The UO's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will present “We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live,” on display from Jan. 18 through March 16.

The exhibition showcases work from the first 12 recipients of the Hallie Ford Fellowships in the Visual Arts, awarded from 2010-13. It will also serve as a debut for the 2013 Fellows: Mike Bray, Eugene; Cynthia Lahti, Portland; and D.E. May, Salem.

The public is invited to a reception on Friday, Jan. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., to celebrate the exhibition and artists.

The fellowship honors the late Hallie Ford, who co-founded The Ford Family Foundation. Ford was a life-long supporter of the visual arts and the exploration of creative talent. Each Hallie Ford Fellow is awarded $25,000 in unrestricted funds to pursue his or her creative passion, thereby enriching and enlivening the cultural life of Oregon.

The 2013 Hallie Ford Fellows in the Visual Arts will lead a free guided tour and gallery discussion to showcase their work at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18. A panel discussion will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, with Cassandra Coblentz, exhibition curator; Kandis Brewer Nunn, consultant for The Ford Family Foundation; and Namita Gupta Wiggers, director of the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland. The discussion will be moderated by Danielle Knapp, the JSMA McCosh associate curator, and will focus on supporting and curating Oregon’s art.

Bray, one of the 2013 fellows, has works that include installation, sculpture, photography, and video. His most recent work addresses the concepts of spectacle and is self-articulated by cinematic space. Bray graduated from the University of Illinois in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in English; he also completed his master's of fine arts degree in 2008 at the UO, where he currently teaches.

Lahti is a full-time artist recognized for her sculptural work, which combines ceramic, drawing, painting and found objects. She received her bachelor's degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1985 and pursued post-graduate work at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Wash. Lahti has exhibited in solo and group shows worldwide.

In the 1970s, D.E. May studied with Larry Stobie at Oregon College of Education and went on to own several galleries in Salem. In May’s transition to becoming a full-time artist, he has participated in solo and group exhibitions nationwide. His work is represented in several public collections including the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Boise Art Museum, Portland Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum and Seattle Art Museum.

“We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live” provides a glimpse into the work of distinguished Oregon-based artists who continue to contribute to the region’s cultural landscape. The exhibition contains both past and new work by the Hallie Ford Fellows, to demonstrate the range and progression of their artistic talent.

The Museum of Contemporary Craft organized the exhibition in partnership with Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland. The exhibition is made possible by major funding from The Ford Family Foundation, along with the Western States Arts Federation, National Endowment for the Arts and the Oregon Arts Commission.

- by Sarah MacKenzie, UO Office of Strategic Communications intern