The View from the Edge of the Universe

Portland's Grid Project

Volume is one facet of photography that few artists have recognized and capitalized on.  Ever wonder how many photos are taken in a day?  Over a million I bet.  Blue Sky director Christopher Rauschenberg has used  the idea of volume in his Portland Grid Project, part of which is now on view at the Portland Art Center.

The Project  In October of 1995, local photographer Christopher Rauschenberg took a     pair of scissors to a standard AAA map of Portland and cut that map into 98 pieces. A group of 12 of the city’s best photographers all photographed one randomly picked square each month, using a variety of films and formats.It took nine years for this group (which included 15 photographers by the end) to finish taking pictures in all 98 Grid Sections of the city, by which time they had shown each other over 20,000 images, taken in every part of Portland.
The Exhibition  The core of this exhibition combines 3000 work prints from the nine years of the first round and the first three years of the second round that will be displayed in the center of the gallery.

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical before seeing the exhibition.  The randomness of it all had me a bit worried.  But when you have 15 talented photographers, each with their own point of view and dedicated curators whittling down the images nearly by 90%, you end up with a very good and surprisingly insightful record of the city.   

       

Now That's a Work of Art

Marc Joseph at Reed College

I made time last week to take in my first show at Reed College: New and Used, a series of photos of used record and book stores by noted photographer, Marc Joseph.  Joseph made a name for himself with an earlier series, American Pit Bull.  "New and Used" is described as "a chronicle, a reader, a memento and an archive."  This most likely applies as much to the book as the exhibit.
What was most striking to me was how opposite the experience of seeing the exhibit was as compared to my experience of browsing through these used-good shops.  Where the stores themselves are usually musty, dusty labyrinths of treasures and trash, Joseph's photos could be described as "hyper-realism" or "super-forensic".  The large-format richly-colored photos, usually shot head-on in dazzling detail, are void of any sense of nostalgia or history. Its as if a scientist had to come quantify and document these locales.  I do like the contrast of the images with my experience of being there, but I'm not sure that they warrant such an unforgiving examination.  It seems sort of like going in for a cat scan when you stub your toe...sometimes a kiss is better than surgery.

Let Me Show You My Baby Pictures

Quality Pictures is Open for Business

Believe it or not, this is the first spare moment I've had to breathe and really enjoy the opening of Quality Pictures.  Opening day was insane! We had art coming in for the show as late as Wednesday night.  Of course, it needed to be framed by 4pm the next day.  Thursday morning found the electrician and the furniture maker still winding up their projects.  We got our electrical approval at 10am. The inspector who came to give us final approval showed up at 3 hours before we opened only to tell me that I was one EXIT sign short!  Luckily, he gave us final approval anyway, so we were ready to go!
I showed up late (only a few minutes) for my own grand opening.  I'll be late for my funeral too.  Just watch.
The opening gala was a great night.  The art was wonderful, Chris Verene was effervescent and the food (by my parter Bryan) almost stole the show it was so marvelous.  Sorry for gushing so much, but if I'm going to allow myself to gush on my blog, its going to be over opening night.
The crowds were steady and huge.  At least 2000 people came through to see what I had brought to Portland. I shook tons of hands and remembered no names (okay, I remembered a few names).
Our DJ, Solovox, played and spun a perfect vibe.  Incidentally, he was a childhood friend of Chris' wife Ani and totally freaked out when I pointed out Ani in many of Chris' photos.  After Solovox, Trashcan Joe closed the night with original and jazz standards filtered through Portland's hip, hippie aura.
I locked the doors at 11:30 and looked forward to my first desk job in 10 years.  Come by and see me!

47 Degrees and Partly Cloudy

That's the Portland weather forecast for December 7th, the day Quality Pictures opens! Our doors open to the public at 6pm.  We'll be ready. I hope you can make it! 

Now That's a 25th Anniversary Celebration!

Some 25th anniversary shows are merely inventory clearance sales while others are smartly curated celebrations of a gallery's accomplishments.  Elizabeth Leach's 25th is an example of the latter.  (Gallery-goers in Atlanta got a taste of the former last year.)

What I liked: 
1. The fact that Leach coupled her anniversary with a survey of a particular genre (collage) over  roughly the same period. Despite the fact the Leach calls the show "A Century of Collage", most works were created in the last 25-35 years.
2.  The gallery had a mix of original works by the masters of the genre (Rauschenberg, Cornell) along side Leach's gallery artists.
3. The show explored how broad the idea of collage could be. There were a number of times I said to my self "that 's not collage," only to reconsider my conclusion shortly thereafter.
4. Historical references (Matisse, Bearden) added to the already impressive roster, giving the show its necessary historical underpinnings.

Quality Pictures Artist and Gallery News

I've decided not to weigh this blog down with too much news about my gallery and artists.  Quality Pictures website has launched a blog to handle all the news.  I'll post an occasional update here that will link you to the stories there:

Angela West at the Columbus Museum and Jackson Fine Art.  More here
Kojo Griffin in the Seville Biennial.  More here
Jason Fulford in Blind Spot and at Marcia Wood Gallery.  More here
Jen Denike in "Upstate" at Mary Boone.  More here
J. Bennett Fitts at Bernard Toale Gallery (and a NYT review).  More here
Holly Andres and Mark Hooper at Archer Gallery, Clark College.  More here
iona rozeal brown's fall '05 show at Saltworks reviewed in Art in America.  More here

State Hopping for Art's Sake

Yesterday, in the cold and rain, Bryan, Sabrina (my marketing person) and I drove all the way to another state to catch Current Photography: New Directions at the Archer Galley, Clark College in Vancouver, WA. Okay so maybe that other state is closer to my home than downtown Portland, but its still another state and I still get dedication points for making the trip.  The exhibition featured eight artists, all from the Northwest with work that ranged from updated modernism (Tamara Lischka) to elaborately staged tableaux by Quality Pictures artist Holly Andres (QP artist Mark Hooper is also in the show).  As with most group shows, there are a few stars and the rest seem to be more of a supporting cast; this show was no different. 
Andres' color photos were a real show stealer and I was thrilled to be able to meet Miss Fiona Brunning, the central figure in many of the works and certainly a contributing factor to their success.  There is much more about the work on Holly's site.
There seems to be a growing tide of interest in new photography in the Northwest and I'm looking forward to seeing all that the region has to offer.  Up next, a trip down to catch the Pearl's First Thursday on a particularly cold and nasty night.  We'll see how much the turnout drops when the weather is icky.  When it's nice, thousands come out for the monthly art event.  When it's not...we'll see. 

A Shout Out to my New Neighbor

Last weekend I discovered Guestroom Gallery, a nice space just a few blocks from my home at 4114 N Vancouver Ave.  I love having a gallery nearby where I can get a quick art fix when needed.
I doubt though, the Guestbook's and Quality Picture's artistic program will intersect any time soon: Guestbook's next show, opening November 3, features artwork by Tillamook Cheddar a young and upcoming talent who happens to be a Jack Russell Terrier.  At the opening,  "Tillie" will be signing copies of his latest book, Portrait of the Dog as a Young Artist.  I'm going just to watch him sign books!  Join me!