The second annual Visual Arts Week returns from Aug. 2-9 and brings together hundreds of local, regional, national and international artists through gallery, contemporary and street art.
Visual Arts Week Events
Celebrating the Visual Arts Community
Visual Arts Week celebrates the visual arts community by providing a platform for experimentation, creativity and dialogue that strengthens our community’s quality of life and social well-being. VAW’s wide variety of events results from a collaboration between City of Eugene, Lane Arts Council and Maude Kerns Art Center. The partnership provided an expansive reach to bring visual artists out of their studios and into the public eye.
Highlights
First Friday ArtWalk
- When: Friday, Aug. 2, 5:30-8 p.m.
- What: The First Friday ArtWalk kicks off Visual Arts Week, highlighting the Mayor’s Art Show, BRIDGE Exhibitions and more. Follow along with the guided tour to hear from featured artists or explore the many participating galleries and venues on your own.
Mayor’s Art Show
- When: Aug. 2-31
*Opening reception: Friday, Aug. 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m., with Mayor Lucy Vinnis’ address and award announcements at 6:30 p.m. - Where: Maurie Jacobs Community Room at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts
- What: The Mayor’s Art Show is a juried exhibition that celebrates the diversity of local artists and art production and champions and highlights the accomplishments of artists who enrich our community. MAS believes in the power of art to establish space for citizens where safety, success and well-being are not pre-determined by race, class, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability. The selection process sought to provide a platform for marginalized practices, voices and experiences. Jurors reviewed 204 applications and selected 51 artists for exhibition. Submissions reflected the diversity of artists and art practices in Eugene, with a multitude of processes and medias ranging from 2D works like painting and assemblages to 3D sculptures of metal or resin. In determining the presence of artistic excellence, the jury considered conceptual strength, innovation, creativity, craftsmanship and materials.
Salon des Refusés
- When: Aug. 2-30
*Opening reception: Friday, Aug. 2, 5:30 p.m. - Where: New Zone Gallery
- What: In the spirit of celebrating the visual arts and artists, those who aren’t selected by the jury for the Mayor’s Art Show have the opportunity to participate in the Salon des Refusés, extending exhibition opportunities to showcase local artists and our vibrant creative community.
BRIDGE Exhibitions
- When: Aug. 2-Sept. 4
- Where: 5th Street Market Area
- What: BRIDGE Exhibitions creates accessible contemporary art that engages Eugene’s public and private spaces in innovative ways, emphasizes equity and inclusivity and builds a bridge between the arts and business sectors. BRIDGE’s three installations are: “Free Your Soles” by Darryl Evans with more than 1,000 shoes emerging from a tree; the sculptural encounter “Miss Maple” by Tracy Sydor based on the artist’s experience of a protective first grade teacher; and “Breathe, Step, Arrive” by Josh Sands, a series of artworks in the form of imagined transit maps.
Eugene Biennial Award Winners - One Year Later
- When: July 31-Aug. 31
Opening reception: Friday, Aug. 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m. - Where: Karin Clarke Gallery
- What: A group show giving the winners of last year’s Eugene Biennial an opportunity to exhibit more of their recent work.
20x21 Mural Tours
Learn about downtown 20x21 EUG Project murals and artists on guided tours with Pacific Pub Cycle and PeaceHealth Rides.
Workshops, Pop-Ups and Artist Talks
Community members are invited to engage with art and artists at 24 different events, many of them free, by interacting with a mysterious life-sized dollhouse, learning bubble art, touring art studios and much more.