Beginning back in early May, the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA) began showcasing The Eugene Coloring Book Project. Built around the contents of Eugene-themed coloring from 1979, the exhibit encourages the community to ‘remix’ the book to tell their own personal stories of Eugene. @@http://www.experienceeugene.com/?q=DIVA@@ @@http://eugenecoloringbookblog.com/@@
The project ditches the stodgy, hands-off nature of most art exhibits — the collages, books and art materials of The Eugene Coloring Book Project are all there to be interacted with. Each of the components of the show exemplify this one way or another, ranging from iPads that allow you to color the original pages from the book or a crank-operated blog roll that features highlights from the project website.
Likewise, the exhibit features a stack of collages to leaf through, a diorama by Eugene’s Slug Queen, and even a coloring station so that visitors can create their own remixes on site. Also included is a comment book at the head of the room for visitors to leave their own stories and reactions with the crayons offered. @@http://www.slugqueeneugene.com/home/whatisslug.shtml@@
The project website offers users the materials needed for remixing, but also allows them to comment on individual pages from the coloring book. Each has scores of heartfelt, personal stories from Eugene residents. Not just offhand jokes about dismal weather and college sports, but narratives about the meaning that this town holds for them.
The exhibit is the research project of Emily Hope Dobkin, a graduate student in the Arts and Administration program at the University. After becoming involved in the community arts scene in her native Baltimore, she found that the University was the only school of note that offered a Community Arts concentration for a master’s degree. @@http://uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Emily*Dobkin@@
While struggling for ideas for her final research project, she stumbled across the titular coloring book in the Smith Family Bookstore. It turned out to be a perfect focal point for the project, as its depiction of Eugene is surprisingly accurate to modern Eugene.
Dobkin wants the exhibit to focus on “personalizing a place,” to offer the community a way to reflect on what makes Eugene their home. At the same time she wanted to play with contrast between the tangibility of the visual remixes and the digital component of the blogs.
Though the exhibit began showing on May 4, the reception was held on June 1 with positive reactions. The crowd’s excitement for a truly personal and interactive exploration of Eugene was easily seen. Some, no doubt, were used to art being cordoned off by a velvet rope and were unsure if they were allowed to touch the pieces, but they were assured by staff that this was a hands-on affair.
According to Dobkin, the biggest challenge with getting the project under way was simply getting people involved. Since the exhibit features a great deal of community input and crowd-sourced materials, she had to orchestrate the involvement of many students and community members while at the same time promoting through social media. Though a few contributors were unable to get their remixes in on time, Dobkin had little trouble getting the submissions she needed after the project picked up steam.
The project hasn’t stopped growing, either. The Lane County Historical Society and Museum has decided to feature the exhibit for the celebration of Eugene’s 150th birthday. Dobkin is happy with the end product and has received a great deal of positive feedback. @@http://www.lanecountyhistoricalsociety.org/@@
The Eugene Coloring Book Project also has its own Facebook fan page and can be found on Twitter (@EugColoringBook). The exhibit at DIVA on 280 W. Broadway will continue through June 30. The gallery’s hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 1-5 p.m.