Party arty in Newport

The Newport Performing Arts Center is celebrating the upcoming Oregon Coast Jazz Party with an exhibit of photographs by Chris Graamans.

The exhibit, titled “Oregon Coast Jazz Party Series” will run from Friday, Sept. 2 through October 30 featuring images of performers from the past six years of the event.

Based in Yachats, Graamans specializes in the photography of people.

“I like to photograph people who are immersed in doing what they love,” he said. “What better subject than top-flight jazz performers improvising? From the very beginning of my pursuit of photography, I’ve been captivated with the performing arts. Theater rehearsals and concerts were my training ground. There is a wealth of expression on display that is hard to match elsewhere. I’ve been photographing the Oregon Coast Jazz Party since 2015. The 13 pieces in this show are my personal favorites, selected from six years’ worth of live concert material.”

The Newport Performing Arts Center is located at 777 W Olive Street and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, go to coastarts.org or call 541-265-2787.