What Needs to Be Said: Hallie Ford Fellows in the Visual Arts
September 14 – December 20, 2019
Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery
What Needs to Be Said: Hallie Ford Fellows in the Visual Arts brings together the thirteen artists who have received the Hallie Ford Fellowship in the Visual Arts between 2014 and 2016, an award given annually to artists living in Oregon, that is based on accomplishment, depth of practice, and future potential. These artists—Karl Burkheimer, Ben Buswell, Tannaz Farsi, MK Guth, Anya Kivarkis, Geraldine Ondrizek, Tom Prochaska, Wendy Red Star, Jack Ryan, Blair Saxon-Hill, Storm Tharp, Samantha Wall, and Lynne Woods Turner—evidence the rich and nuanced field of visual and cultural production in this region. There is no single theme that unifies their diverse practices, but rather, seen together they illuminate the breadth of approaches that define our globalized art world.
Organized by Los Angeles curator Diana Nawi for the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, the exhibition features work in a variety of media, including photography, drawing, printmaking, installation, sculpture, sound, and public engagement.
Nawi says, “The exhibition attempts to relay the urgency and intimacy of what happens in the artist’s studio. Art is something we do for ourselves, and something we undertake in the spirit of the collective, sharing our thoughts and investigations with others through exhibitions and conversations. It is, simply, the expression of what needs to be said. While for each artist this is understood and manifested differently, it is an idea that suggests the importance of artistic practice for the individual and society more broadly—something the Hallie Ford Fellowship unquestionably supports.”
The exhibition title, “What Needs to Be Said,” is drawn from an artwork by MK Guth: a series of blank books in which the audience is invited to write down their responses to the prompt suggested by the title. Guth’s books are objects that encourage, record, and contain critical expressions without fully revealing them—an apt metaphor for the possibilities of artistic practice.
EXHIBITION PUBLICATION
The exhibition is accompanied by a full color, 112-page hardcover book with essays by Diana Nawi and six other nationally-recognized art writers, including Amy Bernstein, Essence Harden, Sam Hopple, Nicolas Orozco-Valdivia, Nicole Smythe-Johnson, and Charlie Tatum. The book will be available at the museum for $24.95.
Related Event
Panel Discussion
Saturday, September 14, 2019 | 5 - 6 p.m.
Paulus Lecture Hall, Willamette University College of Law
Free and open to the public
Join exhibition curator Diana Nawi as she moderates a panel discussion with artists Karl Burkheimer, Tom Prochaska, Blair Saxon-Hill and Samantha Wall, who will talk about their art, studio practices, and respective careers.
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Members/VIP Opening Reception
Celebrating: What Needs to Be Said: Hallie Ford Fellows in the Visual Arts and
Custom Made Imperatives: Watercolors by Carol Hausser
Saturday, September 14, 2019 | 6 - 8 p.m.
Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Members and museum invited guests only
Tickets Required
New Members: are welcome to join at the event or online
RSVP ONLINE BY SEPTEMBER 9, 2019
Or by phone at 503-370-6855 or by email at museum-art@willamette.edu
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Tuesday Gallery Talks with Museum Docents
What Needs to Be Said: Hallie Ford Fellows in the Visual Arts
Presented every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., starting October 1, 2019 and continuing through December 17, 2019
Presented by Hallie Ford Museum of Art Docents
Tours will commence in the Maribeth Collins Lobby at the museum
Free and open to the public
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Lecture with Artist Tannaz Farsi
Thursday, September 26, 2019 | 7:30 p.m.
Roger Hull Lecture Hall, Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Free and open to the public
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Lecture with Artist Geraldine Ondrizek
Thursday, October 24, 2019 | 7:30 p.m.
Roger Hull Lecture Hall, Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Free and open to the public
Financial Support
This exhibition has been supported by a major grant from The Ford Family Foundation, with additional support provided by general operating support grants from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.
