Second in a three-part series
By CHERYL ROMANO/Lincoln Chronicle
YACHATS — Rare is the artist who can make a living from creative expression. Just as rare, possibly, is the artist-educator who can sustain a long career teaching the joy of art.
That’s what helps make Debbie Aken a standout.
She’s among the first artists in a new venture — the Little Art Museums of Yachats presented by Polly Plumb Productions. The project is made possible by a $6,500 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation, and additional funding from Polly Plumb, the nonprofit that brings cultural events to Yachats.
Along with artists Dave Baldwin and Victoria Kwasinski, Aken’s nature-themed, largely two-dimensional works will be displayed at the Overleaf Lodge beginning April 5. For an entire year, visitors will get an up-close look at some of the creative people who call Yachats home.
“The purpose is to promote Yachats as an art community, and help people understand why the artists live here,” explains Meredith Howell, secretary of Polly Plumb. “It’s an exploration of why art in rural communities is important — economically, as a boost for tourism, and also for building a sense of community.”
Aken understands the value of art in rural communities because she taught art in them for 30 years. She estimates that in her time as an art teacher in Oregon — primarily in Glendale and Myrtle Creek in Douglas County — she reached 3,000 students. For some, her influence may have helped make the difference between completing high school or not.
“My passion was with the kids … it grew and grew,” she says. While teaching art classes at a high school in low-income Myrtle Creek, she found that “elective classes, such as art, helped motivate kids to come to school and, hopefully, stay in school.”
Two of her former students entered the architecture program at the University of Oregon, several went on to study graphic design, and a few even became art teachers themselves.
“Some people think being an art teacher is a ‘fluff job’,” Aken says. “But education opens up your eyes to a whole new way of seeing the world.”
That’s why Aken would try to expose her students “to other ways of life.” For example, she merged American history with art history when she introduced classes to painter Jacob Lawrence.
A famed Black artist, Lawrence created landmark paintings about the Great Migration of rural southern Blacks to northern cities after World War I. The works documented both the racial violence that spurred the migration, and the struggles of Blacks in their new homes.
“We would talk about the migration itself, which combined history and art. This was probably not in their history books. Imagery like (Lawrence’s) can remain in the brain in a way that text might not.”
Now home in Yachats
A native of Genoa, Ill., Aken and her husband, Greg Ammann, moved to Oregon in 1981. She completed her master’s degree in art education at the University of Oregon.
While the couple has traveled around the globe — from Greece to Tahiti, Hawaii to Iceland — it was Yachats’ beauty that compelled them to retire here in 2015. Today, Aken serves as treasurer of the Yachats Arts Guild and is on the board of Polly Plumb.
Now that she has more time for her own art, Aken focuses on printmaking and mixed media but her skills also include painting and pottery. Nature — especially trees — inspires much of her work.
“Trees have beautiful negative (empty) space,” she says. “A couple of my pieces at the Overleaf are about that positive/negative relationship.”
The educator and artist offered these answers to our questions:
Question: How does living in Yachats affect your art?
Answer: The natural beauty is part of my artistic choices, of course — the trees, ocean, sky, and birds. I also find a stroll through our galleries to be inspirational.
Q: What motivates you to keep creating art?
A: The camaraderie with fellow artists inspires me to continue creating and exploring a variety of media. I have made art my entire life, so I really can’t imagine not doing it anymore.
Q: Does living and working in a rural area limit people’s exposure to your work?
A: It may, but this is not a concern of mine. I have spent my entire life in rural areas, so it suits me well. As an art educator for 30 years, marketing my own art was never a priority. Participating in shows and other exhibits is a relatively new thing for me.
Q: Since tourism fuels the Yachats economy, what role do you think art plays in the city’s economic health?
A: Yachats enjoys art activities every year. There are a variety of art shows annually including two presented by the Yachats Arts Guild. Polly Plumb Productions also sponsors many visual art activities such as special exhibits and the annual banner project downtown. Folks can enjoy the banners along the street from July through Labor Day, plus participate in the auction and social evening later in September if they choose. I believe visitors enjoy the art scene as well as all of the natural beauty here, which can only help keep Yachats’ economy healthy.
Q: When people look at your work, what feelings would you hope to evoke?
A: Wonder — about process and medium, which I really enjoy. Anytime I create art that makes folks wonder about how it was done (such as printmaking), it is very satisfying to me. Maybe it’s the educator in me, but I love explaining the process.
Q: Tell us something notable about you:
A: On our very first cruise to Alaska, I won a limited edition Marc Chagall lithograph, framed and with a certificate of authenticity. And, for about 10 years, my husband and I raised racing pigeons.
- Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to the Lincoln Chronicle, formerly YachatsNews. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com
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