Please don’t feed the art
It’s going to be hard to keep your hands off the real, live-and-in-person art at the Newport Visual Arts Center, including new displays by accomplished artists Gregg Pfarr of Corvallis and Friderike Heuer of Portland, when the VAC reopens to the public on Saturday, Oct. 24.
During the facility’s start-up phase, modified gallery hours will be Wednesdays and Saturdays, from noon to 4 pm. Visitors will also be able to preview items in the upcoming Nye Beach Banner Project auction, beginning Saturday, Oct. 31. Online displays and art talks, which have been ongoing since the spring, are also still viewable.
“The VAC has been closed since March, so we had to get creative,” director Tom Webb said. “We moved all our current exhibits online, and created the Oregon Coast Online Art Show and the Oregon Coast Artist Talks series. And now we are excited to celebrate the VAC and the visual arts with in-person visits.”
In the Runyan Gallery, Greg Pfarr’s exhibit, “A Sense of Place in the Pacific Northwest,” will feature a series of paintings and etchings reflecting the high-alpine drama of the Cascade Mountain Range and Alaska. Pfarr’s work was recently honored by the Oregon Arts Commission with an exhibit in the Oregon’s governor’s office, considered to be a lifetime achievement for artistic excellence. Since 1990, Pfarr’s work has been exhibited widely in solo and group shows nationally, including the Portland Art Museum, the Museum of Art Downtown Los Angeles and the First Street Gallery in New York City.
The Coastal Oregon Visual Artists’ Showcase (COVAS) will display Friderike Heuer’s exhibit, “Postcards from Nineveh,” a series of photomontages combining contemporary landscapes with historical Dutch whaling paintings. Heuer’s photography has been exhibited at Astoria's Lightbox Gallery, and in Portland at the Camerawork Gallery, the Oregon Jewish Museum, Blackfish Gallery, Newspace Center for Photography, Gallery 114 and the Artist Repertory Theatre.
The Phase 2 reopening process will include temperature scanning with no-touch thermometers, and floor arrows directing visitors through the galleries and out through separate exits. Capacity will be limited to 20 people in the VAC’s Runyan Gallery and two people near the COVAS Gallery. Public spaces will be sanitized on a regular basis. The building’s classrooms will not be available for rental during the reopening’s start-up phase.
Interim Oregon Coast Council for the Arts Executive Director David C. Carnevale said the organization is taking measured steps to reopen the VAC in a way that protects the safety and well-being of staff, volunteers and guests.
“The visual arts add to the vibrancy and vitality of our community,” he said, “and we are pleased to be able to make sure our residents and visitors are able to experience the amazing offerings at the VAC in person once again.”
The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts manages the Newport Visual Arts Center and the Newport Performing Arts Center, presents arts programming in each facility and serves as the regional arts council for Oregon’s seven coastal counties.
Access to the VAC is limited to the main entrance at 777 NW Beach Drive. Those experiencing symptoms associated with the COVID-19 virus are asked to not visit.
For more information, go to coastats.org or call 541-265-6569.