This Week at Blue Sky
As the long summer days are upon us, Oregonians are out again, dipping toes back into society. We see Portland slowly on the mend. While we are still contending with the upheaval of the past year and a half, not forgetting our commitment to the injustices that surround us, and reminding ourselves to practice self-care, we look ahead. We’re taking a responsible approach to getting back to business as we once knew it, aware of the wariness but buoyed by renewed energy. As we begin to figure out a hybrid approach to artful experiences, we won’t leave behind our virtual friends as we also welcome more and more visitors and artists back to our gallery space.
Upcoming & Recorded Virtual Programs
Artist Talk with Justyna Badach
July 21 at 5 PM (PDT)
Join us via Zoom on Wednesday, July 21 for an Artist Talk with Justyna Badach as she discusses her exhibition, Proxy War, on view at Blue Sky throughout July 2021.
Refocusing, a free Salon from Anywhere: "There, Here, War" with Lois Leveen
July 28 at 5 PM (PDT)
Join us on Wednesday, July 28, at 5:00 PM (PDT), as Lois Leveen leads a discussion of photographs from our current exhibitions, Proxy War and American Interiors.
Watch Now: M L Casteel Artist Talk
Premiered July 8, 2021
Artist Talk with Matthew Casteel as he discusses his exhibition, American Interiors, on view at Blue Sky throughout July 2021.
Blue Sky announces the winners of the 2021 Blue Sky Residency at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology!
Now in its fifth year of partnership, Blue Sky and Sitka Center for Art and Ecology provide an opportunity for two self-identified emerging or mid-career artists who have shown at Blue Sky Gallery -- either in PNW Drawers or in an exhibition in the main galleries -- to work in residence at Sitka. Congratulations to this year’s selected artists, Kelda Van Patten and Mike Vos!
Residencies will take place on the Sitka Center campus in Otis, OR, from October 4–November 3, 2021. Each residency includes accommodation in a studio apartment, access to a private separate studio space, and a stipend. Residents will also have access to wireless internet, the Center’s library, other artists and ecologists in residence, the stunning natural beauty of the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area, and the Salmon River Estuary. Both artists will be offered the opportunity to share their post-residency work through an artist talk or online exhibition at Blue Sky. We look forward to sharing their outcomes on social media.
Kelda Van Patten is a visual artist and art educator residing in Portland, Oregon. She is a member of Well Well Projects and Wave Contemporary. Kelda holds an MFA in Craft and Material Studies from the Oregon College of Art and Craft/Pacific Northwest College of Art, as well as an MAT from Lewis and Clark College, and a BFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute. She has recently exhibited her work at the Blue Sky Gallery, Strange Paradise, Well Well Projects, and Carnation Contemporary (Portland, Oregon). In 2020, Kelda was honored to be selected in the top 200 for Photolucida’s Critical Mass. Kelda’s photographs create disorienting pictorial spaces that merge photography, painting, and collage. Her recent work reflects on domestic horticulture, and is influenced by online representation of the cultivation of life in a year of lockdown.
Mike Vos (b. 1986) is an artist, musician and large format film photographer from Portland, OR. Vos’ work is presented as an interconnected series of photographic installations that revolve around a central theme: a world without humans and wildlife’s reclamation of the industrial landscape. Inspired by literary themes such as magical realism, alternate history and subtle horror, Vos has crafted complex visual narratives using both traditional and experimental photographic techniques. These projects all exist within a shared universe, each focusing on different facets of the overarching story, with the intention of facilitating dialogue around current environmental issues such as climate change, species extinction and environmental degradation. His work carries a strong environmental message about the impact humans have on the natural world, and challenges individuals to consider the lingering effects of our choices once we are gone. Vos says, “The time and space I've been awarded with Sitka provides an ideal opportunity to write and reflect on my past work as well as push into new mediums. I'm greatly looking forward to growing my practice in such a beautiful place.”