ArtsHound

Purple pages: Storm Entertainment, a Portland-based comic and graphic novel company, has just released the comic book biography Tribute: Prince in honor of the late artist and his June 7 birthday. Michael Frizell wrote the 24-page comic and Ernesto Lovera and Vincenzo Sansone created the art. “His sound and lyrics defined the era for me in ways that Michael Jackson didn’t and, quite frankly, couldn’t,” Frizell says via press release. “The subjects of his songs spoke to me in ways I didn’t understand until I was older, but the dark poetry of them compelled me to keep listening.” Visit stormfrontpublishing.wordpress.com for details.

Local artist Charly Swing is spearheading a new visual arts effort, ArtCity Eugene, along with Oregon Arts Commission commissioner Libby Tower, painter Lillian Almeida, costume designer Jes Sokolowski and others.

The new organization, Swing says, spawned from the need for a studio community. The former chief preparator at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Swing recently returned to Eugene from a two-year stint at the New York Academy of Art, where she received a masters in fine art.

“When I came back I was like, ‘Where are the artists?’” she recalls. In New York, “artists actually have a place to go to work. They have warehouses there. We’re all isolated here.”

Swing wants to help form an arts district like that here, where artists can collaborate — she calls it “fire pits of energy.”

To get artists together, ArtCity Eugene has started hosting “Drink & Draw” events every third Monday at Sam Bond’s Brewery, 540 E. 8th Ave. The next session is 6 to 9 pm Monday, June 20; SLUG Queens will be the models.

The next step is finding space, which Swing says has been challenging. “In our search for space, we found that it’s hard to find largely because of the marijuana industry,” she says. “We didn’t realize how that was going to effect our ability to find large spaces. Warehouses are great for artists and great for marijuana.”

Regardless, ArtCity is beginning to plan exhibits for late summer. “The ultimate goal is to get the artists together,” Swing says. For more info, visit artcityeugene.org.

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!