TOLEDO — At the start of every month, Toledo celebrates its vibrant arts community in a citywide First Weekend event at local galleries and studios. This month’s event will invite art lovers to connect with local artists on Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5.
On display throughout March is the Yaquina River Museum of Art Board Members Collecting exhibit, which gives members of the museum’s board the opportunity to display art from their own collections and highlight the works of artists both familiar and new. Included are the works of well-known local artists such as painter Doug Haga, the late photographer Scott Blackman, the late metal sculptor Sam Briseño and the late regional oil painter Michael Gibbons.
Niki Price, executive director of the Lincoln City Cultural Center and Lincoln City board chair of the Oregon Cultural Trust, will give a special talk during the opening reception at 2 p.m. Saturday. Price will talk about the importance of the trust and the beneficial impact of the arts for local communities.
The museum is located at 151 NE Alder Street and open from noon to 4 p.m. on both days of First Weekend. For more information, go to yaquinarivermuseumofart.org.
Across the street, the Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery will be displaying original works by the late plein air artist. A special spotlight will be on “Siletz River Vignette,” a piece that has not been previously shown in the gallery. The quiet river scene leads the viewer’s eye up the flowing stream and glistening rocks into a shrouded alcove among the wild summer foliage. “Siletz River Vignette” was painted by the late artist during a workshop Gibbons held with students in July, 2011.
Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery is located at 140 N.E. Alder Street and open from noon to 4 p.m. both days of First Weekend.
Just up the street, Ivan Kelly Studio & Gallery will feature the oil painter’s coastal landscapes and award-winning maritime works. Featured this month is “Colorful Fall at Yaquina Head,” an intimate view of the rugged coastline as the autumn sun falls upon where the rocks meet the surging sea. Visit with the artist and enjoy light refreshments at Ivan Kelly Studio & Gallery, located at 207 East Graham Street, open from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
On Main Street, Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio will feature the works of more than 15 artists. Included in the works shown at Crow’s Nest are new paintings by Veta Bakhtina, whose paintings draw viewers into fantastical worlds. Also shown in the gallery are the works of Crow’s Nest owner and assemblage artist Janet Runger; Alice Haga, fused glass; Val Bolen, tile and ceramic pieces; Paula Teplitz, sculptural jellyfish mobiles; Jeff Gibford, digitally manipulated photographs; Sylvia Hosie, wildlife photography; Tish Epperson, watercolors; and Susan Jones, woven fiber jellyfish. Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio is located at 305 N. Main Street and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Also showing along Main Street are the current artists selected for the quarterly installments of Art Toledo’s Phantom Galleries, a project that promotes available commercial building spaces on Main Street by exhibiting local art. Currently featured are gyotaku prints by Toshio Toguchi and watercolor and mixed media work by Erin Smith. Read about the artists’ work in their biographies posted next to their exhibited spaces. For more information, go to ARTToledo.com.