Department of Art Events

Presented by the Center for Art Research The Whisperers January 17- February 15, 2026 curated by Tannaz Farsi and Simone Ciglia

Saturday, January 17 Curator walkthrough from 4:30-5:00 p.m. Opening reception from 5:00- 7:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Saturdays & Sundays from noon- 4:00 p.m. and by appointment Location: Ditch Projects, 303 S 5th St #165, Springfield, OR 97477

The “archival impulse,” an essay by Hal Foster, animated a significant trend in contemporary art since the early 2000s. This opened an unorthodox use of the archive through a multiplicity of methodological and aesthetic strategies which included critiquing and dismantling the alleged neutrality of the institution by highlighting its gaps, absences, and biases; expanding representation to include suppressed and peripheral histories; and complicating the construction of the archive through fiction and speculation.

Produced by the Center for Art Research at the University of Oregon, The Whisperers considers experimental practices informed by the archive in recent contemporary art. The featured works by national and international artists challenge the conventions of the archive by reanimating exclusionary histories defined by patriarchy or colonial oppression, addressing forms of disobedience and resistance, and incorporating the refused and unrealized.

This exhibition is made possible by the University of Oregon Department of Art’s Center for Art Research and the Ford Family Foundation. 

The School of Art + Design annual Career Futures event connects students with professionals who represent career paths in arts, art & technology, and product design. Professionals share their career-path stories, their experiences in their fields/industries, and their advice for students.

Panel Discussions- open to all students: 10:00- 11:30 a.m.  Product Design Panel Discussion in LA 197 12:00- 1:30 p.m.  Art Panel Discussion in LA 274 2:00- 3:30 p.m.  Art & Technology Panel Discussion in LA 197

Post-Panel Sessions- registration required for portfolio review sessions: 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.  Product Design Portfolio Review Session in LA 197 1:30- 2:30 p.m.  Art “Ask Me Anything” Session in LA 274 3:30- 4:30 p.m.  Art & Technology Portfolio Reviews Session in LA 197

Please visit the College’s “College of Design Career Week” page for links to the post-panel session registrations.

University of Oregon 2025-26 Visiting Artist Lecture Series Presented by the Department of Art and Center for Art Research

The lecture will be followed by an exhibition reception for Reza Safavi in the Laverne Krause Gallery.

Reza Safavi’s research examines how technology shapes experience. He uses sculpture, video, game engines, light, sound, drawing, performance, analog and digital devices as well as elements of the natural world to create interactive experiences that highlight the interfaces, both macro and micro, among communities, technology, consciousness and the environment. Receiving his MFA from the UO in 2006, Reza is thrilled to return to give a talk on his work and where he has been for the last 20 years.

Reza Safavi’s practice is shaped by a hybrid sense of identity. Raised in Canada after the Multiculturalism Act of 1988, he explores cultural juxtapositions through material and digital forms. Living and working in the U.S., he continues this inquiry through research and practice. Reza has been a member of several artists’ groups and, in addition to his solo work, he regularly participates in making of collaborative projects. His artwork has been exhibited and presented regionally nationally and internationally in diverse venues ranging from galleries and museums to public installations and performances. He is Professor of Art at Washington State University and holds an MFA from the University of Oregon (2006) and a BFA from the University of Victoria, in Victoria, BC, Canada.

This lecture and exhibition are made possible by the Laverne Krause Lectures and Exhibitions endowment.