David Eckard's Deployment at The Art Gym


I regret that I made the trek to Portland galleries and museums a little more than a dozen times this year due to the untimely death of my truck. (Readers may not know or care that I make a 120-mile round-trip.) I know I missed a lot. However, I'm happy with the essays I wrote, and must win the Most Comments Award, just with my 2010 wrap-up and the piece on Social Engagement.

That said, I do have a few quick thoughts I can share:

Charles Hartman exhibits consistently solid work. Some of it may be more historical and/or regional than I typically prefer, yet I completely trust his eye.

TBA still feels like someone had an empty building and thought it might be a good idea to get some artists together for a show. There were a couple stand-outs, but not enough. A full-time director should help. The unisex bathrooms were a bit off-putting, if only because I was toting a large camera.

David Eckard's mid-career retrospective was sprawling but as focused as twenty-plus years of art making can be. Martin Puryear and a carnival worker had a baby and we're all enriched for it.

Rod Pulliam needs and deserves his own space.

George Baker's lecture on Paul Thek at Willamette University was enlightening and will henceforth influence my perspective on "abject art."

Our area's college and university galleries on the whole had a great year of exhibitions. I hope to visit them more often in the coming year, but I still need a new rig.