About Maude Kerns Art Center

MISSION STATEMENT:

"To nurture artistic expression and creativity in the individual and to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of art and culture in our community." To become a member, click here to join Maude Kerns Art Center.

BUILDING HISTORY :

1895 - A church is built by Cumberland Presbyterian.
1904 - A bell is purchased from the Fairmount Fire Station. The steeple is salvaged from another church and placed here.
1906 - Two churches merge to become the Fairmount Presbyterian Church.
1934 - The steeple is removed and replaced with the existing bell tower.
1938-55 - Major building remodeling and additions are added.
1962 - The Fairmount Presbyterian Church disbands. The bell is removed from the bell tower.
1963 - The property and the buildings are purchased by the Eugene Art Center, with down payments made by Maude I. Kerns. The building and property then becomes Maude I. Kerns Art Center.

1971 - Mortgage burning party!
1976 - Maude Kerns Art Center is placed on the statewide list of Historic Places.
1980 - Maude Kerns Art Center is designated by the City of Eugene as a historic landmark.
1984 - Maude Kerns Art Center is painted.
1986 - Artists in the Printmaker's and Ceramic's Studios organize into cooperatives to help the Art Center with funding and administrative costs.
1990 - A new roof is placed on the Printmaker's Studio.
1991 - A new roof is placed on the Art Center, the electrical wiring is updated, and new carpeting is placed throughout. The Barker Foundation provides grant money for the reconstruction of the historical bell tower.
1992 - The Lane County Historical Museum donates the original bell back to the Maude Kerns Art Center.

HISTORY OF ORGANIZATION :

The Maude Kerns Art Center is a non-profit community center for the visual arts, founded in 1950 by a group of local artists including Maude Irvine Kerns. Our mission is to promote and advocate the appreciation and creation of visual arts by offering a wide variety of exhibition opportunities, educational programs for all ages, facilities for artists, public events, and support for community artists.

The Center is dedicated to serving the public through major exhibitions, art classes, lectures, workshops, outreach programs, and intimate performances. We provide affordable, on-site co-operative studio space for working artists in the Club Mud Ceramics Studio. Understanding the importance of art education, the Center not only offers classes, workshops, and lectures, but also has internship programs for those interested in the arts and arts administration.

The Board of Directors, representing a diversity of professionals in our community, runs the Center. Our priority goals include continued Board development, and establishing stabilized financial management. We have much positive work to do, and we hope you will join us in our efforts!

WHO IS MAUDE KERNS?

An avant-garde artist, a regal Victorian lady, a bold pioneer in the field of art education, a devoted Oregonian who traveled internationally, and a major donor to the Eugene Art Center, later named in her honor. In the world of the creative artist, Maude Irvine Kerns experimented with a variety of styles, from realistic landscapes and portraits to abstract exploration of color and form. Her work was noted for its rich color and dynamic composition, at a time when such art was scarcely known on the West Coast.

In the world of art education, she was an innovative teacher. Mentor to a generation of art teachers at the University of Oregon, she used imaginative teaching techniques -- such as painting to music -- to convey the latest ideas in color theory and to introduce her students to new painting styles.

For those who have not yet seen “Maude I. Kerns: A Woman Ahead of Her Times” at the Lane County Historical Museum, the exhibit has been extended through April 9. Do not miss this!

A brochure about Maude Kerns is available from the Center. Click here to go to "Maude I. Kern's Artwork" page.

GALLERY HOURS :

The Maude Kerns Art Center is Eugene's oldest non-profit community center for the visual arts. Gallery hours are from 10:00am to 5:30pm (Monday through Friday), and from 12:00pm to 4pm (Saturday) when there are exhibits in the main gallery.

LOCATE US :

To locate us or for more information about the Maude Kerns Art center, exhibits, classes, or special events, please call us at 541.345.1571. For a map to find MKAC, please click here. To go to MapQwest to find directions, click here.