The Salem Conference Center is known for its clean lines, spare look and flexible spaces; not for its art.
That changed last week with the installation of the Oregon Artist Series Mayor's Invitational, the first in a series of yearlong exhibitions that will build a permanent art collection for the new Salem landmark.
Thirty-two artists now have paintings, a papercut work and photography arrayed on the first floor lobby walls and on four hanging display panels fronting busy Ferry Street.
"We've been working with the city to put in some kind of art element since we built the property," said Steve Johnson, president of VIPS Industries Inc., which manages the center and owns the adjacent Phoenix Grand Hotel.
"We weren't able to get over the bumps until Mary Lou Zeek put this one together."
Zeek, owner of Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, and Shelley Curtis of Corvallis, who curates Oregon State University's Art About Agriculture collection, served as consultants to the center's exhibition committee.
Mayor Janet Taylor lent her name and support to the project, which also had the active support of Chrissie Bertsch, general manager of the conference center.
Today, three jurors will pick four $500 award winners and decide which of those will be a permanent acquisition for the center. Comcast is helping underwrite the awards.
The winners will be announced at a paid-admission reception on Saturday.
The jurors are John Olbrantz, director of Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University; Salem artist Nancy Lindburg; and Cynthia Addams, chair of the Oregon Arts Commission and a Keizer resident.
The 32 artists on view include 29 living artists, as will as the work of the late artists Carl Hall, a legendary Willamette University teacher; Jim Mattingly, a Monmouth artist and educator active with Salem Art Association; and Nelson Sandgren, a well-known Corvallis artist.
The artists include Eugene painters Jon Jay Cruson, Mark Clarke and Margaret Coe; monoprint artist Annegret Disterheft of Salem; Salem painters Sue-Del McCulloch, Terry Melton, Susan Trueblood Stuart and John Van Dreal; and Monmouth watercolorist James Kirk.
Married artists Rob Bibler and Carol Houser of Salem also are featured.
"Shelley and I, because we were the ones that volunteered to do this, tried to come up with the names of people that had been strong influences in the Willamette Valley," Zeek said.
"It's a lot of work to put something like this together; it took a year."
Future shows will accept applicants and also extend invitations, she said.
"We really want to keep it a high level of quality," Zeek said.
"There are thousands of phenomenal artists in Oregon. We just picked 32 of the best."
Future shows are expected to feature other artists, although some artists could be return with new works.
Among the works on view are Bibler's "Mirari," a dreamy acrylic portrait in blue of a woman in a watery, fantasy setting; Van Dreal's subtle oil painting of two dancers; Cruson's impressionistic acrylic version of the Willamette Valley landscape; and McCulloch's dramatic cloudscape/landscape acrylic.
Melton's acrylic painting, "The 45th Parallel," features dramatic bands of blue, green and gray, and Banks artist Robert Schlegel's acrylic "Bird House" is a playful portrait of a large bird, in shades of orange.
April Waters of Salem has a large Willamette Valley landscape, with a view of the curving Willamette River.
Hanging art in the conference center is a challenge, since nothing can be attached to the concrete walls -- or the windows -- and art must stay clear of obstructing any rental activities.
Todd Stiers, facilities manager, resolved the issue by spending $2,000 on metal tracks attached to the ceiling.
The art is suspended on wires from the tracks, most a minimum of five feet above the floor, and is attached by security clips.
"Especially since it's open to the public, we've got to make sure it's secure," he said.
In addition to the panels in the Ferry Street windows, with art hung on both sides, art also is suspended on an exterior gray concrete wall along Commercial Street SE and on an interior wall that is painted "caliente," a Spanish red, and wraps around a rental space.
Stiers and his own team hung the track and the art.
He said the rail will be usable for hanging banners and signage as well as for art.
"It really looks good," Zeek said.
"It makes it feel gallery-like and not just lined up on the walls."
A color brochure, with images of the art, will be available for visitors sometime in August.
Stiers already has picket his favorite: Bibler's "Mirari."
"I really do like this lady here," he said. "This is a wonderful piece. Blue is my favorite color."
rcowan@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6728
Oregon Artist Series Mayor's Invitational
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and during special events, through July, 2008; opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: First floor lobby of Salem Conference Center, 200 Commercial St. SE
Cost: Exhibit is free; opening reception is $25, with no-host cocktails and hors d'oeuvres
Call: (503) 589-1700
Get the Latest News from the Salem Conference Center in Oregon.
