Arts Culture & Entertainment February 20, 2017 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 11 Grace Kook-Anderson assumed her new role in January as the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum (PAM) and is now responsible for the care, research, exhibition, and growth of the Northwest art collection, including the organization of the biennial Contemporary Northwest Art Awards. She filled the position left vacant by Bonnie Laing-Mal- colmson, who retired in 2016. Kook-Anderson was most recently the curator of contemporary art at the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, California, and had spent the last year as an independent curator and freelance writer in Portland. Previously she was curator and exhibition organizer on a number of projects, including “Amateurs” (CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco) and “The Land Mark Show” (Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico), among others, and served as assistant to the chief curator at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. She holds undergraduate degrees in art history and art practice from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in curatorial practice from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. The Northwest art collection — housed primarily in the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Northwest Art — brings PAM’s regional collection to the forefront, tracing the history of Northwest art from the late 19th century to today. The two-floor center is home to works from the col- lection as well as historic and contemporary exhibitions that celebrate the Northwest’s history and culture. Its vast collection of Northwest art distinguishes the Portland Art Museum from other cultural institutions in the region. The collection is rich in a variety of works by past and present artists living and working in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. Together, the historical and contemporary objects depict a visual narrative of the Northwest while providing insight to sig- nificant works by artists. Thanks to a National Endow- ment for the Humanities grant, the entire Northwest art collection is available for viewing online. “I am thrilled by the appointment of Grace Kook- Anderson …,” said Brian Ferriso, PAM’s director and chief curator. “Grace’s highly regarded tenure as the curator of contemporary art at the Laguna Art Museum, coupled with her recent work in Portland as an arts writer and critic make her an ideal candidate to lead our important mission of evaluating and celebrating our region’s historical and burgeoning visual arts scene.” During her six years at the Laguna Art Museum, Kook-Anderson organized nearly 30 exhibitions, includ- ing the creation and curation of the ex.pose contemporary art program, a space dedicated to a single artist that has strong parallels to the Portland Art Museum’s APEX gallery, which she now manages. She expanded the exhibition calendar from one year to three years, served as FREE HOME REPAIRS FOR PORTLAND SENIOR & DISABLED HOMEOWNERS Plumbing l Electrical l Carpentry Call (503) 501-5719 or visit https://reachcdc.org Portland Housing Bureau Interpretation services available interim education curator, developed public programs, engaged in fundraising, authored and contributed to multiple publications, and acquired many important pieces for the collection. Since moving to Portland, Kook-Anderson has immersed herself in the local arts community, working as a curator, a writer, and an instructor at Portland State University participating in portfolio reviews and serving as a committee member for Converge 45. “Having closely followed the Portland Art Museum for the last several years, I am very excited to be part of the talented staff of the museum,” Kook-Anderson said. “I look forward to collaborating with fellow curatorial and educational staff, deepening my knowledge of the collection, expanding the scholarship of historical North- west art up to the present time, and actively engaging with regional artists in the context of a broader art scene.” To learn more, visit . New bus service is coming your way soon We want to bring more bus service your way in 2017– 2018, with a focus on a more reliable ride and better connections to jobs and schools. This includes: • New service in Beaverton and East Portland/Gresham • More service on Burnside and in Milwaukie, North Portland and Beaverton • New connections to MAX and Delta Park in North Portland See the full list of changes and weigh in on the revised proposal at trimet.org/busplan. TriMet Open House Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 6–7:30 p.m. Portland Building, 2nd Floor, Room C 1120 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR 97204 Tu Phan Call for: Refinances Purchases Offering: FHA/VA/Conventional Mortgages NMLS # 1071 MLO # 7916 12550 S.E. 93rd Avenue Suite 350 Clackamas, OR 97015 (503) 496-5718 TriMet Board Meeting and Public Hearing Wednesday, March 22, 2017, sign up 8:30–9 a.m. World Trade Center, Skybridge A & B 121 SW Salmon St., Portland, OR 97205 Photo courtesy of the Portland Art Museum Grace Kook-Anderson assumes role as PAM’s curator of Northwest Art