DIVA CENTER NEWSLETTER

• DIVA News: Up Front
• Exhibits: November - December
• Opportunities
• Calendar of Events
• Web Site Visit: Harlem Hospital Murals
• Membership Information
• News Archive: 2006 | 2007

"It took me 40 years to find out that painting is not sculpture." Paul Cezanne

A Word From Mary Unruh, Executive Director. I’m writing to ask you to become a member of DIVA.  Membership provides about 25% of our annual expenses, but it is also a measure of the commitment of this community for what we are accomplishing.    DIVA continues to be a strong voice for re-defining downtown Eugene as an art destination both locals and visitors can enjoy.  We bring more than 1000 people through our doors every month for exhibits, films, classes, and events.      By supporting DIVA through membership, you belong to a group of artists, local businesses and art lovers who believe that visual art is an essential part of the life and economy of downtown Eugene.

• six galleries exhibiting the work of regional artists
• a monthly artist’s salon on the third Sunday of each month where we offer workshops to help artists hone their skills to market, present, and critique their work.
• our first Open Studios Art Tour designed to bring visitors to the studios of local artists (Fall, 2008)
• our Second Saturday Art Sale each where member artists sell art prints and seconds.
• Art classes and workshops
• A vibrant media arts program featuring films and events that draw interest all along the west coast

Membership is extremely affordable, beginning at $60 a year.  VIP membership levels offer even more opportunities and benefits.  We need your help to continue our valuable work.  Art is a vital force in your life and the life of this community.  Please join us as we strive to keep art in the heart of Eugene. Download a membership form and join in supporting the DIVA Center and the services it provides our community.

DIVA Announces the First Annual Open Studios Art Tour. The Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts is planning a DIVA sponsored Open Studios Art Tour to be held in October 2008.    This two weekend event will assist area artists to sell their work while also providing the public with a unique opportunity to collect art and learn about the creative process in the artist’s own studio. We also hope that this tour will provide support for the continuing operation of the DIVA Center and in the future, become a signature event and major fundraiser for the Center.     All sales of art during the Studio Tour remain with the individual artist. A 35% commission will be taken only on the art sold from the Preview Exhibit to be held the month prior to the Tour at DIVA.     Eligibility Requirements: artists must reside in the Eugene Springfield area and must be members of DIVA.     Consult the DIVA website for more complete information or call DIVA at

Volunteers Needed. DIVA needs volunteers interested in managing volunteers, website development, public relations, facilities upkeep and office support. If you have time and interest in any of these activities, contact Mary Unruh at or .

Volunteer of the month Barbara Benner. Barbara joined the DIVA team this past summer and immediately she dove right in, helping out on so many different levels! Not only does she help with exhibits and has a weekly gallery host shift, but she contributes at an even higher level through committee work. She served on the gARTen party committee - not only did she help plan it, but she made some of the delicious food for it. Now she is lending her services to the Open Studios Art Tour planning committee. Barbara is great at seeing what needs to be done and just doing it - if it weren't for her, all the DIVA plants would be dead! She is an excellent example of the kind of volunteers DIVA seeks out.    Barbara notes about her experience at DIVA, "I'm proud to be a member of DIVA and volunteer!! I like to think I'm able to help out/make a small difference in the running of DIVA by being here! As a gallery host I'm able to answer visitors questions about the art and artists on display and also learn something myself. What could be better??? Oh, yes, and making 40 pounds of 'a summer potato dish' for the Garten Party last summer was great fun!! I've also met a lot of other people who have an interest in the Arts as I do!!"

Carolezoom Leaves DIVA Board. Carolezoom, one of DIVA’s founding members, has recently resigned from the Center's Board of Directors. Carole’s commitment to DIVA since its inception has kept DIVA moving forward toward the goal of a downtown center for traditional and emerging art forms. DIVA thanks Carolezoom for her many hours helping the Center get established and her vision of what DIVA can become.

Second Saturday. DIVA's Second Saturday Art Sale is November 10 from Noon until 5pm. Members are invited to bring work for sale. The November and December Second Saturday Art Sales will be promoted for Christmas giving. Interested
members must submit their intention to participate by no later than November 5. No entry fee will be charged. A 35% commission will be taken on all sales. DIVA member artist’s interested in selling prints or seconds, Contact Mary Unruh at , or call .

Copic Marker Rendering Basics Workshop. Polish up your media skills! Explore the world of Copic markers. This special workshop with Marianne Walker on Tuesday, November 13th, covers choosing papers, inking, marker color theory, blending, techniques & special effects, as well as using mixed media. Appropriate for illustration, fine art, graphic design, architecture, and comic design. The choice of professionals worldwide, the Copic marker offers outstanding performance in all areas of design and illustration. Two versatile tips produce a range of strokes from fine lines to wide color fills.
    Walker received a BFA in Multimedia Design from the University of Oregon in 2002, with a minor in Journalism. She has illustrated children’s books on child safety and learning to read and write, and as been a graphic designer for Copic Markers for seven years. November 13th, 6:30 - 8:30 PM. Cost $35.00. Registration deadline November 6th. Register on the DIVA Workshop and Class web site or call .

Manga Character Drawing Workshop for Teens. If you’re a fan of anime and have always wanted to learn to draw your own Manga characters these workshops with Marianne Walker are for you. In Session 1 (Saturday November. 10th) you’ll learn how to design a character from start to finish –pencil to ink. And if you’re an experienced manga artist, or have taken Marianne’s workshops before, have no fear, there will be advanced techniques covered in both sessions too.
    In Session 2 (Saturday November. 17th ) you’ll take you Manga skills to the next level. Think of a character, or characters, and we’ll learn about creating settings, situations, accessories, and making a one-page comic ready to be copied for your friend. Cost: $25 each, or 2 for $45 with materials provided. Classes designed for young artists age 13-19 and may be taken individually. Registration DEADLINES Session 1: Friday Nov. 2nd. Session 2: Friday Nov. 9th.

Pedro Almodovar "The Bad Boy of Spanish Cinema" Screens at DIVA Sunday. Three of Pedro Almodovar’s widely successful movies about strong female characters will be featured in free screenings at DIVA on Sunday, November 4. Each screening is followed by an engaging audience discussion lead by former Hollywood director Thomas Blank. The films incldue: 1:00 PM "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"; 4:00 PM "All About My Mother"; and 7:00 PM "Volver".
   Pedro Almodovar is the most successful of all the directors in Spain and one of the most honored filmmakers in the world.  He has two Oscar wins and three additional nominations spread over the best director, best screenplay and  best foreighn film categories.  What’s more, he has accumulated twenty-three major nominations and awards throughout Europe and the United States.
   But he’s a bad boy.  If parents knew what was in his films, they’d never let their children come close to the theaters where they are shown.  Critic Vincent Canby called him, "Spain’s most reputable disreputable young filmmaker."  His characters include transvestites and prostitutes and criminals, (Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!) but he treats them all with compassion and understanding.
   A few years ago it would have been next to impossible for Almodovar to get his movies exhibited, let alone honored by Hollywood’s elite.  Why are his pictures so successful? The reason is, they’re continuously delightful.
    They’re filled with characters and stories and location environments that are completely foreign to American audiences, but they find deep resonance with audiences.  In reviewing, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," the Washington Post commented: "In this glossy delight, it’s as if Doris Day had been brought forward in time and confronted with the consequences of living in sin."
   Roger Ebert, reviewing "All About My Mother," wrote that it presents a "Tennessee Williams sensibiltiy in the visual style of a 1950s Universal-International tearjerker.  Rock Hudson and Dorothy Malone never seem very far offscreen.  Bette Davis isn’t offscreen at all.  Almodovar’s heroes seem to be playing her."
Ebert goes on to comment that “although two of the characters are transvestite hookers, one is a pregnant nun and two more are battling lesbians, this is a film that paradoxically expresses family values.”  Go figure!
The New York Times review for "Volver" called it “the darkest of troubles in the brightest of colors,” and commented on Almodovar’s peculiar style, saying, “every room is saturated with bright color and vivid feeling and where discordant notes of violence, jealousy and fear ultimately resolve in the deeper harmoies of art." Photo: Austin TImes.

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER GALLERY EXHIBITS:

Gallery Exhibits november december

DIVA presents a year's end exhibit of new works from November 2nd to December 22nd. The opening reception is Friday November 2, 2007 from 5:30-8:30pm. • "Members' Miniatures," features a variety of artistic media. • "Perspectives," an exhibit featuring sculpture by Andreas Salzman and photography by his wife by Jennifer Salzman represents perspectives that the Salzmans have of their shared experiences, family and lives over the course of their 17-year marriage. • "The Silence of Light," a photography exhibit by R. Schofield. Hidden lands that lie beneath the reflective surface of water surround us. We came from these underwater places but can only return for brief glimpses. Yet the beauty of these lost worlds evokes longing, the irresistibility of nature and the nature of humans. These photographs were taken in lakes and rivers in Oregon, using a homemade underwater housing and natural lighting. The models played an integral artistic role in the conception of these images. • "The Students of Bollons and Ross," a Maude Kerns Art Center Showcases the work of artists who have studied or are currently taking classes from longtime art instructors Kate Bollons and Jerry Ross at the Art Center. • "Serendipity," paintings by DIVA Member Marilyn LeRoux, will be exhibited from Nov. 2nd to December 1st at the Members' Gallery. LeRoux's work has been featured at the Junction City Scandinavian Festival. This exhibit will showcase her nature and landscape painting that displays a variety styles.

OpenLens Festival Call for Entries. DIVA is calling for submission by artists for its fourth annual mid-Oregon video and film festival. This festival provides an opportunity for local film makers to showcase their work in a competitive event. Prizes include Best Juried Award and Audience Choice Award. The festival will be held January 11-12-13, 2008. The Center is now accepting submissions of short film/video works of 10 minutes or less by media artists in SW Oregon counties of Benton, Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Lane, Linn, Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath. Final deadline: November 21(no work accepted after this date.) Visit the OpenLens web site for more information.

Call for 2008 Exhibit Proposals - Deadline November 16th. DIVA invites artists, curators, groups, and organizations to submit exhibit proposals for our six-gallery facility July through December 2008. We welcome a wide variety of proposals including installation, multi-media, time-based, performance, or other creative uses of our gallery spaces. Individuals, pairs, groups, organizations, and curators are invited to submit proposals. Artist should be living in Oregon or proposals that are significant to Oregon are eligible to apply. If you submit samples of the work, they must be in digital format. Images are not required, but are helpful if you have some visual representation of your concept. Applications will be received at DIVA through 6:00pm on November 16, 2007. Notification letters will be mailed by January 8, 2008. Download the Exhibit Proposal Guidelines 2008.