This month, Salem’s galleries will celebrate Indigenous artists and traverse the world and local wineries. It’s also the last month to visit Salem on the Edge downtown before the fine art gallery closes.
Here’s a roundup of September’s gallery and museum exhibitions. Friday evening, Sept. 6, the Salem Art Walk will turn downtown into a hub of local art, live music and pop-up shows. Local businesses will participate with special events from 5-8 p.m.
Salem Art Association
600 Mission St. S.E.
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.
Admission: Free
CELEBRATING INDIGENOUS ART – Indigenous Northwest
Sept. 6 through Oct. 27
An exhibition will share work from 16 Indigenous artists throughout the region. The work, curated by Steph Littlebird, includes both traditional and contemporary work. Littlebird is an enrolled member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes.
“Indigenous Northwest celebrates the contributions of Native artists who carry ancestral knowledge and traditions forward while challenging viewers to expand their perceptions of what Indigenous art can be through various mediums and materials,” Littlebird said in a statement.
The work includes weaving, photography, beadwork, assemblage, performers and more. Littlebird will give a curator talk on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m., RSVP online.
CHANGING SHAPE – El Nahual
Sept. 6 through 29, opening reception Friday, Sept. 6, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Artist Carlos Marquez’s exhibition, “El Nahual,” is named for a man who, in pre-Hispanic Mexican culture, can change his shape to any creature. Marquez uses all materials, and works in abstraction and surrealism.
“My art is always evolving, may it be the skill, the style, or the quality of my work. As an artist I am always changing spiritually, mentally, and physically, like El Nahual,” Marquez said in a statement.
TRAVEL AND DISCOVERY – The Call to Adventure
Sept. 6 through Oct. 27, opening reception Friday, Sept. 6, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Samuel Hoskins’ paintings in “The Call to Adventure” explore travel and discovery, both out in the world and internally.
“This show is a call to adventure, an invitation to embrace the uncertainty and possibilities of the liminal space. It is a journey through the landscapes of the mind and soul, where every painting serves as a guidepost, urging us to let go of our fears and step into the unknown with hope and courage,” Hoskins said in a statement.
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE – Carlee Wright
Sept. 4 through 30
Textile artist Carlee Wright will be the Salem Art Association’s artist in residence this month, and will spend her time working with textile waste, like Crown Royal bags and expired gift cards, to create clothing.
PORTRAITS OF LIFE – Somos Oaxaca
Through Sept. 29.
Somos Oaxaca: Portraits of Life, Art and Livelihoods is a yearslong photography project and interview with over 35 people living and working in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Photographer Dick Keis has taken portraits of weavers, sculptors and artists. Many of their occupations are in danger of disappearing, according to a gallery description.
“It consists of black and white portraits of artisans and workers who decided to stay in their homeland with their families and the culture they love instead of migrating northward in search of the American Dream,” a gallery description reads.
Salem on the Edge
156 Liberty St. N.E.
Hours: Wednesday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday 12 – 4 p.m.; closed last Sunday of the month
Admission: Free
FINAL SHOW – David George Andersen
Sept. 4 through Sept. 28
Salem on the Edge will close on Sept. 28, before owner Melanie Weston moves away for an opportunity in Southern California. The featured artist for the final month is her late husband, David George Andersen. His work merges found objects, innovative photographic techniques, mechanical and cast components. Andersen explored themes of politics, religion, art history and wordplay. He was one of the first artists she showed at the gallery.
Read more about Weston’s departure here.
Elsinore Framing & Fine Art Gallery/Artists in Action
444 Ferry St. S.E.
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
OREGON WINES – In Vino Veritas
Sept. 6 – Sept. 27
“In Vino Veritas” is a wine and vineyard themed art exhibit which will show in Gallery 444 this month. Over 20 artists will be on display, in the first of what the gallery hopes to make an annual show.
Artists in Action, a Salem nonprofit, will continue to showcase original art by local artists in the gallery’s main space.
Hallie Ford Museum of Art – Willamette University
700 State St.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 12 – 5 p.m.
Admission: $8 general, $5 for seniors. Free admission for children up to age 17, educators and students with ID and museum members. Free admission for all on Tuesdays. Passes available for checkout at the Salem Public Library.
NEW ART – Indie Folk
Opening Sept. 28
“Indie Folk: New Art and Sounds from the Pacific Northwest” will showcase 17 artists from the region, who work in a variety of mediums, from handwoven baskets to abstract painting and sculpture. A playlist of indie folk music selected by Portland’s Mississippi Records shop will play throughout the exhibition.
There will be a free public opening lecture with curator Melissa E. Feldman at 5 p.m. on Sept. 28 in the Paulus Lecture Hall, 245 Winter St. S.E.
THE ARTIST’S EYE – Selections from the Gary Westford Collection
Through Nov. 16
Two exhibitions featuring work by Gary Westford are on display this month.
The Salem artist explores concepts like the environment and social justice, often incorporating current and ongoing social issues. He began his long career as an arts educator at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, according to a gallery description.
One exhibition features selections from his collection. Another exhibition highlights eight paintings made over a six-year period, where the moon plays a key role in depicting the narrative.
Level 2 Gallery – Salem Convention Center
200 Commercial St. S.E.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., or for appointment call 503-589-1700
Admission: Free
RE-CONTEXTUALIZING – America Replated: Paintings by Don Bailey
Through Sept. 27
In a series of eight paintings, Don Bailey has recontextualized archival photographs of Native Americans, adding color, native designs and landscapes to the staged portraits. Bailey is a Hupa tribal member and taught art at Chemawa Indian School for four decades.
“I aim to give the portraits of our ancestors a timelessness and, in the spirit of whil-xolik (story-telling), invite the viewers of my work to consider the lives of people who have never vanished,” Bailey said in a statement.
There will also be a companion exhibit showing six paintings at the main branch of the Salem Public Library.
Willamette Heritage Center
1313 Mill St. S.E.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Admission: $10 adults, $8 seniors over 65, $6 students and children ages 6-17. Passes available for checkout at the Salem Public Library. Free admission for Oregon Trail/SNAP/EBT card holders.
LOST BUILDINGS – History in Rubble
Through Dec. 21
Learn about iconic Salem’s most iconic landmarks that no longer exist.
“This exhibit features the rubble and saved remnants of many of Salem’s lost buildings. Discover how Salem’s skyline has changed over time and how preserving historic structures can make a difference to our community’s economics, livability, and sustainability,” a museum description said.
September events
Here’s a roundup of what else is happening in Salem this month.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
