Galleries, museums, or art centers and festivals might spring to mind for many when they think of the artistic cultural identity of a place. Many of these venues, however, have histories of being exclusive, inaccessible, and/or unwelcoming to creators who hold marginalized identities, and Corvallis is no different.
Locally, there are various collaborative organizing efforts committed to making the voices and creativity of traditionally ignored, excluded, and underserved artists more visible to the Corvallis community, including Black, Indigenous, and artists of color; LGBTQIA+ artists; disabled and neurodiverse artists; and artists who are struggling with houselessness and poverty.
These efforts can also include curating platforms and venues (some more conventional, some more alternative and non-commercial) for the purpose of not only enhancing the safety and inclusion of historically invisibilized artists, but also offering them – experienced or emerging – the freedom to experiment and play with non-traditional mediums.
On hand to field questions will be:
Caitilin Garets and Indiana Laub, show organizers with Corvallis DIY and Bitter Half Booking
Chris Durnin, co-founder of Corvallis Experiments in Noise
Robin Weis, experimental installation and trash-based artist
Emma J. Coddington Brown, Volunteer Facilitator for Art Tuesday events at the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center (CDDC)
Bruce Burris, Program Director of Living Studios
Julian Clarke, Leadership Liaison for SOL LGBTQ+ Multicultural Support Network
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