Museum Presents Pieces from Portland Collector

A small exhibition from the collection of Leo Michelson, a Portland resident and avid collector of contemporary art, will be on display Aug. 2 through Oct. 5 in the Study Gallery at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.

The Collector’s Eye: Contemporary Art from the Leo Michelson Collection includes mostly works Michelson donated to the museum during the past 10 years. Artists featured in the exhibition include Rick Bartow, Judy Cooke, Baba Wague Diakite, James Lavadour, D.E. May, Fay Jones and James Thompson, among others. Visitors can meet Michelson in a free reception Saturday, Aug. 30, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the museum.

Born and raised in Texas, Michelson lived in California for many years and worked for ABC Studios in Los Angeles. He left ABC in 1986, traveled for several years and moved to Oregon in the early 1990s. Once settled in Portland, he began to buy contemporary art and has amassed a major collection of regional art, ranging from paintings and drawings to sculptures and prints.

The Collector’s Eye: Contemporary Art from the Leo Michelson Collection 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. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed 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 or visit www.willamette.edu/museum_of_art.

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Hallie Ford Museum of Art Seeks Volunteer Docents

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is recruiting volunteer docents to provide permanent gallery and special exhibition tours for K–12 students, college students, adults and senior citizens.

The next class for docents begins in September. Training for new and active docents is held every Monday from 9 a.m. to noon from September through April. Training includes lectures and gallery sessions on the museum’s permanent collections and special exhibitions, as well as touring techniques and lessons on how to view and talk about art.

Trainees attend weekly classes for eight months, do occasional homework assignments and give guided tours in the spring. Docents are asked to make a two-year commitment once they graduate from training, although most docents remain active for many years. In addition to becoming a member of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at the individual level or above, docents must pay yearly dues of $15 per person.

Applications may be picked up at the museum Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Aug. 15 to Elizabeth Garrison, the Cameron Paulin Curator of Education. Interviews will be held in August.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art was founded in 1998 to serve as an artistic, cultural and intellectual resource for Willamette University, the city of Salem, the mid-Willamette Valley and beyond. It includes four permanent galleries and two temporary exhibition spaces. Permanent galleries focus on European, Asian and American art, Native American baskets, historic and contemporary regional art, and European and American works on paper. Temporary exhibitions feature historic and contemporary art.

The museum 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., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Mondays. 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 or visit www.willamette.edu/museum_of_art.

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SYMMONDS HEADS TO OLYMPICS

Media from coast to coast are abuzz this week about Willamette University alumnus Nick Symmonds’ exciting win in the men’s 800-meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Symmonds ’06, running for the Oregon Track Club/Nike, ran a personal best of 1:44.10, earning him a trip to the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.

Symmonds was in sixth place with 100 meters remaining, but worked his way to the lead using his trademark powerful kick. Hundreds of media outlets in print, on television and on the web are talking about the dramatic ending and the fact that all three top finishers had Oregon ties. Symmonds won by almost one second over second-place finisher Andrew Wheating from the University of Oregon, and third place went to Christian Smith of the Oregon Track Club/Nike.

The New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and The Oregonian are just a few of the newspapers that covered the race, many noting that Symmonds came from Division III Willamette before going on to national prominence. One Boise, Idaho, TV station said Symmonds “has been proving that college size doesn’t matter.” ESPN.com noted, “These performances were decibel-aided,” in reference to the supportive crowd that was so loud, Symmonds said he couldn’t hear himself breathing.

At Willamette, Symmonds majored in biochemistry and won four national titles in the 800 meters and three national championships in the 1,500 meters. He helped the Bearcats earn four Top 10 team finishes in NCAA Division III between 2003 and 2006, including a tie for third place in 2004 and fourth place in 2005.

“It was the perfect college experience,” he told the Salem Statesman Journal. “It definitely was a springboard.”

Watch the final race:
www.ktvb.com/video/index.html?nvid=259399

Read about Symmonds in USA Today:
www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/track/2008-06-30-padgett_N.htm

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