Library Consortium Enhances Access

An online catalog of more than a half million bibliographic records, the sixth largest in Oregon, will be activated at the Mark O. Hatfield Library at Willamette University at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4. The project, the first of its kind in the country, will place the bibliographic records of two state libraries on the automated library system of a private university.

The consortium was formed in December 2000 for the purpose of supporting public/private initiatives engaged in public policy research and law reform in Oregon.

Faculty and students of Willamette University and State of Oregon executive, legislative and judicial personnel are the primary beneficiaries of an innovative private/public collaboration to combine the electronic bibliographic records of the Oregon State Library and the State of Oregon Law Library with those of the Willamette University Mark O. Hatfield and College of Law Libraries to create a shared online catalog.

The combined catalog will provide efficient research and information access for such diverse library users as the Oregon Department of Justice attorneys, Oregon legislative staff researchers, and Willamette University students and faculty. The resource sharing will result in improved research capabilities and cost-savings in collection development, library automation and annual system maintenance. Willamette University’s automated library system will also be home to the acquisitions, circulation and serials software modules for both State libraries.

The project was supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Oregon State Library, with a $214,917 grant. The participating libraries provided additional funds and in-kind services.

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Willamette University Tree Proves to be the Tallest

A tree guy has measured them and it’s official. Among Willamette University’s five Sequoiadendron Giganteums, known more simply by those who admire them as “the Star Trees,” is the tallest Sequoia tree on any college or university campus in the United States.

Another Oregon university laid claim to the title years ago, but recently Willamette University called in a big stick to set the record straight. The University asked forestry consultant Terry Lamers to officially measure the tallest of the five Star Trees and settle the question once and for all. The measurement showed Willamette’s tallest Sequoia to be 154 feet tall. That’s roughly a little more than 15 stories high. It beat the closest competitor limbs down. Pretty good growth for a class gift.

It all began when the students of the Class of 1942 presented Willamette with five tiny redwood trees as a farewell gift. The occasion coincided with the 100th anniversary of Willamette, founded in 1842 and recognized as the oldest university in the west.

The five tiny trees on the north side of Waller Hall, located directly across the street from the State Capitol, were planted in a “circle of fire.” Their growth was so symmetrical and well-spaced, that years later, visitors who stand in the center of the trees and look skyward see the form of a perfectly shaped five-pointed star. Their growth has been phenomenal and so has the attention they draw around the holiday season.

In 1997, Willamette University started a campus holiday tradition that now draws close to 1,000 visitors to campus annually. The Star Trees Lighting each December is sponsored by the University and Salem-area businesses. The five Star Trees are layered with 50 strands that hold 1,700 lights that remain lighted from mid-December to January 2. The lighting ceremony also features several choirs and music ensembles from Willamette University.

The Star Trees of Willamette were planted 60 years ago to make a statement about longevity and purpose. That declaration of determination is now 154 feet tall.

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Free Noon Concert At Art Museum

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University presents John Mery on classical guitar and Jas. Adams on flute Tuesday, Sept. 10, at noon. Admission is free.

"Music of Iberia: Old and New World," is a selection of jazzy classical music from Europe, Brazil and Argentina. The program includes pieces by Ravel, Pessard, Ibert, Villa-Lobos, Machado and Piazolla.

Mery received his master’s degree in music in guitar performance from the University of Arizona where he studied under Thomas Patterson. He has participated in master classes with many of today's most prominent guitarists including: Christopher Parkening, Oscar Ghilia, David Russel, Abel Carlevaro and Carlo Barone.

In 1993 Mery won the Schaeffer Memorial Guitar Competition. He has performed in concert in Europe and throughout the Western United States. He currently heads the music program at Portland Community College – Sylvania campus.

Jas. Adams first studied flute while attending Reed College, where he helped start a Young Audience group, playing Renaissance instruments for local school children. He also studied flute with Roger Rostron of the Halle Orchestra in Manchester, England. A founding board member of the Portland Baroque Orchestra and Chorus, Adams has performed on baroque and modern flute in chamber music recitals and concerts in the Pacific Northwest, Bay Area, and abroad. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Willamette University College of Law.

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Ancient Vase on Loan To Hallie Ford Museum

“Celebrating Agon” features a single Panathenaic prize amphora on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition opens Aug. 31 and continues through Dec. 21 in the Study Gallery at the Hallie Ford Museum at Willamette University.

Curated by Dr. Ann Nicgorski, associate professor of art history at Willamette and a faculty curator at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, the exhibition is timed to coincide with World Views, the freshman interdisciplinary course that emphasizes critical thinking, comparative analysis, and writing and whose focus has been on 5th century Athens for the past four years.

Once filled with precious Attic olive oil from a grove sacred to the goddess Athena, this remarkable vase served as a prize for the games of the Greater Panathenaic Festival held every four years in ancient Athens. Attributed to the Painter of the Warsaw Panathenaic and decorated in the black-figure style, the amphora features a depiction of the chariot race for which it was awarded, a statuesque image of the city goddess Athena, and an inscription that states "a prize from the games at Athens."

“Celebrating Agon” is supported by a generous grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University is located at 700 State Street (corner of State and Cottage Streets) in downtown Salem. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed on Sunday and Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children under 12 are admitted free. Admission is free each Tuesday.

For further information, please call 503/370-6855.

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Willamette Professor Elected President of National Law Society

At its recent annual meeting in Brisbane, Australia, The American Society of Comparative Law elected David S. Clark president for the next two years. Clark was recently hired as the first Maynard and Bertha Wilson Professor of Law at Willamette University.

The American Society of Comparative Law, founded in 1951, consists of 100 U.S. law schools as well as a few law schools in foreign countries. In recent years, it has become the world’s most recognized organization for supporting and communicating research about foreign and comparative law.

“The United States has an important role to play in continuing global trade, environmental cooperation, and the development of human rights norms,” said President Clark. “Moreover, the spread of dispute resolution skills across cultural divides has never been more important. Legal scholars working with their foreign colleagues develop the ideas that governments later utilize.”

Clark has taught in Europe, Latin America, and Asia and published 10 books and more than 50 articles on comparative law, procedure, courts, and law and society, which track his teaching areas. He recently finalized plans for Willamette's newest foreign study program at the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, which this fall semester will have five Willamette students in residence. This is the largest contingent of any American law school.

“This demonstrates how well our commitment to globalize the law curriculum is paying off,” said Symeon Symeonides, dean at the College of Law. “We have several members of the Willamette law faculty who are actively involved in foreign and international law. Our students benefit by using these opportunities to prepare for the growing global practice of law. Within the international law community and among law schools around the country, Willamette is highly regarded.”

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Lectures Coincide with Egyptian Exhibition

In conjunction with its forthcoming Egyptian exhibition, In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University has planned a major fall lecture series. Some of the foremost Egyptologists from throughout the United States will lecture on various topics related to the exhibition.

On Friday, Aug. 30, Dr. James Romano, curator of Egyptian, classical, and ancient Middle Eastern art at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, will present an illustrated slide lecture on the social, philosophical, and religious basis of ancient Egyptian art, with an
emphasis on the objects in the exhibition.

On Thursday, Sept. 5, Dr. Kent Weeks, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, will deliver the 2002 Hogue-Sponenburgh Lecture on the future of the Valley of the Kings and his discovery of KV5, the family tomb of Ramesses the Great, considered one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Egypt in the 20th century.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, Dr. Lanny Bell, professor emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Chicago, will give a slide lecture on ancient Egyptian architecture, with an
emphasis on the social, political, and religious purposes of Egyptian temples and tombs.

On Thursday, Sept. 19, Dr. Cathleen Keller, associate professor of Egyptology at the University of California, Berkeley, will present a slide lecture on Egyptian painting
and wall relief, with an emphasis on the relationship between religious beliefs, writing, and the visual arts.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, Dr. Rita Freed, curator of Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will present a slide lecture on Egyptian sculpture, including the range of subjects explored by the Egyptian sculptor and the social, political, and religious purposes of Egyptian sculpture in the round.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, William Peck, curator of ancient art at the Detroit Institute of Arts, will give a slide lecture on the Egyptian personal arts, including ceramics, furniture, jewelry, clothing, metalwork, and wood, with an emphasis on their role in ancient Egyptian daily life.

On Thursday, Oct. 17, Dr. Diana Craig Patch, research associate of Egyptian art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will give a slide lecture on the history of American Egyptology during the 19th and 20th centuries, with an emphasis on a handful of American scholars who would have a profound impact on the field.

The Romano and Weeks lectures will begin at 5 p.m., all others begin at 7:30 p.m. The Weeks lecture is in Cone Chapel in Waller Hall, all others are in the Paulus Lecture Hall in Willamette University's College of Law. Admission is free.

The lecture series is supported by a major grant from the Oregon Council for the Humanities, with additional support provided by the Salem Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America and an anonymous donor.

The Hogue-Sponenburgh Lecture Fund supports the Weeks lecture, with additional support provided by the Hallie Ford Museum of Art and the Salem Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America.

In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections opens August 31 and continues through January 4, 2003. The exhibition presents a survey of Egyptian art and culture from 4500 BC to the end of the Roman period and features 48 objects on loan from some of the most distinguished Egyptian collections in the United
States, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. One of the underlying purposes of the exhibition is to introduce audiences in the West to important and rarely seen masterpieces of Egyptian art, including superb examples of painting, relief, sculpture, and the personal arts.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University is located at 700 State Street (corner of State and Cottage Streets) in downtown Salem. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children under 12 are admitted free. Admission is free each Tuesday.

For further information, please call 503/370-6855.

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In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections

From August 31 through January 4, 2003, the Hallie Ford Museum
of Art at Willamette University will present In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections. Organized by John Olbrantz, director of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, and consultant James F. Romano, curator of Egyptian, classical, and ancient Middle Eastern art at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the exhibition presents a survey of Egyptian art and culture from 4500 BC to the end of the Roman period.

Included in the exhibition are 48 objects on loan from some of the most distinguished Egyptian collections in the United States, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Because very few examples of Egyptian art exist in this region, one of the underlying purposes of the exhibition is to introduce audiences in the West to important yet rarely seen masterpieces of Egyptian art, including superb examples of painting, relief, sculpture, and the personal arts.

Of Egypt's many legacies, none speaks more eloquently to modern audiences than her art. The Egyptian facility with color and line, mastery of obdurate stone, and skill in creating harmonious compositions, enthrall and captivate modern audiences. Yet much of what modern viewers believe about Egyptian art is plagued by misconceptions. How often have we read that Egyptian art is conservative, obsessed with death, or awkward and unskilled in its depiction of the human form?

In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections seeks to dispel these fallacies. One of the exhibitions principle themes--Egyptian art was a dynamic phenomenon that functioned at a deliberate pace--is illustrated throughout the exhibition. By bringing together exquisite examples of Egyptian art that range from the
Predynastic period to Roman times, the exhibition highlights countless subtle but significant changes in Egyptian form, style, and iconography. Other themes explored in the exhibition include the "African-ness" of Egyptian art, the question of portraiture, the depiction of gender in Egyptian art, and the relationship between writing and the visual arts.

In addition to the 48 objects on display, the exhibition features text panels, annotated labels, photo murals, a map, a chronology, and a full-color exhibition catalogue with an introduction on the history of American Egyptology and an essay on the themes of the exhibition. The exhibition catalogue has been published in cooperation with the University of Washington Press, Seattle and London.

In order to broaden the scope of the exhibition, and to place the objects in their proper socio-cultural context, an extensive lecture series has been planned for the months of September and October. Some of the foremost Egyptologists from throughout the United States have been invited to lecture, including James Romano, Kent Weeks, Lanny Bell, and Rita Freed. In addition, a four-part film series has been planned for the months of October and November, and a one-day teacher workshop on Egyptian hieroglyphs has been scheduled for October.

Once the exhibition closes in Salem, it will travel to the Boise Art Museum in Idaho, where it will be shown from March 8-June 29, 2003.

In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections is supported by a major grant from an anonymous donor, with additional support provided by the Wyss Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Salem (through the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax Funds).

The lecture and film series is supported by a major grant from the Oregon Council for the Humanities, with additional support provided by the Hogue-Sponenburgh Lecture Fund, the Salem Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America, and an anonymous donor.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University is located at 700 State Street (corner of State and Cottage Streets) in downtown Salem. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed on Sunday and Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children under 12 are admitted free. Admission is free each Tuesday.

For further information, please call 503/370-6855.

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Art of Egypt Exhibit Includes Film Series and Lecture

In conjunction with its forthcoming exhibition, In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University will offer a four-part film series on ancient Egyptian culture and a Saturday workshop on Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The four-part series, "Egypt, Beyond the Pyramids," will be shown Oct. 22 and 29, and Nov. 5, and 12 from 7 to 8 p.m. Hosted by Peter Woodward and originally aired on the History Channel, the series explores some of the key elements of ancient Egyptian civilization from 3000 BC to the end of the Roman period.

"Mansions of the Spirits," shown Oct. 22, will explore the role of the temple in ancient Egyptian civilization.

On Oct. 26 from 10 am to 5 p.m., writer and lecturer John Sarr will offer a one-day workshop on Egyptian hieroglyphs. Sarr will introduce participants to the basics of reading ancient Egyptian so that by the end of the day, they will be able to read simple funerary inscriptions and pharaonic names. Sarr is currently president of the Oregon Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt and has taught similar courses at
Portland Community College.

"The Great Pharaoh and His Lost Children," shown Oct. 29, will examine the discovery of KV5 in the Valley of the Kings.

"The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians," shown Nov. 5, will explore daily life in ancient Egypt, with an emphasis on the port city of Mendes.

"Death and the Journey to Immortality," shown Nov. 12, will examine the latest revelations about Egyptian funerary and burial practices.

The films and the workshop are in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. While the film series is free, the workshop is $55. To register for the workshop, please call 503/370-6855.

In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections continues through Jan. 4, 2003. The exhibition presents a survey of Egyptian art and culture from 4500 BC to the end of the Roman period and features 48 objects on loan
from some of the most distinguished Egyptian collections in the United States, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
One of the underlying purposes of the exhibition is to introduce audiences in the
West to important, yet rarely seen masterpieces of Egyptian art, including superb examples of painting, relief, sculpture, and the personal arts.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University is located at 700 State Street (corner of State and Cottage Streets) in downtown Salem. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children under 12 are admitted free. Admission is free each Tuesday.

For further information, please call 503/370-6855.

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Art of Egypt Exhibit Includes Teacher Workshop

Area school teachers who want their students to visit the art of Egypt exhibit at Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University are encouraged to attend a teacher's workshop that will help them prepare students for a museum field trip.

The workshop is Monday, Sept.16, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. A reception will follow from 5 to 6 p.m. Teachers will have an opportunity to view the exhibition prior to their field trip. Although advance registration is required, admission to the workshop is free. To register, please call 503/370-6855. Ron Crosier, an education consultant and retired high school art teacher from Portland, researched and wrote the teaching kit for the exhibition.

In conjunction with its forthcoming Egyptian exhibition, In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections, the workshop will help teachers prepare students for a field trip to the exhibition, develop strategies to tour the exhibition and/or design gallery activities for students, and propose ideas that reinforce the gallery experience and broaden curriculum concepts in the classroom. Although the emphasis of the workshop will be on the objects as art, teachers will be able to use these works to learn about the life and beliefs of this distant and remote culture.

The exhibit opens Aug. 31and continues through Jan. 4, 2003. The exhibition presents a survey of Egyptian art and culture from 4500 BC to the end of the Roman period and features 48 objects on loan from some of the most distinguished Egyptian collections in the United States, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. One of the underlying purposes of the exhibition is to introduce audiences in the West to important, yet rarely seen masterpieces of Egyptian art, including superb examples of painting, relief, sculpture, and the personal arts.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University is located at 700 State Street (corner of State and Cottage Streets) in downtown Salem. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children under 12 are admitted free. Admission is free each Tuesday.

For further information, please call 503/370-6855.

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Art of Egypt exhibit at Hallie Ford Museum of Art

The Art of Egypt exhibit runs Aug. 31 to Jan. 4 at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University in Salem, OR. This is the ONLY west coast showing of these 48 spectacular pieces of art on loan from some of the most prestigious museums in the country. This exhibit may be one of the most important Egyptian art exhibits of 2002-03.

Also Related Stories:

• Art of Egypt Exhibit Includes Film Series and Lecture
• In the Fullness of Time: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from American Collections
• Lectures Coincide with Egyptian Exhibition
• Art of Egypt Exhibit Includes Teacher Workshop

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