Art Gym facts for kids
_-_042.jpg) |
|
| Established | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2018 |
| Location | Marylhurst, Oregon, United States |
| Type | University: art |
| Founder | Kay Slusarenko, Paul Sutinen, and Terri Hopkins |
The Art Gym was a special art gallery that showed modern art. It was located at Marylhurst University in Marylhurst, Oregon, USA. This gallery was unique because it was a nonprofit, meaning it didn't aim to make money. It also didn't collect art; instead, it focused on showing new and exciting works.
_-_039.jpg)
The Art Gym was dedicated to showing art from the Pacific Northwest region. It featured many different types of shows. These included looking back at an artist's whole career, showing works by artists in the middle of their careers, and displaying new, experimental art. It also hosted very large art exhibits.
Since it opened in 1980, The Art Gym displayed art from over 300 artists. It also created more than 80 books about its exhibitions. The gallery often held talks with artists and public discussions about art.
Contents
How The Art Gym Started
_-_043.jpg)
The Art Gym was created in 1980 by three art teachers from Marylhurst University. Their names were Kay Slusarenko, Paul Sutinen, and Terri Hopkins. They raised $1500 by holding a banquet and selling cookies. This money helped them open the gallery, which was 2,700 square feet in size.
Terri Hopkins was especially important in choosing the art to show and finding money for the exhibits. The university provided the space and basic things needed for the gallery. The Art Gym was located on the third floor of the university's B.P. John Administrative Building. This space used to be the campus gym and theater. The gallery's main goal was to show art and publish books about artists from the Pacific Northwest.
In 1990, a reporter named Randy Gragg said The Art Gym had become "one of the Northwest's most important showcases of regional art." He noted that it had already shown art from over 250 artists from the Northwest. Most of these artists were from the Portland metropolitan area. He pointed out that The Art Gym offered three key chances for artists:
- It helped young artists who were just starting out.
- It allowed mid-career artists to try new ideas.
- It gave older, experienced artists the recognition they deserved.
Special Events and Awards
In 2000, The Art Gym held a special art show to celebrate its 20th anniversary. This event was a fundraiser to help fix the gallery's floors and rebuild its movable walls. The show was called "Wonder Women to the Rescue." It featured 34 local artists. Each artist gave half of the money from their art sales to help the gallery.
The Art Gym received a special honor in 2005. It was given a Governor's Arts Award. This award recognized its important contributions to the arts.
In 2013, The Art Gym received a large donation from the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation. This money helped support the person who chose and organized the art shows at the gallery.
Changes and New Beginnings
Marylhurst University announced in 2018 that it would close down. This news made people wonder what would happen to The Art Gym. For a short time, it was planned that The Art Gym would move to the Oregon College of Art and Craft. However, this plan did not work out, and the Oregon College of Art and Craft also closed in 2019.
Finally, on December 28, 2018, The Art Gym found a new home for its history. Its archives, which include all its exhibition catalogs, historical papers, and website, were moved to the Crumpacker Library at the Portland Art Museum. This means that the history and work of The Art Gym will be preserved and available for people to learn about at the museum.
Leaders of The Art Gym
The Art Gym had several important leaders who helped guide its work. These leaders were called directors and curators. They were in charge of choosing the art and organizing the exhibitions.
- Terri Hopkins was the first director and curator. She led The Art Gym for a long time, from 1980 to 2013.
- Blake Shell took over as director and curator from 2013 to 2017.
- Ashley Stull Meyers was the third and final director and curator. She was appointed in 2017.
See Also
- Marylhurst University
- Portland Art Museum
