Arts Hound

Oh, to see what James Gillray might do with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would be delicious. Considering the British illustrator’s searing and scatological observations of blowhards, we’d expect some orange, bloated mass punctuated with what the internet has succinctly deemed “butthole lips.” But alas, Gillray, considered the father of the political cartoon, passed in 1815. See his work alongside fellow satirists William Hogarth, Francisco Goya and French artists Honoré Daumier and Paul Gavarni for the show “Contemplation & Confrontation: The Satirical Print in Europe, 1750–1850” opening Aug. 29 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA). Look for Gillray’s painterly 1791 “Wierd Sisters; Minister’s [sic] of Darkness; Minions of the Moon” in which he casts members of the ruling class as scheming witches gazing at a moon made up by the royal profiles of George III and Queen Charlotte.

Flicks are for kids: The Academic Achievement Center (AAC) is hosting the inaugural Eugene Children’s Film Festival 2:30 to 5 pm Saturday, Aug. 29, at The Shedd Institute. “Local children ages 5 to 18 have submitted more than 50 films in a variety of formats and genres to be selected as one of the top 10 films to be shown at the day of the festival,” writes AAC Executive Director Clint Larson. Judges will be Tim Williams of Oregon Film, Lisa-Abia Smith of the JSMA, Bill Adler of Will Leather Goods, Dustin Whitaker of Down the Beanstalk Productions and local filmmaker Jay Jones. Tickets can be purchased at the door or at eugeneaac.com.

Don’t miss: Sharden Killmore’s “fly art” at the Whiteaker Tattoo Collective (245 Van Buren Street) for Last Friday Art Walk. Yes, Killmore uses real dead flies in his noir-style paintings, meticulously placing the insects in the eyes of a skull or on the body of a koi fish, among other things.

A certain “Lady” will welcome students as they flock back to campus next month. The University of Oregon recently installed a new public artwork, the 14-foot-tall painted white steel “Lady” by late sculptor Jan Zach, on the lawn near Prince Lucien Campbell Hall. The work is a stone’s throw away from Zach’s “Prometheus” (on the north lawn of the JSMA), another large-scale sculpture that debuted in 1958. A former UO professor in the School of
Architecture and Allied Arts, Zach was one of the forces behind the 1974 Oregon International Sculpture Symposium, which left the Eugene landscape speckled with large public sculptures. “Lady” was still a work in progress at the time of Zach’s death in 1986, but his former student Jerry Harpster completed the job.

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!