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Artists Spotlight

The RACC Artists Spotlight honors and supports individual artists from throughout the tri-county Portland area. Their success and accomplishments are our inspiration, and we are proud to share them with you. Artists that have recently received grant support or public art commissions from RACC will be featured throughout the year on a rotating basis.

Terry Toedtemeier, photographer, scholar and photographic historian Recipient RACC 2000 Artist Fellowship in Visual Arts

Terry Toedtemeier, Curator of Photography at the Portland Art Museum and accomplished Oregon photographer, collapsed and died in Hood River, OR on December 10, 2008 while attending an event to discuss his magnificent new book, Wild Beauty: Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge written with John Laursen and currently an exhibition at the Portland Art Museum (through 1/11/09). > More about this artist

Shu-Ju Wang, painter & book artist Recipient of RACC 2008 Project Grant

Shu-Ju Wang is a painter and book artist who uses personal histories to question and decipher the sometimes wonderful, sometimes unsettling, first generation American life. The current national spotlight on personal history—where one has lived and traveled, where one's relatives call home, and what makes one a Real American—especially resonates with her. Her recent work with the elderly will be on display at the John Wilson Special Collections, Central Library, from November 15 to December 31 and at Rose Schnitzer Manor from December 1 to 14. (Photo: Sven Bonnischsen) > More about this artist

Hilary Pfeifer, mixed media artist Recipient RACC 2008 Project Grant; RACC professional development grant 2006, RACC Public Art sponsored Portland Building Installation, 2004.

Hilary Pfeifer is part naturalist, part surrealist in her interpretetation of the world around her. She is both fascinated and amused by humans attempt to control nature, and in turn, the ways that nature finds its ways to adapt or reassert itself. Hilary creates large scale installations composed of hundreds or sometimes thousands of small one-of-a-kind pieces. Her work, Bunny with a Tool Belt, is currently on display in the Gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, Nov 6-30, 2008. (Photo:Courtney Frisse) > More about this artist

Linda Wysong, artist and teacher RACC Public Art Design Team Roster; 2005 Project Grant; RACC's "intersection" Artist-in-Residence; RACC Public Art Commissions 2002; Visual Chronicle of Portland

Linda Wysong is a Portland-based interdisciplinary visual artist whose work has been shown nationally and internationally. Her project for South Waterfront Artist-in-Residence Program (AiR) - Backyard Conversations will be presented on TV in November/December, 2008. > More about this artist

Dana Lynn Louis, sculptor and public artist Recipient RACC 2007 Project Grant; Public Art Commissions for the City of Portland in 2003 & 2004

Dana Lynn Louis works both as a studio artist, creating delicate sculpture, drawings and prints, and as a public artist. Dana has employed a variety of media including bronze, glass, mica, steel, water, tile, and landscape to create both temporary and permanent installations, and she continues to investigate new media. An exhibit of her drawings will be held at the Carton Service Building, Dec 5 & 6th, 2008. > More about this artist

Christine Bourdette, sculptor and multidisciplinary artist Recipient RACC 2000 Artist Fellowship in Visual Arts

Over the past three decades, Christine Bourdette has become one of the Northwest's most accomplished sculptors. In additon she has developed a multidisciplinary practice, collaborating with other artists and working on public art projects around the country. Her recent drawings, Bird's Eye View, will be showing at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery from October 2-November 1, 2008. > More about this artist

See Artists Spotlight Archives (previously featured):

Lava Alapai, playwright, actor, designer
Susan Banyas, writer and performer
Rose Bond, director, animator & educator
Michael Brophy, painter
Stephen Cohen, musician and visual artist
Judy Cooke, painter
Fernanda D'Agostino, public artist
Akbar DePriest (1930-2007), musician and teacher
Myra Donnelley, producer and playwright
Sarah Ferguson, visual artist and educator
Sally Haley (1908-2007), painter
Chisao Hata, performer, choreographer and dance educator
Kirby Jones, multi-disciplinary artist
Adam Kuby, public artist
Horatio Hung-Yan Law, installation and public artist and educator
Brian Lindstrom, filmmaker
Dana Lynn Louis, sculptor and public artist
Marne Lucas, photographer and installation artist
Rebecca Martinez, actor, director, choreographer, dancer, singer, instructor
Thara Memory, musician, composer and educator
Bruce Orr, puppetteer, painter, cartoonist, educator
Mary Oslund, choreographer, dancer and educator
Zen Parry, sculptor, performer, and writer
Joanna Priestley, animator & filmmaker
Remedios Rapoport, Visual artist, painter, sculptor, fileteadora, poet and lettering artist
Dmae Roberts, playwright, actor, radio artist
Ethan Rose, musician and composer
Gwenn Seemel, artist and portrait painter
Linda Wysong, artist and teacher
Marie Watt, multidisciplinary artist

RACC Staff to Contact

Mary Bauer
Communications Associate
503.823.5426
mbauer@racc.org