  This September the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts is proud to present Do You Want to Ford the River? This international group exhibition will attempt to use Oregon Trail, the videogame, as a starting point from which to view notions such as mass migration, displacement, “manifest destiny", popular histories, regional identity, etc.—hopefully, with a healthy sense of humor. Do You Want to Ford the River? features a group of both established and emerging artists from the United States and Canada offering their unique interpretations on the theme.Do You Want to Ford the River? opens on September 3, 2010 at 5:30 PM, and runs until October 29th.
Visit a sneak preview of the exhibition during the Eugene Celebration on August 27th thru 29th.
 Some background information on the theme: Oregon Trail is both a piece of educational software and an institution. It has been almost omnipresent in North American schools for over 20 years. For most North American students since the early 1980s, it is probable that Oregon Trail marked their first—and potentially only—interaction with the idea of Oregon as a place and its popular history. |
 Karen HechtMembers Gallery
Since early adulthood I tried to capture what I felt from nature’s beauty by painting landscapes and seascapes in oils. About ten years ago I stopped trying to imitate what I saw and just went to the canvas with an open heart and my mischievous spirit. The actual feel of the paint as it spreads onto the canvas and seeing the colors brings me the joy I hope the viewer can sense and perhaps experience themselves. I found that paint wasn’t enough, so I began to use embellishments and small recycled tidbits to enhance my paintings and intent. I hope you have as much fun looking at them as I did creating them. |
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