Pictured: The Treacherous Path, mixed media by Autumn Garibay,18,

in the Mayor’s Teen Art Show

September brings two new exhibits and Fall Term registration!

Join us on Friday, September 8th, from 5 – 7 pm, for the Awards Ceremony and Opening Reception of our 24th annual Mayor’s Teen Art Show, featuring 41 talented young artists from 19 different area schools. This year also includes exciting new cash prizes graciously donated by the exhibit Title Sponsor, the Larsen Family, in honor of their Susi Larsen & Cameron Serbu Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Art Center.

The Art Center is incredibly fortunate to have this valuable scholarship resource and grateful for the ongoing support from the Larsen family. I invite you to make a donation, see below, and help us increase our scholarship endowment to provide more scholarships. Every bit helps!

Also opening on Friday, September 8th, is the Whiteaker Printmakers annual Emerald Print Exchange exhibit. The Art Center is thrilled to welcome this exciting show back. This year the exhibit features 169 prints from 11 countries and 32 U.S. states. Be sure to check out the Emerald Print Exchange’s online reverse auction fundraiser at the link below in the “In the Galleries” section. Proceeds support both Whiteaker Printmakers and the Art Center.

Registration opens today for our Fall Term classes and there are many offerings from which to choose. In addition to our returning favorites, check out exciting new weekend workshops in jewelry design, scratchboard, photography, and our new quarterly Community Art Share.

Thank you and hope to see you at the Art Center!

All my best,

Help Support Arts Education in Your Community!

Make a tax-deductible donation to help Maude Kerns Art Center expand its education program and scholarship support.

This year the Art Center has already received over 30 requests for scholarship assistance and many of our class waitlists have doubled in size. Because in-school arts education opportunities have increasingly been relegated to “drop-in” or “elective” experiences, the need for additional, reliable arts education programming and scholarship support is even more pressing.

Your contribution helps ensure students will continue to have access to robust arts education regardless of financial means. Thank you!

Donations are still being accepted for “Marvelous Maude’s Art Rescue,” scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8. Please bring in any donations no later than Saturday, September 30. 

We are taking donations of drawings, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, collectibles, posters, textiles, and arty curiosities. Sort your studio, clean out your closets, and support your community art center at the same time!  

Donations may be dropped off during regular business hours. Please note that the Art Center is open Monday through Friday, from 10 am – 5:30 pm, and on Saturdays, from noon to 4 pm, when exhibits are on display. Your donation is tax deductible under federal guidelines for 501(c) (3) charitable organizations. Thank you for all the contributions we’ve received so far. This is shaping up to be a great sale! 

Two Exhibits Open in September:

Mayor’s Teen Art Show: The Art Center is proud to present the 24th annual “Mayor’s Teen Art Show,” featuring the work of 41 talented teens from 19 local schools. The Title Sponsor of the 24th annual Mayor’s Teen Art Show is the Susi Larsen & Cameron Serbu Memorial Scholarship Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. The exhibit is on view through Friday, September 29.

The 2023 “Mayor’s Teen Art Show” jurors were Amy Albrecht, Diane Hill, and Diana Patin. Selected teen artists display work in an eclectic array of mediums, including crayons, alcohol markers, fabric markers, acrylic, charcoal, graphite, linocut print, sharpies, watercolor, oil, mixed media, photography, digital art, polymer clay, fabric, ceramics, paper mâché, wire, sticker gems, tempera paint, fur, clay paper, screenprint, ink, copic markers, gouache, oil pastels, plastic bags, and denim scraps.

An Awards Ceremony and Reception takes place on Friday, September 8, from 5 – 7 pm. Mayor Lucy Vinis will be present to name the Mayor’s Choice Award winner. Additional awards, including Best of Show, Sponsor’s Choice Award, Juror’s Choice Awards, and the Maude Kerns Art Center Award will also be announced. Cash prizes have been generously donated by our Title Sponsor. 

Pictured: Fabric Goat, mixed media by Celia McNabb in the Mayor’s Teen Art Show

Emerald Print Exchange: The 2023 “Emerald Print Exchange,” presented by Whiteaker Printmakers, features a collection of 169 fine art prints from 11 countries and 32 U.S. states. Prints exhibited at the Art Center will be available for purchase in an online Reverse Auction Fundraiser, which begins on Monday, September 4. In a “reverse auction,” prices of artwork drop each day. Sales benefit the Whiteaker Printmakers and the Maude Kerns Art Center. The exhibit and the auction close on September 29.

For the online catalog of prints Click Here 

For the auction Click Here

Upcoming:

30th Annual Día de los Muertos Exhibit (October 13 – November 3): Celebrate this special anniversary of the Día de los Muertos Exhibit, featuring the artwork of 28 artists from four states and community altars honoring loved ones who have died. This year the Art Center collaborates with Arte Latino to showcase Día de los Muertos photographs by five Mexican photographers. The Fiesta Reception with entertainment takes place on Friday, October 13, 5 – 8 pm.

Pictured: The Spirits We Carry, oil on board by Karen Angell-Mendez

Members Art Gallery & Gift Shop

Work by Art Center members and Club Mud ceramicists is exhibited in the Members Art Gallery on a quarterly basis. The current Summer Members Art Gallery is on display through September 29.

Pictured: Painting Class, oil on panel by Carolyn Bloom

Online Members Gallery

The Exhibits Program continues to accept artwork for display and sale in the Online Members Gallery. Current Art Center member artists can get information about how to participate by emailing the Exhibits Coordinator Liberty Rossel at exhibits@mkartcenter.org. Participation is free for current members.

The Art Center was pleased to accept a recent donation of an untitled watercolor by Maude I. Kerns. Created in Kerns’s signature non-objective style, this work was originally part of the collection of Kerns’s great niece, Leslie Brockelbank. It is an important addition to the Art Center’s growing collection of over 140 paintings, drawings, prints, and archival works by the Center’s namesake.

Pictured: Untitled watercolor by Maude I. Kerns

Fall term registration opens September 1st and classes begin the first two weeks of October. Each year Maude Kerns Art Center offers over 70 classes and workshops in drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, photography, and digital arts, as well as family workshops, Open Studios, and Artist Services classes. A few of our inspirational and fun classes are highlighted below.

For a full listing, check out mkartcenter.org for adult, youth, and young adult classes and workshops.

Upcoming this fall are a variety of adult classes in photography, drawing, ceramics, painting, and printmaking. Below are two new classes in painting and printmaking. For the complete Fall Adult Class Schedule, see mkartcenter.org.

Beginning Acrylic

Thursdays, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

October 5 – November 30

Register here

Dive into the world of acrylic painting! This class is great for beginning painters. We will explore the history of the medium and the variety of acrylic paints. Participants will work on different surfaces, learning about composition, color theory, and scaling an image. The final painting will be shared with other class participants so that we learn from each other. No prior experience is required. Join us for a hands-on and informative class!

Block Printing & Linocut

Tuesdays, 6:00 – 8:30 pm

October 3 – November 28

Register here

This class takes students through the most basic of printing techniques all the way to a more complicated three-color reductive print. Loosen up your printmaking process by using simple potato block printing, printing on fabric, making your own stamps, transferring drawings to linoleum, and carving and printing multiple colors on a linoleum block. Prior drawing and painting experience is necessary in this class.

Fall workshops offer a unique opportunity to learn a variety of mediums and techniques. Join us this term and learn about the art of scratchboard or basic jewelry design and the history of personal adornment. 

Introduction to Scratchboard

Two Saturdays, 12 – 5 pm

October 14 & 21

Register here

Discover the intriguing art of scratchboard over two Saturdays. On day one, you will be introduced to the history and evolution of the scratchboard art form and begin creating your first scratchboard. Day two will be an open class with demonstrations by the instructor and one-on-one feedback as you continue working on your design. By the end of the class, you will walk away with your very own scratchboard masterpiece! Please see the materials list for materials you will need to bring with you each day.

Jewelry Design & the History of Personal Adornment

Saturday & Sunday, 1 – 4 pm

November 4 & 5

Register here

Join artist/jeweler Bea Roberts for a fascinating look into jewelry design and personal adornment. The first day will be an introduction to a variety of unique cultural designs. We will explore basic tools and techniques and students will begin the process of designing a piece of jewelry or wearable. On the second day, students will finish their beading and embellishments. Please see the materials list provided on our website.

Expanded Artist Services Program!

We are excited to have streamlined our Artist Services Program, which provides ongoing enrichment opportunities for working and emerging artists in our community. Throughout the year, community artists can develop their art practices in two core classes, “Portfolio Development” and “Documentation and Web Design.” Our website now includes a MKAC Studios new online application process. For more details, see mkartcenter.org.

In addition to regular classes, our Artists Services Program presents a new venue where artists of all levels and abilities can share their work:

Community Art Share: Join us for a quarterly art share. Bring a piece of art, meet fellow artists, and receive feedback in a supportive environment. During this two-hour event, our facilitator will guide us through a reflective activity as we talk about what we see in each work of art. This is not a formal critique, but a facilitated conversation that allows us to share the experiences we have when viewing art. Open to anyone regardless of skill level. Space is limited. Please sign up today at mkartcenter.org.

Summer Highlights and Kudos

We want to take a moment to thank the teaching artists who dedicated their time, inspiration, and creativity as instructors in the youth art camps and the young adult labs over the summer. It takes dedication to develop creative activities each day and prepare lessons that are inventive but also provide the next step in learning a medium or art technique. We appreciate all your contributions!

A big “Thank You!” to the following: Taro Baugnon, Allie Braun, Sharon Kaplan, 

Four McClary, Angela Bogart-Monteith, Bogi Pataki, Diana Patin, Eleanor Randl, Sara S. Spahn, Hannah Taylor, and Kayl Wohl. 

Thank You, Summer Class Assistants!

Our youth campers had extra attention and supportive encouragement from our many summer camp assistants. Whether it was hot gluing or puzzling through a challenging moment in art making, these volunteers made the camp experience positive and comfortable for so many campers. Thank you to the following for dedicating your time consistently over the eight weeks of camps: Heidi Buchholz, Sam Bull, Sharon Friedland, Mack Glick, Becky Janssen, Laura McClaine, Zorka Pataki, Ellena Spahn, Wendy Strong, Katie Sullivan, and Hana Beckett-Taylor. 

A Heartfelt Farewell

Youth program teaching artist Eleanor Randl has been with the Art Center for the past three years while she studied sculpture at the University of Oregon. Although Eleanor had little teaching experience when she first became involved in the Art Center’s youth program, she had a love for sharing her childhood passion for art.

Eleanor spent time observing other teachers and then began to instruct after-school classes, youth camps, and young adult labs. In 2022, Eleanor was named Maude Kerns Art Center’s Instructor of the Year. “I feel like this community is home to me. It’s held me and I am going to miss it,” remarked Eleanor. We are fortunate to have had such a dedicated teaching artist. Best wishes, Eleanor!

Volunteer Animal Presenters

One special camp and one young adult art lab at the Art Center offer unique experiences to youth and young adults each summer. “Talia’s Creature Features” and the “Wildlife Art Lab” both feature live animals that are made available for the young artists to draw.

We want to take this moment to applaud our animal rescue organizations and community members who volunteered to bring in their animals:

Miriam and Julia Herrman - Marty, the Goldendoodle

Melanee Ellis at Lane Area Ferret Shelter and Rescue - Puck, Mochibear, & Joe

Soren Huette - Deya, the Bearded Dragon

Ellena and Sara Spahn - Haze and Hazel, the Bunnies

Wendy Feng - Truffle, the Guinea Pig

Scholarships

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! 

Visual Arts Week: Call for Workshop Submissions

We are currently accepting submissions from community artists, educators, and organizations for workshops to take place during the 2023 Visual Arts Week,

October 6 – 15. 

Workshops can vary in length, medium, and age group, and may take place indoor or outdoor at a variety of venues, including artist’s studios, organizations, businesses, community spaces, and virtually. Participants may charge a fee for workshop attendees to help cover costs and materials.

For more information, and to submit, visit mkartcenter.org/vaw or call the Art Center at 541-345-1571. Visual Arts Week is co-presented by the City of Eugene Cultural Services, Lane Arts Council, ArtCity, and Maude Kerns Art Center.

Have you been looking for a local darkroom, or a community of analog photography enthusiasts? Eugene Darkroom Group is currently accepting new members! We provide our members with all the chemistry and equipment needed to process and print from black & white film and a dry-working space to scan and finish prints. Additional benefits include exhibition and publication opportunities, a page on our site, group critique sessions, camera check-out and more. See the "membership" page of our website eugdarkroom.org/membership for more information, and to apply today!

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!

We are very grateful to our Volunteers, Board Members, Staff, Patrons, and Art Center Donors for their ongoing dedication and support. 

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.