An idea, a concept, a vision has been peculating in our community over the past several months or so to create an arts and culture space that would harness our creativity through educational programs, workshops and exhibits. Commentary by Pamela Hulse Andrews
Spearheaded by the ever inventive Pat Clark of Atelier 6000 the arts center, named ScaleHouse, would be a catalyst for expanding and engaging our community into the inspiring world of art.
Pat’s cadre of inspirers and activists include Alex and Sandy Anderson, Cristy Lanfri, René Mitchell, Cassondra Schindler and Adell Shetterly.
The group is still in the process of finding an appropriate space to launch ScaleHouse but Pat explained that the center would become an inspiration setting to pursue such intriguing initiatives as studying street art or worldwide thoughts about how the whole museum structure is changing and becoming more affiliated with the creative process. The engagement will entail all the avenues of listening, creating and viewing exhibits.
In the meantime, ScaleHouse organizers have taken a resourceful step forward and partnered with Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland to bring a printmaking curriculum to Central Oregon offering workshops, artist in residency programs and exhibitions with a long-term goal of establishing a low-residency MFA program.
Pat explained that they partnered with PNCA pretty much because people who are associated with Atelier are ready for the next level…they will be able to take courses here and augment it with course work at PNCA.
She views it as just a beginning and believes that the OSU-Cascade masters writing program will complement the printmaking program. “A hand and glove situation for fine publishing,” she said. “Interesting thing is that everybody is after the same market of people for specialized programs. This gives people in Central Oregon more flexibility where they can find more degree work.”
An added benefit of the PNCA connection affords us the possibility of sharing national exhibits that travel. This could be a really great benefit for the ScaleHouse venue.
Tom Manley, president of PNCA, recently spoke at a ScaleHouse session discussing the importance of creative education and how imaginative thinking can help us look at and solve problems in a new, fresh way.
Tom’s message was a good one, but he didn’t tell us anything that we don’t already know in Central Oregon. We live in an inventive community where we continue to look forward. ScaleHouse is opening new doors in our cultural world and this burgeoning creativity will lead us into new and inspiring territory.
Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.
― Pablo Picasso, Metamorphoses of the Human Form: Graphic Works, 1895-1972
{jcomments on}