Cutting edge community art

Art often pushes boundaries. Whether displaying an artist's personal ethos or making a political statement, art often speaks without words.

In an effort to advance visual arts in the MId-Valley, Mid-Valley Video Festival hosts its Visual Art Mixer as an opening for the f-stop visual arts center.

Throughout downtown Salem on September 11 and 12, the "Regeneration Art Fest," exhibits the latest work of many local artists. Paintings, sculptures, installations, paper toys, mail art, mixed media and graphic design is part of the event meant to showcase the reality of the post 9/11 world.

Many of the participating artists, coming from as far as Seattle and as close as Salem, recently exhibited at the Manor of Art in Portland. Among the art makers are Keith Rosson, Nicole Linder, David Stein, Joe Shea, Michael Adamson, Jackie Raye Jones, Melinda Dalke, Jami Moffett, Thomas Quinn, Shawn Ellis, Angela Dawn, and Sara Schultz.

Openings are scheduled at The F-Stop Visual Arts Center, The Space, Coffee House Cafe, Cascade Baking Company and Normandy Guitars on the 11th.

On the 12th, a live music and video projection event is scheduled on the steps of the Oregon State Capitol.

Grab some art to go

Is it possible to turn a private residence or office into a rotating art gallery?

The Salem Public Library makes that a possibility. The library's recently renovated art offerings allow cardholders to check out art work to hang in the home or office for six weeks at a time.

"Thanks to a recent grant from the Gehlar Family Fund and the Salem Foundation we were able to put together a new display and refresh the collection with new pieces," Sonja Somerville, spokesperson for the library, said.

The grant provided for the construction of new display cases on the first floor of the library, a step up from the set of drawers that once held the collection. The library has sponsored the program since the 1970s, and collection includes paintings, photographs, lithographs and drawings.

"We try feature work from local and regional artists so the program is a great way to celebrate the community," Somerville said. "The grant allowed us to to give the collection a more contemporary feel, but it truly is a great mix."

One man's junk is another's treasure

This old adage can fit into the three cornerstone's of the practical environmentalism: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Keizer Art Association's September show "Echoes of Green: Recycle, Reclaim, Repurpose" is a juried show of art made from found objects.

Open to all Northwest artists, entries are accepted until September 2.

Exhibited in the Enid Mount Art Gallery from September 3-26, the show allows northwest artists to make many different art mediums out of reusable material.

"This [show] features found and repurposed objects to demonstrate that beauty can be found in everyday items," KAA's Miriam Selby said.

Open to all Northwest artists, entries are accepted until September 2. An artist's reception is slated for September 5, from 4 to 7 p.m.

For more information, visit www.keizerarts.org or call 503-390-3010.