BY SYLVIE PEDERSON
Come as You Art
DIVA’s new executive director organizes costume ball.
O
folio on the website (Artist e-Studios).
n Aug. 1, Mary Unruh became the
Artists themselves manage their sites,
first executive director of the
which include room for profiles, products
Downtown Initiative for the
and orders.
Visual Arts after serving on DIVA’s execu-
As executive director, Unruh has duties
tive board and steering committee. She has
other than webmaster. Besides the nuts and
volunteered at least 30 hours a week at
bolts of managing the facility, she is in
DIVA since November 2003.
charge of communications, recruiting new
Unruh, who has a degree in public
members, fund-raising and public relations.
administration, first moved to Eugene in
“I’m the public face for the organization,”
1979. A former stockbroker, she also has
she said. “We want DIVA to be a catalyst
extensive experience in management, both
for revitalizing downtown. We want to
public and private. She has a long record of
work with downtown businesses to create
public service as a volunteer, having served
that mindset that downtown is this fabulous
on the LCC Board of Trustees for seven
place with great food, gift stores, atmos-
years and having coordinated, as a VISTA
phere and an attitude of successful enter-
volunteer, “The Village Project,” a plan for
prise — an attitude of initiative.”
developing community-based responses to
Unruh praises the DIVA board for its
the needs of children and families. The
clear goals. “I just help make it happen,”
project resulted in the creation of the Bethel
she said. To that effect, she has been busy
Village Family Center. She developed
organizing Come As You Art, a
the Child/Family Interactive
Halloween costume-party and
Network, a local Internet-
celebration of DIVA’s first
based guide to children and
year (Saturday, Oct. 30,
family services, before
from 8 pm to midnight).
founding her own
“What’s unique about
Internet publishing
it,” said Unruh, “is
firm, New Paradigm,
that it involves not
Inc., which she ran
just DIVA but five
until 1998.
different venues of
Unruh started
entertainment with-
volunteering
for
in our neighbor-
DIVA after reading
hood where people
about the gallery’s
can go listen to
opening in EW. “I
music, dance, enjoy
thought it was a great
art and eat great
idea to revitalize
food.”
downtown with a theme
One ticket covers
around the arts,” she
salsa
dancing
with
explained. She had always
Caliente at Luna, Celtic
been interested in the arts, and
Rock with Fianacats at Café
she had begun doing painting and
MA
RY UNRUH Paradiso, tango lesson and dancing
ceramics.
at the Tango Center, Rogue’s Dead Man’s
“The DIVA idea rekindled the part of
Ale tasting and Jeff Ibach’s acoustic guitar
me that wanted to be involved in social
at The Broadway.
change,” Unruh said. “The timing was per-
Besides desserts, wine, beer and jazz
fect. DIVA found a facility before the
music with Cindy Duerfeldt and the Jim
organization to run it was in place: the
Olson Trio, DIVA will offer a unique exhib-
accounting, database, website … One of
it of surreal and macabre art on view Oct.
the first things I volunteered to do was the
25-30. “That’s high-class Halloween art,”
website.”
Unruh said, “with Steve Oshatz’ kinetic
To that effect, Unruh contacted Kin
sculptures, Tenold Peterson’s surreal sculp-
Lane, a Eugene programmer, with a list of
tures and paintings, and a lot of other
what the website should accomplish. Lane
artists’ works on the Halloween theme.”
and his wife Ishbel are the founders of
Cat’s Meow will project a multimedia pres-
Original Web Solutions (OWS), which spe-
entation on the wall as jazz is being played.
cializes in creating customized websites
There will also be a juried indoor ArtFest at
and web-based applications for small busi-
150 W. Broadway, co-sponsored by Lane
nesses and non-profit organizations.
Arts Council.
Unruh convinced the Lanes that the
Costume resources include Actor’s
DIVA site could become a prototype for all
Cabaret, Backstage, Nobody’s Baby/Time
arts organizations’ websites.
Warp Costume Rentals and tool-leather
“They did the website for us as a dona-
masks by Newman available at DIVA.
tion,” said Unruh. “Kin liked the idea of
Randy Stender, chairman of the DIVA
supporting the arts. Our hope is that people
board, said, “Mary has an incredible
will see what the program can do and other
amount of energy. She’s doing a great job
arts organizations will give OWS their
of advancing the mission and goals of
business.”
DIVA. She almost single-handedly gets
DIVA’s website is up and running
credit for the masked-ball endeavor and I
(www.divanow.org). Designed as a com-
think that’s going to be a great success.
munity artists’ portal, it provides visitors
She’s also doing a very good job of build-
with full details about DIVA’s numerous
ing bridges with important people down-
exhibits, events and classes. One can even
town and we’re very happy that the Oregon
register for classes online.
Community Foundation matched our fund-
Best of all, each artist member is given
raising to finance her position.”
a unique login to place an electronic port-
ew
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OCTOBER 28, 2004 13