The grand opening of the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, which coincided with the opening of the Rivers art exhibit, exceeded all expectations Saturday night, Jan. 19. “It was fantastic”, said Lyn Craig, executive director of the non-profit center, which started hosting classes last fall. “We think we had 300 people. It blew us away. People came to see the art, and they stayed and they stayed. There was such good energy.”
The Rivers art exhibit featured the photographs of local biologist Mary Edwards, the bronzes of local sculpture Tim Norman and prints of lithographer Dennis Cunningham of Portland. This is the first art exhibit hosted by the Josephy Center and it will remain open for viewing through Feb. 16; it is running in conjunction with the Wallowa County Reads program. Show directors are Ed Pitts and Rodd Ambroson, who both drew everyones attention to the handsome metal painting hangers, designed by Tim Norman and fabricated by Chuck Frasier.
The next Josephy Center exhibit, scheduled for Feb. 27-March, will be of American and European art collected by local artist Steve Arment, titled Artists Eye Collectors Passions.
A juried show is being planned that will feature art collected by Wallowa County residents. The grand opening event included a slide presentation of underwater photographs of fish on the Lostine River, shown by Edwards, and a fly tying and fly fishing demonstration by Fishtrap writer-in-residents Cameron Scott. Josephy Library of Western History and Culture curator Rich Wandschneider was on hand to introduce the library, which is located in a large upstairs room. Music was provided by Roger Magee on his hand-crafted flutes and food by Lears Main Street Pub and Grill.
The Josephy Center, sited in a handsome Main Street log building that was originally the home of Bank of Wallowa County (now Community Bank), is the fulfillment of a dream for a group of local art and music lovers who started planning for a cultural center in Wallowa County over four years ago. One of the group, Ann Stephens, purchased the long-vacant log building last summer, with the idea eventually the non-profit that was formed would buy it. We have a tremendous gift here and we hope we can utilize it far into the future, said Pitts. While Rivers was the first art exhibit for the center, it has already hosted music and other classes, and a community Christmas concert organized by Wallowa Valley Music Alliance. Â I thought it was wonderful, Stephens, who serves as chairperson of the centers board of directors, said of the grand opening. There were lots of people here and everyone was smiling. She added, Everything has come together. Its even better than I imagined. This building deserves to be an art center.
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By Elane Dickenson
Read more at: https://wallowa.com/2013/01/22/josephy-center-opening-attracts-crowd/