RACC Blog

Yelena Roslaya brings “Visual Sound” to the Portland Building, July 5 – August 5

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PORTLAND, ORE – Multimedia artist Yelena Roslaya works to represent sound visually. “The idea of visually displaying sound is inspired by my experience with hearing-motion synesthesia, which occurs when one sense triggers another…personally it happens whenever I see implied motion or energy. I want to share this experience with viewers through my installation at the Portland Building and hear their response.”

Roslaya’s first step in this process was the recording of everyday sounds that occur in the Portland Building—people opening doors, conversing with each other, or simply walking down a hallway. Using FL Studio software, those recordings were then translated into graphic wave images which will be displayed in front of a set of three-dimensional forms, or “sound wave sculptures,” inspired by the wave shapes. These large scale ceramic sculptures draw on the Udu drum forms Roslaya has explored in previous work. Even the colors of the glazes on the sculptures will be determined by the corresponding sound’s “color noise” spectrum—violet noise, white noise, red noise, etc. To complete the full experience for the visitor, each of the sculptures will also include a mp3 device that will playback its original source material.

About the artist: Yelena Roslaya is a graduate student at Oregon College of Arts Craft in Portland where she is the Studio Assistant for both the Ceramics and Drawing/Painting Departments. Her work is inspired by the way humans perceive and process sound. Roslaya lives in Battle Ground, Washington, and has shown at multiple venues in both Oregon and Washington.

About the Installation Space:  Each year the Portland Building Installation Space series reserves several exhibition opportunities for students engaged in creative study at the university level. The format and presentation requirements for the “student” installations are identical to those for established professional artists. The Regional Arts & Culture Council created this separate eligibility category to help introduce emerging talents to the world of public art.

Viewing Hours & Location: The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland and is open 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday. Visual Sound opens July 5 and runs through August 5, 2016.

For more information on the Portland Building Installation Space, including images, proposals, and statements for all projects dating back to 1994, go to www.racc.org/installationspace.

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The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) provides grants for artists, nonprofit organizations and schools in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; raises money and awareness for the arts through Work for Art; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance for artists; and oversees a program to integrate arts and culture into the standard curriculum in public schools through The Right Brain Initiative. RACC values a diversity of artistic and cultural experiences and is working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity and the arts. For more information visit racc.org.

Reception on June 21 celebrates 30 years of The Visual Chronicle of Portland

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Tuesday, June 21
6:45 – 8:00 p.m.
at the Regional Arts & Culture Council
411 NW Park Avenue, Suite 101
RSVP Salvador Mayoral at smayoral@racc.org

A special collection: As many already know, The Visual Chronicle of Portland is a collection of original works on paper that portray artists’ perceptions of what makes Portland unique. The collection strives to reflect a diversity of populations, artistic disciplines and points of view. It can be viewed as a timepiece that provides a visual and conceptual narrative of greater Portland and is meant to reveal our city’s distinctive and diverse personality. Owned and funded by the City of Portland, the collection has grown to 330 works by nearly 200 different artists since its inception in 1985. RACC displays works from the Chronicle in a variety of public spaces in City of Portland and Multnomah County buildings.

A special purchase: To honor the 30th anniversary of the Visual Chronicle the 2015 selection panel studied the list of artists in the collection to try and identify important artists working in Portland today who might be missing. To work within the program’s modest purchase budget, the panel narrowed their initial list of 36 candidates down to four outstanding artists they felt needed to be included—Avantika Bawa, Calvin Ross Carl, Garrick Imatani and Ralph Pugay. RACC is now pleased to be able to present the works by these four artists that were purchased in 2015 in a special exhibition in our office at 411 NW Park Avenue.  A reception for the exhibition and the anniversary will be held on Tuesday, June 21 at 6:45 pm. (The reception follows an info session for the next Visual Chronicle purchase, for more information https://racc.org/2016/06/15/racc-seeks-submissions-for-the-visual-chronicle-of-portland-2/ )

Avantika Bawa

Coliseum 1  2015, graphite on paper, 24” x 36” (pictured)

Avantika Bawa

Coliseum 1,  2015, graphite on paper, 21 1/4” x 36 1/4”

Avantika completed two drawings in her graphic style that were informed visually and conceptually by Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a premier jewel of International Style architecture in the city. “Given the light [the Coliseum] has recently received, I am very interested in doing a series of drawings based on this remarkable building.”

Calvin Ross Carl

The Copper Ribbons on Michael’s Grave, 2015, acrylic on paper, 20” x 26” (pictured)

Calvin Ross Carl

Finally You Can Complete Me (Safe Honest Repair), 2015, acrylic on paper, 20” x 26”

“The pattern painting is appropriated from the ribbons from our own beloved or bemoaned (depending upon who you ask) Portland building…The text painting has text pulled from a business called the VIP Collision Center on the corner of MLK and NE Rosa Parks. The words “Safe Honest Repairs” have been painted on that building’s windows for 5-6 years. I have been driving by the building for many years and those words always catch my eye…Why these two paintings together? The Portland Building is oddly beautiful, and it is a landmark worth saving, but it is in need of major modernization and rehabilitation. This immediately made these two disparate ideas connect. The greatness of the Portland Building being saved by such a simple, thoughtful promise of “Safe Honest Repair”.

Garrick Imatani

Toward A Future Plan | Mirror | Failure | Trap, 2016, mirrored acrylic and photographs mounted on inkjet print, 19 ½” x 24 ½” (pictured)

Garrick Imatani

“Even after it’s declaration as a city, Portland’s margins have fluctuated over time just like the Willamette River which currently splits the city into its eastern and western halves. LIDAR mapping imagery shows that 13,000-15,000 years ago during the Missoula Floods, where you are standing would have been submerged under water. The city is a blip in time. We live at the bottom of a lake.”  Garrick goes on to describe the photos that intersect with his vibrant blue map of the Willamette: “I came across archival photographs of the bombing of Portland City Hall in 1970 in police surveillance files. I made contact prints from 8×10 photographs documenting the Hall’s blown-out window frames…these contact prints were cut down to containers—frames of frames—then overlaid onto the river as imagined those thousands of years ago…This compression of geography and political history is a nod to time and the ongoing development of the city, which can either reflect or elevate what has evaporated.”

Ralph Pugay

 Lonely Traveler (Traveling pilot waiting to disembark at PDX), 2015,  Acrylic on yupo, 11” x 14” (pictured)

Pugay_VC

Obstructed Motility (Clerk experiencing astral projection at Portland Cash & Carry), 2015, Acrylic on paper, 12” x 16”

“Lonely Traveler was inspired by a pilot that I saw as I was leaving an airplane on a flight back to Portland. He remained seated in first class as many of the passengers were leaving the plane. I assume that he was there to continue on to the plane’s next destination…As I walked by, I pondered if there was a certain amount of discomfort for the pilot as he sat in the passenger seat. I am drawn to the ambiguous nature of his behavior, and presumably of others who might have witnessed this.”

RACC seeks submissions for the “Visual Chronicle of Portland”

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The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is seeking works on paper—prints, drawings, paintings on paper and photographs—to purchase for the Visual Chronicle of Portland collection. To learn more about the submission guidelines, click here. Deadline for submissions is Monday, July 25, 2016.

The Visual Chronicle of Portland is a city-owned collection of original works on paper that portray artists’ perceptions of what makes Portland, Oregon, unique. Since its inception in 1985, the Chronicle has grown to 330 works by nearly 200 different artists. Works are displayed in publicly accessible spaces in City of Portland and Multnomah County buildings.

The Chronicle reflects a diversity of populations, artistic disciplines and points of view. The collection can be viewed as a timepiece that provides a visual narrative of greater Portland, and is meant to reveal our city’s distinctive and diverse personality as seen and interpreted by artists who are intimately familiar with the region. The Visual Chronicle represents a living archive, and RACC is committed to engaging and expanding the communities of artists and the range of artistic and cultural expression that it represents.

For more information and to view images and details of the entire collection, visit http://bit.ly/visualchronicle

This year’s purchase decisions will be based on how well the work matches the purpose and spirit of the Visual Chronicle—conveying perceptions of what makes Portland unique. We encourage work that documents, describes, or evokes areas, communities, and issues that are under-represented in the Chronicle. The bridges, the Rose Parade, Washington Park and other Portland icons that come immediately to mind are all well represented, but the collection has fewer works that portray people and places that exist beyond the central city areas. While no absolute boundaries or subjects are mandated or excluded, we hope to add range to the Chronicle and better represent vital neighborhoods, communities, and artists that contribute to an equitable view of Portland.

An independent volunteer panel of artists, curators and historians will select artwork for purchase in a two-part process. First, the panel will review digital images that are submitted. Artists whose works are selected for further consideration will be asked to deliver the actual artwork to RACC for a first-hand review and final selection. The panel reserves the right to purchase work from artists who do not submit work, and is not obligated to spend the entire 2016-2017 budget of $20,000.

Works on paper—prints, drawings, paintings on paper and photographs—from professional artists familiar with Portland are eligible. For more information about guidelines, visit the RACC website at https://racc.org/resources/listings/racc-opportunity-call-for-artists-the-visual-chronicle-of-portland/, or contact program manager Kristin Calhoun at kcalhoun@racc.org or 503-823-5401.

For artists who are new to the submission process, unfamiliar with preparing digital images, or would like to get additional background on the Chronicle, RACC is hosting two free information sessions: Tuesday, June 21 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at RACC (411 NW Park Avenue, Suite 101) and Thursday, June 23 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at East Portland Neighborhood Office (1017 NE 117th Ave, Portland, OR 97220). Contact Salvador Mayoral at smayoral@racc.org to reserve a spot.

RACC is also hosting a free reception following the June 21st info session to highlight purchases made for the Visual Chronicle last year. Work by Avantika Bawa, Calvin Ross Carl, Garrick Imatani and Ralph Pugay will be on display, and Avantika Bawa and Ralph Pugay will be on hand to discuss their work. The event is free and open to the public, Thursday, June 21 at 6:45 p.m. at RACC.

To learn more about the submission guidelines, click here. The deadline for submissions is Monday, July 25, 2016.

RACC seeks submissions for the “Visual Chronicle of Portland”

Written by

PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is seeking works on paper—prints, drawings, paintings on paper and photographs—to purchase for the Visual Chronicle of Portland collection. Deadline for submissions is Monday, July 25, 2016.

The Visual Chronicle of Portland is a city-owned collection of original works on paper that portray artists’ perceptions of what makes Portland, Oregon, unique. Since its inception in 1985, the Chronicle has grown to 330 works by nearly 200 different artists. Works are displayed in publicly accessible spaces in City of Portland and Multnomah County buildings.

The Chronicle reflects a diversity of populations, artistic disciplines and points of view. The collection can be viewed as a timepiece that provides a visual narrative of greater Portland, and is meant to reveal our city’s distinctive and diverse personality as seen and interpreted by artists who are intimately familiar with the region. The Visual Chronicle represents a living archive, and RACC is committed to engaging and expanding the communities of artists and the range of artistic and cultural expression that it represents.

For more information and to view images and details of the entire collection, visit http://bit.ly/visualchronicle

This year’s purchase decisions will be based on how well the work matches the purpose and spirit of the Visual Chronicle—conveying perceptions of what makes Portland unique. We encourage work that documents, describes, or evokes areas, communities, and issues that are under-represented in the Chronicle. The bridges, the Rose Parade, Washington Park and other Portland icons that come immediately to mind are all well represented, but the collection has fewer works that portray people and places that exist beyond the central city areas. While no absolute boundaries or subjects are mandated or excluded, we hope to add range to the Chronicle and better represent vital neighborhoods, communities, and artists that contribute to an equitable view of Portland.

An independent volunteer panel of artists, curators and historians will select artwork for purchase in a two-part process. First, the panel will review digital images that are submitted. Artists whose works are selected for further consideration will be asked to deliver the actual artwork to RACC for a first-hand review and final selection. The panel reserves the right to purchase work from artists who do not submit work, and is not obligated to spend the entire 2016-2017 budget of $20,000.

Works on paper—prints, drawings, paintings on paper and photographs—from professional artists familiar with Portland are eligible. For more information about guidelines, visit the RACC website at https://racc.org/resources/listings/racc-opportunity-call-for-artists-the-visual-chronicle-of-portland/, or contact program manager Kristin Calhoun at kcalhoun@racc.org or 503-823-5401.

For artists who are new to the submission process, unfamiliar with preparing digital images, or would like to get additional background on the Chronicle, RACC is hosting two free information sessions: Tuesday, June 21 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at RACC (411 NW Park Avenue, Suite 101) and Thursday, June 23 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at East Portland Neighborhood Office (1017 NE 117th Ave, Portland, OR 97220). Contact Salvador Mayoral at smayoral@racc.org to reserve a spot.

RACC is also hosting a free reception following the June 21st info session to highlight purchases made for the Visual Chronicle last year. Work by Avantika Bawa, Calvin Ross Carl, Garrick Imatani and Ralph Pugay will be on display, and Avantika Bawa and Ralph Pugay will be on hand to discuss their work. The event is free and open to the public, Thursday, June 21 at 6:45 p.m. at RACC.

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Ralph Pugay, Lonely Traveler, 2015, acrylic on yupo

Ralph Pugay, Lonely Traveler, 2015, acrylic on yupo

Susana Santos, City Dwellers, 1993, watercolor & gouache

Susana Santos, City Dwellers, 1993, watercolor & gouache

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) provides grants for artists, nonprofit organizations and schools in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; raises money and awareness for the arts through Work for Art; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance for artists; and oversees a program to integrate arts and culture into the standard curriculum in public schools through The Right Brain Initiative. RACC values a diversity of artistic and cultural experiences and is working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity and the arts. For more information visit racc.org.

“Industry of Aloha,” an art installation by Kanani Miyamoto opens at the Portland Building, June 1 – June 24

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PORTLAND, ORE — Employing a unique color palette that ranges from vivid and natural to strange and artificial, artist Kanani Miyamoto has covered the Portland Building Installation Space with images of tropical Hawaiian flora. (Miyamoto paints and creates block prints on paper and then attaches the paper in sheets to the surface of the wall.) But what appears familiar and known at first glance transitions into something more uncertain upon closer inspection…something compromised. According to the State of Hawai`i  6,414,197 tourists visited the islands this last year. Hawai`i is a valuable commodity. Unfortunately, the tourist industry has altered and negatively impacted traditional Hawaiian culture and the environment. While many generations of Hawaiians have depended on tourism for economic stability, are they working seven days a week, eight hours a day selling a false Hawai`i?

About the artist: Kanani Miyamoto was born and raised in Hawai`i and now lives in Portland, Oregon. She is a recent graduate of Pacific Northwest College of Art’s MFA program in print media and has shown her work in Oregon, Idaho and Hawai`i. “I have lived in Portland for five years and visit Hawai`i as often as I can.  Returning to the islands as a visitor has really opened my eyes to the tourist industry.”

Meet the artist and make a lei: Join us for an “Aloha Friday” on June 24th at 3:30 pm at the Portland Building. Hele Mai, come meet the artist and talk story as you make a lei!

Viewing Hours & Location: The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland and is open 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday. Industry of Aloha is open now and runs through Friday, June 24th.

For more information on the Portland Building Installation Space, including images, proposals, and statements for all projects dating back to 1994, go to  http://racc.org/installationspace.

Coming to the Portland Building Installation Space: “Industry of Aloha,” an installation by Kanani Miyamoto, May 31 – June 24

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Using a color palette that can range from vivid and nature to strange and artificial, artist Kanani Miyamoto will cover the Installation Space with images of tropical Hawaiian flora that she paints and block prints onto the walls. But what appears familiar and known at first glance can transition into something more uncertain upon closer inspection…something compromised. According to the State of Hawai`i  6,414,197 tourists visited the islands this last year. Hawai`i is a valuable commodity. Unfortunately, the tourist industry has negatively impacted traditional Hawaiian culture and the environment. While many generations of Hawaiians have depended on tourism for economic stability, are they working seven days a week, eight hours a day selling a false Hawai`i?

Each year the Installation Space series reserves several exhibition opportunities for art students at the university level. The format and presentation requirements for these installations are identical to those for established professional artists, RACC created this separate eligibility category to help introduce emerging talents. Kanani Miyamoto has just completed her MFA in Print Media at Pacific Northwest College of Art.

The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland and is open 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday. For more information on the Portland Building Installation Space, including images, proposals, and statements for all projects dating back to 1994, go to http://racc.org/installationspace.

Kanani Miyamoto’s installation at the Portland Building draws on her mastery of print media presented in large scale, as seen in here in Shrine Base from 2015.

Kanani Miyamoto’s installation at the Portland Building draws on her mastery of print media presented in large scale, as seen in here in Shrine Base from 2015.

Artist in Residence at the Portland Archives and Records Center

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RACC has tapped artist Sabina Zeba Haque to be part of a year-long residency at the Portland Archives and Records Center (PARC). The artist will collaborate with PARC staff to explore Portland neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue and to unravel the history of exclusion and inclusion in this community. This is the second in a series of public art residencies funded by the City of Portland Percent for Art Program administered by RACC.

For many years, 82nd Avenue served as the easternmost boundary of the city of Portland. In 1980s Portland expanded the city’s boundaries roughly to 182nd Avenue, annexing approximately 140,000 people. Long-time residents, neighborhood activists and an influx of South East Asian immigrants came together in this evolving geographical space in a decade marked by economic and political turmoil. Today, with a quarter of the city’s population and nearly 40% of its youth, East Portland is the most diverse and rapidly growing section of the city.

Through her residency, Haque will explore how the neighborhood’s identity has evolved over the last 35 years, and how Portland can preserve its past while fostering a more inclusive civic identity.  Using oral histories, archival sources, and theater workshops, the artist will create a voice-by-voice community portrait of the communities around 82nd Avenue via hand-drawn animation and video. The project seeks to give nuance and form to this vibrant neighborhood and works toward civic equity through art and creative community engagement.

Haque is an artist of South Asian descent raised in Karachi, Pakistan. Her work combines oral histories, video performance and hand-drawn animation to explore the turbulent transformations of identity and place. She received an MFA in Painting from Boston University and teaches at Portland State University. In 2015 Haque was a TEDxMtHood speaker and artist-in-residence.

UPDATE: Annexation & Assimilation: Exploring City Archives East of 82nd Ave

Haque’s project exhibition, Annexation & Assimilation: Exploring City Archives East of 82nd Ave, will be on display at Open Signal from February 16 – April 28, 2017. Public viewing hours will be Tuesday – Friday (10:00am -10:00pm) and Saturday – Sunday (noon – 8:00pm).

On April 20th, there will be a panel discussion: Policy and Imagination: Place-Keeping in Portland, How Artists and City Managers Can Envision the Future City at Open Signal.

For more information contact Kristin Calhoun at kcalhoun@racc.org or 503.823.5401.

First Thursday Night Lights

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Thirteen multidisciplinary artists enrolled in the University of Oregon’s BFA Digital Arts program in Portland, Oregon who call themselves Sunny Side Up, will project their work for the April 7, 2016, First Thursday Night Lights. Their work spans several medias, including graphic design, illustration, programming, animation, interactive design, photography, drawing, installation and beyond. They say, “We are visual communicators who use our imaginations to make the world a better place, one art experience at a time. After all, life is always better served Sunny Side Up!”

The group includes Jiana Chen, Kathleen Darby, Anthony Hou, Jonny Kim, Sam Lillard, Clara Munro, Anna Pearson, Alex Prestrelski, Brandon Rains, Marion Rosas, Deandra “Sweet Dee” Stokes, Justus Vega, Kendall Wagner.

First Thursday Night Lights
April 7, 2016, Sundown to 9:00p.m.
411 NW Park Ave- North Wall, facing Glisan Street