Fantastic beasts
Where to find them? The Chessman Gallery, of course.
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
If you are one of the millions of people who helped Pluto the dog “Break the Internets” while she explained COVID-19 to the two-leggeds, the next members’ show at the Lincoln City Cultural Center’s Chessman Gallery, “Animal Influence in the time of COVID,” opening Friday, July 10, is for you.*
“For many people that have been isolated at home during this crisis, having animals in their lives has been a lifesaver,” said gallery director Krista Eddy. “The interpretation of this theme is left up to each artist to decide in their own creative, inspirational way. We are excited to see how animals have played a part in the COVID experience of our talented member artists.”
The cultural center has a proud tradition of honoring member artists with a show during the height of the summer season so that visitors from near and far can see some of the amazing, home-cooked artwork made by the local arts community.
“There are about usually about 60 artists at these annual member shows,” Eddy said. “It’s important to note that this is not just for people who are established artists; it’s meant to give an opportunity for any kind of artistic expression from any of our members as a way for us to showcase all the different forms of creativity we have right here in our community.”
Though pets are oft-mentioned as providing therapeutic influences on their humans’ lives, they are not alone.
“Some people have mentioned that the change in our regular routines has given them more time to appreciate nature,” Eddy said. “There have been many more birds this year, for example. We just really wanted to inspire people to notice how important animals can be in our lives; how they affect our spirits. People can do things that either aren’t part of the theme and we honor that, but usually most people do stick to it.”
COVID-19 has also influenced the annual opening reception, usually held at the gallery on the first night of each new show. This will be the second art show opening of the year where Eddy and cultural center Executive Director Niki Price will hold a live virtual tour viewable Friday, July 10, at 5 pm on center’s Facebook page, Facebook@lincolncityculture.
“Niki and I do a tour of the studio,” Eddy said. “We’ll talk about the show and the different artists. I try to be a little goofy because we want it to be fun to watch.”
Two of the artists included in this year’s show are people who already have or are about to hoof it out of the area.
“One of the showing artists is Jennifer Norman who has been very involved with the cultural center over the years,” Eddy said. “She is moving away and we are very sad, so we are doing a special area for her if people want a chance to see her work before we lose her. Ralph Elliott was a local photographer that has recently moved, so this is possibly a last chance to see his work too.”
Though the COVID crisis is still ongoing, Eddy said this show can provide a nice respite.
“We think that coming in to view the Chessman Gallery is a safe thing to do right now,” she said. “You don’t have to touch surfaces, you don’t even have to talk to anyone; you can just look around and be inspired. You can even come away with some ideas for projects of your own, so we really encourage this as a safe activity for people who just need to get out of the house for a bit.”
“Animal Influence” will run through Monday, Aug. 10, at the Chessman Gallery, located inside the Lincoln City Cultural Center at 540 NE Hwy. 101. Current hours are from 10 am to 4 pm, Thursday through Sunday. Masks and social distancing are required when inside in the building. For more information call 541-994-9994, head to lincolncity-culturalcenter.org, become a friend on Facebook, or email artgallery@lincolncity-culturalcenter.org.
* If you haven’t experienced Pluto yet, just search click here to see her dish out social distancing advice on YouTube. You can thank us later.