"Threads," An Installation by Artist Gloria Lamson at the Portland Building August 9 – September 3, 2010

Description: Inspired by a William Stafford poem that describes how the course of our lives follow invisible threads through change and uncertainty, Gloria Lamson’s installation at the Portland Building offers a visceral and visual experience that explores the question of how we find our way through the confusion of life. How does new life grow out of the chaotic ground of what came before? What is important now? Where is our next step? Curly willow tree limbs coming out of the walls are foils for the human figure in Lamson’s installation, they are wrapped with strands of purple rope and stand amidst thousands of jig saw puzzle pieces. One thin red line emerges from each tree and moves through the space of the room, a guiding line that moves amongst the chaos.

Background: Using natural and common human materials Gloria Lamson constructs temporary site-responsive work in architectural and natural environments. She often focuses on bringing the inside out and the outside in, both in nature and psyche; her work supports our connection to what is within and around us and lyrically illustrates how the structures and frameworks of life fall away and come together, how relationships begin and end, shift and transform. Threads offers not only a space for serious reflection and contemplation, but also playfully welcomes visitors to simply shuffle about through the jigsaw puzzle pieces.

About the Artist: Gloria Lamson’s work has been featured in numerous venues since 1975 including exhibitions at the Tacoma Art Museum and the Bellevue Art Museum in Washington, and the Oakland Art Museum in California. She received a project grant from Artist Trust (Seattle) in support of her Island Project in SE Alaska and was awarded one of the first artist residencies from The Colorado Art Ranch. Lamson has also created installations for numerous outdoor art parks and is included in the permanent collections of the Washington Arts Commission, King County Public Art based in Seattle, and John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, California. She currently resides in Port Townsend, Washington.

Viewing hours: 7 am to 6 pm, Monday – Friday. The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland.

Additional Information: For more information and a website that provides images, proposals and statements of all the Portland Building installations featured since 1994 go to www.racc.org/installationspace or call the installation space project manager Keith Lachowicz at 503-823-5404.