Eugene weekly., June 07, 2018, Page 10, Image 10

NEWS
B Y TAY LO R P E R S E
MAYOR’S ART SHOW RETURNS
The city is bringing back the popular juried show of local art
W
hen the Jacobs Gallery closed in 2016, it
meant the end for the Mayor’s Art Show,
leaving Eugene without a popular art cel-
ebration that had spanned decades.
This summer, the Mayor’s Art Show
— which had its last run in 2015 — will come back, in a
smaller form, as a part of a week-long summer art festival
showcasing the area’s many galleries as well as recogniz-
ing talented contemporary and street artists.
Isaac Marquez, the director of the city’s Cultural Ser-
vices Division, says he sees the importance of visual art
in Eugene.
“When the Jacobs Gallery closed, we heard loud and
clear that the visual arts were a priority for this commu-
nity,” Marquez says.
The Mayor’s Art Show, which dates back to the 1980s,
was a juried exhibition to which Lane County residents
were encouraged to submit their art. A jury chose works to
be featured in the private non-profit Jacobs Gallery in the
lower level of the Hult Center.
Art rejected by the Mayor’s Art Show jury could be ex-
hibited at the Salon des Refusés at the New Zone Gallery.
The new mayor’s show, open only to Eugene artists, will be
held in the now-smaller Jacobs Community Room at the Hult.
Rejected works can still be shown at the New Zone’s salon.
“The salon is such a spirited part and a complement to
the Mayor’s Art Show. It seems like one should go with the
other,” Marquez says.
So far, the mayor’s art show has received 40 submis-
sions, although Marquez says he is hoping for 100.
“Right now we have more opportunities for artists and
the arts than ever before, especially with the visual arts,”
Marquez says. “We can help create a catalyst that leads to
more support for the visual arts.”
The new Eugene Biennial will also be back this year.
Karin Clarke created the biennial in 2016 as an every-oth-
er-year event serving as a stand-in for the Mayor’s Art Show.
The juried show, hosted at her downtown gallery, invited art-
ists from Lane and neighboring counties to submit their work;
a jury has already picked the 31 works for this year’s show.
In the off year, Clarke hosts a separate art show for the
seven winners of the biennial from the previous year.
“I knew it wouldn’t be a replacement for the Mayor’s
Art Show, but I wanted it to be something,” she says.
Clarke hopes the city festival will create excitement for
the biennial, which will run from July 25 to August 25.
In the future, she sees a possibility of involving more gal-
leries and venues to create the energy of the old Eugene
Celebration, which jacked off each year with the Mayor’s
Art Show opening.
“It will be really interesting to see how the energy is
with the two exhibits — if people will be comparing them
or if we will get more traffic,” she says.
Marquez is hopeful that those who submit work and at-
tend the shows are inspired and surprised by the arts, espe-
cially local art.
“I think events like this are worth investing in because it
gives us an opportunity as a community a chance to invest
in each other,” Marquez says.
To enter the Mayor’s Art Show, participants must pay an entry fee of $15 and
submit their art by June 17 at callforentry.org. The show will run July 27 to
Aug. 25.
Ages
3 -17
Register today!
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10
June 7, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com
• Wilma Crowe, Native American elder, youth
advocate and Eugene resident for most of her
adult life turns 100 years old, Sunday, June 10
and will be celebrated at the Lane Community
College Longhouse, 4000 East 30th Avenue. Crowe
is a member of North Dakota’s Standing Rock tribe.
The family welcomes the community and friends
to celebrate with them from 11 am to 3 pm. The
festivities will be a potluck and organizers say
Crowe “has strongly requested that the people and
their friendship is all the gift she would ever want.”
• The Interfaith Prayer Service International
(IPSI) is having a special 200th monthly prayer
service June 11 with the theme: Celebrating Our
Community. The organization says it will honor
many “interfaith angels” in the community during
that service. Among the presenters and honored
citizens will be Rev. Dan Bryant, Eric Richardson
of NAACP and Bill Harris, former president of IPSI,
and another half a dozen others. Former Mayor
Kitty Piercy will present the honor certificates. The
service begins 6:45 pm June 11, at First Christian
Church, 1166 Oak Street.
• The No LNG Coalition will rally at 10 am Tues-
day, June 12, prior to the State Land Board meet-
ing in Salem to protest the proposed Jordan Cove
Export Terminal and Pacific Connector Fracked
Gas Pipeline. Public comments will be delivered
orally to the State Land Board during their public
comment process. Wear red and bring your signs!
To join a carpool from Eugene email sam@casc-
wild.org. Find out more at world.350.org/eugene.