The walls of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art are lined with pieces from artists and styles across the globe. Last April, the museum opened up their doors to a new side of the their global display by showcasing their Contemporary Oregon Visions exhibit. This rare and intricate exhibit shares the work of two unique Oregon artists, Jo Hamilton and Irene Hardwicke Olivieri, two different and intriguing artists. Between the two there is a naked 8-foot-tall crocheted man, and different displays of women composed of tiny and delicate rodent bones.
The work of Jo Hamilton, a Scotland native who now resides in Portland, is seen woven throughout the walls. The pieces are stunning as Hamilton’s faces of the employees of Le Pigeon, a restaurant she worked at before her art took off, juxtapose themselves with a series of mug shots that look utterly similar, yet show defining characteristics once taken in. Her pieces, one of which is a woven picture of Portland’s city, are created by threading plarn — or plastic bags made into yarn–to create flawless human depictions.
“You can totally see her understanding of facial features, light and shadow; it’s just amazing,” said Jordan Schnitzer Communications Director Debbie Williamson while looking at the artist’s self portrait.
Irene Hardwicke Olivieri’s exhibit explores a different side of Oregon. Her works range from paintings to small handcrafted pieces. Her dedication to her art and love for nature is seen all at once through her differing works. One of the most astounding parts of Olivieri’s exhibit are the series of Paleo Girl’s, portraits composed of hundreds of small rodent bones that she collects from Owl pellets. Olivieri says the idea came to her on a hike through Fort Rock in Central Oregon.
“The pieces made from bones take a very long time to make but I love everything about the process,” she said.
“I almost tranced out with all the bones and spent hours dissecting, cleaning, and sorting them. I decided it would be fun to make them into alluring women figures – kind of the last thing you would expect to be made out of the tiny bones from dead rodents,” said Olivieri.
As for the overall hope for her exhibit Olivieri aspires to get people out into nature and to inspire.
“I often meet people who tell me they want to do something creative and yet for some reason something or someone has discouraged them. If seeing my work might inspire others in some way that would mean a lot to me,” said the artist.
June Black, the exhibit’s co-curator, points out the intricacy in her paintings which are also on display. Within her paintings are a series of words, some talking about a specific animal and others encasing information about new and evolving species. She also notes Olivieri’s love for pack rats while looking at a painting centering around the species and “Pedro,” Olivieri’s pack rat friend who lives under her porch.
“(Jo Hamilton and Irene Hardwicke Olivieri) are both really great representations of what’s going on within the art scene,” says June. Both she and her co-art curator enjoyed the abstract and “whimsical nature” of the Oregon artists, finding many reasons to pair their exhibits aside one another.
As the two exhibits live within the wall of the museum crocheted faces and delicately placed rodent bones, the Contemporary Oregon Visions show makes for a delightful contemporary experience. As of July the exhibit is entering into its last month on display at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, and for those equally intrigued the exhibit will remain on display through August 3.