Blog
coLAB hosts Nina Elder!
Nina Elder!
We were inspired this week by Nina Elder’s insight, research and artworks during coLAB.
Nina Elder
Artist and researcher Nina Elder creates projects that reveal humanity’s dependence on, and interruption of, the natural world. With a focus on changing cultures and ecologies, Nina advocates for collaboration, fostering relationships between institutions, artists, scientists and diverse communities. She is the co-founder of the Wheelhouse Institute, a women’s climate leadership initiative. Nina lectures as a visiting artist/scholar at universities, develops publicly engaged programs, and consults with organizations that seek to grow through interdisciplinary programming.
Nina’s artwork is widely exhibited and has been featured in Art in America, VICE Magazine, and on PBS. Her research has been supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Rauschenberg Foundation award for Arts & Activism, the Pollock Krasner Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation. She has recently held positions as an Art + Environment Research Fellow at the Nevada Museum of Art, a Polar Lab Research Fellow at the Anchorage Museum, and a Researcher in Residence in the Art and Ecology Program at the University of New Mexico. She is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Be inspired by more of her work here: https://www.ninaelder.com/
coLAB hosts Alicia Eggert!
Welcome Alicia Eggert!
Artist Alicia Eggert is our next visitor! Join us next week, Wednesday February 3 at 12:30 for coLAB to learn more about her amazing work! https://aliciaeggert.com/
Alicia Eggert
(b. 1981) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work gives material form to language and time, the powerful but invisible forces that shape our perception of reality. Her creative practice is largely motivated by an existential pursuit to understand the linear and finite nature of human life within a seemingly infinite universe. She derives her inspiration from physics and philosophy, and her sculptures often co-opt the styles and structures of commercial signage to communicate messages that inspire reflection and wonder. Alicia creates neon signs that illuminate the way light travels across space and time, and billboards that allow Forever to appear and disappear in the fog. These artworks have been installed on building rooftops in Russia, on bridges in Amsterdam, and on uninhabited islands in Maine, beckoning us to ponder our place in the world and the role we play in it.
Alicia’s work has been exhibited at notable institutions nationally and internationally, including the CAFA Art Museum in Beijing, the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, the Telfair Museums, and many more. Recent solo exhibitions have been held at Galeria Fernando Santos (Porto, Portugal), The MAC (Dallas, TX), and T+H Gallery (Boston, MA). Alicia is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including a TED Fellowship, a Washington Award from the S&R Foundation, a Direct Artist Grant from the Harpo Foundation, an Artist Microgrant from the Nasher Sculpture Center, and an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Maine Arts Commission. She has been an artist in residence at Google Tilt Brush, Sculpture Space, True/False Film Festival, and the Tides Institute and Museum of Art. In 2020, she was added to the Fulbright Specialist Roster by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Alicia earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Drexel University in 2004, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture/Dimensional Studies from Alfred University in 2009. She is currently a Presidential Early Career Professor of Studio Art and the Sculpture Program Coordinator at the University of North Texas. Her work is represented by Galeria Fernando Santos in Porto, Portugal, and Liliana Bloch Gallery in Dallas. She lives with her son, Zephyr, in Denton, Texas.
coLAB hosts Ryan Pierce!
coLAB welcomed artist Ryan Pierce!
Artist Ryan Pierce inspired the coLAB cohort to think about the ecology and the relationship between things today!
To learn more about his work visit https://ryanpierce.net/home.html and read his bio below!
Ryan Pierce’s vivid, large-scale paintings depict our world recovering from human industry. He draws on influences from ecological theory, literature, and folk art to create scenes that portray the resilience of the natural world.
He has exhibited internationally and his work has been recognized by grants from the Joan Mitchell and San Francisco Foundations, and the Regional Arts and Culture Council, as well as by reviews in Art in America, Art Papers, and The Oregonian. Pierce has been an artist in residence at the Ucross Foundation, Caldera, and Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder in Norway, and a fellow at the Jordan Schnitzer Printmaking Residency at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology. Pierce has taught at colleges and universities throughout Oregon and lectured as a Visiting Artist at more than 30 institutions. In 2012, he was the recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission. He is represented by Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland.
Pierce is the co-founder, with activist Amy Harwood, of Signal Fire, a group that facilitates wilderness residencies and retreats for artists of all disciplines. Pierce currently works as the Director of Signal Fire’s academic program, Wide Open Studios.
coLAB hosts Katie Zazenski!
coLAB welcomed artist Katie Zazenski!
Surface class invited Katie Zazenski to share her work to the coLAB cohort this week. Katie is the co-director of Stroboskop, an independent, alternative project space based in Warsaw, Poland. To learn more about her work visit her website here https://kathrynzazenski.com/
Close Your Eyes
Close Your Eyes // A compilation of unorthodox prompts to provoke ideas
A co-authored workbook of prompts by students in Michelle Illuminato and Michelle Swinehart’s CORE Ideation Fall 2020 class.
Download: web version | printable version
NEW CORE Courses added for Fall!

Are you looking for more sections of a CORE class?
Good News!
We just added a section of ART101 Surface and another section of ART 105 Ideation!
Jump onto banner and get your spot and we will see you in September!
GET INVOLVED!
GET READY FOR THE YEAR-END CELEBRATION
This year we're doing something special! Here's how to get involved.

Information
Missed the presentation by Lo Moran ? Take a moment and scroll through the powerpoint. Watch for hidden surprises!
Get Involved!
1. Your class will be sharing work in the Going the Distance envelope. Use a QR code to share more online!
2. You are invited to submit one original artwork in a #10 envelope. It will surprise a student and you will receive one in return, too!
3. Join others on Tuesdays from 1-2 for studio time! Get in touch with Lo Moran lamoran@pdx.edu
GOING THE DISTANCE

YEAR END PROJECT + CELEBRATION!
This year we're doing something special! Join us for a live ceremony, screenings of student work, virtual hangouts and other fascinating CORE community art events!
What is Going the Distance? Here are ways to participate!
TO JOIN OUR ZOOM CELEBRATION
ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020
FROM 12:30 – 1:45
(link will be activated on date and time specified above)
GOING THE DISTANCE
SCHEDULE OF LIVE EVENTS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020
12:30 - 12:45 | Envelope Opening Ceremony Zoom Link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/96335880122 | ||
12:45 - 1:00 | Surface Showcase & Scavenger Hunt See work by Surface students and hunt for 10 special items, themes, and parallels among the images. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/94968190668 | Weird Instruments Hosted by Jonah Maris Join student Jonah Maris for a jam session Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/96543668524 | Time 103 Screening of Video Works Join the CORE Art Time 103 class in a screening of some stellar video works. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/96161290753 |
1:00 - 1:15 | Audible Environments Turn off your screens and turn on your ears for this immersive audible environment. Listen to the wild & strange soundscapes students created for their Time 103 class. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/93242113280 | 3D Sculpture Walkthrough Come visit SPACE student dioramas in a custom 3d Google Sketchup space. Students will showcase their 3d works in a 3d virtual place. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/94724478161 | Virtual Drawing Experience Hosted by Aidan Guthrie Join student Aidan Guthrie for a collaborative drawing game hosted in real time. Have fun virtually drawing with other fellow students. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/95854124689 |
1:15 - 1:30 | Exercises for Ideas Join Francie, Ally and Jonah for a show & tell that features the co-authored Exercises for Ideas created by 24 Ideation students. Chat about processes and results together as a cohort. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/98424651724 | Taking a Virtual Walk Together Take a virtual walk with students in Digital Tools 104 as they tour Google Street View routes they followed on their virtual research trips this term. Link below: Click here for links to walking partners | Time 103 Screening of Video Works Part 2 Join the CORE Art Time 103 class in a screening of some stellar video works. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/96161290753 |
1:30 - 1:45 | Zoo Zoom Have you been distracted by things at home, maybe you have a furry friend calling your attention during your zoom class? We know the feeling. In this zoom chat we will officially meet and greet other student's furry companions. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/98232969905 | Animation Shorts Watch Time 103's final project animation reel. Students were tasked with making all different types of animations. Included in the reel are stop motion flicks that use drawing, collage and cut paper methods to tell compelling stories. Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/96541651278 | Sharespace Hosted by Emma Wallace Have you made art during the term that you'd like to share? This is the space for that. No critique, just a celebration of community creativity. Come in, volunteer to share in the chat, and show us what you've got! Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/98424651724 |
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT
ARTWORK EXPERIENCES TO ENJOY AT YOUR LEISURE
Workbook Filled with Ideas
24 Students in Ideation Created a Workbook Filled with Ideas on How to Get Ideas
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
YouTube Channel
A YouTube Channel Featuring Videos From Time 103 Students
Watch Leisurely or Join in with the Interactive Scavenger Hunt
CHECK OUT HERE!
Core Art Surface student works on display
Experiments in locational empathy and camouflage as a form of site-specific surface design.
CHECK OUT HERE!
INSIDE THE ENVELOPE



SPECIAL THANKS
We Can’t End This Post Without A Very Special Thanks!
We have many people to thank for making our end of the year celebration possible!
First..YOU The students. You are the reason we are here. THANK YOU for your dedication to your learning and to this art community!
Then there’s our super extra-special FACULTY. Thank you for all the work that is in the envelope and the above + beyond attitude to make this term the best it could be. Teaching Spring term: Anna Gray, Brittney Connelly, Spencer Bryne-Seres, Amanda Leigh Evans, Michelle Swinehart, Michelle Illuminato, Nola Hanson, Eric Olson, Brianna Ortega. And throughout the year: Zeph Fishlyn, Lori Gilbert, Jacob Richman, Jordan Rosenblum, Carlos Reynoso, Jea Alford, Steve Brown, Patricia Vazquez Gomez, Michelle Vorce.
And the HUGEST BIGGEST — THANK YOU — to Lo Moran for their amazing ideas and for all that they did so that we could hold these ‘goods’ in our hands.
AND A THANK YOU to ultra-talented Brittney Connelly, who ran coLAB this year and contributed spectacularly to this and all of our special events.
We thank A+D Projects designer Hope Fern for adding the bling and to Eric for that early brainstorm session. And a warm thanks to the School of Art + Design’s Director Lis Charman for her support.
Now dive into that envelope! Follow the QR codes! Or go online to our new website https://psu-core.com/ to view the schedule of events … all are just a click away!
-Michelle Illuminato
STUDIO TIME!
