Photo Source: William Campbell Contemporary Art Facebook pageYou already know that the Salem Convention Center is one of the top event facilities in the state of Oregon, but you might not know about our carefully curated collection of public art. We believe that by offering Salem, Oregon residents and visitors free access to a rich and diverse selection of museum-quality art, it inspires and engages the public's interest and encourages them to explore downtown Salem and local businesses. We are thrilled to announce that the Salem Convention Center has recently acquired “Home Pool”, a 78” x 108” oil on canvas painting by renowned Oregon artist Richard Thompson to add to our growing collection! The purchase was made possible by The City of Salem's ½% for Art on new and remodeled City owned buildings. In 2019, the Salem Convention Center embarked on a kitchen remodel which generated $9,000 in public art funding. The City of Salem Public Art Commission (SPAC) oversaw the acquisition with team a committee made up from members of SPAC, Salem Convention Center and Oregon Artists Series Foundation (OASF). We can't wait for it to be hung so it's in place when we re-open safely! “Richard Thompson's paintings relish the quintessential American scene,” states the William Campbell Contemporary Art in a written post on their Facebook page. ” He populates his scenes with the houses, fields, trees, and clouds that characterize the countryside, bringing them to life with his own visual language and enlivening the vernacular. His artworks at once depict and transform the domestic landscape, intertwining pictorial and Modernist ideals.” About the Artist Richard Thompson has had a long and accomplished career as an artist and university art professor, most notably as Dean of the School of Art & Design at Alfred University in New York and Professor of Painting at the College of Fine Arts, University of Texas in Austin. He has exhibited nationally and internationally at institutions like the Groniger Museum, The Netherlands; National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington, DC; and Museum of Fine Art, Houston, Texas. His work has been featured in the Governor's Office in the State Capitol and in several major exhibitions including the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York; in both 1975 and 1981 in Oregon, his works are in the collections of the Portland Art Museum, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (Eugene), Hallie Ford Museum of Art (Salem) and the University of Portland along with many others. About Salem Convention Center's Public Art Collection The collection of sculptures and paintings that you see throughout the Salem Convention Center did not come to us by accident, nor did it happen overnight. It's a result of a long-standing partnership between the Salem Convention Center, Oregon Artists Series Foundation (OASF), a non-profit organization dedicated to benefiting our community by placing art in SCC and public places and the Hallie Ford Mueseum. OASF has overseen SCC's art collection and the placement of contemporary art inside the building and in the adjacent outdoor sculpture court. Tens of thousands of Salem, Oregon visitors who have traveled here for conferences and events have enjoyed works of art created by renowned local and regional artists like Native American artist Rick Bartow, Oregon artist James Hanen, painter Jon Jay Cruson, Mel Katz and many others. To learn more about Oregon Artists Series Foundation (OASF) and the City of Salem Public Art Commission, please visit their websites. A special thanks goes to City of Salem Public Art Commission (SPAC) chair Christine D'Arcy for contributing to this post.
