The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, although owned by the University, is taking action to become more involved in the Eugene community.
The museum is now offering free admission for the first Friday of every month. Though admission for University students is always free, this deal welcomes the surrounding community to participate in museum events. Executive Assistant Miriam Jordan said that this monthly promotion is an attempt to expand the museum’s audience.
“One of the reasons we do this is to open up the museum,” Jordan said. “It is primarily a University community and we’re trying to make it more of a regional museum.”
These free Fridays have been going on since the museum’s reopening in January of 2005, after five years of being closed for renovations. The new museum building is now large enough to host traveling exhibitions such as the work of painter Carl Morris, who is the currently highlighted artist.
It seems to be working, as more families and community members are discovering the museum and its many exhibitions. Occasional attendees of the Friday deal are Dennis and Neva Mullins, who enjoy the cross-culture exposure that the museum has to offer.
“I enjoy these Friday deals because it allows people to come in who wouldn’t come in otherwise,” Dennis Mullins said. “I’m really beginning to appreciate the Asian art.”
The art museum hosts American, European, Korean, Japanese and Chinese art. With this variety of cultures, the Eugene and campus community are exposed to the culture and history of other regions. The recently renovated building includes an interactive discovery center, lecture hall, and an art-making studio.
Teenagers Molly Cram and Ellie Weinman, accompanied by Bill Weinman, enjoyed the artwork last Friday, and their inspiration to go came from the irresistible word “free.” Upon seeing a sign advertising the deal, Weinman decided to bring his daughter and her friend to try something new.
“I’ve always wanted to come here and I didn’t know if it was worth the money,” Cram says. “And now I know it is, and it costs less than a movie!”
Carl Morris, the featured artist until September 9, is considered to be one of Portland’s more accomplished painters. In 1959 he was asked to contribute to the Oregon Centennial Exposition by painting mural panels, each more than 8 feet by 8 feet in dimension. These works, which can be seen at the art museum, are a series of abstract symbols crafted through Morris’ exploration of form, color, light and texture.
Upcoming events of the museum include a landscape painting demonstration on Saturday, July 14 at 2 p.m., and a lecture on Carl Morris by art historian Prudence Roberts, Wednesday, July 18 at 6 p.m. Summer camps are also ongoing with various themes for children to enjoy.
Visit the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art online at: http://jsma.uoregon.edu for more information.