ROSEBURG, Oregon – The Ford Family Foundation, in partnership with the Hallie Ford Museum of Art (HFMA) at Willamette University in Salem is pleased to present What Needs to Be Said: Hallie Ford Fellows in the Visual Arts. The exhibition debuts in a dual-venue presentation between the Umpqua Valley Arts Association and the Art Gallery at Umpqua Community College (UCC), and the headquarters of the Foundation on Friday, March 15. It is on view at both locations through May 8.
The exhibition brings together 13 of Oregon’s contemporary visual artists who received the Hallie Ford Fellowship in the Visual Arts between 2014 and 2016 – an award given annually to artists living in Oregon based on their artistic accomplishment, depth of practice, and future potential. Curated by independent curator Diana Nawi and organized by John Olbrantz, the Maribeth Collins Director of the HFMA, the exhibition opens at the originating museum on Sept. 14 and continues through Dec. 22 in the museum’s Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery and the Maribeth Collins Lobby. The exhibition will also take place at various venues throughout the state over the next two years.
Up to five, $25,000 Hallie Ford Fellowships are awarded each year. These fellowships represent one facet of The Foundation’s 10-year Visual Arts Program; launched in February 2010 in an effort to support the creation, production, exhibition, documentation, and acquisition of work by seasoned Oregon visual artists. In 2013, the Foundation cosponsored the launch of the first traveling exhibition of work by the first four classes of Hallie Ford Fellows (2010-2013).
In 2019, the Foundation continues the tradition, traveling the second exhibition of Fellows’ work featuring Hallie Ford Fellows from the classes of 2014 (Tannaz Farsi, Geraldine Ondrizek, Storm Tharp), 2015 (Ben Buswell, MK Guth, Tom Prochaska, Jack Ryan, Samantha Wall), and 2016 (Karl Burkheimer, Anya Kivarkis, Wendy Red Star, Blair Saxon-Hill, Lynne Woods Turner).
Nawi says, The exhibition attempts to relay the urgency and intimacy of what happens in the artist’s studio. Art is something we do for ourselves, and something we undertake in the spirit of the collective, sharing our thoughts and investigations with others through exhibitions and conversations. It is, simply, the expression of what needs to be said. While for each artist this is understood and manifested differently, it is an idea that suggests the importance of artistic practice for the individual and society more broadly-something the Hallie Ford Fellowship unquestionably supports.
EXHIBITION RELATED EVENTS AND MATERIALS
Educational materials, lectures, and other public programs will accompany the exhibition at each venue. In addition, the exhibition will be accompanied by the exhibition catalogue What Needs to Be Said, which will be available for $24.95 at all participating locations.
- Artist Panel with Karl Burkheimer, Blair Saxon-Hill, and Samantha Wall: Friday, March 15, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Gallery Reception, the Art Gallery at UCC, March 15, from 12 to 1:30 p.m.
- All events are free and open to the public.
About Umpqua Community College
Nestled in the beautiful North Umpqua River Valley, Umpqua Community College is the regional center for higher education in Douglas County, Oregon. UCC provides high quality college degree programs, workforce development, and community learning opportunities.
Contact
Susan Rochester
Chair, Associate Professor, Fine and Performing Arts
Phone: 541-440-4692