PORTLAND, Ore. -- (April 6, 2010) - University of Oregon art professor Kartz Ucci is taking up residence in Portland for the spring term - and so is her artwork.
Ucci will serve as artist-in-residence at the John Ross Condominiums at South Waterfront during spring term, and will teach two digital arts classes at the UO's White Stag Block.
Her video installation at the Alpern Gallery in northwest Portland will be on view from April 2 to April 24 as part of the new Portland 2010 biennial, a three-month celebration of art. A reception for Ucci will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, April 9, in the gallery at 2552 N.W. Vaughn St., in Portland. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Portland 2010, a successor to the former Oregon Biennial, brings together the work of 18 artists at six different spaces, between March and May. The event is organized by the nonprofit Disjecta and curated by Cris Moss, gallery director at Linfield College.
Ucci's installation, "I Want to Be a Lighthouse Keeper," is a close-focused, high-resolution video recording of a 5-milimeter-thick rod of blue neon that has been sped up to reveal the fluctuating luminosity of the neon gas. An amplified recording of the electrical hum of the neon transformer sweeps across the room from a 360-degree sound bar.
Ucci will also contribute to a group show of Portland 2010 artists at the UO's White Box in the White Stag Building from April 6 to April 17. She plans to include a second piece that exploits the visual properties of custom neon. The White Box, 24 NW First Ave., is open Tuesday to Saturday, from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Karen Johnson, AAA Communications, 541-346-3603, karenjj@uoregon.edu
Source: Kartz Ucci, assistant professor, Department of Art, ucci@uoregon.edu, 503-412-3718
Links: http://portland2010.disjecta.org/
http://alperngallery.com/
http://www.uoregon.edu/~ucci/kartzucciwork/
http://www.disjecta.org/