ART IN OREGON
OUR BEGINNINGS
Art in Oregon was founded in 2017 by Oregon Artists Owen Premore and Tammy Jo Wilson.
When Tammy Jo and Owen purchased their first home in 2014 in Oregon City, they sought to connect with their neighborhood’s creative community of artists, galleries, and cultural happenings. As they got to know the area in a deeper way through volunteer work with the Clackamas County Arts Alliance and the McLoughlin Neighborhood Association, the potential towards fostering new cultural opportunities and growth in the visual arts spurred their initial research into arts nonprofits.
They asked themselves:
How can we make sure art is included in the future planning of our community?
Who will speak up to ensure arts and culture are valued and supported?
How can we inspire new arts patrons through accessibility, while championing and fortifying the unique cultural character of Oregon’s places?
They saw an opportunity to build a different kind of visual arts nonprofit, one that can inspire artists and patrons while moving around the state as change happens; focusing on communities without the restrictions of county lines.
“We want to help Oregon embrace the wealth of artistic expression happening around the State. Oregon’s visual art scene is greater than the Portland Metro area. Art makes Oregon a better place to live.”
Connecting Artists With Community
Art in Oregon’s continued goals have been to establish collaborative relationships in order to increase visibility and access to art for all people, and to foster culturally rich regional communities through partnerships, advocacy, and investment in artists, businesses, educational spaces, and community spaces.
Over the years, AiO has done this in a variety of ways.
In 2018 The Art Shine Project was created “to develop a curated artists database that includes emerging, mid-career, and established artists that serves as a digital gallery to facilitate the purchase and placement of artwork in local communities.”
Art Shine maintained a roster of over 120 artists with work available for purchase.
Around the same time, they established PACT (Professional Artists Coming Together), a series of events for artists to meet and have conversations about art practices and careers. Each month a new topic served as the springboard to start a dialogue about ideas and issues that impact our lives.
PACT was about creating opportunities for artists to connect with each other in an open and supportive environment. Events took place in BridgeLab at Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), with occasional events at other locations in Portland. PACT was open to PNCA alumni and non-alumni artists, with the intention of building community among regional artists.
PACT ran from 2018 through 2020.
Celebrating regional artists
The Artistic Heritage Program (2021) shared the stories of underrepresented Oregon artists past, present, and future with a tradition of creative expression across generations through direct collaboration between 13 Oregon artists and their families.
As part of this series, AiO presented the artwork of Deer Island artist, Dee Vadnais, showcasing the story of her family’s six generations in Oregon and the creative communities inspiring her art.
artwork by Dee Vadnais, Contemplating Elephant Rock
In collaboration with the Stevens-Crawford Heritage House, Art in Oregon developed a unique Artist Residency Program where artists inhabit this restored historical landmark.
Hosting 3-4 artists annually, selected by application and jury process, the historical Stevens-Crawford Heritage House served as their studio space and research setting. With 24-hour access to all the historic rooms in the house, and use of the downstairs kitchenette, sun porch, and the large surrounding yard, artists created new work informed by the architecture, historical data, and surrounding landscape.
Artists concluded the residency with a public group exhibition at the Mary Elizabeth Gallery inside the Heritage House.
The residency ran from 2019-2022.