Past Exhibition

Rita Robillard: Time and Place

January 24 – March 25, 2023

Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery and the Maribeth Collins Lobby

Rita Robillard (American, born 1944) is a highly regarded Portland, Oregon, mixed-media artist who explores themes of history, nature, ecology, and place in her work. Robillard was born and raised in New York City, and attended Copper Union and the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her BA and MFA degrees in fine arts. She taught at Washington State University in Pullman and Portland State University, where she chaired the art department from 1998 to 2000 and taught graduate courses until her retirement in 2013. 

Throughout her long and prolific career, Robillard has lived in many different places, and her work over the years has explored the concept of time as well as the nature of the diverse places she has lived. As art writer Linda Tesner has observed, “Robillard’s contemplation of time and place, with its historical underpinnings, is an ongoing inquiry in her work. Intensive research is part of her studio practice; she regularly investigates historical documents, photographs, and primary source accounts. Past series have explored the tension between the history of a place and its current face, accompanied by the context of human activity.” In addition to her ongoing exploration of time and place, Robillard has continued to push the boundaries of the printmaking medium, combining printmaking techniques and photographic processes into works that challenge traditional notions of what a print is.

Organized by Director John Olbrantz, the exhibition features 54 prints created during the past 40 years and drawn from public and private collections throughout the United States, including the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Washington State University in Pullman, and the Portland Art Museum, among others.

Exhibition Related Events

Artist Lecture
Rita Robillard: Time and Place 
Saturday, January 21, 2023  |  5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Paulus Lecture Hall
Willamette University College of Law
245 Winter St., Salem, OR 97301
Free and open to the public

Members/VIP Opening Reception

Celebrating: Rita Robillard: Time and Place 

Saturday, January 21, 2023  |  6:00-8:00 p.m.
Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Members and museum invited guests only
New Members are welcome to join at the event or online

RSVP ONLINE BY January 14, 2023

Or by phone at 503-370-6855 or by email at museum-art@willamette.edu

.........................................................

Gallery Talks

Tours will commence in the Maribeth Collins Lobby at the museum 
Gallery talks are free and open to the public

• Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. (Led by artist Rita Robillard)
  
  
• Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. (Led by HFMA docents)
  
  
• Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. (Led by HFMA docents)
  
  
• Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. (Led by HFMA docents)
  
  
• Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. (Led by HFMA docents)
  
  
• Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. (Led by HFMA docents)
  
  
• Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. (Led by HFMA docents)
  
  
• Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. (Led by artist Rita Robillard) 

Financial Support

Financial support for the exhibition and book was provided by a grant from the Ford Family Foundation; by gifts from several anonymous donors; with funds from the HFMA Exhibition Fund and the Maribeth Collins Art Exhibition Fund; by advertising support from The Oregonian/Oregon Live; and by general operating support grants from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.