Converge 45 — a series of curated exhibitions of contemporary art around Portland, Oregon — recently wrapped up, with outstanding results. Will you be there next year?
This past weekend, July 29-31, a large community of art organizations, galleries, artists, and collectors in the greater Portland, Oregon, metro area came together for the first annual Converge 45 event. Founded by a coalition of arts professionals and business leaders in Portland, Converge 45 “showcases international, national, and regional contemporary art and ideas,” the mission statement suggests. “Situated in and around Portland, Oregon, a dynamic and expanding center for art, design, and culture, Converge 45 provides a stimulating environment for artists, collectors, and scholars, as well as opportunities for the public to discover the vibrant range of art being produced today.”
Julie Cho, Alice Chung, Jacqi Lee, Karen Hsu, David Jacobson (c) Converge 45 2016
Crowds mingle and view contemporary art at the 2016 Converge 45 (c) Converge 45 2016
Artist Mary Chomenko Hinckley with her work “Pasadena Coyote,” bronze (c) Converge 45 2016
Kristy Edmunds is the inaugural artistic director and guest curator for both the 2016 and 2017 editions of the city-wide, multi-day event. The curatorial framework for Edmunds this year revolved around the theme of “You in Mind.” Edmunds writes that it was “conceived as an art convergence in four chapters that takes acute and particular care about the idea and ethos of Portland’s inherent positivity to amplify the generous hand of independent artists whose practices tend towards perpetuating/activating the now radical notion of our cultural commons. It is my intention with ‘You in Mind’ that the projects we exhibit and/or present focus on artists who have a ‘public’ in mind, conceptually, structurally and/or are actively present within the resulting work itself.”
To learn more about this year’s events and how to plan for 2017, visit Converge 45.
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