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TAC MAKES: a podcast

TAC MAKES: a podcast

By The Arts Center - Corvallis, OR

A collection of artist talks, interviews and conversations about all things art in the PNW.
Currently playing episode

Eps. 5: Jess Felix - Evolution of Practice

TAC MAKES: a podcastMay 08, 2023

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11:13
Ep 19: Heavenly and Earthly Paradise - Nathaniel Praska

Ep 19: Heavenly and Earthly Paradise - Nathaniel Praska

Portland artist Nathaniel Praska joins TAC curator Jennie Castle for a conversation about Heavenly and Earthly Paradise. The exhibit features large paintings created with hurried scribbles and handmade paint-sticks, and sculptures crafted from discarded materials. Through this work, Praska explores the pervasive theme of hallucinatory fear that has permeated society since the latter part of the 20th century.


Mar 18, 202418:13
Ep 18: Vivarium - Erin Robinson Grant

Ep 18: Vivarium - Erin Robinson Grant

Erin Robinson Grant chats with TAC curator, Jennie Castle, about her interests in biological boundaries and her artistic attempts to break down barriers between the human body (what is considered the self) and the natural world (considered other).

Mar 07, 202412:57
Ep 17: New Mythologies - Jeff Leake

Ep 17: New Mythologies - Jeff Leake

Jeff Leake is a Portland, OR-based artist who holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from UC Davis. Leake’s art delves into the intersections of culture, nature, and human behavior, bridging the contemporary with ancient influences. His work explores cultural paradigms governing human lives, blending historic imagery, cultural archetypes, and observed landscapes to create complex visual narratives.


Leake's New Mythologies is on view in the Corrine Woodman Gallery January 30 - February 24, 2024.

Feb 01, 202415:03
Ep 16: Compass - Vicki Wilson

Ep 16: Compass - Vicki Wilson

Philomath, OR artist Vicki Wilson discusses her practice, and the Corrine Woodman Gallery exhibition, Compass, which features a series of “Tondo” style of sculptures, free-standing work, and smaller works that serve as sketches and tests for texture, shape and color.

Compass is on view at The Arts Center, January 2 - 27, 2024.

Jan 03, 202421:22
Ep 15: Some Things Are True - Joe Batt & Nancy Watterson Scharf

Ep 15: Some Things Are True - Joe Batt & Nancy Watterson Scharf

This episode is a recording of an in person artist talk with Joe Batt and Nancy Watterson Scharf. Batt and Scharf speak about their artistic practices and the TAC Main Gallery exhibition, Some Things are True.

Nov 30, 202323:57
Ep 14: Kelsey Davis - Voices from Home

Ep 14: Kelsey Davis - Voices from Home

TAC Curator, Jennie Castle sat down with Kelsey Davis of Living Studios in Corvallis, OR to discuss their 2023 Corrine Woodman Gallery exhibition.

Voices from Home is a performative installation project examining and exploring dynamics in residential community housing. This exhibition comes 25 years after the original iteration, which took place in Louisville, KY in 1998. We now have the opportunity to examine changes of residential expectations, challenges that many face, as well as where one can find comfort, community, and contentment in this not so unique living situation. During the length of this installation we will be creating, performing, and exhibiting works which explore the themes and tensions and, most importantly, amplifying these voices from home.

Nov 14, 202314:46
Ep 13: Dualities - Gabe Babcock & Roberta Monte James

Ep 13: Dualities - Gabe Babcock & Roberta Monte James

Dualities is an exhibition expressing the delicate yet perdurable attributes of nature. Ceramic, stone and wood convey feelings of permanence, while cotton, silk and other such fibers are fragile by comparison.

Gabe Babcock primarily uses found materials, exploring and testing their spatial boundaries, creating works of art that are grounded in the natural world. Roberta Monte James is a fiber artist often inspired by an aspect of nature or a specific geographical area, and the environmental realities that are affecting them.


Dualities- Gabe Babcock & Roberta Monte James is on view at The Arts Center September 21 – October 28, 2023

Reception: Thursday, September 21, 2023, 5:30 – 7:00 PM


Sep 18, 202318:26
Ep 12: 8x8 with a twist!

Ep 12: 8x8 with a twist!

TAC Board Vice President and founding organizer of the annual 8x8 exhibition, Kim Long discusses the history of this popular community fundraiser and how it's changing, just a little, this year.

Aug 21, 202310:03
Ep 11: Renee Couture - Soft Ambition

Ep 11: Renee Couture - Soft Ambition

Motherhood is the current focal point of Renee Couture’s work. Created from within her mothering experience, she has a diverse practice, encompassing sculpture, photography and drawing.

View Couture's work at The Arts Center Corrine Woodman Gallery August 8 - September 16, 2023.

Renee Couture is an artist living in Glide, OR. She graduated from Buena Vista University (Storm Lake, IA) with a BA degree in Studio  Art and Spanish in 1999. She holds an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College of Fine Arts in  Montpelier, VT. Couture taught Fine Art for over a decade at Umpqua Community College.  She currently works as a Project Manager with the Percent for Art/Art in Public Places program, managed by the Oregon Arts Commission. 


Aug 07, 202331:55
Ep 10: Mary Frisbee Johnson - Pacific Waters

Ep 10: Mary Frisbee Johnson - Pacific Waters

Mary Frisbee Johnson is an educator, writer, mixed-media artist and metalsmith. She was born in Glasgow, MT, raised in Bozeman, MT, and attended Montana State University. She earned her MFA from University of Cincinnati and was Professor Emerita – Drawing for the Department of Art at University of Northern Iowa. Now she is retired and currently living and making work in Waldport, OR.

Pacific Waters features a collection of indigo ink drawings by Johnson. Through her work, Johnson explores how water changes depending on light, weather, time, and tide, and with her mark making she embraces the myriad of sounds water can make: gurgle, chitter, roar, stream, crash, bubble, hiss, murmur.

As an extension of the Pacific Waters exhibition, Oregon State University music students were invited to compose original compositions in response to Johnson’s visual art. Music for Pacific Waters was contributed by the following composers: Adam Banks, Kaitlyn Barrett, Mackenzie Bjonstedt, Zach Elms, Sage Jarvie, Connor McKay, Erin Mendelson, Gage Mergel, Dana Reason, Cooper Reynolds, Tak Yeung Shum. Music is available in the gallery via a QR Code or one of TAC’s MP3 players, which can be checked out at the front desk.

Jul 17, 202322:16
Ep 9: Heidi Keith - Youth on the Water

Ep 9: Heidi Keith - Youth on the Water

Heidi Keith, (b. 1976) was raised in western Montana. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and teaches studio art at Camas High School in southwest Washington.  Heidi earned a Bachelors and Masters degree from Portland State University. She attended Pacific Northwest College of Art as a post-baccalaureate studying painting. 

Youth on the Water is a series of paintings of young people addressing the power and vulnerability of adolescence and how the body interacts with the natural world. Youth on the Water is on view in the Corrine Woodman Galleries July 5 - August 5, 2023. Join us at The Arts Center for a reception Friday, July 7, 2023, 5:30 - 7 PM.

Jul 05, 202319:00
Ep 8: Shagufta Mulla - Evolution of Practice
May 18, 202314:25
Ep 7: Jill Myer - Evolution of Practice

Ep 7: Jill Myer - Evolution of Practice


Jill Myer has lived on the Oregon coast since 2019, and when she isn’t in her garage/studio making art, she spends as much time as possible walking in the woods and on the beach. Myer works in many mediums, but her current focus is on encaustic wax and watercolor. Myer draws inspiration from the ever-changing weather on the coast and the natural landscape. You can often find her taking inspirational photos during a rainstorm on the beach or post-rain in the forest, attempting to capture the freshness in the air. She repeatedly paints the ocean and sky, trying to capture the dramatic movement and power. Myer’s current work can be found in the For Artsake Gallery in Historic Nye Beach in Newport.

Myer is exhibiting in Evolution of Practice, a show celebrating 5 Years of Artist Accelerator residencies. The Artist Accelerator Program provides professional development for creatives seeking to build community, a strong foundation in small business and their arts practice. This spring, former AAP residents return in this two-location exhibit to share their evolving work in fiber, painting, design and ceramics.

May 18, 202317:37
Eps 6: Kim Long - Evolution of Practice

Eps 6: Kim Long - Evolution of Practice

Enchanted by life near a medley of mountains in Colorado, Utah, and Oregon, Kimberly Long finds inspiration for her sculptures in the natural world around her. Whether spending time in her garden or with her family on adventures, her imagination runs wild with all the creatures and wanderers of the forests, rivers, and hillsides. On occasion when all is quiet she will place a Gnook to welcome imagination to be in working order. Kimberly seeks out opportunities to learn from independent artists nationwide, to support local businesses and small vendors, and to promote the importance of and access to the arts. Though self-taught in much of her technique, the heart of her work is community enhanced.


Long is exhibiting in Evolution of Practice, a show celebrating 5 Years of Artist Accelerator residencies. The Artist Accelerator Program provides professional development for creatives seeking to build community, a strong foundation in small business and their arts practice. This spring, former AAP residents return in this two-location exhibit to share their evolving work in fiber, painting, design and ceramics.

May 18, 202317:09
Eps. 5: Jess Felix - Evolution of Practice
May 08, 202311:13
Eps. 4: Jessica Rehfield - Evolution of Practice

Eps. 4: Jessica Rehfield - Evolution of Practice

Jessica Rehfield is a non-binary visual artist and educator whose practice includes painting and installation, education and social practice. They live in the unceded homelands of the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. Rehfield grew up in Southeast Alaska and holds a BLA in Art from University of Alaska Southeast and MFA in Drawing and Painting from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2019. Rehfield is a working Artist-in-Schools Artist, Artist in Residence with Salem Art Association, and actively seeks residencies and opportunities to work with the public on issues of inequality and oppression experienced by Queer and Jewish communities. They enjoy hiking and singing with their queer community, pickles, and living and loving with their friends, cat and wife.


Rehfield is exhibiting in Evolution of Practice, a show celebrating 5 Years of Artist Accelerator residencies. The Artist Accelerator Program provides professional development for creatives seeking to build community, a strong foundation in small business and their arts practice. This spring, former AAP residents return in this two-location exhibit to share their evolving work in fiber, painting, design and ceramics.

May 08, 202323:32
Eps. 3: Justin Lodge - Evolution of Practice

Eps. 3: Justin Lodge - Evolution of Practice

Justin Lodge is an artist and educator living in West Linn, Oregon. He was a resident in the first year of AAP. Lodge loves creating images that explore with color, landscape, and geometry. He is interested in creating visual moods that investigate consciousness and present nature through a symbolic lens. While traditionally a painter, currently Lodge has been testing the possibilities of digital image making. Lodge holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design (2005) and a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Cleveland Institute of Art (2000).


Lodge is exhibiting in Evolution of Practice, a show celebrating 5 Years of Artist Accelerator residencies. The Artist Accelerator Program provides professional development for creatives seeking to build community, a strong foundation in small business and their arts practice. This spring, former AAP residents return in this two-location exhibit to share their evolving work in fiber, painting, design and ceramics.

May 08, 202313:02
Ep 2: Caroline Feyling - Evolution of Practice

Ep 2: Caroline Feyling - Evolution of Practice


Caroline Feyling is a textile artist living in Oregon. She received her BFA in Fiber and Material Studies from School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020. Following her graduation she completed 8 weeks of intensive study at Vävstuga Swedish Weaving School in Shelburne Falls, MA. Feyling creates functional Scandinavian style weavings that serve to bridge the gap between the contemporary and tradition, as well as the distance between heritage and daily life. When not in the studio, she enjoys researching Norwegian folk culture and rollerskating.

Feyling is exhibiting in Evolution of Practice, a show celebrating 5 Years of Artist Accelerator residencies. The Artist Accelerator Program provides professional development for creatives seeking to build community, a strong foundation in small business and their arts practice. This spring, former AAP residents return in this two-location exhibit to share their evolving work in fiber, painting, design and ceramics.



Apr 22, 202310:59
Ep 1: Sabra Comins- Evolution of Practice

Ep 1: Sabra Comins- Evolution of Practice

Sabra Comins grew up at the end of a dirt road in Anchorage, Alaska. She spent much of her time immersed in nature, where she felt most at home. When her family moved to town and her longing to connect with people intensified, she discovered the safety of self-expression in art and writing. These early years have shaped Comins’ drive to find what connects people with each other and with the landscape. Comins is passionate about maintaining a sustainable studio practice, being in nature, and writing letters. She was in the Artist Accelerator Program at The Arts Center from 2019-2020.

Comins is exhibiting in Evolution of Practice, a show celebrating 5 Years of Artist Accelerator residencies. The Artist Accelerator Program provides professional development for creatives seeking to build community, a strong foundation in small business and their arts practice. This spring, former AAP residents return in this two-location exhibit to share their evolving work in fiber, painting, design and ceramics.



Apr 22, 202317:06