Press: Oregon ArtsWatch Interview with Blue Sky Staff

…Many of us seek solace in the exploration of beauty, art and creative expression to help ease our feelings of stress, loneliness and sadness. Art galleries have often been treasured destinations for those who trust in the healing power of the visual arts. However, since the pandemic has compelled many galleries to close their doors, in some cases permanently, art has become largely inaccessible to the visiting public. The crisis has required galleries to re-examine the relationship between art and the ways in which viewers experience it. Since the quarantine started in late March, many galleries in Oregon and elsewhere have likewise had to rethink strategies for sharing art with their patrons.

Portland’s Blue Sky, the Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts has been in the vanguard of local galleries that have adapted successfully to the demands of the pandemic. As its patrons began sheltering in place, Blue Sky got to work figuring out creative ways to bring art directly to its audience. This is the story of how the gallery has weathered the coronavirus pandemic.

Thanks to arts writer Pat Rose, for this interview with Blue Sky staff Molly Newgard, Amanda Clem, and Zemie Barr, about how the gallery has adapted operations and programs during the COVID19 pandemic.

Read the full interview over at www.orartswatch.org/weathering-the-storm/

[Lead image from the article: Sarah Grew, “Coronavirus,” 2020 (from “Visualizing 2020: Blue Sky’s Inaugural Online Members Show”)]