ju s t o u t ▼ m a y 5 , 1 0 0 3 ▼ 1 3
N obody q u ite lik e him
William Jamison has brought much richness to Portland’s cultural life via art and activism
▼
by Inga Sorensen
any years ago when Peggy Flynn
was a “fledgling fashion de
signer,” she received a card con
taining a $ 100 bill. That missive,
signed by her friend William
Jamison, read: “I totally believe in
Back in the 1970s, Joyce Lozito was driving
from her Portland home to San Francisco when
she picked up a hitchhiker who accompanied her
on the 12-hour haul. “We fell in love with each
other. We talked and talked and listened to music.
When we got to San Francisco, we felt like we
wanted to turn around so we could spend another
12 hours together,” says Lozito, who is currently
an arts instructor at the Metropolitan Learning
Center. Lozito and that hitchhiker— William
Jamison— would wind up sharing a friendship
that would span two decades and eventually take
them on shared journeys to exotic locations like
Spain and Morocco.
Some years ago when Brad Rogers was a
college student studying photography, he loved to
unwind at a Rose City bistro called Victoria’s
Nephew: “That was back before the espresso
boom. It was the only place that had an espresso
bar, and it was just so great to go there and enjoy
the atmosphere,” says the thirtysomething Rogers,
who readily admits that espresso was not the only
thing he was interested in. It just so happened that
William Jamison was a partner in Victoria’s
Nephew (the doors of which were open from 1974
to 1984). Last December, Rogers and Jamison
celebrated their 13th anniversary together. “Wil
liam is an angel,” says Rogers.
As the saying goes: We should all be so lucky
to have so many who love us. However, in the case
of William Jamison, perhaps publicly best known
for his Jamison/Thomas Gallery, friends and as
sociates will assure you their feelings for Jamison
have nothing to do with luck.
“Back in 1986 when I was thinking of opening
my own gallery, I asked William for advice. He
was not hesitant at all,” says Rod Pulliam, co
owner of Portland’s Pulliam/Deffenbaugh Gal
lery. “William is just so accessible and willing to
respond to people’s needs. He gave us advice
even though we were a potential competitor. He is
a natural teacher who never lectures.”
Pulliam adds: “William really puts his money
where his mouth is when it comes to the notion of
‘community.’ ”
By the time Pulliam’s space got up and run
ning in 1988, Jamison’s—and business partner
Jeffrey Thomas’—Jamison/Thomas Gallery was
already three years into creating a solid reputation
M
you.”
for itself. (The Jamison/Thomas Gallery evolved
from Jamison’s Folk Craft Gallery, open from
1980 to 1985.)
During the past decade the gallery has fea
tured Stan Peterson’s wood carvings; Stuart
Buehler’s bone sculptures and driftwood pieces;
Gregory Grenon’s expressionist paintings of
women; George Dureau’s compelling photographs
of nude black men; African-born Wagu6’s ceram
ics; French artist F16chemuller’s fish art; andTom
Cramer’s carvings.
The eclectic mix has brought much richness to
this city’s cultural life and may, say some, be
symbolic of Jamison’s colorful personal history.
(While the list of artists represented by the gallery
is extensive, it will stop growing come the end of
July; Jamison, who is living with AIDS, has
chosen to close the gallery.)
Bom and raised in the Midwest, the 49-year-
old Jamison attended Ohio’s Kent State Univer
sity at the height of the Vietnam conflict.
“I think William was actually sitting in class
when he heard the shots ring out,” says Rogers, in
describing the infamous killings of four Kent
Laughing
dk.
Horse
^
Books
We now carry
The A dvocate
RF D
L am bda B ook R ep o rt
3652 SE Division ♦ 236-2893
Open Mon-Sat 11-7
State students by National Guardsmen in May
1970. As on campuses nationwide, many students
were protesting U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
“Apparently there was a lot of confusion after
the shootings and the guards set up barricades
around the campus. A long-haired William and
his wife [Jamison was married at the time] talked
their way past the guards so they could get out of
there.”
After completing his education (and ending
stints as a florist and a college arts instructor) in
Ohio, Jamison moved to Portland, became a part
ner in Victoria’s Nephew, opened his Folk Craft
Gallery, and later, the Jamison/Thomas Gallery.
“William has always pulled a lot of wagons,”
says Rogers. “Back in the ’70s it was illegal in
Portland for a restaurant to have outdoor seating.
William thought it would add something positive
to this town to allow people to be able to enjoy
outdoor dining. He fought the city council over
this and won. He also successfully stopped a
McDonald’s from going up across from Couch
Park.”
Rogers adds: “He’s contributed so much to
this community— not just the arts community.
Preserving the past has always been important to
William. Both here and in Ohio, William has
rallied to save old homes. He has always felt it was
important to preserve that which is beautiful and
historic.”
Jamison has also been influential in getting
gallery owners to back First Thursday, a
collaborative effort to attract the public to galler
ies. He’s served on the Metropolitan Arts Com
mission, the board of the Oregon School of Arts
and Crafts, and the Oregon Art Institute’s Con
temporary Arts Council. He is a founder of Art/
AIDS, which mobilizes the arts community to
raise funds and awareness around HIV/AIDS
issues, and he is an active member of the Portland
Center for the Visual Arts and the Oregon Art
Institute.
“But it’s William’s ability to connect with
people that is so very William,” says Thomas.
“While I tended to be good at the managerial
aspects of the business, William had this great
spiritual quality that attracted artists who, even
though they had extraordinary bodies of work,
had no intentions of publicly showing it. William
had a way of winning over their trust, and in doing
so the gallery gained respect from galleries and
artists nationwide.”
Jane Beebe, a longtime friend and co-worker
of Jamison’s (as well as an artist herself), adds:
“William has always been willing to let artists do
what they wanted. He’s ambitious, but in the very
best way. He knows if artists are not constrained,
they can produce works of accomplishment.”
According to his friends and co-workers,
Jamison’s connectedness with people and com
munity is not the only quality that sets him apart
from so many others— so, too, does his sense of
humor: “I don’t consider myself to be a gullible
guy, but William always gets me. Always," says
Pulliam.
“No doubt about it,” says Rogers, “W illiam’s
sense of humor is definitely warped— and I love
it.”
Says Thomas: “I remember one year when
William was at the Boo Ball [an annual Hallow
een fund-raiser for community radio station
KBOO). William came dressed as a table, with a
table cloth and some flowers on top. He would
crouch down, and people would actually think he
was a table. They’d put their drinks or food on
him, at which point he would stand up and totally
freak them out. He took such great glee is seeing
their reaction.... There’s nobody like William
Jamison.”
BLUESTONE
HOCKLEY
R E A L T Y .
S S S S S S S S S SS S S i
A H aven B y
T he S ea
•
S ix spacious o c e a n fr m t u n i t s o n a b lu ff a bove the
beach, w ith easy beach access. T h e h o t tu b i n the yard
overlooks the s u r f a n d m iles o f sa n d y beach. Join us fo r
a b e a u tifu l a n d re stfu l sta y G ift certificates available
Y ou r h osts,
L in c o ln C ity
M a r ile e
H a a se & S a n d y P fa ff
(5 0 3 ) 9 9 4 -5 0 0 7 • 1 -8 0 0 -8 6 6 -9 9 2 5
I N C
leasing • sales • management
A proud member o f the community
fo r more than 25 years
RICHARD C. LEVY
Vice President
Associate Broker
4445 SW B arbur Blvd.
P ortland, OR 97201
(503) 222-3807
BRIAN MARK! FRAMING
21 YEARS EXPERIENCE
AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
Oversize work our specialty
2236 NE Broadway, Portland
503-249-5659