From Abbott to Zemie

Hello, friends of Blue Sky:

This is Zemie Barr, the new Exhibitions Manager here at Blue Sky. I look forward to meeting you all in person very soon, if I haven’t already during this first week on the job.

Just to give you some information about myself: I have a background in fine art and commercial photography, and I also spent some time working on curatorial projects in Los Angeles. As a Portland native, I am extremely excited to be living and working again in my hometown, and I am so pleased to be able to contribute to the process of bringing phenomenal photography exhibitions to Blue Sky each month.

Prior to taking on this new, “official” role, I was volunteering in our wonderful Library & Resource Center alongside Virginia Dodier, the unofficial librarian here at Blue Sky. Over the last few years, Virginia has tirelessly cataloged and maintained the growing collection of photography books and periodicals generously donated by artists, Blue Sky members, and other organizations. The collection currently contains over 1,000 items, including artist monographs, exhibition and collection catalogs, and photography periodicals, and now our catalog is available online at LibraryThing.com!

To browse the library online, please follow this link.  I also highly recommend stopping by on a rainy afternoon to flip through some of the books in person; there are some rare gems in the collection that you may not find anywhere else nearby. Although we are not a lending library, please feel free stay as long as you like during open gallery hours.

For a more visual introduction, we have put together a video about the library, which was beautifully filmed by Edis Jurcys, edited by Lucia DeLisa, and stars Amanda Clem (our fabulous Membership and Gallery Manager), Virginia, and myself.  Enjoy!

Introduction to Blue Sky's Library & Resource Center from Blue Sky on Vimeo.