In 2020, the city of Eugene implemented an idea to revive the struggling downtown by installing public art in empty storefronts. Named Windowfront Exhibitions, the project is celebrating its fourth year of public art. What began as an open call to Oregon artists resulted in works ranging from large-scale sculpture and stained glass to gallery-like spaces and videos. Today, they can still be found tucked inside many of the city’s vacant windows.
Kimberly Strohman, a Eugene-based artist, recently took down her exhibition, which was located in a window front on West Broadway. Titled “The Veil,” it touched on themes of trauma, pregnancy and childbirth.
“The inspiration for my piece kind of developed out of a trip that I took in Ireland,” Strohman said. “Feeling connected to my roots in that thin space, the veil, where you’re feeling connected to your heritage or the people you have lost.”
During her time in Ireland, Strohman was accompanied by a close friend who had experienced a life-threatening pregnancy. The pair got to speaking about the grief of childbirth and ultimately inspired “The Veil.”
“I noticed that the Windowfront Exhibitions were having an open call for artists,” Strohman said. “And I thought, wow, what a great opportunity to make a piece that honors women who have endured such loss and have that void.”
In the last 20 years, Strohman has had several friends who have experienced miscarriages. The sobering statistic is that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to the World Health Organization.
Many of the works included in Windowfront Exhibitions represent current issues and serve as a platform to uplift and invoke dialogue. Applications for artists, or artist teams, open in September for the coming year. The installations rotate three times throughout the year and pieces are generally displayed for about three months. In their open call Windowfront Exhibitions suggests, but do not limit, artists to include themes of “lumination, Black history, Asian and Pacific islander heritage, women’s history, sustainability and LGBTQIA+.” Four to nine artists were selected for the previous call, which is now closed.
Eugene has a reputation of being an art-centric city. Windowfront Exhibitions are one small piece of the city’s plan to highlight local artists and create opportunities for public art.
For Strohman, art provides a space for her to tell her story and allows other artists to share what they have endured and overcome. “And having art around is just beauty,” Strohman said. “It’s a part of humans and human nature, kind of like a special language.”
Strohman hopes to have more opportunities in the future to display her works publicly. As for Windowfront Exhibitions, a new round of installations are coming soon on Feb 2. Make sure to keep an eye out for them during your next visit to downtown and attend Windowfront Exhibition’s pop-up gallery this Friday, Feb 2, located at 260 W Broadway. The pop up will feature the latest exhibition, “Brilliant & Resilient,” where attendees will learn more about the artists and their work with international women leaders.
