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■ Artists Salon performers
delve into the multi
faceted world of artistic
expression and sharing
By Sara Jarrett
Oregon Daily Emerald
The soothing trickle of a
faux waterfall is the first
thing to greet guests
passing through the
doors of the Conservatory of Clas
sical Dance. Along the far wall,
ivy drapes itself like a feather boa
delicately hanging from the nape
of a 1920s flapper. The ballet stu
dio, which has been transformed
into a performance space for the
night, is dimly fit and plays host
to an artists salon.
Holding an unrestrained salon
at the Conservatory of Classical
Dance, a venue that automatically
conjures images of an art deeply
rooted in history and tradition,
seems like an oxymoron.
Yet, on the third Thursday of
the past four months, perform
ance artists have gathered here for
sharing, experimentation, collab
oration and discussion of their
latest projects. The exchange is pos
sible thanks to both the guidance of
Margo VanUmmersen and a grant
from the Lane Arts Council.
The event is part of a growing
trend in Eugene and seems to be
an effort to bring back the salons
of the 1960s and 1970s. These
contemporary versions, howev
er, are different from the free form
“happenings” of the past.
Thirty-odd years ago, in the
midst of the free love movement
and personal struggles for inde
pendence, artists gathered in liv
ing rooms, parks, gyms — wher
ever they could — to create art on
the spot.
The gatherings of this new gen
eration, though still process-ori
ented, are more formal than their
predecessors, said VanUm
mersen, artistic director of the
VanUmmersen Dance Company.
“We are not [collectively] creat
ing work on the spot,” she ex
plained, although there’s nothing
that would prohibit an artist from
signing up to perform an improvi
sational piece.
The salon is open to all types of
performers, even though 80 per
cent of the first four shows have
consisted of dance-oriented
themes. VanUmmersen guessed
that’s in part because she is a
dancer, but as the originator, she
stresses that anybody and every
body is welcome — from singers
to musicians to poets.
The concept seems to be catch
ing on around town mainly
through word-of-mouth and fliers.
Attendance more than doubled
from twenty audience members
in October to fifty in November.
The numbers haven’t continued
that climb, though. Around 30 peo
ple attended in December and ap
proximately 40 showed in January.
VanUmmersen said she prefers
to have at least four acts perform
each meeting, but if less than that
sign up, something is worked out.
It usually isn’t hard for her to find
people willing to show their work
to a group of art-literate observers
ready to offer constructive criti
cism, she pointed out.
During January’s salon,
VanUmmersen performed a com
ic dance piece that she has been
crafting for some time but hadn’t
actually finalized until the after
noon of the show.
Carrying a huge, green suitcase,
she walked on stage wearing only
pantyhose and a man’s black suit
jacket. She took off the jacket to
reveal a camisole but quickly cov
ered that up with a padded fencing
outfit, which she then layered with
various other quirky costumes
found inside the suitcase.
During the post-performance
discussion, she revealed that the
piece was meant as something
more than just comedy. To
VanUmmersen, it was definitely
a statement about the extremes
women take to fit inside society’s
constraints.
This type of discussion, be
tween artist and audience, is the
biggest asset to the salon. After
each performance, the audience
is given three minutes to write
down their thoughts, addressed
to the performer, choreographer
or composer of what they
watched or heard.
A forum is then opened to dis
cuss what was just experienced.
Rarely do laymen get such a
chance to hear what is inside the
artists’ head. Vice versa, the
artists rarely have an opportunity
to verbally share their concepts
with the public.
In addition to this feedback-ori
ented format, artists often find
they need a colloquy of their own.
Douglas Beauchamp, the executive
director of the Lane Arts Council,
provides that environment.
Held at Tsunami Books, this
particular “Artists Salon” has a
much different style than
VanUmmersen’s. This second
show is also forcing VanUm
mersen to change her meeting’s
name to “Salon for Performance
Artists,” to eliminate confusion
between the two,
Beauchamp said his salon “is a
conversation jam session about
what it is to be an artist — the ups
and downs, and the beauties and
the challenges. It’s a spin-off of
what the arts council does.”
The free gathering, held on the
first Monday of each month, is
open to all creators, including
writers and visual artists. Issues
discussed during a typical
evening include “who we are as
artists and creators” and the role
of artists in the world.
Some artists just come because
they’re lonely, Beauchamp
added. The nature of the work
tends to thrust many artists into
isolation, and this forum provides
a support group. The relation
ships formed could potentially
spawn into other ventures, such
as group shows or collaborative
efforts, Beauchamp said.
This salon does not require
signing up to attend and the at
mosphere has maintained an inti
mate quality during the first two
months of its existence,
Beauchamp reported. There were
13 people at January’s session,
though he expects an increase in at
tendance through word-of-mouth.
This type of promotion is not
uncommon among the various
close-knit groups in the art com
munity.
One such group, called “con
tact improvers,” holds a different
sort of salon in Eugene. These
Contact Improvisation Jams are
more like the “happenings” of the
past, organizer David Koteen
said.
Contact is a modern dance
form based on giving and receiv
ing body weight and manipulat
ing others through space. While
some contact can be choreo
graphed, this form of
dance actually arose in
the 1960s when dancers
began experimenting with
different ways of moving.
Koteen is the founder of Eu
gene’s arts funding organization
TApRoOT, and he said the mod
ern contact jam stays true to the
idiom’s roots by being improvisa
tional based.
Everybody.-'? li^feopelcome,
whether they are experienced
movers or not, he said.
“It’s a space in which one can
experience movement... in a safe
environment,” Koteen said. The
jams happen at Agate Auditorium
every Wednesday and are free.
Performing Artists Salon
When: The third Thursday of each month
Where: The Conservatory of Classic Dance, located at 456 Charnelton St.
Price: $1 donation
Artists Salon
When: The first Monday of each month
Where: Tsunami Books, located at 2585 Willamette St.
Price: Free to the public
Contact Improvisation Jam
When: Every Wednesday
Time:5:30to7:30p.m. ,
Where: Agate Hall, located on 15th Avenue across from Hayward Field
Price: Free to the public
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Giovanni Salimena Emerald