DIVA 110 W. Broadway, Eugene
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DIVA Center News and Events
April 17 - 30, 2006
Phone:
Web: divanow.org
E-mail:
Programs: Eric Ostlind, Volunteer: or write Hours: Open 12 to 5 pm Tuesday - Saturday, and on First Fridays until 8:30 pm.
Claude Monet "It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly."
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READER NOTICE:
Because of a server problem many on DIVA's mailing list did not receive the April 17 - 23 e-newsletter text edition and the link to our web version. We have retained and added to that newsletter with this new edition that will cover all events and opportunities available for the rest of the month. Those who visited this site already will find something old and something new. Enjoy your visit.
UP FRONT NEWS
Drop-In Figure Drawing At DIVA. There are weekly drop-in figure drawing sessions at the DIVA Center. Working from models, these sessions help the individual improve drawing techniques. Instructor John Holdway will be on hand to assist and coach. Warm up exercies will include gesture drawing. The sessions meet on Wednesdays from 6-9 PM. The cost is $10.00 per session with a discount for purchasing block of 10 sessions. Next session, April 26.
DIVA Participates In Film Festival. DIVA will host the final evening of the Push Your Own Limit! film festival. The films examine intersecting identities and challenge social expectations for professional, artistic, and social leaders with disability. Anyone interested in challenging their own stereotypes about arts accessibility, disability and diversity, or social justice will find this festival a unique experience. For full information access the Push Your Limit! Film Fest web site.
OpenLens Festival on MySpace. Henry Weintraub, DIVA's OpenLens Festival coordinator, has opened a . The goal is to reach young filmmakers letting them know about the festival's competition. MySpace.com (or MySpace) is a free service that uses the Internet for online communication through an interactive network of photos, weblogs, user profiles, e-mail, web forums, and groups, as well as other media formats. MySpace is a very active site, and additions and new features are being added constantly.
Rebels and Renegades: Art History Symposium With A Keynote Speech by Masami Teraoka. The University of Oregon Art History Association is hosting its Third Annual Art History Symposium on April 28th and 29th. Themed Rebels and Renegades, this symposium will be held in conjunction with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art with an exhibition and keynote speech by internationally renowned artist Masami Teraoka.
Masami Teraoka’s talk will be given Friday April 28th at 7:00 p.m. in Columbia Hall, room 150. Teraoka is a renegade artist whose works emulate traditional Japanese woodblock prints with very modern themes. The prints selected for the Focus Gallery at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art include work from the series 31 Flavors Invading Japan, McDonald’s Hamburgers Invading Japan, and the AIDS Series.
Following Teraoka’s talk will be a silent art auction in the Willamette Atrium. Beginning at 8:00, art work donated by artists from the Eugene community and the University of Oregon will be up for auction. All proceeds from the event will go to fund the Art History Association’s annual symposium.
On Saturday, April 29th, the symposium will hold two concurrent sessions from 10:00 to 5:00. One session will convene in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art lecture hall and the other in Lillis Hall, room 282. Papers will be presented by graduate and undergraduate visiting students as well as University of Oregon students. The full program can be accessed online.
Community Art conversations: Events hosted by the University of Oregon Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy, the Arts and Administration Program, the Cultural Forum, and the Shedd Institute. Linda Frye Burnham has been writing about social activism and the arts for the last 30 years. She co-founded Art in the Public Interest and the Community Arts Network (www.communityarts.net). Burnham founded High Performance magazine and co-authored The Citizen Artist: 20 Years of Art in the Public Arena. Burnham is the editor of Performing Communities: Grassroots Ensemble Theaters Deeply Rooted in Eight U.S. Communities (New Village Press, 2006) - an inquiry into a genre of theater that arises from and empowers the grassroots. Burnham has been a staff writer for Artforum, contributing editor to The Drama Review and arts editor of the Independent Weekly of North Carolina. She is married to artist Steven Durland, co-director of API, and they live in Saxapahaw, N.C. For more information please visit http://ccacp.uoregon.edu/ or call . •April 26 "Community Conversations: Living, Working, and Creating in Community-Based Arts" The Shedd, 868 High St, Eugene,10am-Noon Seating limited, Tickets required, available free as of 4/20 at EMU Box office, or call .
•April 26 "Campus Conversations: Social Activism in the Arts" University of Oregon, Skylight Room of the EMU, 2-3:30pm, Seating limited, Tickets NOT required
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PDX Fest Preview Comes To DIVA. Former Eugene resident, Marc Moscato, brought a preview of the up-coming PDX Film Festival to DIVA on tuesday, April 18th. A collection of short political documentaries culled from over 600+ submssions to the festval were screen under the title, "The Power of the People Don't Stop!".
The progrm included: Frederic Moffet's "Jean Ganet in Chicago", Jennifer Proctor's "Alternative Forms of Energy", Alma Boror's "Pvt. Bore", Sam Green's "Lot 63, Grave C", Hope Tucker's "Noel", and Richard Pells's "Don't Call Me Crazy on the 4th of July".
My House curator Marc Moscato curated this collection that includes some of the brightest of activist-minded work made across the US in the last couple years, bridging the barriers between video activism, experimental cinema, a rallying cry and confrontational abstraction.
The Portland Documentary and eXperimental Film Festival (PDX Fest) takes place April 26-30, 2006 at the historic Guild Theater. A bevy of filmmakers will be coming to Portland for this year’s festival. Full details at the PDX Fest web site. |
High School Videos Premiere at Bijou. Videos created by five teams of area high school students will be featured as short films before the feature films showing at the Bijou Art Cinemas starting on April 21st.
The videos are winners of the May 2005 Youth Visions Festival, a local competition that challenges high school students to create original short videos on designated topics. Last year's topics were "identity" and "illusions" Students submitted their work for review by a panel of film professionals and educators in April 2005 for the annual festival in May, held at Churchill High School. This is the second year that the winning videos are being included as shorts at the Bijou. Youth Visions and DIVA plan a co-sponsored program for youth media in February, 2007.
Vox Ex Corpus. A Masters Degree Project in Intermedia Music Technology (IMT), Vox Ex Corpus, by Josh Humphrey, School of Music, University of Oregon, was exhibited April 11-15 at DIVA's Flamingo Annex.
This installation used live interactive processing in sculptural housing to distribute digitally harmonized and altered voices to four speakers around the room. As a gallery viewer, any sound one generated entered the system, and could be easily altered and changed over time. The installation had to be experienced to be fully grasped. These photos show the sonic sculpture with artist Josh Humphrey. (Click on each image below to enlarge)
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| (1) Josh Humphrey demonstrates the Vox Ex Corpus Installation |
(2) A microphone collects sounds that are then manipulated by a comp- uter based sound system. |
(3) Sound processing equipment is enclosed inside the sculpture piece. |
(4) Dramatic lighting helped the user focus on the acoustic experience. |
Carolezoom Reception and Second Friday Film Forum. A farewell to Carolezoom, long time supporter and staff member of DIVA, began with a dinner buffet followed by the screening of, "Independent Little Cuss" a documentary about Carole by director Jeff Patterson.
After the screening, the public was invited to participate in a reception for Carole, her husband Brett Campbell, and her cousin Jeff Patterson who produced the evening's film. Carole and Brett have moved to Portland. Carole remains on the DIVA Board and participates in the Media Arts Committee. (Click on each image below to enlarge) Photos: Sarah Larson
Gary Ferrington
Pre-screening buffet. Desert followed the evening's film.
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Film Director Jeff Patterson and activist Carolezoom - the subject of his 1996 Academy Award Winning Student Film.
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DIVA galleries and halls were bursting seams with over 100 guests.
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(Above) Brett Campbell, wins Carole's heart in Patterson's documentary.
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Standing room only was available for the screening of Jeff Patterson's documentary. Patterson (at right) enjoyed talking about his cousin Carole, the subject of his film.
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THIS WEEK AT DIVA
GALLERY EXHIBITS
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Continuing Exhibits
• Grace Sheese, ceramics
• Madeleine Liepe, painting
• Bill Stormont, photography
• Autism Rocks!
• Shinaz LeRoy - sculpture
• Jacqueline Lukowski Members Gallery
• Local Clay - ceramics
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MEDIA ARTS - This Week
Eugene Composers Collective
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April 22 -New Music At DIVA: Session II
Eugene Composers Collective/DIVA Collaborative
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: Students with I.D. Free. General Public: $2-5.00ss
DIVA continues to feature local composers and musicians in cutting edge performances of new acoustic and electronic music, as well as multimedia works with video and dance collaborations.
The Eugene Composers Collective concert features all new music and intermedia works by local composers, the night promises to be unique and inspiring.
The Eugene Composers Collective is a group of local composers and musicians who stage concerts of new and experimental music around Eugene. They encourage new music in traditional and experimental styles. For example, their concerts have included works for robotic percussion instruments, video and live instruments, string quartets and the spoken word.
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Intersecting Identities 2nd Annual Disability Film Festival
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April 29 - Push Your Limit! Film Festival
Time: 6:30 PM
Admission: Free
On April 27-29, the Disability Studies Committee at the University of Oregon (UO) in cooperation with the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA) and the UO Disability Project will hold its second annual film festival devoted to the experience of disability.The last evening of the festival will be held at the DIVA Center 110 W. Broadway. Three excellent documentaries will be screened.
"Speed Racer: Welcome to the World of Vic Chestnut". This film introduces the audience to the singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt from Athens, Georgia. Permanently confined to a wheelchair by an auto accident at age 18, Vic Chesnutt was discovered by REM’s Michael Stipe in Athens, GA and is beloved as one of America’s most literate songwriters, with songs rich in Southern gothic tradition. His list of admirers reads like a Who’s Who of popular music: Madonna, Bob Mould, Pearl Jam, Nancy Griffith, and Fugazi–just to name a few. Through song and interview this film captures the true spirit of a young artist. Color & B/W. 30 mins. Director: Peter Sillen, Camera: John Pirozzi, Editor: Nancy Graydon, Music: Vic Chesnutt, and Production: Peter Sillen.
"Murderball." A film about quadriplegics who play full-contact rugby in Mad Max-style wheelchairs - overcoming unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. Featuring fierce rivalry, stopwatch suspense, and larger-than-life personalities, MURDERBALL, Winner of the Documentary Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Editing at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, is a film about tough, highly competitive rugby players. Quadriplegic rugby players. Whether by car wreck, fist fight, gun shot, or rogue bacteria, these men were forced to live life sitting down. In their own version of the full-contact sport, they smash the hell out of each other in custom-made gladiator-like wheelchairs. And no, they don't wear helmets.
Based on the article by Dana Adam Shapiro, MURDERBALL was co-directed by Henry-
Alex Rubin and Shapiro, and produced by Jeffrey Mandel and Shapiro. During their long
and intense collaboration, the three filmmakers drew on their individual skills to form a tight,
proficient team.
"The Kids are All Right", Kerry Richardson, director. Charities have used poster children to raise money since the 1930s because it works. People see a child with leg braces and crutches; they feel sorry and drop a coin in the jar or call in the pledge. But once the fundraising drive is over, that image of the poor little poster child lingers. The general public absorbs the idea that people with muscular dystrophy, or polio--really all people with disabilities--are pitiable victims who want and need nothing more than a big charity to take care of or cure them. Mike calls this the charity mentality.
See University of Oregon FILM FESTIVAL SITE for full details
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BECOME A DIVA MEMBER
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DIVA Memberships. DIVA has many types of memberships. One that has a particular interest to painters, sculptors, illustrators, filmmakers, and others is that of an Artist Member.
Costing only $60 a year a DIVA Artist Member entitles one to a 10% discount at Oregon Art Supply, (15% discount for art class supplies), a 10% discount on DIVA classes, invitations to an annual members meeting and other events, free classified postings on the DIVA website, and access to great art opportunities. If one would like their own virtual studio, the annual fee is an additional $50 per year.
Other memberships are available including Student Membership at just $30.00 per year; Family Membership at $120 a year, and Business/Organization, Guild and Gallerie Memberships are also available.
Help support DIVA by becoming a Member. Your membership helps keep the Center open and growing as a vital resource for the visual arts in the heart of Eugene.
Images to the left reflect just a few of the many artist who have joined DIVA. |
WEB SITE ART EXPLORATIONS
Browse Art At DIVA. Visual art is what its all about at the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA). Our member artists are using the opportunities our website creates to show their work to a broad audience locally and around the world. Our e-Studios show the tremendous art talent available in this beautiful area of Oregon. Take a peek at the fine artwork of some of DIVA's members. Visit Site: Browse Art At DIVA
Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd. To die-hard urbanistas, viewing the various parts of cities as discrete objects to be examined and celebrated is as natural as breathing in and out. There are many who like to look at a city’s primary arteries, such as Chicago’s State Street, or in the case of this website, Los Angeles’s storied Wilshire Boulevard. Stretching across 16 miles and moving through three municipalities, Wilshire Boulevard is known for such signature landmarks as Palisades Park in Santa Monica and the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Visitors will find the interactive map of the Boulevard quite a treat, as they are free to browse around by moving their mouse across a visually appealing map that offers highlights of the built environment on and around the area. Those who have their own personal memories of the Boulevard may wish to submit them in the site’s “Memory Book”, which currently contains personal memories offered by Angelenos and others. Source: Scout Report. Visit Site: Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd.
DIVA and COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES
Call for class and workshop proposals. The DIVA Center is seeking class and workshop proposals for morning and daytime classes and workshops in all media-- drawing, painting, etc. Please request a proposal form from or call for a paper copy or download from this site a PDF or DOC.
DIVA Silent Auction. Madeleine Liepe, one of our current exhibiting artists has generously donated a beautiful painting, "Mt. Pisgah Pond" for Silent Auction at DIVA. This beautiful painting is on display in the DIVA lobby. The art, valued at $1000 has an opening bid of $400.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS AT DIVA
Take A Class! DIVA continues to offer an expanding array of classes for all interests. Join us! Please note that the deadline for class registration is the Friday preceding the first meeting of the class. Registration will take place until that date. See full class list now online at DIVA Classes.
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DIVA CENTER
110 W. Broadway, Eugene
Phone:
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