If the shoe fits…The student art that could grace the walls of the Littman and White Galleries awaits its fate. Students have until Thursday to submit their pieces. Photo by Corinna scott.
Portland State’s Littman and White Galleries will put student art on display this month, and it’s not too late for aspiring artists to get involved.
The exhibition, titled “Open,” will hang from Thursday, Jan. 17, to Wednesday, Jan. 30. Works will be selected by guest juror and Portland-based art writer John Motley. The Littman Gallery will accept submissions through this Thursday.
Gallery staffers emphasized that students of all disciplines are welcome to submit pieces in any medium.
“We were thinking of calling it ‘Open’ because we’re trying to reach out to the student body,” gallery curator Leif Anderson said. “A lot of them aren’t aware of the gallery, or they don’t come to shows. We’re using the title as a sort of opening invitation. By having a juried show, we’re urging students to get engaged. Thematically, we’re not stressing any genre or medium of art.”
Promotion for the exhibition began fall term, which ended with an initial round of submissions during finals week. Students from a variety of art backgrounds submitted everything from paintings and sculptures to photography and video.
Littman Gallery Administrative Coordinator Vanessa Robertson-Rojas expressed excitement about the initial submissions. She also stressed that more practicing student artists should
consider getting involved, whatever their area of study.
“I stopped by to look over the submissions, and everything looked great,” Robertson-Rojas said. “We’re totally pumped about all the work, and can’t wait to see what others bring in. But more students should definitely submit work.”
Gallery staff invited Motley to jury the exhibition in hopes of bringing his expertise and objective eye to the university. Motley, a critic and arts writer who has worked in Portland since 2008, has been published in several area publications, including the Portland Mercury and
The Oregonian.
Motley explained that he had studied and written on several areas of culture, including film and literature, before putting the pen to art critique. What attracted him to writing about contemporary art, in particular, was the challenge it presented in decoding its intent and meaning for readers.
“I think perhaps there’s more need for interpretation and contextualization for the average reader,” Motley said. “If it’s a novel, a film or a record, people can usually arrive at their own conclusions about that, but there tends to be a little more obfuscation or specialization in contemporary art that can require unpacking what it is someone’s actually seeing in a gallery.”
Asked how he might approach the jurying process, Motley pointed to his strategy when visiting gallery exhibitions that he will write about: keeping an open mind going forward and “curbing any impulse to anticipate” what he would see or how he would feel.
“I think that strategy is absolutely going to be in place for this process,” Motley said. “I have no idea what to expect: It’s an open call to students. So I expect to see an incredible breadth of media and quality. I’m looking forward to the surprise.”
In addition to selecting works to be displayed, Motley will also select three works to receive honorariums, all of which will be announced at the exhibition’s opening reception on Thursday, Jan. 17. Winners will include one Best of Show and two Honorable Mentions.
Rewards will be offered by the gallery and the Pearl District’s Utrecht Art Supplies store, according to Robertson-Rojas, who praised Utrecht’s support.
“Utrecht was super prompt and efficient,” she said. “They decided they wanted to be involved and just got in there with us. There was a hurricane on top of their headquarters in New York, and they still had it together in a timely way.”
Nina Reynolds, another curatorial coordinator for the gallery, encourages students of all stripes to consider submitting.
Portland arts writer John Motley
Thursday, Jan. 17–Wednesday, Jan. 30
Opening reception Thursday, Jan. 17, 5–7 p.m.
Littman and White Galleries
Noon to 4p.m.
Smith Memorial Student Union
“Hurry up and submit!” Reynolds said in an email. “Students are encouraged to go above and beyond. Home projects are welcome. You do not have to be an art major to get your work in the exhibition.”
Reynolds, who started with the gallery at the end of summer, explained that the Littman is working on other efforts to generate direct student engagement. She pointed to ongoing plans to host a monthly platform where interested viewers can discuss the displayed work in a safe environment as just one example.
“I think it would be really neat to see students come in during our operating hours and to view the work and begin critical discussions with us and others about the art,” Reynolds said. “I feel that many people aren’t quite sure how to look at contemporary art, and I am hoping that the Littman Gallery can be a safe place for us to express our ideas about society, art and all of the ethereal and nebulous stuff that we are all concerned with at some level deep down inside.”
Nobody can say for certain exactly what sort of a show will result, but Motley offered insight about the results of the jurying process.
“It’ll be interesting as a snapshot of what’s going on for young art makers in the city,” Motley said. “I’ll be interested in seeing what sorts of themes or commonalities emerge.”
Submissions will be accepted Tuesday–Thursday of the first week of winter term. Art must arrive ready to hang and will be left with the gallery until the jurying process is resolved on Friday, Jan. 11. For more information, contact the gallery at 503-725-5656 or
littmanandwhite@gmail.com.