Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Amazonia at the Art Museum

Katie D.

January 16, 2010 - 12:22 PM

Last night I attended the opening of a new exhibit at the University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum.

The traveling exhibit is entitled "Amazonia," and features photography by Sam Abell and Torben Nissen, who traveled the headwaters of the Amazon River in Peru and returned with unbelievable photographs of the landscape, wildlife, and the river itself.

The photography was stunning. As I wandered the exhibition hall, I felt a deep connection to the beauty and power of the Amazon, and the jungle habitat there. I was equally moved to hop on a plane to the jungle and to sign up for a photography class. I guess that's what good art will do to you: inspire you to some kind of action.

To celebrate Amazonia, the museum hosted a free, public event that pulled a fabulous cross section of the Eugene and campus community for an evening of art, music, and food. The photographers were present: mingling with the crowd and answering people's questions. There were groups of students, families with young children, professors and artists milling around. All of the informational plaques were displayed in both English and Spanish, and I heard a surprising number of people discussing the art in Spanish, including a group of students who sounded like second-year Spanish learners.

It can be so easy to take places like the Art Museum for granted. We walk past them everyday, hurrying from class to work and from work to club meetings or sporting events. As a student body, we occasionally forget to take advantage of the incredible artistic venues we have here on campus. The music hall is exquisite, and is constantly hosting wonderful concerts by students and visiting performers. The Museum of Natural and Cultural History not only boasts a wonderful collection of artifacts from Native American groups of the Pacific Northwest, but also owns the oldest footwear in the world. What an incredible resource!

Over the years, I have tried to visit most of the Art Museum exhibits. The permanent collection is amazing, especially in the areas of East Asian art. Last year I took several groups of international students to the museum, which sparked interesting conversations about art, culture, and beauty. Some of the students were surprised to walk into a University art museum in Oregon and discover art from their home countries. Depending on the level of English abilities, our conversations would range from identifying the objects and colors in the paintings to a discussion of artistic technique and the mood of the work.

Which brings me back to the Amazonia exhibit itself. The information on the museum website includes this description: "Through their photographs and Abell's first-hand commentary, we experience the challenges and epiphanies of their journey and come to respect the power of the Amazon and its inestimable value to life on this planet." Indeed, I felt a profound connection to their photography and testimony.

My favorite pair of pictures made a case for the potential for the fantastic to arise. The first picture shows a curve of the river, surrounded by trees and vines. The water is slow and the banks muddy. It is calm and beautiful. Only a close observer would notice clumps of yellow along the bank of the river. The second picture shows those yellow clumps exploding into butterflies in flight: the same calm river scene suddenly transformed into joyful flight.

I would encourage those of you in the Eugene area to explore the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum for yourselves. You might find something that surprises you.