Jim Riswold: Göring’s Lunch

A small exhibition of photographs by Jim Riswold, a Portland photographer whose work satirizes some of the most well-known despots of the 20th century, will open May 27 and continue through Aug. 5 in the Print Study Center of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.

Jim Riswold: Göring’s Lunch will feature the dark humor and parody Riswold uses in his photos, in which he juxtaposes toy models and plastic houses with Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Josef Stalin and Hideki Tojo. The works suggest the bizarre psychology of photographer Cindy Sherman’s staged works, but at the same time recall “Springtime for Hitler,” Mel Brooks’ famous song and dance spoof from The Producers.

Born in Seattle in 1957, Riswold graduated from the University of Washington in 1983 with degrees in philosophy, history and communications. He eventually moved to Portland and secured a position with Wieden + Kennedy, a major advertising firm that handles a number of national accounts, including one for Nike. As creative director, Riswold worked with Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, Spike Lee and Tiger Woods, among others.

Riswold began taking photos a few years ago after surfing the Internet and discovering a universe of Hitler products, including toys, dolls, books, videos and garden tools. Other searches revealed similar projects related to Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo and a host of Hitler’s henchmen. Riswold was curious that these items could be considered toys, and although he was not trained as a photographer himself, he enlisted the help of friends and colleagues to capture his own ideas with photography.

Riswold has had four solo exhibitions since he took up photography, including three exhibitions at the Augen Gallery in Portland and the current exhibition at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. He is represented in the collections of the Portland Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art and several private collections throughout the region.

Jim Riswold: Göring’s Lunch has been supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax Funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the campus of Willamette University. 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 younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855.

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Frank Boyden: Prints and Books

A major exhibition of prints and books by Frank Boyden, an internationally recognized Oregon ceramic artist and printmaker whose work is based on the flora and fauna of the state, will open June 10 and continue through Aug. 5 in the Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.

As a special feature, Boyden will discuss his work June 9 from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. A preview reception in honor of the artist will follow from 6 to 8 p.m. in the lobby and galleries downstairs. The talk is free and open to the public.

Born in Portland in 1942, Boyden received his bachelor of arts degree from Colorado College and his bachelor of fine arts and master of fine arts degrees from Yale University. In 1971, he returned to Oregon and established the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in Otis. After a successful career as a ceramic artist in the 1970s and early 1980s, Boyden returned to printmaking in 1984.

Frank Boyden: Prints and Books will feature more than 20 years of Boyden’s work. A prolific printmaker, Boyden has explored a wide variety of themes in his work, including animals, the landscape and most recently, the human figure. The exhibition will feature more than 90 aquatints, drypoints, etchings and lithographs drawn from the permanent collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, which has one of the largest collections of Boyden prints in the U.S. The exhibition also will include a number of Boyden’s handmade art books.

In conjunction with the exhibition, a full-color, 160-page catalogue has been published. The book includes essays by Portland art writer Prudence Roberts, who attempts to place Boyden’s prints within the context of modern and regional art, and the artist’s son Ian Boyden, who discusses his father as a printmaker and book collaborator. The book also includes more than 160 illustrations and an extensive chronology of the artist.

Frank Boyden: Prints and Books has been supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax Funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the campus of Willamette University. 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 younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855.

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Symmonds Breaks NCAA Division III Record for the 800 Meters

Willamette University Senior Runs One of Fastest Times in Nation this Year

Willamette University senior Nick Symmonds broke the NCAA Division III record for the 800 meters late Saturday as he ran a 1:47.34, winning the Tennessee Distance Running Solution race at Vanderbilt University.

Symmonds, a five-time Division III national champion in the 800 and 1500 meters, broke the record held by Clive Terrelonger of Lincoln College by .22 seconds. Terrelonger set the old record in 1991.

The winning time—along with breaking the record—firmly plants Symmonds in the top five in the nation for all runners in the 800 meters. Only two runners, Khadevis Robinson of Nike and Christian Smith from Kansas State, are ahead of Symmonds. Robinson ran the top two times this year, including a 1:44.98. Smith’s best time is 1:47.11. Symmonds follows right behind with 1:47.34.

Running in a competitive field that included Jebreh Harris (#5 800m in US), Nike Farm Team member Sean O’Brien and two-time NCAA Division III 800 meter champion Matt Groose, Symmonds hit the bell lap in just over 52 seconds, tucked in behind several runners.

Sitting comfortably for the next 300 meters, Symmonds took the lead on the homestretch, setting a personal best by nearly 1.5 seconds, breaking his own Willamette University record and the NCAA Division III record.

Symmonds will attempt to defend his titles in the 1500 meters and 800 meters at the NCAA Division III Championships May 25-27 in Lisle, Ill. Earlier this year, Symmonds won the Northwest Conference Cross Country Championship.

Symmonds traveled to Tennessee hoping to qualify for the United States Track Association Championships, catching a 6 a.m. flight back to Oregon on Sunday to walk with his graduating class. Now his goal is to finish in the top three in the nation as he prepares for the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Olympics.

“This may have been the best weekend of my life,” Symmonds said. “It feels phenomenal to be a Division III runner ranked in the top 10 in the nation. I never thought I would have that chance going to a Division III school. But it’s still early in the season, and this is going to help me stay motivated and focused.”

The Tennessee Running Solution is a first-year meet. Meet Director Dave Milner said the 800 at the event was one of the fastest races run in the country this year.

“Nick ran an excellent race,” Milner said. “He was the star of the show. He got boxed in as they were coming into the final 300 meters, but he didn’t panic. When he saw his opening, he took it and out-kicked a very strong field to win the race.

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Mel Katz: Recent Donations and Acquisitions

A small exhibition of sculptures by Mel Katz, a Portland sculptor and teacher whose work is rooted in the principles of geometric abstraction, will open May 27 and continue through July 29 in the Study Gallery of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.

Born in Brooklyn in 1932, Katz graduated in 1953 from the Cooper Union Art School in New York and attended the Brooklyn Museum Art School in 1954 and 1955. He moved to Portland in 1964 to accept a teaching position at the Portland Art Museum School, and in 1966, he accepted a similar position at Portland State University, where he taught for the next 32 years.

Originally trained as a painter, Katz has made sculptures since the early 1970s. Katz is the son of a pattern maker in New York, and his sculpture reflects his father’s work in the garment trade: pattern making, tracing and cutting. The exhibition, which spans a 35-year period, includes work from his Grey Series, Sawtooth Series, Pedestal Series and Reveal Series.

Over the years, Katz has been featured in numerous one-person and group exhibitions throughout the U.S. He was the subject of a major retrospective at the Portland Art Museum in 1988 and was included in the traveling exhibition Still Working in 1994. His work is included in the collections of the Portland Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, the City of Seattle and many national corporations.

In 2004, Katz and his wife Dianne Anderson offered to donate several older pieces to the permanent collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, with the first donation occurring in 2005 and subsequent donations in 2006 and 2007. In return, the museum agreed to purchase a newer work by 2008. The current exhibition is the result of this collaboration and partnership. The exhibition includes the four sculptures, which the museum took possession of last year.

Mel Katz: Recent Donations and Acquisitions has been supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax Funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the Willamette University campus. The museum is open 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 younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855.

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Hallie Ford Museum of Art Announces 2006-07 Exhibitions

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University announces its exhibitions for the 2006-07 season, including works from an Oregon printmaker, art made from recycled materials and a Seattle artist’s autobiographical paintings.

“I’m extremely pleased with the quality, range and diversity of temporary exhibitions planned for next year,” Museum Director John Olbrantz said.

Major exhibitions scheduled for the Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery include:

Frank Boyden: Prints and Books (June 10-Aug. 5) will feature the work of this Oregon printmaker and founder of the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in Otis, Ore. A ceramic artist and printmaker, Boyden has explored a wide variety of themes in his prints over the past 20 years, including animals, the landscape and most recently, the human figure. The exhibition will feature more than 90 aquatints, drypoints, etchings and lithographs drawn from the permanent collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, which has one of the largest collections of Boyden prints in the U.S.

Recycled Art (Aug. 26-Nov. 4) will feature the work of a number of contemporary artists from throughout the region who fashion artwork from recycled materials. Included in the exhibition will be artists Ross Palmer Beecher, who creates traditional quilts from recycled aluminum cans; Gloria Crouse, who makes fanciful clothing from Rip-stop and plastic six-pack rings; David Gilhooly, who creates miniature tableaus from recycled plastic action figures and old puzzles; and Ron Ho, who makes exquisite jewelry from found objects.

Fay Jones: Painted Fictions (Nov. 18-Jan. 20, 2007) will feature the work of this Seattle narrative and symbolist painter who deals with a variety of autobiographical issues in her work, from growing up in New England in the 1940s and ’50s to an exploration of a broad range of personal symbols that she has wrestled with for most of her professional life. The exhibition will include work from the past 20 years from Portland and Seattle collections.

George Johanson (Feb. 3-March 31, 2007) will chronicle the life and times of this Portland painter, printmaker and teacher, whose work focuses on bathers, swimmers, artists and the streets and vistas of Portland, a place he has called home since the late 1940s. The exhibition will trace Johanson’s career over a 60-year time period and will feature works drawn from regional collections.

Senior Art Majors (April 14-May 12, 2007) features the work of senior art majors at Willamette. The exhibition includes work in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, ceramics, photography and mixed media. In addition, the exhibition features senior theses in art history.

Smaller exhibitions scheduled for the Study Gallery include:

• Mel Katz: Recent Donations and Acquisitions (May 27-July 29),
• The James M. Floyd Memorial: An Installation by Nancy Floyd (Aug. 5-Oct. 21),
• The First Crow Shadow Institute Biennial (Oct. 28-Dec. 22),
• John Van Dreal: Still Lifes and Figures (Jan. 6-March 3, 2007), and
• Ancient Glass: Selections from the Richard Brockway Collection (March 10-May 19, 2007).

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the Willamette University campus. The museum is open 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 younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855.

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