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Ducks Host Art of the Athlete Exhibition, Workshop Saturday at the Moshofsky Center

Kids are invited to design helmets and sneakers with current UO student-athletes.

 

        EUGENE, Ore. – The UO Athletic Department and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will host the “Art of the Athlete IV” exhibition and workshop Saturday at the Moshofsky Center prior to the Oregon-Washington State football game.

        Art creations from more than a dozen UO student-athletes will be on display from noon until 3 p.m. in the northeast corner of the Moshofsky Center. At the same time, current UO student-athletes will host a workshop where young fans can design their own Duck helmet or basketball sneaker artwork.

        The workshop and exhibition are free, but fans must have a ticket to Saturday’s game in order to gain admittance into the Moshofsky Center.

        Among the student-athletes participating in the workshop are Dwayne Benjamin and Casey Benson (men’s basketball), Ayele Forde (football alum), Megan Condor (women’s golf), and Jordyn Fox (acrobatics and tumbling), among others.

        The artwork that will be on display was created by a number of Duck football players, including DeForest Buckner, Tyrell Crosby, Tony Brooks-James, Glen Ihenacho, Jalen Jelks, Canton Kaumatule, Haniteli Lousi, Austin Maloata and Tui Talia. Other UO athletic teams represented in art include men’s basketball (Benjamin, Benson and Jordan Bell), soccer (Kira Wagoner), women’s golf (Conder) and acrobatics and tumbling (Fox).

        The “Art of the Athlete” class is a JSMA education program that provides engagement for UO student-athletes through the visual arts and service to children with disabilities. Taught by JSMA director of education Lisa Abia-Smith and teaching artist Katie Gillard, students are instructed in diverse art techniques including painting, mixed media, sculpture and photo transfer. During the most recent term, students studied the work of contemporary portrait painter Kehinde Wiley and created their own version of a Wiley-inspired self-portrait.

        As part of the class, student-athletes also help in the museum’s VSA Art Access studio workshops for children with disabilities. The next ArtAccess workshop is Oct. 17.

        Saturday’s exhibition also serves as a preview for the opening reception for “Art of the Athlete IV,” where many more of the artists’ works will be on public display at the Schnitzer Museum. Featuring 40 works of art, the opening reception will be held Oct. 21 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The “Art of the Athlete IV” exhibit is co-sponsored by the UO Arts and Administration program and runs from October 14 to January 24.

 

Contacts:

Debbie Williamson Smith, Communications Manager, JSMA, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu

Greg Walker, Associate Director, UO Athletic Communications, 541-346-2252, gswalker@uoregon.edu