As the year ends, we’re taking a quick look back at 2019 and making note of just a few of the many accomplishments and valuable contributions made by the women of the Central Oregon art community. Painter Sheila Dunn traveled to Nepal as part of the Art in Embassies Program, where her work now hangs […]
Cari Brown
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Giving the Gift of Art Supplies
Local art supply stores offer creative options for artistic gift-giving
For those still pondering the best gift to get for the artists or creative people in their lives, here’s the answer: the gift of materials and supplies. All most artists want in life—and in gifts—is to be well equipped as they follow inspiration down whichever path it leads. Art supply stores are their outfitters, offering […]
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Dear Stuart:
An open letter of support for a struggling artist
Dear Stuart Breidenstein, We, members of the Bend Art Community at large, want you to know that we appreciate you. We want you to know that we have seen the many contributions you’ve made to our city and to so many of us individually. We know that without your ingenuity, civic mindedness and dedication to […]
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Skate School Gets its Own Mural
Muralist and skateboarder, John Pipes, shares his art with Bearings Skateboard Academy
The work of a world-traveling mural painter can now be found in Bend, at the skate school Bearings Skateboard Academy. John Pipes—who typically signs his murals under his professional moniker, Pipes Dreams—completed three pieces now on permanent display at BSA. According to Gabe Triplette, owner and coach at BSA, he and Pipes are longtime friends […]
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From Cindercone to Mud Lake
Cindercone Clay Center is closed, but a new studio has opened in its place
In early fall, Cindercone Clay Center quietly closed after 17 years as one of Bend’s first and longest-running shared art studios. Its founder, Chad Fox (think Boneyard beer steins), is pursuing a new endeavor and returning to the simpler life of being a studio artist—allowing himself the joy of focusing on his own craft while […]
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Redmond Loves Art
With the help of arts organizations, artists and entrepreneurs, artists have many opportunities to find and create community in Redmond
Full Disclosure: I moved to Redmond from Bend one year ago. I love Bend. I grew up there. My parents live there. I own a business there, an arts related business, The Workhouse, and I am involved in the community—but I just couldn’t afford to live there anymore. I never imagined moving to Redmond, but […]
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Art vs Artificial Intelligence
Artist Kiel Fletcher considers the potential—and the drawbacks—of A.I.in his new work
In his body of work on display now at Pence Pinckney Gallery at Central Oregon Community College, interactive media and video artist Kiel Fletcher exhibits work seated in artificial intelligence and technology. Through varied independent and collaborative pieces, Fletcher seems to invite the viewer, and at times the unwitting participant, to question whether technology is […]
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Pondering Inspired Women
Portraits of feminist leaders grace the walls at Franklin Crossing
Passed by Congress in 1919 and ratified to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, the right to vote was granted to women only 100 years ago, thanks to the fierce determination of suffragettes and feminists like Susan B. Anthony. This significant act unlocked doors (though some remain unopened), granting access for women to invaluable social and […]
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In Celebration of the Rural Artist
An artist co-working space opens in Prineville
Walking into the storefront of Central Oregon’s newest arts co-working space, Rick Steber & Company-Makers, one is struck by its genuine, cowboy feel. Apt, given that it’s located in Prineville, a community whose historical roots are in ranching and mining. With an aesthetic dubbed, ‘industrial cowboy chic,’ work on display from 30-plus rural Oregon artists […]
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A Trip for Art’s Sake
A day tour of the Portland Art Museum
Sometimes those of us who call Bend home need more than this fair town has to offer. Namely, art. Don’t get me wrong, I love the art scene here—love that there actually is one and that it’s growing in the way of mural code changes and contemporary art galleries. There are just a few offerings […]