Student Art on Display at Chehalem Valley Chamber Gallery

Reported by Katelyn Lam

Photo by Luci Lettau

The Department of Art and Design at George Fox University partnered with the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce to present a unique and vibrant gallery exhibition, Selections from the Studios. The show, featuring the work of various George Fox art students, will remain on display through April 28.

Located at the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, just a 15-minute walk from campus, the exhibition offers a glimpse into the creative process and talent of the university’s student artists.

“I hope that viewers will see this show and see just how hard-working our art department students are,” said Sophie Hare. “Everyone is so talented, and we could fill a hundred galleries with our students’ amazing works.”

The idea for the collaboration originated with Executive Director Scott Parker, who initially reached out to Professor of Art and Design Tim Timmerman about organizing an art walk.

“I had reached out to him [Timmerman] to do an art walk, and I think he was already booked somewhere else,” Parker said. “So then I had the idea of showcasing his students.”

Timmerman connected Parker with art students Breanna Newburn and Sophie Hare, who took on the task of organizing the exhibition.

“This was a really unique opportunity for me and Sophie [Hare]  to curate a show, as well as be featured in it,” Newburn said. “A lot of work went into planning the show, collecting submissions, jurying the work, collaborating with the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, and finally installing and hosting the opening.”

Newburn contributed several pieces to the exhibition, including Avocado and Rose Window, both inspired by nature and storytelling.

“Avocado is a fairly typical example of studio class work,” Newburn said. “We were given a still life, essentially a table full of arranged objects, and a limited color palette. My colors were sap green, white, burnt umber, and Payne’s grey. The task was to choose a composition from the still life and then render its values accurately with the colors available to us.”

Hare’s piece, Tea Ceremony, was also featured in the show.

“Recently, I have been inspired by my semester abroad in Japan,” Hare said. “I went for four months and learned a lot about myself and what inspires me. In my painting class this year, I’ve been referencing a lot of photos I took in Japan and included ceramics and textile references that I either photographed or found online.”

She credits artist Shimura Tatsumi as a key influence.

“His figures are simplistic yet stunning,” Hare said. “He created immensely talented illustrations, and his work has definitely inspired my recent paintings.”

The gallery allows community members to engage with the university’s artistic output, providing students with exposure, experience, and potential career opportunities.

“I think it’s important to show young artists that there are opportunities, and their work can be made into a business as well,” Parker said.

For Newburn, the experience is part of a larger career vision. She hopes to pursue freelance work, own a small business, work in museum or gallery curation, and eventually become an art professor after earning an MFA.

“I am really grateful to have had some amazing opportunities in the last year to do various types of art-related work,” Newburn said. “I hope to continue exploring options and opportunities like these. I don’t have a timeline for after I graduate or anything. The career journey of an artist is rarely linear.”

Hare also plans to use her skills and experiences to shape her future.

“After I finish my bachelor’s, I hope to eventually do a master’s program focused on art history,” Hare said. “I have a lot of interests, and some of them are rather niche, like Neolithic art, but because of my time abroad, I have recently been researching Japanese art history programs. I would love to complete that degree at a university in Japan.”

Parker hopes that Selections from the Studios has a lasting impact on the students and the broader community.

“I hope visitors get exposed a little more to what George Fox University has to offer,” Parker said. “That it’s not just business and nursing, but that they also have a vibrant arts program as well. I would love for every spring to have students’ art in this space. I hope this is just the beginning of many years.”