McCosh in Europe features works he made in the late 1920s, while traveling in England, France, Ireland, and Italy on a scholarship from the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition also features works created during his sabbatical from the UO in the late 1950s, when he returned to many of these places as well as Spain. McCosh in Europe traces the evolution of McCosh’s style from the more naturalistic landscapes and urban scenes of his days in art school to the more abstracted evocations for which he became so recognized.

David McCosh arrived in Eugene in 1934 as a new faculty member in the University of Oregon's Department of Art. Inspired by the rugged environment of his new home, he began to pursue a method of painting based purely on direct observation of nature. Local landmarks around the university’s campus, including the banks of the Millrace stream, a popular restaurant known as the Anchorage, and his own lush, hilly neighborhood near Hendricks Park, appear frequently in his work.  McCosh in Eugene is organized entirely from the McCosh Memorial Collection, established by McCosh’s widow, painter Anne Kutka McCosh (1902–94) to preserve and promote the understanding of his works.

From the Ground Up honors the Department of Art’s first Master of Fine Arts recipient, Gordon Gilkey ’36. For his thesis project, Gilkey secured funding from the Works Progress Administration to document the construction of the University of Oregon’s new library, designed by campus architect and Dean of AAA Ellis Lawrence (American, 1879-1946), who also designed this museum. After Gilkey’s distinguished service during World War II as a member of the "Monuments Men," he enjoyed an illustrious career as an educator, curator, collector, and arts activist.

Photography has been used since its earliest days to both document and reflect upon humanity’s relationship with the natural world. In the 1960s, photographers began to move away from the natural realism of Ansel Adams (American, 1902–84) toward a more conceptual approach to landscape photography. The 1970s saw the emergence of environmental documentary photography, which produced images that sparked new scientific and environmental conversations. Photography bridged the gap between art and life, creating images that forced viewers to see beyond pure representation and instead explore their personal insights and perceptions of the world. More recently, photographers have demonstrated the medium’s ability to raise new questions about human consumption and environmental sustainability.

The nine works on view here convey both literal and abstract notions of consumption. They have been selected to complement the themes of the Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI)’s annual conference, held in Eugene this fall. By examining government strategies that promote sustainable consumption, SCORAI aims to develop a policy framework for local community involvement and action.

This exhibition was organized by Samantha Hull, a 2013 graduate of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture. The JSMA would like to thank Babe O’Sullivan, Sustainability Liaison for the City of Eugene, for bringing this conference to our attention.