Crossroads Carnegie Art Center ready for grand opening of “Towards Home: The Art of Gary Ernest Smith”
By Joe Hathaway on Friday, May 24th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — The Crossroads Carnegie Art Center is set to unveil a much-anticipated art exhibit.
“Towards Home: The Art of Gary Ernest Smith,” will open to the public on Friday, May 24. This event marks the final gallery show of Gary Ernest Smith, a celebrated contemporary Western artist with deep roots in Baker County.
Preparations are in full swing at the Art Center, where the excitement is palpable. “We are so excited,” said Ginger Savage, Executive Director of the Center. “The paintings are hung, and we are just doing all of the last-minute adjustments and tagging.”
The doors will open at 4:00 p.m., followed by a reception featuring live music by Dan Brown, a no-host bar by Copper Belt Winery, and food by The Cheese Fairy.
The exhibit coincides with the grand reopening of the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center outside of Baker City, creating a thematic bridge between the two events. Smith, whose painting “Oregon Pioneers” was used to market the center’s reopening in the 1990s, has created a new work for the Interpretive Center, which will also be unveiled on Friday morning.
Savage says the exhibit is a testament to the dedication of the Crossroads’ team. “Our gallery committee, led by Art Director Angela Blair, has worked tirelessly for six months to bring this show together,” Savage said. She said the effort included structural changes, re-lighting the gallery, and producing catalogs and other materials for the show.
Gary Ernest Smith, who hails from Medical Springs, has built a formidable career as a premier contemporary Western artist. His works are renowned for their portrayal of rural American life, capturing the essence of Baker County’s fields, ranches, livestock, mountains, and people. His art is deeply personal, reflecting his lifelong connection to the land and the rural lifestyle.
“It is important to me to live and work with my family in a rural area,” Smith said in his artist statement. “Inspiration comes to me in times of quiet observation.” His works often depict the struggles and triumphs of rural life, using bold forms and colors to create a symbolic visual language that resonates with both rural and urban audiences.
The exhibit, which runs until July 21, aims to draw visitors to Baker County for more than just a day. “We want to give them a reason to not just come for a day, but to spend a couple of days,” said Savage. The exhibit will close on the last day of Miner’s Jubilee, Baker City’s largest celebration, aligning with the city’s 150th anniversary festivities.
The opening reception on Friday will include an artist talk at 5:00pm., providing a unique opportunity for guests to engage with Smith and gain deeper insights into his work. The event is expected to attract art enthusiasts from across the region, potentially garnering new supporters for the Crossroads Carnegie Art Center’s programs, which include serving at-risk youth and promoting local and regional artists.
Guests are strongly encouraged to RSVP by contacting Crossroads to reserve their spot for this event. The center will be open seven days a week, from 10:00am to 5:00pm throughout the duration of the exhibit.
“To have an artist of the caliber of Gary Ernest Smith entrust us with this final show, it’s life altering for this organization, it really is”, said Savage. “It’s a level of art that we’ve never really been able to showcase before. And so that we were entrusted with his final major gallery show is humbling, occasionally overwhelming, but it is such a gift to tell this last sort of story for Gary.”
