September / October 2009

Main Gallery: "Eugene Grid Project," photography by Eugene Grid Project Photographers

 

The Eugene Grid Project (EGP) is a photographic study of Eugene based on a similar project in Portland. The nine members took a standard map of the Eugene/Springfield metro area and divided it evenly into 58 squares.† Each month a square is chosen at random and the group members spend that month photographing in the area bounded by the square.† There are no restrictions other than geographic area. At the end of each month the photographers meet to share work and choose a new square. As a group, each month, 150-200 images are produced. The project will take just over five years to complete. EGP is slowly, comprehensively building the most complete photographic study ever conducted in Eugene/Springfield.†

 

The Eugene Grid Project was born out of EGP spokesperson Blake Andrews' involvement with the Portland Grid Project, now in the collection of Chris Rauchenberg's Blue Sky Gallery in Portland. The Project is comprised of a group of emerging and mid-career photographers who have shown consistently across Oregon.

Gallery 1: 2 and 5: "Open Studio Art Tour Exhibit"
 
The Open Studios Art Tour Exhibition is a juried multi-disciplinary show containing visual artwork by 33 local artists (one piece per artist) who are featured on DIVA's 2009 Open Studios Art Tour. A self-guided two-weekend event taking place Oct. 17-18 and 24-25, 2009, the tour is a unique experience offering the public a rare look into the studios of local artists to explore how artwork is made. The goal of the Open Studios Art Tour is to expand the arts community in Lane County and to support DIVA. The exhibition dates coincide with the tour offering exposure to participating artists to the gallery-going community.
 
Artists in this year's exhibit and Open Studio Tour include: Judy Alison, Sisy Anderson, Mark Andrew, Sarkis Antikajian, Ryan Beard, Brooke Borcherding, Willy Clark, Tricia Clark-McDowell, Steven Daniels, Rogena Degge, Susan Detroy, Ellen Gabehart, Barbara Gleason, Patsy Hand, Anna Horrigan, Scott Huette, Kathryn Hutchinson, James Laub, Suzie Liles, Renee Manford, Terry McIlrath, Joan Milligan, Julie Mills-Testi, Marilyn Robert, Jerry Ross, Sheila Roth, Lesley Strother, Katie Swenson, LaVonne Tarbox-Crone, Kathy Tiger, Ed Tryk, and Stephen White.
 
 
Top Credit: Artwork: Anna Horrigan, Leslie Strother, James Laub
Bottom Credit: Artwork: Lavonne Tarbox-Crone, Ryan Beard, Willy Clark, Stephen White
Gallery 3: "It's Not Just Words, It's ART!" Voices of the Youth Empowerment Project

The Project has worked with community youth who lack access to art opportunities. The goal has been encourage young people, through the arts, to express their voice and allow their inherent wisdom to speak by means of their creative efforts.
Members' Gallery - September: "Vibrant Art," Paintings by Julie Ann Mills-Testi.
 
Julie Ann Mills-Testi will exhibit vibrant watercolor paintings of vases plus floral designs, and three-dimensional birdhouses, all created in her unique style - using (by necessity) her mouth.
 
Born with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, Julie Ann Mills-Testi cannot use her arms/hands, so she paints and writes by holding a brush or pencil in her teeth. In 1972 Julie Ann's art adventure began at the Anaheim Cultural Center Summer Art Program in California. She later attended Cypress Community College, receiving an AA Degree in Studio and Fine Arts, and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, receiving a BA in Art. She does everything with her teeth, including caring for her family and managing household duties,and resides with her husband and their two children in Oregon.
Members' Gallery - October: "Drawings," By Crystal L. Scott
 
Crystal L. Scott will be exhibiting in the Members' Gallery beginning October 2.
DIVA West Hallway: Site-Specific Work by Arcy Douglass
 
Portland architect Arcy Douglass will create a site-specific work at DIVA in time for viewing during the Eugene Celebration. This work has been designed specifically for DIVA's West Hallway.
 
Douglass' work relates directly to the space that it is, making, in his words, "the space more legible and inviting a deeper understanding of the physical space the viewer experiences." Arcy's work is equally about the space it is designed for and the space of the gallery as it is articulated through the geometric drawings.