Arts Hound

They’re ready for their close-up: Wife-and-husband team Tracy and Rob Sydor have long been snapping stunning photos of live shows like Primus and Beats Antique, EW covers and high fashion images around Eugene. Now they have opened a studio for their companies Digital Latte Photography and Eugene Commercial Photography. Nosh on Sammitch or sip a Ninkasi brew while bouncing to the beats of DJ Mr. Rose at the studio grand opening 7 pm Friday, Aug. 9 (1000 S. Bertelsen, Unit 2, Eugene).

Create! Eugene — the inaugural month-long arts blitz put on by the Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene — is officially in full swing. During the month of August there will be a smorgasbord of arts and culture workshops and events, from the Eugene Textile Center’s Spinning Mohair course(8/2) course to beginner classes at Ballet Fantastique (8/5) to the Plein Air Paint Out Competition (8/21). Visit createeugene.com to browse all 195 workshops.

First Friday ArtWalk downtown has a special guided excursion this month: the Art the Box tour — part of a public art competition of whimsically painted traffic control boxes — hosted by Eugene’s Public Art Manager Isaac Marquez and competing artists Wendy Huhn, Alexander Southworth, Bryan Putnam and Bayne Gardner, starting at 6 pm at 13th and Willamette (in front of fire station). Hop off the beaten track with a stop at The Gallery at the Watershed’s Huge Beauty: The Work of Kirk Lybecker — a work that includes Lybecker’s glowing, hyperrealist large format watercolors of everything from irises to a beat-up Volkswagen Beetle.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!