What Needs to Be Said: Hallie Ford Fellows in the Visual Arts
Curated by Diana Nawi
February 15 - July 19, 2020
Photos by Mario Gallucci
What Needs to Be Said: Hallie Ford Fellows in the Visual Arts brings together the thirteen artists who have received the Hallie Ford Fellowship in the Visual Arts between 2014 and 2016, an award given annually to artists living in Oregon, that is based on accomplishment, depth of practice, and future potential. These artists—Karl Burkheimer, Ben Buswell, Tannaz Farsi, MK Guth, Anya Kivarkis, Geraldine Ondrizek, Tom Prochaska, Wendy Red Star, Jack Ryan, Blair Saxon-Hill, Storm Tharp, Samantha Wall, and Lynne Woods Turner—evidence the rich and nuanced field of visual and cultural production in this region. There is no single theme that unifies their diverse practices, but rather, seen together they illuminate the breadth of approaches that define our globalized art world.
Organized by Los Angeles curator Diana Nawi for the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, the exhibition features work in a variety of media, including photography, drawing, printmaking, installation, sculpture, sound, and public engagement.
Nawi says, “The exhibition attempts to relay the urgency and intimacy of what happens in the artist’s studio. Art is something we do for ourselves, and something we undertake in the spirit of the collective, sharing our thoughts and investigations with others through exhibitions and conversations. It is, simply, the expression of what needs to be said. While for each artist this is understood and manifested differently, it is an idea that suggests the importance of artistic practice for the individual and society more broadly—something the Hallie Ford Fellowship unquestionably supports.”
The exhibition title, “What Needs to Be Said,” is drawn from an artwork by MK Guth: a series of blank books in which the audience is invited to write down their responses to the prompt suggested by the title. Guth’s books are objects that encourage, record, and contain critical expressions without fully revealing them—an apt metaphor for the possibilities of artistic practice.
Karl Burkheimer | Ben Buswell | Tannaz Farsi | MK Guth | Anya Kivarkis | Geraldine Ondrizek | Tom Prochaska | Wendy Red Star | Jack Ryan | Blair Saxon-Hill | Storm Tharp | Samantha Wall |Lynne Woods Turner
This exhibition has been supported by a major grant from The Ford Family Foundation, with additional support provided by general operating support grants from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.
Public programs
Saturday, March, 7pm at Disjecta Opening night
Location: Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate Ave.