George Johanson ’50 Lectures Amid His Life’s Work
September 21, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2010
CONTACT:
Leslie Miller, External Relations Specialist
Pacific Northwest College of Art
lmiller@pnca.edu 503 821 8959
Becca Biggs, Director of Communications and Public Programs
Pacific Northwest College of Art
bbiggs@pnca.edu 971 255 5511
George Johanson ’50 Lectures Amid His Life’s Work
Johanson’s Homecoming Lecture Kicks Off PNCA Alumni Weekend in conjunction with Seven Decades of Painting Retrospective
Exhibition | George Johanson: Seven Decades of Painting
October 7 – November 20, 2010
Homecoming Lecture | George Johanson ’50
Friday, October 8, 6:30pm
PNCA Main Campus Building, Swigert Commons, 1241 NW Johnson St.
Opening Reception
Thursday, October 7, 6:00-8:00 pm
PNCA Main Campus Building, Swigert Commons, 1241 NW Johnson St.
September 21, 2010 – PORTLAND, OR – Pacific Northwest College of Art is pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition of works by PNCA alumnus and faculty emeritus George Johanson ‘50. Seven Decades of Painting debuts a new painting entitled Waiting for the Parade (2010) together with a retrospective of works that span his career.
Born in Seattle in 1928, George Johanson came to Portland in 1946 on a Scholastic Magazine scholarship to attend PNCA, then known as the Museum Art School, where he studied with Oregon modernists Louis Bunce, William Givler, Jack McLarty and Michele Russo. Responding to the work of these artists as well as to the New York School and European avant garde, Johanson forged a mature style and range of imagery characterized by graphic immediacy, intense coloration and exuberant figures. He taught painting, life drawing and printmaking at the Pacific Northwest College of Art for 25 years, retiring in 1980. Johanson has been a major force in the Portland art scene for nearly 60 years. Selected from hundreds of canvases, Seven Decades of Painting will showcase Johanson’s skill, persistence, and intellect as a dedicated painter.
In conjunction with the exhibition and the college’s fourth annual Alumni Weekend, Johanson will deliver the 2010 PNCA Homecoming address on the evening of October 8 at 6:30pm in Swigert Commons. Johanson will speak about his career as a painter and the major influences in his work, as well as his 60-year connection to PNCA. A catalog will be produced that will feature an interview between PNCA faculty member Barry Pelzner and George Johanson along with full color reproductions of paintings that are included in the exhibition. The catalog will be available for sale at the Gallery at Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 NW Davis Street.
About Pacific Northwest College of Art
Since its founding in 1909, Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) has become a leader in innovative educational programs that connect students to a global perspective in the visual arts and design. In addition to its nine Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, PNCA offers graduate education with an MFA in Visual Studies, as well as an MFA in Applied Craft and Design developed in collaboration with Oregon College of Art and Craft.
PNCA is actively involved in Portland’s cultural life through exhibitions and a vibrant public program of lectures and internationally recognized visiting artists, designers and creative thinkers. With the support of PNCA+FIVE (Ford Institute for Visual Education), the College has a partnership with the nationally acclaimed Museum of Contemporary Craft. For more information, visit www.pnca.edu.