Josephy Center Exhibit: "Timber, Logging and the Mill"

The April show at the Josephy Center, “Timber, Logging, and the Mill,” will celebrate the timber industry and its history in Eastern Oregon. The artwork–crafts and furniture made of wood and paper; photos, paintings, sculpture–will all revolve around wood, from trees in the forest to the manufacture and transportation of lumber, and to the many and diverse products fashioned from wood. The show opens April 3. Artists, in all mediums and from across the country, are invited to submit 3-5 descriptions and photos by email to info@josephy.org. Submissions are due 5:00 p.m. March 15.

The Wallowa Nez Perce managed the forests of Northeast Oregon and used their products from time immemorial. Their yew wood bows were famously traded across the region, and their seasonal burning of the forests is being emulated today. With white settlement, houses, barns, roofs, fences, pens, and living and working with wood–and eventually with mills and the logging industry–became a keystone of the regional economy and culture. In time, the lumber business assumed a major role in Oregon’s statewide economy. Its rises and falls, hiccoughs and spurts, have changed and channeled lives from the Wallowas to the Statehouse in Salem ever since.

The month-long art show will be accompanied by documentary films, lectures, brown bag lunch discussions, and a music concert featuring wooden instruments. The Center’s goal is to bring this important part of Eastern Oregon life to the fore. Artists, writers, millworkers, loggers, firefighters, and storytellers are invited to join us in the work.