Pictured: Untitled painting on paper by Maude Kerns from “In the Realm of the Spirit:

Work by Maude I. Kerns”

In this Newsletter

As we finish 2023, a banner year for Maude Kerns Art Center, we can look forward to 2024 with several special events in January you don’t want to miss. 

“In the Realm of the Spirit,” a wonderful exhibit of the non-objective art of Maude I. Kerns, opens Friday, January 12. This show explores the working relationship between Maude I. Kerns and non-objective artist Rolph Scarlett, showing studies never exhibited before. Please come by for art, conversation, and refreshments at the Opening Reception on January 12, from 5 to 7 pm. Tell all your friends, too!

Saturday, January 27 is our annual Membership Meeting and Open House. It’s a great chance to chat with the Staff and the Board, to check out what’s new, and to suggest things you’d like to see at the Art Center.

The Winter Fundraiser continues for another two months. If you haven’t yet donated, please help the visual arts thrive in our community by giving generously if you can. Through the donations of members like you, this fundraiser has become a main pillar of revenue for the Art Center.

In 2023, our first “normal” year since 2019, our fully staffed Art Center made huge strides. All programs are growing, and all indicators are positive. We offered more classes with more variety serving more students. Memberships and art sales are up. Thanks to the amazing efforts of Michael Fisher and the rest of the Staff, there is every indication that in 2024 Maude Kerns Art Center will continue to thrive and grow. 

Join us in all this fun. Opening receptions! Classes and Workshops! Special events! We look forward to seeing you even more often in 2024.

All my best,

Fred Tepfer

Board President

The Art Center’s Winter Fundraiser is off to a great start with over $28,500 raised so far. Thank You! Your support helps ensure that the Art Center will be able to continue to provide high quality and accessible arts education opportunities for all ages.

Donate Today – if you have not already done so. We hope our work inspires you and we invite you to contribute to our Winter Fundraiser. Every bit helps!

Pictured: 2023 Day of the Dead Exhibit Gallery Guides

Annual Membership Meeting & Celebration: On Saturday, January 27, you are invited to the Art Center’s Annual Membership Meeting & Celebration. Join us at 2:00 pm for the Membership Meeting to learn about the Center’s most up-to-date news, celebrate our successes in 2023, and re-elect selected Board members. At this meeting, we name our 2023 honorees: Volunteer of the Year, Instructor of the Year, and Community Partner of the Year.

From 2:30 – 4:00 pm the Art Center hosts the Membership Celebration & Open House where you can connect with Art Center Staff and Board, enjoy refreshments, tour the Center’s studios, participate in free art activities, and view the current exhibit, “In the Realm of the Spirit: Work by Maude I. Kerns,” in the galleries.

Pictured: 2022 Annual Meeting & Celebration

Mike Van, a founding member of the Maude Kerns Art Center and distinguished Oregon artist, died on November 19. Van was engaged with the Art Center from its earliest days. He is pictured in the “Mortgage Burning” photograph along with other founding members. His involvement with and support of the Art Center continued over many decades. In 2014, the Art Center was honored to present “Mike Van: A Retrospective,” April 4 – May 2, featuring his beautifully rendered drawings and fresh and often whimsical watercolors, acrylics, and oils.

Executive Director Michael Fisher recalls working with Mike to create his 50-year retrospective as one of his most special experiences. He says: “I fondly remember the long hours spent in his studio and the many stories he shared with me. His kindness, humor, and patience working with me - a young curator at the time - quickly made him one of my favorite artists to work with.”

Mortgage Burning, 1971 (Mike Van on the far left)

Mike Van discusses the work in his retrospective exhibit

Opening January 12: “In the Realm of the Spirit: Work by Maude I. Kerns”

The 2024 season opener is an exhibit of non-objective artwork by Maude Kerns, including work from the Center’s own collection as well as private collections, and artwork that has never been exhibited before on loan from the Lane County History Museum archives.

A highlight of the show is the correspondence between Kerns and Rolph Scarlett, a well-known non-objective New York painter, who along with Kerns, exhibited at the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, the forerunner of the Guggenheim Museum. In collaboration with the Art Center, and to coincide with the opening of “In the Realm of the Spirit,” the Lane County History Museum displays Maude Kerns work from its extensive archival collection in “Blue Vesper: Maude Irvine Kerns.” “In the Realm of the Spirit” is on view through Friday, February 9.

In conjunction with “In the Realm of the Spirit,” the Art Center will be featuring a documentary which includes details about the founding of the Guggenheim Museum, titled Betrayal: The Life and Art of Rudolf Bauer. Bauer, who was an influential protégé of Hilla Rebay, the first director of the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, was introduced to Maude Kerns’s work through Rolph Scarlett. The documentary will be shown on Saturday, February 3, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm.

Pictured: Study by Maude Kerns from the Lane County History Museum archives on display in “Blue Vesper: Maude Irvine Kerns”

Upcoming

“The Art of Bricolage,” February 23 – March 22: Nine artists create artwork with recycled materials in an exhibit that encourages the concepts of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Reimagine.” Included in “The Art of Bricolage” are Anna Bjornsdotter, Stephanie Brockway, Esther Finch, Mavis Leahy, Rogene Mañas, Dan Pillers, Emily Pratt, Marjorie Taylor, and Michael Whitenack.

Pictured: Black Buck, vegan taxidermy by Marjorie Taylor

Members Gallery and Gift Shop

Work by Art Center members and Club Mud ceramicists is exhibited in the Members Gallery on a quarterly basis. The Winter Members Gallery is on display beginning January 12.

Pictured: Tree of Life by Merri Sue Clark in the Winter Members Gallery

Online Members Gallery

“New Year, New Work”: We at Maude Kerns Art Center are eager to offer more exhibit opportunities to our members and would like to extend the invitation to participate in our Online Members Gallery. Initially created during the pandemic, the Online Members Gallery is an excellent way to continue to share your work with the community.

Members can show up to five pieces of their two- or three-dimensional work online in our Online Members Gallery. Interested parties can shop for pieces and purchase them online. Submissions are ongoing.

Refresh your selections: If your work is currently being exhibited in the Online Members Gallery, please review and update it. All current submissions will be archived starting February 2024 if the Exhibits Coordinator is not notified as to their availability. Please email the Exhibits Coordinator Liberty at [email protected] for more information about how to be involved or to update your submissions. 

Featured Artist of the Month

For January, the featured artist exhibiting in the Online Members Gallery is longtime Art Center member and well-known Oregon painter Sarkis Antikajian. To see a video created about Antikajian and his work, Click here.

Pictured: Sarkis Antikajian at work

At Home in Oregon; at The Gallery at the Airport, April 11 – July 9, 2024: The Art Center is extending a call to artists to submit artwork for the upcoming “At Home in Oregon” show to be displayed at The Gallery at the Airport in Eugene. This call is open to any current member of the Maude Kerns Art Center and there is no fee to apply. If you're not a member, visit here to become a member. Subject matter that is realistic, imagined, or abstract is welcome. The submission deadline is Friday, March 8, 2024. For the complete prospectus or to apply, visit www.mkartcenter.org.

Maude Kerns Art Center is currently accepting submissions for its 2025 – 2026 Exhibits Season. Local, regional, and national artists (individuals and groups) working in 2- and 3-dimensional mediums, as well as installation art, are invited to submit their work for consideration. Solo, group, and/or themed shows will be curated based on the content, quality, and number of submissions. There is a $35 application fee. Submission deadline: Monday, April 15, 11:59 pm (MST). For the complete prospectus or to apply, visit www.mkartcenter.org.

Welcome to Winter 2024! A new year and new beginnings! There is something for everyone:

●    The Art Center offers daytime classes and evening classes for adults.

●    Learn about artists and their art practice in a special 4-week class: In the Style of…

●    Feeling introspective? Join our Exploring the Art Journal class, a guided journaling course.

●    Spend time with a friend in one of our weekend workshops.

●    Parents, there is still room in our youth classes! See our youth webpage!

Get creative in the new year in an eight-week art class ranging from photography, painting, drawing, and ceramics to printmaking! 

Working with Pastels

Wednesdays, 1:00 – 3:30 pm

January 10 – February 28

Register here

Reignite your creative practice by learning a new medium in the New Year. In this eight-week class, you will be introduced to the methods and materials used to create colorful pastel drawings. Through demonstrations and studio practice, you will explore the purest pigments, practice methods like scumbling and blending colors, and learn ways to compose your images. No experience is necessary.

In The Style Of...

Tuesdays, 6:00 – 8:30 pm

February 6 – 27

Register here

This four-week workshop combines a fascinating look at established artists with hands-on creative exercises. The first portion of each class will focus on an artist, their techniques, approaches, or methods they use in artmaking. After a brief look at the artist's work, the instructor will guide you through an activity using those techniques or concepts during the second half of class. Exercises may include elements of sculpture, collage, drawing, and printmaking depending on the highlighted artist. A welcoming and encouraging atmosphere for any level of experience!

Pictured: Pangolin, paper sculpture by Lisa Lloyd

Exploring the Art Journal

Mondays, 6:00 – 8:30 pm

January 22 – March 18*

*No class February 19

Register here

Learn to transform a sketchbook into your own personalized art journal. Each week includes a different project and different medium, including acrylics, tempera, colored pencils, markers, stencils, watercolor, and pen. Your instructor, Bogi Pataki, guides you through unique projects that will inspire you to create artwork throughout your journal. No experience needed.

Our workshops offer insights into creative approaches or methods that expand your artistic practice. We are fortunate to have Pete Railand joining the Art Center as a teaching artist! Bring a friend and learn about linoleum block printing. There is still space in the collage workshop. 

Linoleum Block Printing New!

Two Saturdays, 12:00 – 5:00 pm

February 24 & March 2

Register here

Join instructor Pete Railand and learn about linoleum block printing. This two-Saturday workshop will introduce you to this versatile and fun printmaking method, from the beginning concept, to drawing out your design, to the final print. Along the way, you will learn the approaches and methods of well-known printmakers, including Leopoldo Mendez, Käthe Kollwitz, and Antonio Frasconi. Some familiarity with drawing is helpful, but not necessary. No printmaking experience is required. All materials will be provided.

Abstract Collage with Recycled Materials

Sunday, 12:00 – 4:00 pm

February 25

Register here

Learn collage techniques using all recycled materials on repurposed substrates. Instructors Ann Hamilton and Beth Robinson share their years of knowledge about composition, color theory, and visual storytelling. This is an opportunity to experiment, combine unexpected elements, and break free from traditional artistic constraints. All levels of skill are welcome. Materials are provided.

Tell all your friends! The art classes in this program focus on building visual thinking and storytelling along with introducing elements of art and principles of design in a variety of mediums. And we have fun hanging out together making art. Join us!

Explorations in Acrylic Painting

Mondays, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

January 22 – March 18

*No class January 15 or February 19

Register here

Roll up your sleeves and learn acrylic painting! We will paint subjects such as stylized animals, outdoor and city scenes, and a painting of your own design. For the first projects, you will work from an example painting that the instructor provides. As we progress, you will work more independently on your own project ideas. The focus will be on developing painting techniques like color mixing, color temperature, painting in layers, and composing with shapes.

Watercolor Basics New!

Tuesdays, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

January 16 – March 5

Register here

Take a deep dive into different methods of watercolor painting! Learn how to load your brush with colors of paint and experience wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, or dry-brush painting techniques. We will discuss controlling paint and learn about color theory, abstraction, and realism. Discover reverse color painting inspired by Kendra Norton who uses an ultra-fine black marker to create intricate details. No experience necessary.

Expressive Self-Portraits

Thursdays, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

January 18 – March 7

Register here

Learn how to represent your individuality in this nontraditional self-portraiture class! Nontraditional portraiture is an approach that artists use to reflect and explore the many facets of themselves through symbols and metaphor. Learn to combine mediums including acrylic, watercolor, and ink to create compelling nontraditional self-portraits. No experience necessary.

Art Horizons is an art program for high school students, ages 15 -18. It is built around Maude Kerns Art Center’s project-based curriculum that supports the creative endeavors of teens. We create space for high school students to reflect on their work and the larger world of artists, envision an idea, take risks, and explore a concept, method, or medium they haven’t yet tried. Projects can be ongoing or near completion. Guided by a teaching artist and surrounded by like-minded teen artists, teens are invited to become a part of this community.

High School Open Studio New!

2nd Saturday of every month, 12:00 – 4:00 pm

February 10, March 9, & April 13

Register here:

Sign Up for Feb 10th Session

Sign Up for March 9th Session

Sign Up for April 13th Session

High school students, ages 15 – 18, are invited to work alongside a teaching artist to hone their creative ideas and investigate new methods and concepts.

In this studio class, you will have access to painting, drawing, and mixed media materials. Each week we will look at the work of contemporary artists, investigate their approaches and methods, and gain inspiration for our creative processes.

The Art Center currently offers scholarships for 50% of the cost of tuition for classes and camps. Scholarships are available for all age groups through the Susi Larsen & Cameron Serbu Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Madeleine Christenson Scholarship Fund. You can apply today on our website! 

In the event of bad weather, the Art Center will close if the 4-J School District is closed. Classes for that day will be cancelled and a make-up session will be held at a later date. If the 4-J School District is delayed, all Art Center classes before 12pm will be cancelled. Call 541-345-1571 after 12pm on the day in question to check for afternoon and evening classes.

We have partnered with Market of Choice to provide you an easy way to support the Art Center! It will only take a moment of your time to register and will help every time that you shop to support our programs and facility.

Here’s how:

Register your credit card. Each time that you use your card at any Market of Choice, Maude Kerns Art Center will receive 4% of your purchase price! Simply sign up at: eScrip Market of Choice and you will be prompted on how to enroll.

Thanks for all that you do to support the Maude Kerns Art Center. It makes a difference!

Thank You to the many volunteers, Board members, Staff, Art Center friends, and patrons who have generously donated their time, talents, and treasure for the benefit of Maude Kerns Art Center.

MISSION STATEMENT

To nurture artistic expression and creativity in the individual and

to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of art and culture

in our community.