All-Campus Juried Student Exhibition Coming to EOU’s Nightingale Gallery

LA GRANDE – (Release from Eastern Oregon University) The Nightingale Gallery of Eastern Oregon University will close out our 2022-23 exhibition season with the annual All-Campus Juried Student Exhibition. The exhibition will run from May 19 through June 16. There will be an opening reception Friday, May 19, 5-7 p.m. with a presentation of awards at 5:45 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibit features work by EOU students from a variety of disciplines. 

Our juror this year is Portland artist and educator Mark R. Smith. Smith’s current studio practice involves using recycled textiles, which he incorporates into labor-intensive, densely patterned motifs that reference communal architecture, crowd dynamics, and the behavioral aspects of social organisms. His work has been featured in institutions across the US including the Portland Art Museum, the Contemporary Art Center (Cincinnati, OH), and the Zimmerly Art Museum, Rutgers University. Solo Exhibitions include The Office of the Governor (Salem, OR), Gallery Hlemmur (Reykjavik, Iceland), The Art Gym of Marylhurst University, and several one-person exhibitions at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland, OR where his work is represented. 

Smith will present a public talk on his studio practice Tuesday, May 16 at 6 p.m. in Huber Auditorium, Badgley Hall. The presentation is free and the public is encouraged to attend. 

In addition to selecting works to include in the exhibit, Smith will select several works to be recognized with monetary awards. In addition to the juror’s awards will be the presentation of the thirteenth annual Kathelene Galloway Memorial Scholarship and our fourteenth annual presentation of the Joseph Dickerson Memorial Award.

The Kathelene Galloway Memorial Scholarship is a $500 award presented to a sophomore or junior level Art major who exhibits exemplary technical and conceptual skills. The award is made in memory of Kathelene Galloway who was a professor of Printmaking and Drawing at EOU. Galloway, who passed away suddenly in December 2009, was a highly dedicated and much-loved artist, teacher, and colleague. She was a passionate advocate for her students, art, artists, and EOU. She lived to share knowledge and the wonder that comes with discovery. Galloway exemplified the excellence to which we encourage our students to endeavor. 

The Joseph Dickerson Memorial Award is in memory of Joe Dickerson an EOU freshman tragically killed in a 2009 auto accident. Following the loss of their son, Joe’s parents, Doug and Kyla Dickerson gave funds to the EOU Art program. Joe was a model student whose creative energy and enthusiasm for learning were infectious. In light of this the EOU Art Program chose to use the funds so generously given by the Dickerson family to endow an award in their son’s name to be presented annually to a student who the Art faculty feels best exemplifies Joe’s dedication, curiosity, and creative spirit. 

All awards will be announced at the reception at 5:45 p.m on May 16. 

The Nightingale Gallery is located in Loso Hall on the campus of Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, OR. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.eou.edu/art or follow the Nightingale Gallery on Facebook and Instagram. 

To request images of artwork for publication or to schedule an interview with one or more of the artists please contact Gallery Director Cory Peeke at cpeeke@eou.edu.