4
MIXED MEDIUM
DECEMBER 15–22, 2021
THE ARTS AROUND
EASTERN OREGON
Annual exhibit ‘The Big’
open now at Art Center East
Go! staff
L
Berenice Chavez/Contributed image
“The Big” exhibit at Art Center East is open through Jan.
29, 2022.
Berenice Chavez/Contributed image
“Chair #2” by Una Walker earned the “Best in 3D” award at
ACE’s The Big exhibit.
A GRANDE — “The Big,” Art Center
East’s annual open exhibit, opened
Friday, Dec. 3, and will be on display
through Jan. 29, 2022.
The exhibit fills ACE’s main and co-
op galleries with works by Pacific North-
west artists in a wide range of artistic
mediums. The galleries are open to the
public and admission is always free.
The Big is a non-juried exhibit open
to anyone who would like to participate.
“We love this annual exhibit because
of the artists it brings out of the wood-
work,” said Art Center East Executive
Director Darcy Dolge. “We are fortunate
to live in a region with an active commu-
nity of professional and amateur artists,
any of whom can exhibit in The Big.”
All artwork submissions are eligible
to win cash prizes awarded by the
exhibit judge. Awards include Best of
Show, Best 3D, Best 2D, Outstanding
Jewelry, Best Creative Glass (spon-
sored by Birddog Glass of La Grande),
Best in Fiber (sponsored by Knitkabob
of Union), Photography (sponsored by
Cook Memorial Library of La Grande for
a commercially printed work), the Fred
Hill Best Photography Award for self-
printed artworks, and Art Center East
Honorable Mentions.
This year’s judge was multimedia art-
ist Robert Anders of Baker City. Anders’
broad artistic interests include sculp-
ture, painting, and printmaking. The win-
ning submissions were announced Dec.
3 at The Big’s opening reception.
Here are the award winners:
• Best of Show: Debra Otterstein,
“Raven’s Call”
• Best in 3D: Una Walker, “Chair #2”
• Best in 2D: Damian Garcia, “The
Death of My Own Kind”
• Best in Fiber: Jo Cowling, “Birds of
Union County”
• Best in Photography: Teresa Stearns
Uriarte, “Sunrise and Wildflowers”
• Outstanding Jewelry: Phoebe Smith,
“Ocean Jasper”
• Best Creative Glass: Jason Walker,
“You’re Mine”
A final prize, the People’s Choice
Award, is determined by exhibit attend-
ees who vote throughout the exhibit’s
THE BIG
Annual open show at Art Center
East
• On display through Jan. 29 at
ACE
• 1006 Penn Ave., La Grande
• Closing reception: 6 p.m. Jan.
14, 2022
• www.artcentereast.org
duration. This prize is awarded on Fri-
day, Jan. 14, 2022, during the exhibit’s
closing reception from 6-8 p.m.
According to a press release, “The
Big features a diverse selection of
artworks from ceramics and painting
to mixed media, fiber arts and photog-
raphy.” Much of the work on display is
available for purchase.
Find out more about this event and
others at www.artcentereast.org. Art
Center East is at 1006 Penn Ave. in
La Grande. Regular gallery hours are
Wednesday through Friday from noon-
5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-
2 p.m. Exhibits can also be viewed
online at www.artcentereast.org.