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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2016)
P ORCELAIN SCULPTURE EXHIBIT OPENS COOS BAY — A show of porcelain sculptures by the late Elena Karina Canavier will open at the Coos Art Museum on Friday, Dec. 9, with a recep- tion from 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free and the public is invited. The works will remain on display through Feb. 11, 2017. Few people of Oregon’s South Coast know that we had a major ceramic artist in our midst. Elena Karina Canavier has works in important collections through- out the United States, including the Boston Museum, the Oakland Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution. At the time of her death in 2010, Canavier was building a dream studio on a mountaintop south of Langlois. Family members and friends have plans underway for shows in Los Angeles and New York, but since the work is currently here, they have agreed to have the very first showing of the finest pieces right here at our own muse- um in Coos Bay. Says Coos Art Museum director Steven Broocks, “This is a very special opportunity for the people of Southern Oregon to see a show which normally would not find its way to our area; I am very excited about this exhibit, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Coos Art Museum.” Elena Karina Canavier was born Sept. 2, 1931, in Tientsin, China, where her Russian father was chief engineer for the construction of the Mongolian Railway. The family moved to Los Angeles when Elena was young, and she studied art at the Jepson Art Institute, received COURTESY PHOTO “Acrobat” porcelain sculpture by Elena Karina Canavier her bachelor or arts degree in architec- ture and printmaking from University of Southern California, and her masters degree from California Southern University in Long Beach. While there, she spent a great deal of time beachcombing, and her fascination with tide pools and marine creatures translated into her works of art. In the 1970s, Canavier moved to Washington, DC, where she became Crafts Coordinator for the National Endowment for the Arts, and later served as special adviser for the Arts Office of Vice-President Walter Mondale from 1978 to 1980. She taught ceramics in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., wrote for many publications including Art Week and Art News, and was a featured artist in many galleries, most recently at the prestigious Davis and Cline Gallery in Ashland. John Davis said in a telephone inter- view: “Elena was a consummate artist; her work was visionary…She was a true master of the medium, as well as a delightful human being.” Canavier became acquainted with Bandon artist and curator Victoria Tierney shortly after coming to the South Coast in 2001. When she started AVK Arts with funds Friday Foreign Film series continues COOS BAY — The “Friday Foreign Film” series at Coos Bay Public Library continues at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9. This month’s feature is the acclaimed anime feature “Tokyo Godfathers.” On the streets of Tokyo, three homeless characters: Gin, an alcoholic and middle-aged hobo; Hana, a transgender woman and former drag queen; and Miyuki, a runaway teenage girl, are surviv- ing as a makeshift family. On a snowy Christmas eve, the trio discovers a baby while rum- D EC . 9 maging through the trash. Gin insists they go to the police and return the abandoned baby, but Hana, who has always dreamt of being a mother, has made her mind up to keep the baby and names her Kiyoko, meaning “pure one.” With only a handful of clues to the baby’s identity, the three take it upon themselves to return the baby to her parents. What follows is a journey through Tokyo that is beautiful, ugly, gritty, stylized, nihilistic and hopeful all at once, in the way that only the best of Japanese anime can be. In a harrowing comedic and uplifting adventure they discover their own history and happiness. The “Friday Foreign Film” series, sponsored by the Friends of Coos Bay Public Library, is normally held on the second Friday of the month and is free to the public. Many of these films are not rated and parental discretion is advised. For more information call 541- 269-1101. AT CBM left to her by her aunt and uncle, Antonina and Vladimir Koulaeff, she approached Tierney and suggested that they might work together to promote the arts in Bandon. “She was an ideal patron of the arts,” says Tierney. “She trusted us completely; I never had to write out long detailed pro- posals and apply for grants. She simply wanted to know what each show cost, and she paid for them. “She sponsored over 50 shows. It was a great stroke of wonderful luck for Bandon.” In gratitude for this support, Tierney has offered her services to curate this show at the Coos Art Museum. “It is a labor of love for me,” says Tierney, who serves on the Exhibitions Committee of the museum. “I think peo- ple will be blown away by the quality of the work. I encourage all of you to take advantage of the chance to see this show.” The museum will also be showing important works from its Permanent Collection, as well as scientific illustra- tions of tidal pool animals done by mem- bers of the Oregon Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and low tide photog- raphy by members of the Willamette Valley PhotoArts Guild. These will complement Canavier’s delicate porcelain creations inspired by tide pools and marine creatures. Coos Art Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Museum admission: $5 general, $2 students, veterans and seniors, free to museum members. FRAA to host Winter Artisan Fair Jan. 14-15 The 15th annual Winter Music Artisan Fair will be a two-day event, Saturday, Jan. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a must-see event for the weekend and admission to the Artisan Fair is free. This year, the Florence Regional Arts Alliance (FRAA) will be the event committee for the Artisan Fair. There will be artisans, both local and regional, who will come and demonstrate their creative talents and bring their latest creations. The artisans will vary from wood craft to herbs; knit, cro- chet and fiber creations to ward off the winter’s chill; artwork to stir the imagina- tion and tastings to warm the heart. For more information, con- tact Claudia Brown, event chair, at 541-902-1933. D E C EM BE R 20 1 6 • Ar t s & E n t e r t a i n m e nt • C OAST C ENTRAL • 1 5
