An exhibit by Portland artist Karl Burkheimer, “Not It,” will be on display April 1 through May 9 in the Linfield Gallery in the James F. Miller Fine Arts Center at Linfield College.
An artist talk will be held Wednesday, April 1, at 5:30 p.m. in the Delkin Recital Hall in the Vivian A. Bull Music Center, followed by a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Linfield Gallery. “Not It” is a debut installation of a collection of moments, if not fragments, of vague constructs converging to illuminate what is not here or there.
The impetus of Burkheimer’s creative practice is a conflation of influences, negotiating a spectrum of curiosities, experiences and knowledge. Through the haze of daily routine Burkheimer challenges himself to notice the miniscule and see the ordinary. These observations, synthesized through a making space, perpetuate contemplations of the ubiquitous, ever-changing built environment that surrounds us. The objects and images he creates exist in the public realm as points of exchange, yet the exhibited work converge as an index of what is not present; they are a residue of the art, with meaning located within the act of making rather than the making relegated as a means to meaning. The outcomes are brief incarnations that seed subsequent renderings, continually fueling practice, while exercising curiosity.
Burkheimer’s work has been exhibited nationally, including recent exhibitions in Seattle, Wash., the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, Penn., and the Portland Art Museum. His critical writing has been published in Ceramic Monthly, and he has received several awards of recognition as well as institutional funding, including a 2012 individual Artist Fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission, a 2014 Opportunity Grant from the Ford Foundation and Oregon Arts Commission, a finalist for the 2013 Contemporary Northwest Art Awards at the Portland Art Museum, and a 2013 U.S.-Japan Creative Artist Fellowship.
Burkheimer is chair of the MFA in Craft at Oregon College of Art and Craft (OCAC). He received his MFA from the Department of Crafts and Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture from North Carolina State University. Formally the head of OCAC’s Wood Department, Burkheimer has been actively involved in the development of OCAC’s MFA programs, and was the associate chair within the Applied Craft + Design program, a collaborative MFA with Pacific Northwest College of Art. Prior to joining the faculty at OCAC, he was assistant professor of design at Virginia Commonwealth University’s branch campus in Qatar. He has also worked with students and faculty from the University of Manitoba as a guest artesian for service learning studios in Turkey and Africa.
The exhibit is curated by Cris Moss and sponsored by the Lacroute Arts Series at Linfield, the Linfield Gallery and the Department of Art and Visual Culture. The Lacroute Arts Series at Linfield College is made possible by the generosity of Ronni Lacroute, Linfield College trustee and arts benefactor. The series, sponsored by the Lacroute Arts Fund at Linfield College, is dedicated to helping the college present art events and activities for the campus and community. It provides programs featuring artists in the areas of music, art and visual culture, and theatre and communication arts.
LINFIELD GALLERY
Exhibitions of regional, national and international stature are on view throughout the academic year in the 1,500 square foot space at Linfield College. Patrons can expect challenging shows that exemplify diverse approaches to the practice of contemporary visual art.
All exhibits are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. The gallery is located in the James F. Miller Fine Arts Center on the Linfield College campus at 900 SE Baker Street in McMinnville. Parking is free. For more information, call 503-883-2804 or visit Linfield Gallery online at www.linfield.edu/art/gallery-now.html.
