Close from Distant Shores

Last night, the Portland State School of Fine and Performing Arts, along with the College of Fine Arts and College of Design at the University of Ulsan in South Korea, kick-started its biennial art exhibition featuring works from faculty and students from both universities.

The event began with opening speeches from student and faculty artists from Portland State as well as both the dean of the College of Design, Sewon Kim, and the dean of the College of Fine Arts, Seop Kim, from the University of Ulsan.

The two arrived at Portland State Wednesday afternoon and were treated to a dinner hosted by William LePore, the chair of the Portland State Art Department. The deans will stay for the opening days of the exhibition, and then fly out on Saturday morning.

Junghee Lee, professor of art history at Portland State, was also part of the project.

“The exhibition will feature different types of art, such as paintings, prints, drawings, oil paintings, graphic design, industrial design, textile design and sculptors,” Lee said.

Lee explained that this year’s event continues the long-standing relationship between the two universities.

“We have been sister universities since 1994, and since 1996 we started to have an exchange exhibition every two years,” Lee said. “We used to exhibit only art by the faculty, but we have included student artwork since 2000.”

Lee serves as a liaison between the two universities and has visited the University of Ulsan every year. In the past, Portland State faculty members have also taught at the university in South Korea, including LePore.

During the summer, Portland State also hosts a group of art students from the University of Ulsan. Lee said the University of Ulsan also gives scholarships to students in the art department.

LePore said this year’s exhibition, titled “Close from Distant Shores,” features 11 art pieces from Portland State faculty and 16 from the faculty at University of Ulsan.

Katherine Morrow, program administrator for the department of international affairs at Portland State, explained that the University of Ulsan is a private institution that was founded by the Hyundai Industries, which also funded a large part of the school.

“Ulsan city has a very strong connection to the Hyundai Industries, so a lot of activity is funded by Hyundai,” Morrow said. “Their university has at least, if not more than, 12,000 students.”

The student and faculty artwork will show at the four art galleries on Portland State’s campus, see locations in information box.

Portland State students and faculty to have art featured in the 2009 Close from Distant Shores exhibit:

Vanessa Calvert: A native Portlander, Calvert received her bachelor’s degree in fine arts at Whitman College in 2003 and is currently completing her master’s in fine arts studio practice at Portland State. Her art has been exhibited in Oregon and Washington since 2002 and in a number of galleries, including Igloo Gallery, Broderick Gallery and MK Galleries.

Varinthorn Christopher: An artist of Thai-Mon descent, Christopher migrated to the U.S. in 1998. Her life experience inspired her to work with the poor, underprivileged, refugees, immigrants and other marginalized people. Her work strives to promote a better environment, support human rights, enhance diversity and preserve ethnic and cultural heritage.

Damien Gilley: Originally from southern California, Gilley received his master’s in fine arts from Portland State. His work has been exhibited nationally at venues including the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Arthouse in Austin, Texas, Las Vegas Art Museum and RockBox. Gilley is the founder and curator of the Igloo Gallery in Portland.

Lori Gilbert: Gilbert has a background in printmaking, but now primarily produces drawings that incorporate text. Her interests include silent authorities, comfort, ambiguity and information distribution. Her current work aims to materialize statements that are honest assumptions and make them appear somewhat authoritative, hoping to create a platform for alternative perspective.

Anna Gray and Ryan Wilson Paulson: The two have been working together for the past four years making a wide variety of things from postcard projects, photographs and newspapers, to installations, video pieces and, most recently, a new house. Their work has been shown at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State, PDX Contemporary Art and Milepost Five.

Close from Distant Shores
Dual art exhibition of Portland State and University of Ulsan, South Korea
When: June 4–24
Where: Autzen Gallery in Neuberger Hall, room 205; MK Gallery in the Art Building room 210; Littman Gallery in Smith Memorial Student Union, room 250; and The White Gallery in Smith Memorial Student Union second floor.
See www.pdx.edu/art/exhibitions for more details.