03-28-07

Media Release

OSU's 2007 Art About Agriculture Tour Features Both Land and Sea

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University's 25th annual Art About Agriculture touring exhibition of fine art is on display in Corvallis at OSU's Memorial Union Concourse Gallery in Corvallis through May 16.

The exhibit will next be in Tillamook from late May through late June; then to Vancouver, Wash., in July and August; to Silverton Sept. 14-30; and to Coos Bay Oct. 10 to Dec. 1.

"By Land and By Sea" is the theme for entries in this juried art exhibit, which is sponsored through a partnership of the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences, the E.R. Jackman Board of Directors and the OSU Foundation.

"Together, the 61 works of art in the “Art About Agriculture Tour 2007: By Land and By Sea” exhibit give a compelling sense of the Pacific Northwest," said Shelley Curtis, curator of the annual exhibit.

Many of this year's works portray the natural resources and agrarian practices that occur above sea level in coastal pastureland, and the region's inland reaches. Landscapes of hilly slopes and curving furrowed fields, vivid colors of soil and vegetation, and the narrow band of mountains on the far horizon, while traditional, are seen again this year.

Life at sea level held many artists' fascination in the 2007 exhibit. Boats waiting in dry dock, tied to pilings and moorings, observed in rippled reflections, and traveling on rivers and at sea portray leisure, life and enterprise. Some works depict bridges, wharves and wood piers – landings and routes for commerce and trade.

Life below sea level inspired other artists. Some of the works depict fish swimming around kelp, people digging for clams burrowed in sand, a giant pacific octopus and vibrant Dungeness crabs.

The artists created their varied works in several media – metal, paint, and works on paper, including printmaking and photography.

For more information, contact Curtis, curator and manager of OSU's Art About Agriculture, at 541-737-2662 or visit the website: http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/art/