May 9 is World Fair Trade Day

World Fair Trade Day was established by the Fair Trade Federation as a salute to the people and organizations who have dedicated themselves to making Fair Trade what it is today, a solution not an issue. Fair Trade is not just about poverty, it's about the alleviation of poverty. Fair Trade is not just about climate change, it's the end of environmental degradation and bad practices. Fair Trade is about change.

Since 1998, Onda Gallery has been proud to exhibit recognized and emerging artists from the Pacific Northwest and abroad. The gallery has a strong commitment to support local artists and invest in those who believe in "Sustainability and Fair Trade" practices.

Onda Gallery is the only gallery in the Portland area dedicated to Fair Trade. All of our gift items come from the hands of artisans protected by the principles of fair labor laws, safe working conditions, preservation of cultural identity and self empowerment. Gift items come from Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Nicaragua and Peru.

Fair Trade/Environmental Art

In honor of World Fair Trade Day on May 9th, Onda Gallery - Lake Oswego and Alberta - will host exhibits by artists who incorporate recycled materials or speak to the importance of living sustainably. The Lake Oswego exhibit will be dedicated totally to Fair Trade/Environmental Art while the featured sculptor at Alberta, Joel Heidel, creates much of his work from recycled metal.

Abstraction: Paintings by Angel Matamoros and Sculptures by Joel Heidel

April 30-May 26, 2009
Opening and Artists' Reception: April 30, 6-9 PM

Angel Matamoros works with acrylic and mixed-media, but he enjoys experimenting with various styles, colors and textures. He uses a variety of techniques including multiple glazes, resists, encaustic, watercolor and oil pastel.

"My paintings are inspired by memories and emotions which I recreate using color, texture and the occasional line of type or collage element. A work is finished when it has conveyed an emotion or memory."

A native of Costa Rica, Matamoros now lives in Olympia, Washington.

Joel Heidel works primarily in abstract direct-metal sculpture. He has extensive industrial training and experience in torch, wire feed/ mig, oxy/acetalene and arc welding, plasma and torch cutting and has performed these tasks on a wide range of metal gauges and types. He is knowledgeable in many processes including acid etching, glass making, glass casting and can employ an extensive variety of disciplines and skills

"I seek to escape the preconceptions of forms and to find new juxtapositions of seemingly incompatible elements. I strive to achieve balance between elemental and complex shapes and forms, overcoming established expectations. My personal artistic approach extends to my collaborative work as well, where two or more artistic minds work in concert to create a piece of work."

Heidel and his wife Angelina Marino live in Portland and collaborate on public art projects.

Two Photographers in Onda April Show

Reggae and Reggaeton
Photographs by Edis Jurcys and Hugo Ludeña

March 26-April 28, 2009
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-6, Sunday 12-4
Opening and artists' reception: March 26, 6-9 PM

The next show at Onda, part of the PhotoLucida* event, showcases work by two award-winning photographers, Edis Jurcys and Hugo Ludeña. Reggae in the title refers to Jurycs' silver gelatin prints of images from Jamaica; Reggaeton refers to Ludeña's color photos documenting urban Latino culture.

Edis Jurcys was born in Lithuania in 1973. At 16, he took his first photograph and then studied at the Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. With a cameraman's diploma, he did an eight-year stint with the CTV Russian channel. In 1989, he came to the US where he works as a commercial photographer and shoots video documentaries.

"Gijos" ("Thread"), his book of black and white photographs published in 2004, gathers images from his world travels, but it's not a travel book. Every image portrays intimate moments in the lives of the subjects using a subtle and deeply humanistic approach and tone. Two of the images have recently been selected by a a jury to be part of the tenth anniversary of the publication M.I.L.K. (Moments of Intimacy, Laughter and Kinship), which has included at least four Pulitzer Prize winners, and produced four books as well as an international touring exhibition. The new project, entitled Fresh M.I.L.K, Friends, Families, Lovers, and Laughter (http://www.freshmilkphotos.com/#), will include 150 images and is due to be published in the fall.

In March, 2008, Blue Sky Gallery exhibited photographs from "Gijos". Jurcys' other awards and accomplishments include Kulture Prize award at the International Photography festival in Belgium, 2001, Grand Prix award at the International Photography festival in Lithuania, 2006. A Reed college viewbook with his photographs won Gold Medal at CASE competition (2006), a PSU book won HOW 19th Annual Self-Promotion Design Merit Award (2006), and selected images have been purchased by Portland Art Museum for its private photography collection.

Hugo Ludeña arrived in the Pacific Northwest in 1993 and was immediately welcomed by the community. Discovering that Latinos living in the Northwest were very isolated from the rest of the society. he began capturing Latino life as it happened - festivals, concerts, community events, traditional weddings and every day life.

Thousands of photographs later, the collection which is the basis of the current exhibit, began to take form. In 2004, he selected eighty images as a documentary work entitled "Latino Life in the Northwest: A Cultural Journey". This series chronicles the contributions of Latinos to the development of the Pacific Northwest, pushing away Latino stereotypes in media and visual arts. Authentic Latino families are shown both in their work environments and in their celebrations, dressed in their best garments. Ludeña states, "We came to this country with our own values, history and traditions. My work ensures that these cultural [forms] are not lost or dissipated but are offered as a point of engagement for all."

Ludeña is the publisher of Latino Cultural Magazine, Seattle, Washington, which he started in 2006. He has participated in many exhibits in the Seattle area, including a solo exhibit at the Gallery 4 Culture (2007), a group exhibit, "Latino Art in the Northwest at the Seattle Trade and Convention Center (2008), "Autobiography", a show a the SAM Gallery, Seattle Art Museum (2008), 7th Annual PONCHO Invitational Fine Art Auction (2008), solo exhibit at the Greg Kucera Gallery (2008). He has also been exhibited and represented by Greg Kucera Gallery at Art Miami, Los Angeles Art Show and Art Chicago.

His awards and distinctions include a City Artist Projects grant in the category of visual arts, awarded by the City of Seattle (2006), the Juror’s Choice Award. Tacoma Community College (2007), PONCHO Artistic Merit Award (2008), Mayor’s Arts Award (2008), Seattle, Washington. His work has been acquired by the King County Public Art Collection, Group Health Cooperative, Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom. and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas.

*Photolucida 2009 will bring hundreds of photographers, curators, publishers and gallerists to Portland April 23-26.

10th Anniversary Touching Cuba exhibit

On March 12, 1999, the Touching Cuba art exhibit opened at Onda Gallery. It was the first time in decades that artists living and working in Cuba were shown in Portland, and the crowds at the opening and through the run of the show were exhilarated by the quality and originality of the work. Although artists such as Manuel Mendive, Alfredo Sosabravo and Alicia Leal are not well known in the United States because of the economic and cultural embargo, they are acclaimed around the world and collected by aficionados of contemporary art.

Sandra Levinson, the director of the Cuban Art Space in New York, selected the nearly 100 pieces for the show and came to Portland to help install the paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures as well as the craft pieces including textiles, jewelry, papier mache and much more.

Sadly, the 2000 election and the eight years of the Bush administration meant that the opportunities for cultural exchange with Cuba not only didn't increase but decidedly decreased. Some art galleries, including the Cuban Art Space, have continued to fight for the right to bring art and artists from Cuban, and some organizations have continued to pressure the US government to lift the embargo.

We can only hope and pray that the Obama administration finally puts an end to the anachronistic and vindictive policies of the last forty plus years (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/08/cuba-obama-administration) and that we can truly look forward to touching Cuba again.

March exhibit at Onda

Paintings by Rita Urdaneta and Wilson Neto
Sculptures by Zulay Quintana
February 26-March 24, 2009
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-6, Sunday 12-4
Opening and reception: February 26, 6-9 PM

Kicking off the spring art season, we have two painters and one sculptor, two Venezuelans and one Brazilian,in the next exhibit at Onda. Rita Urdaneta, one of Onda's represented artists, will show a new group of paintings in her distinctive graphic style. Wilson Neto, a young Brazilian artist developing his presence in the US and Europe, brings paintings of women from various ethnicities portrayed in bright colors and intricate textures. Zulay Quintana, like Urdaneta originally from Venezuela, creates sculptures of powerful women engaged in active athletic pursuits.

All three artists have extensive exhibit history - Urdaneta in Canada and the US, Neto in Brazil and recently in Germany, and Quintana in Venezuela and Houston where she currently lives and works.

Onda Gallery
2215 NE Alberta Street
Portland, OR 97211
503.493.1909
http://www.ondagallery.com

Visual Arts tour to Buenos Aires

Onda Gallery Visual Arts Tour Buenos Aires
October 9-23, 2009

Join me, Onda Gallery director, Allan Oliver, on a behind-the-scenes tour of Buenos Aires’ vibrant art world. This trip offers Buenos Aires with excursions to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, and Iguazu Falls.

HIGHLIGHTS:

GALLERY VISITS to galleries such as Braga Menendez, Rubbers, Bohenkamp-Revale, Ruth Benzacar, Matilde Bensignor, Daniel Abate, Appetite and Rostbif

STUDIO TOURS to artist studios such as Teodolina Garcia, Vilma Villaverde, Aldo Sessa, Filete artists such as Martianiano Arce, Alfredo Genovese and Jorge Muscia

PRIVATE COLLECTION TOURS to the homes of art aficinados such as Marion Helft, Juan & Patricia Vergez, Luis Parenti and Cecilia Caballero. (Two of the visits to include lunch and/or dinner)

VISITS to MALBA, Museum of Fine Arts, Centro Cultural Recoleta

Half Day Sightseeing tour of Buenos Aires

Two Tango Shows: Rojo Tango and Esquina Carlos Gardel including dinner

Full day Excursion to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay UNESCO site

Two Night Excursion to Iguazu Falls including full day tour of the Falls, accommodations and flights

TRIP COST WITHIN ARGENTINA
(DOES NOT INCLUDE INTERNATIONAL AIRFARE see below**)
Group based upon 11 participants (will increase if less than 11)
Cost $4765.00* per person, double occupancy based upon 11 participants.
*Single Supplement is $900.00 added to above figures

Includes 10 nights Buenos Aires accommodations based upon shared occupancy with daily breakfast, English speaking art guide, Rojo Tango dinner show, half day city tour, art museums, galleries, studios and private art collections in Buenos Aires, internal Iguasu Falls flights commencing and terminating in Buenos Aires, 2nts accommodations Iguasu Falls with daily breakfast, full day excursion to Falls on the Great Adventure , private local jungle guides, day excursion to Colonia, a farewell dinner at the Esquina de Car los Gardel Tango show.

**International nonrefundable airfare from Pacific Northwest coach to Buenos Aires is approximately $1200.00-1600.00 .

Nonrefundable deposit of $1200.00 required by March 30, 2009 to reserve space.

For details and booking, contact:
Nancy Pole- Wilhite - booking agent 503.296.7913
email:nancy@terranovatour.com

For general information, contact:
Allan Oliver, Onda Gallery 503.493.1909
www.ondagallery.com
email:alberta@ondagallery.com