EUGENE, Ore. – (Dec. 12, 2011) – The University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will be open to the public during the holiday season. 

In years past, the Museum of Natural and Cultural History offered limited hours during the final weeks of the calendar year.  With the exception of the major holidays, the museum will offer regular public hours this year. In addition, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will be open throughout the holiday season with the exception of Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

“We recognize the need for local audiences to find activities and pastimes during the holidays, especially when entertaining out of town guests, “ said Judi Pruitt, assistant director of visitor and member services for the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. “The museum will be offering free admission on Wednesdays and free tours on Friday afternoons.”

Exhibits at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History include: “Oregon-Where Past is Present,” “Four Women-Four Views: From the High Desert, SQ3Tsya’yay: Weaver’s Spirit Power by Susan Pavel,” and “Face to Face with Masks from the Museum Collections.”

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will provide the last opportunities for visitors to see an exhibit of Xiaoze Xie’s labor-intensive paintings that consist of successive layers of pigment applied over several weeks.

“Holiday visitors this year will have a final opportunity to view the West Coast debut of the exhibition ‘Xiaoze Xie: Amplified Moments,’ which closes on December 31,”said Debbie Williamson-Smith of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

Working largely from photographs, the artist paints in a manner that is influenced by his camera. Some imagery appears cropped, blurred, and hazy, as if viewed through a photographic lens or perhaps through the filter of memory. The resulting compositions reach near-photographic precision without losing the evidence of the artist’s masterful brushwork.

Holiday schedules are:

About the Museum of Natural and Cultural History

The UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and youths ages 17 and under, and $8 for families (two adults and up to four youths). Museum members are admitted free. Guided tours are offered each Friday at 1:00 pm.

About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.

Contacts:Denise Sorom, marketing and communications specialist, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, 541-346-5083; or Debbie Williamson-Smith, communications manager, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu.

Links:Museum of Natural and Cultural History, http://natural-history.uoregon.edu and Facebook.com/oregonnaturalhistory; and Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu and Facebook.com/JordanSchnitzerMuseumofArt

###