The Maude Kerns Art Center presents the 16th biennial “Oregon Made for Interiors” (OMFI) Exhibit, opening with a public reception on Friday, May 26. This year’s exhibit, which was juried by artists Jonathan Jost, Tina Schrager, and Mitch Zammarelli, showcases the work of 28 Oregon artists. Also on view is the work of featured 2-D artist, painter Patti McNutt. Nancy Pobanz and David Wade. are the Sponsors for this year’s “Oregon Made for Interiors Exhibit.”
The exhibit showcases high quality handmade furniture, including unique one-of-a-kind tables, chairs, cabinets and chests, tapestries, and lighting fixtures. “Oregon Made for Interiors” is on view through Friday, June 23.
The public is invited to the Opening Reception, which takes place on Friday, May 26, from 6 to 8 pm. Many of the exhibiting artists will be present.
Furniture artist Rick Green of Eugene, who showed his work in the 2013 and 2015 OMFI biennials, exhibits one piece in the current show. “Floral Pedestal” is made of wenge wood and inlaid with bubinga, purple heart, yellow heart, and walnut. For the inlaid design in the top of his beautifully crafted pedestal, Green uses the bent lamination technique. Green has had a custom globe stand that he made for a friend featured in Taunton’s Fine Woodworking magazine (June 2002). A years-long project for Green and a true labor of love was the renovation of his late 1940’s home which is furnished by many of his handmade pieces.
Carol Jackson, also from Eugene, exhibited her work in both the 2009 and 2015 biennials. This year Jackson shows five of her distinctive tables, which are made of anodized aluminum combined with a variety of different woods, including lacewood, cherry, and ebonized ash. Jackson has BS and MS degrees in Mathematics and Physics. She designs her furniture with mathematical and scientific principles in mind, as reflected in her titles, including Quantum Mechanics and Table of Sines and Cosines. In 2016 Jackson’s work was included in Seattle’s 8th Annual Rising Stars Furniture Makers Show.
Kayla Thompson is a newcomer to OMFI. Currently a Master of Fine Arts student at the University of Oregon, Thompson has a BFA in Sculpture and Functional Art and a post-baccalaureate degree in Ceramics. She brings a unique perspective to her furniture pieces, creating chairs, stools, tables and bookshelves in ceramic. Thompson exhibits a whimsical set of stools with stoneware bases and seats formed of sheepskin, as well as four other striking ceramic pieces of furniture. She has shown her work in venues in Colorado and Michigan, as well as most recently at the White Box Gallery in Portland.
Local artist Patti McNutt is the featured 2-D artist for “Oregon Made for Interiors.” McNutt’s expressive oil paintings, distinguished by loose, fluid brushstrokes and vibrant color, perfectly complement the OMFI furnishings. McNutt has exhibited in different venues in Eugene and has shown her work in Maude Kerns Art Center’s “Art for All Seasons Membership Show” over many years. Her paintings have also been included in “Portland Rivers: Contemporary Art” (2015) and in “Expressions West” at the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay.
