You can see it in the eyes of students and professors alike – that sense of relief that comes with the last two weeks of classes. Certainly there’s the stress of finishing courses, writing those last papers, cramming for finals. But the knowledge that the term is ending, that the freedoms of summer lie ahead leaves a glimmer in the eye that’s impossible to miss.
Then summer arrives, and by the end of July you’re broke, it’s 97 degrees outside and the grass and greenery are drying up all around you. Inspiration falls by the wayside to perspiration and the summer of productive output evaporates.
Just in time comes the 2006 Oregon Biennial at the Portland Art Museum, running from July 29 to Oct. 8.
Postponed last year due to final construction on the Mark Building, this year’s biennial, the first since 2003, offers the work of dozens of local artists.
The biennial is also the premier outing for the Portland Art Museum’s new curator for Northwest art, Jennifer Gately. Gately, a recent transplant from Idaho, sifted through 760 entries from Northwest artists, and ultimately chose 34 artists to represent the region’s contemporary voice.
And if that weren’t daunting enough, Gately is working under the specter of the Bruce Guenther-curated 2001 and 2003 biennials, both panned by critics, patrons and artists and considered by many to embody how out of touch with the contemporary scene the Portland Art Museum had become.
But that was three years ago, and since then the museum has made some strides in better representing local trends. With the Mark Building finally offering a real home to the impressive mid-century Greenberg collection and opening space for more exciting exhibits, it would seem that things are heading in the right direction. Gately’s lineup for the biennial just cements that.
The big difference this year is the addition of new mediums. Slighted in the past, digital and video work both make strong showings this year, and Gately’s inclusion of artists like Ty Ennis and Chandra Bocci, whose recent work is some of the most exciting in Portland right now, means she’s looking beyond the Portland traditionals.
There’s still a strong representation of Portland standbys. Artists like Kristen Kennedy, Michael Brophy and Lucinda Parker have been integral parts of the Portland art scene in recent years and at this point in their career have proven to be dynamic artists, well deserving of their selection. But the choice of some less-established and concept-laden artists is surprising and exciting. Artists like Brad Adkins and Matt Clark are people I wouldn’t expect but am pleased to see and Holly Andres continues to impress well beyond the pages of PDX Modern.
None of this listing and history really matters, however, until the exhibit goes up – when we can see with finality how well and how wholly the work represents trends here in P-town. For many of these artists this is the first big chance at some broad exposure, a chance for representation, press and sales. And for Gately, to come into a scene so tight and self-aware as Portland, this means a lot.
For those of us in the viewer’s seat, though, the 2006 Oregon Biennial means a break from the summer doldrums and a chance to see what we might be missing in our patronage. Oh, and air conditioning. Sweet, sweet climate control.