art, at Lewis & Clark College
Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art
September 11-December 7, 2008
Beyond Green brings together 13 International artists who incorporate sustainable thinking in their art and social change in their message. The exhibition is co-organized by the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, iCI (Independent Curators International), New York, and circulated by iCI.
Museum of Contemporary Craft
Manuf®actured: The Conspicuous Transformation of Everyday Objects
August 28, 2008 - January 4, 2009
Curated by former ID Magazine editor Steven Skov Holt and art historian Mara Holt Skov, Manuf®actured reveals a major trend taking place today in visual and material culture: the radical appropriation of consumer goods as raw material for art and object making. With works as diverse as Cat Chow's dresses made from one continuous zipper and Jason Rogenes' towers crafted from polystyrene, Manuf®actured offers an arresting look at the new crossover of craft, art and design, and an exciting new cultural genre.
Portland Art Museum
Wild Beauty: Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge, 1867-1957
October 4, 2008 - January 11, 2009
The Columbia River Gorge has been photographed continuously for nearly 150 years. Appearing exclusively at the Portland Art Museum, Wild Beauty chronicles the beauty and changing character of this dramatic passage of the river. The cultural memory of the Gorge is reassembled through these photographs, as themes of human and natural history and the diversity of geography, climate and ecosystems abound.
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art
2008 Time-Based Art Festival
September 4 - 14, visual art projects until October 4
The sixth-annual convergence of contemporary performance, dance, music, new media and visual arts projects in Portland, Oregon. TBA:08 features projects by Antony and the Johnsons, Jérôme Bel, Mike Daisey, Lizzie Fitch, Fritz Haeg, Superamas, Ryan Trecartin, Reggie Watts, and more.
This list of diverse approaches to art should give our local artists some creative ideas for their new artworks they are preparing for the coming season. A number of artists are now working on their paintings to submit to the Westin Resort Contest that will feature the winning entry on the cover of Sojourn Magazine, which is distributed in all Westin group hotel rooms. We should have the winners by our next Art Talk. KEEP CREATING!
 The driving force behind the Old Town Art Walks, Barbara Peters is the owner of Galería Vallarta, one of Puerto Vallarta's most popular art galleries. Located at Juarez 265 in downtown Puerto Vallarta, Galería Vallarta has been presenting "art in all forms" since it's founding in 1989. For more information call (322) 222-0290, visit GaleriaVallarta.com, or send an email to webart(at)galeriavallarta.com. |
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Vallarta Living | Art Talk | August 2008 
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