Arts Culture & Entertainment
February 20, 2017
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 11
Grace Kook-Anderson assumed her new role in January
as the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer curator of Northwest
Art at the Portland Art Museum (PAM) and is now
responsible for the care, research, exhibition, and growth
of the Northwest art collection, including the organization
of the biennial Contemporary Northwest Art Awards. She
filled the position left vacant by Bonnie Laing-Mal-
colmson, who retired in 2016.
Kook-Anderson was most recently the curator of
contemporary art at the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna
Beach, California, and had spent the last year as an
independent curator and freelance writer in Portland.
Previously she was curator and exhibition organizer on a
number of projects, including “Amateurs” (CCA Wattis
Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco) and “The
Land Mark Show” (Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa
Fe, New Mexico), among others, and served as assistant to
the chief curator at the Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco. She holds undergraduate degrees in art history
and art practice from the University of California,
Berkeley, and a master’s degree in curatorial practice
from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
The Northwest art collection — housed primarily in the
Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Northwest Art —
brings PAM’s regional collection to the forefront, tracing
the history of Northwest art from the late 19th century to
today. The two-floor center is home to works from the col-
lection as well as historic and contemporary exhibitions
that celebrate the Northwest’s history and culture.
Its vast collection of Northwest art distinguishes the
Portland Art Museum from other cultural institutions in
the region. The collection is rich in a variety of works by
past and present artists living and working in Oregon,
Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. Together,
the historical and contemporary objects depict a visual
narrative of the Northwest while providing insight to sig-
nificant works by artists. Thanks to a National Endow-
ment for the Humanities grant, the entire Northwest art
collection is available for viewing online.
“I am thrilled by the appointment of Grace Kook-
Anderson …,” said Brian Ferriso, PAM’s director and chief
curator. “Grace’s highly regarded tenure as the curator of
contemporary art at the Laguna Art Museum, coupled
with her recent work in Portland as an arts writer and
critic make her an ideal candidate to lead our important
mission of evaluating and celebrating our region’s
historical and burgeoning visual arts scene.”
During her six years at the Laguna Art Museum,
Kook-Anderson organized nearly 30 exhibitions, includ-
ing the creation and curation of the ex.pose contemporary
art program, a space dedicated to a single artist that has
strong parallels to the Portland Art Museum’s APEX
gallery, which she now manages. She expanded the
exhibition calendar from one year to three years, served as
FREE HOME REPAIRS FOR PORTLAND
SENIOR & DISABLED HOMEOWNERS
Plumbing l Electrical l Carpentry
Call (503) 501-5719 or
visit https://reachcdc.org
Portland
Housing
Bureau
Interpretation services available
interim education curator, developed public programs,
engaged in fundraising, authored and contributed to
multiple publications, and acquired many important
pieces for the collection.
Since moving to Portland, Kook-Anderson has
immersed herself in the local arts community, working as
a curator, a writer, and an instructor at Portland State
University participating in portfolio reviews and serving
as a committee member for Converge 45.
“Having closely followed the Portland Art Museum for
the last several years, I am very excited to be part of the
talented staff of the museum,” Kook-Anderson said. “I
look forward to collaborating with fellow curatorial and
educational staff, deepening my knowledge of the
collection, expanding the scholarship of historical North-
west art up to the present time, and actively engaging
with regional artists in the context of a broader art scene.”
To learn more, visit <www.portlandartmuseum.org>.
New bus service is
coming your way soon
We want to bring more bus service your way in 2017–
2018, with a focus on a more reliable ride and better
connections to jobs and schools. This includes:
• New service in Beaverton and East Portland/Gresham
• More service on Burnside and in Milwaukie, North
Portland and Beaverton
• New connections to MAX and Delta Park in North
Portland
See the full list of changes and weigh in on the revised
proposal at trimet.org/busplan.
TriMet Open House
Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 6–7:30 p.m.
Portland Building, 2nd Floor, Room C
1120 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR 97204
Tu Phan
Call for:
Refinances
Purchases
Offering:
FHA/VA/Conventional
Mortgages
NMLS # 1071
MLO # 7916
12550 S.E. 93rd Avenue
Suite 350
Clackamas, OR 97015
(503) 496-5718
<tphan@financeofamerica.com>
<www.financeofamerica.com>
TriMet Board Meeting and Public Hearing
Wednesday, March 22, 2017, sign up 8:30–9 a.m.
World Trade Center, Skybridge A & B
121 SW Salmon St., Portland, OR 97205
Photo courtesy of the Portland Art Museum
Grace Kook-Anderson assumes role as PAM’s curator of Northwest Art