City Hall Gallery Features Exhibitions by Merle Rothweiler, B. Rothweiler and Native Artists
Submitted by Amber Fossen, City of Springfield, OR
The Springfield Arts Commission is pleased to present three exhibitions in City Hall Gallery featuring work by Merle Rothweiler, B. Rothweiler, and native artists. The show will run from November 1-30, 2019 with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m., Friday, November 8. The reception, which is open and free to the community, will treat visitors to light refreshments and live music by Keenan Dorn.
“Art that Bites,” Merle Rothweiler’s exhibition displayed in the cases, features an array of colorful characters carefully crafted out of salvaged metal. Though whimsical in form, many feature sharp spikes and teeth, giving them a biting look.
Exhibited on the north gallery wall, B. Rothweiler’s show of abstract expressionist paintings presents bold and unapologetic paintings that express complex depths of emotions, movement, depth, and explosions of color.
The third exhibition, “Native Artists Today” celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day and Native Heritage Month and honors our Native Peoples’ contributions to our shared American story – yesterday, today, and in the future. This exhibition is an intergenerational collection and celebration of just some of the amazing Native artists from our local community – as well as a way to highlight the diversity within our Native communities. The exhibit includes artists of different ages and highlights different art mediums such as painting, printing, rattle-making, beadwork, and basket weaving.
“Native Artists Today” features the star quilt project, pouches, sculptures, and prints from Chifin Native Youth Center, prints and baskets by Kale’a Calica Younger, rattles and bear skins by Jordan Evon, and canvasses, jewelry, masks, and straw doll by John Rolling Thunder ada Milo Miro. While Younker and Evon are students at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College, respectively, John Rolling Thunder has nearly 30 years in experience as an artist who has enjoyed success in many mediums and creative endeavors.
The community is encouraged to attend the gallery reception from 5-7 p.m., on Friday, November 8 to meet the artists and enjoy live music by Keenan Dorn. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Keenan Dorn blends melodic folk singing with rich harmonic fingerstyle guitar to present his story about place, home, and identity. Influenced heavily by folk artists such as Sufjan Stevens and Sarah Jarosz, Keenan uses primarily acoustic instruments to evoke elements of both indie-folk and Americana music, all while showcasing just the right touch of guitar virtuosity that a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies produces. In short, he crafts music that feels familiar and nostalgic, like catching up with an old friend from back home.
City Hall Gallery is seen by approximately 3,700 visitors each month. Since 1989, the gallery has featured monthly shows by regional artists chosen by the Springfield Arts Commission. The Commission issues a public call to artists each year. More information is available on the website, springfieldartscommission.org.
About Springfield Arts Commission
The Springfield Arts Commission promotes artistic and cultural richness and diversity in the City of Springfield and assists in the preservation of the cultural heritage of the community as expressed through artistic endeavors. The Commission seeks to support opportunities for artistic creation, exhibits, performances and events, and to facilitate awareness, communication, education and collaboration to increase the accessibility of the arts and art-related resources in the community. The nine-member volunteer Commission manages City Hall Gallery, administers the Heritage Arts Grant program, maintains Art Alley, a collection of outdoor murals, and supports youth arts programs in collaboration with the Springfield Public Library. The Commission is funded by City of Springfield room taxes. More information is available at springfieldartscommission.org.
