Arts Hound

A wolf in sheep’s clothing? More like a wolf in a hip T-shirt. Sabrina Jackson, the local printmaker behind graphic tee brand Poppy & Moe, is relaunching her company as Wolf Child, featuring a new line of hand-printed shirts with all sorts of symbology: snakes, crescent moons, skeleton keys and the Eye of Providence. The line will make its Eugene debut at Passion Flower Design on Broadway during the First Friday ArtWalk; look for it at WolfChild.com this summer.

Willie Nelson did it this year. So did Yoko Ono, the Golden Gate Bridge and Newsweek. Now it’s time for the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art to celebrate 80 years. To toast its octogenarian status, the JSMA ushers in a summer-long exhibit, Living Legacies, with a free opening reception 6 to 8 pm Friday, May 31. The mammoth show will include 250 works loaned from 80 collectors with an emphasis on Asian, Pacific Northwest and American art. But it brings out some global big guns, too, like Renoir, Picasso, Warhol and Lichtenstein. More of an armchair enthusiast? Legacies is the first JSMA exhibit to be accompanied by an online catalogue. Visit jsma.uoregon.edu for details.

Talk about a high-octane performance! Cottage Theatre is hosting open auditions at 6:30 pm June 3 and 4 for an upcoming production of Pump Boys and Dinettes, a jaunty, country-western and pop musical about, well, pump boys and the waitresses that work at the next-door diner, Double Cupp. Actors ages 18-45 should prepare a short song. For more information, visit cottagetheatre.org.

Ain’t it grand? The Gallery at the Watershed, the brand-spanking new art gallery at 321 Mill St., is hosting its Grand Opening Open House 4 to 8 pm Saturday, June 1. The new space houses the works of Eugene- and Portland-area artists, including the Pollock-esque portraits of Lillian Almeida and the impressionist still lifes of Sarah Sedwick (see “Cezanne’s Greetings,” 11/15). Watershed is asking that patrons bring a flower to help create “a bouquet symbolizing the community art creates”; Sedwick will then paint the bunch and the painting will be on display for June’s First Friday Artwalk.

May’s Last Friday ArtWalk is upon us and it’s going to be a jam-packed evening in the Whit. Find the performers of The Red Raven Follies kicking up their heels at Paper Moon Photo Studio, 543 Blair Blvd., with their revue “The Inner Obsessions of Performance Artists,” while studio owner Claire Flint paints live. Over at Cornerstone Glass, artist Tara Stanley will present “Behind the Fire,” a collection of realist paintings of glassblowers, many of whom will be competing in the Degenerate Flame-Off (see Viz Arts) May 31-June 2. Don’t miss the ephemeral watercolors and multimedia of Jenny Kroik at the Old Whiteaker Firehouse, 1045 W. 1st Ave.

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!