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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2012)
Local News Photographer Julie Keefe Named Laureate’ The Skanner News’ longtime photogra- pher Julie Keefe has been named as Port- land’s first-ever Creative Laureate by Mayor Sam Adams. A photographer and youth arts advocate, Keefe has run her own company, Julie Keefe Photography, and also a joint venture with her husband John Klicker, KeefeK- licker Photography, in North Portland since the late 1980s. She has worked for the Skanner News since 1990, and is currently curating a selection of her photos for an exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society in 2013. At ceremonies Saturday, Adams said the Creative Laureate is intended to be an active advocate for the arts. “I think Julie Keefe is a fantastic example of the kind of artist that makes Portland a national hub for culture and creativity,” Adams said. “Julie’s work in community building through ‘Hello Neighbor’ and her teaching through the Right Brain initiative and at the Portland Art Museum highlight her commitment to the City of Portland.” For The Skanner News, Keefe’s work has focused on the local African and African American communities, as well as North and Northeast Portland in general. However Keefe is also known as a chron- icler of artists themselves, from actors to poets and musicians; she photographed many Portland bands’ album covers during the decade of the 1990s. Thirdly, Keefe has spent many, many years photographing elected officials and candidates for office. The Skanner News Editor Lisa Loving C O M has worked with Keefe since the 1980s. “Her trove of images – chronicling the Black community, grunge bands and the political kaleidoscope of elected officials, stands as a pop history that shows why Portland is a unique community,” Loving says. “What also needs to be said about Julie is that she feels every image personally, each picture she takes tells a complete story, and her dedication to improving the lives of the people she photographs is unmatched in Oregon journalism.” Keefe has spent years as a youth educator, and helped launch the Caldera program for at-risk youth which has grown into an award-winning institution. More recently Keefe combined photogra- phy, arts education and social change with her signature project on gentrification, “Hello Neighbor!” The award-winning “participatory art” program invited underserved youth from local communities hit hard by gentrification to meet their new neighbors, take photos of them and create giant banners of the art that was then installed in those communities – literally bringing new neighbors together in public art. “Hello Neighbor” earned Keefe national recognition and eventually grew to include towns across the state. It stands as the largest public art project in Oregon history. For that, Keefe was a finalist in the Pres- ident’s Council on Arts and Humanity ‘Coming Up Taller’ Awards in 2009. She now works with the Right Brain Ini- tiative in area classrooms and the Portland M U N I T Seventh graders at Vestal School in Northeast Portland learned about the art of interviewing and photography in a residency with The Right Brain Initiative and local photographer Julie Keefe. By pairing off into groups of two, students were asked to interview each other in order to find out more about one another. With cameras in hand, they then went outside to do portraits of their partner by referring back to what they had learned about them during the interview process. PHOTO BY MICHELE FIELD, COURTESY OF THE RIGHT BRAIN INITIATIVE Art Museum in the Object Stories program. “It is my hope that the position of Cre- ative Laureate for the City of Portland will afford me the opportunity to continue advo- cating for the ideas I so strongly believe in - that art creates conversation, conversation creates community and everyone loves poetry written by first graders reflecting on their first photographs!” Keefe said last Y C A L E N week. Mayor Adams created the new Creative Laureate program, administered by the Regional Arts and Culture Council, to cre- ate additional opportunities for creative industry leadership and arts advocacy in the local community. The Creative Laureate will serve a one- year term starting Jan. 1, 2013. D A R P ORTLAND 2012 B ULLETIN B OARD Friday December 21 BRIDGE CITY COMICS: RELEASE PARTY Free autograph-signing party to celebrate release of new books by David Walker and Jeremy Barlow. Set for 6pm - 9pm at Bridge City Comics, 3725 N Mississippi Ave, Portland. If you have an event you want to share with the community, email it two weeks in advance to The Skanner at info@theskanner.com Thursday December 20 CHRISTMAS SHIPS Final two nights to catch the Christmas ships on the Willamette River. On Thursday the fleet will travel from Riverplace Marina to the Fremont Bridge starting at 7 p.m. On Friday the fleet sails between Riverplace Marina and Milwaukie. JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT CENTER FOOD DRIVE Dec. 20-22 Anyone who wants to help deliver food (all are welcome to participate) on Saturday, Dec. 22, or help prepare food boxes on December 20 or 21, please contact the JHS alumni office at 503-291-5414 or alumni@jesuitportland.org. FESTIVAL BRASS. This seven piece brass ensemble plays your favorite holiday music. 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. Saturday December 22 OPEN DOOR GALLERY HOLIDAY GIFT BAZAAR Handmade earrings, knit hats & selected artwork by MR.B. Free entry from 3 – 6 p.m. Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 McCoy Academy, 3802 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland, Oregon PEACE VIGIL Bring flameless candles or flashlights to this open forum where anyone can share their thoughts at 4 p.m. in front of the downtown courthouse at the corner of S.W. Broadway and Yamhill St.For more information call Julia Orsi, 503-288-2273 Sunday December 23 FREE HOLIDAY CONCERT Page 2 The Portland Skanner December 19, 2012 The Portland Gay Symphonic Band will perform a free holiday concert on Sunday Dec. 23, 2-3p.m. at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center Atrium, 501 N. Graham Portland. The 30 musicians will perform holiday music in a variety of musical styles ranging from classical to contemporary and popular music. A symphonic band is a group of wind and percussion instruments similar to an orchestra without the string players. JAM NIGHT Jam Night is a friends and family night, featuring local recording artists, sketch improv comedy (family-friendly), Jam Night and free snacks. This free event for the whole family starts at 7 p.m. at New Columbia Community Center, 4625 N. Trenton. Tuesday December 25 CHRISTMAS MEAL Union Gospel Mission is preparing to serve more than 700 meals and to give away over 500 gift bags containing gloves, hats, scarves and meal gift cards on Christmas Day. The meal takes place at Union Gospel Mission at 15 N.W. Third Ave. Wednesday December 26 BOOK SIGNING and Superhero Powers Awakening with S. Renee Mitchell. Mitchell will unveil her latest book, The Awakening of Sharyn, 6 p.m., at the Matt Dishman Community Center, 77 N.E.
