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Eugene Artist Olga Volchkova Will Give Talk about her JSMA Exhibition and Lead an Artist’s Workshop

 

 “The Nature of Religion” is on view through June 13, 2016 in the McKenzie Icon Gallery

 

EUGENE, Ore. -- (February 9, 2016) –  Eugene artist, Olga Volchkova’s exhibition “The Nature of Religion” is on view through June 13, 2016, at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon. Volchkova’s uses her knowledge of Orthodox religious icons and love of botany to create provocative paintings that explore traditional iconography and the history of florae.

 

On Wednesday, February 17, at 5:30 p.m., Olga Volchkova will be giving a talk on the inspiration behind her contemporary icon paintings.  The talk is free and open to the public.

 

Russian-born Volchkova was originally trained as an icon painter and conservator. Her complex compositions depict imagined saints, personified by various plants, including decorative types, edible specimens, and potentially toxic varieties. In her work, she exemplifies the interconnectedness of humans with both the spiritual and natural worlds.

 

Volchkova’s painting “Super Potato,” which was recently acquired for the permanent collection thanks to a JSMA Academic Support Grant, is on display in the exhibition. This piece relates to the significance and importance of the potato in the world of agriculture through the use of complex symbolism.

 

For artists wanting to explore iconography, the JSMA is holding a two-part “Icon Painting Workshop” with Volchkova on Saturdays, April 2 and April 23, from 1 to 4 p.m. The cost is $40 ($20 for students) and is geared toward adults and teens. Participants will learn the techniques behind Volchkova’s “The Nature of Religion” exhibition while exploring Orthodox iconography and botany. During this workshop, participants will create their own icon paintings on panels with acrylic paint; all materials will be provided.  Participants can register online at https://jsma.uoregon.edu/classes-adults.

 

About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public.  The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, the Americas and Europe as well as changing special exhibition galleries.  The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

 

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.

 

About the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.

 

Contact:
JSMA: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu

 

Links: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu