October 12, 2005

Loving the Lovejoy Columns

Portland Architecture has three new entries on the Lovejoy Columns, including direct comments from one of the conservators, James Harrison:

The latest bit of news is that the artwork will be removed from the columns and "recreated" elsewhere, due to the fragile state of the columns. The only reason the work apparently survived untouched for 40-odd years was because it was covered by the Lovejoy onramp (which was demolished to expand the Pearl in 1999). Without such a protective cover, the artwork would only last a few weeks in the drizzly, windy Portland autumn. The decisionmakers are still trying to reach an agreement on where and how the columns can be protected and remain accessible to public view.

Posted by mara at 2:12 PM | TrackBack

October 6, 2005

Historic Art Returned to Pearl District

A small blurb in today's Oregonian announced that a couple of the historic Lovejoy Columns have been placed in the courtyard of a building at 10th and Flanders in the Pearl District. Ironically, the Lovejoy Columns were removed from their original location (holding up an onramp to the Broadway Bridge) in 1999 to make way for the construction of the New Improved Pearl District(tm). So brilliant, the irony of these artworks being removed and very nearly demolished to make way for high-end gallery spaces. Thanks to the efforts of a few devoted fans, the columns were preserved and stored until two of them could be placed on display at the Elizabeth Lofts yesterday. Dieselboii has a picture! I hope they unveil the murals soon.

Posted by mara at 4:04 PM | TrackBack

June 22, 2005

found art + vending machine = pure genius

While browsing oregonlive's shop oregon blog, I came across this entry documenting a recent experience with the Museum of Modern Materialism. I visited the MMM in February while it was located inside the eclectic Wacky Willy's store on NW 24th and Vaughn. My friend Adam obtained a capsule containing a clothing label and a variety of ammunition shells.

'Lex', the mysterious curator of the MMM, has successfully blended the thrill of found art with the convenience of a vending machine. Price of entry to the Portland Art Museum too steep? Can't wait until First Thursday to get your art fix? The MMM is a fount of instant satisfaction, priced at a sliding scale of $.25 to $.50. You even get to keep the exhibit.

The MMM can currently be found near NW 21st and Glisan. I will attempt to locate it in the next few days and give an update on the quality of the exhibits.

Posted by mara at 3:43 PM