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At EOU we cultivate global citizens and creative problem solvers through immersive study of the diverse histories and practices of art.
Students recognized Native American Heritage month with activities throughout November.
Cannupa Hanska Luger with Rory Wakemup, Mirror Shield Project, Oceti Sakowin camp, Standing Rock, ND, 2016. Image courtesy of the artist.
The Nightingale Gallery is eastern Oregon’s premier exhibition venue for contemporary art and advanced curatorial practice. Situated in the heart of the EOU campus, the Nightingale showcases provocative, academically rigorous exhibitions celebrating the diverse cultural landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.
In response to the pandemic the Nightingale Gallery is closed until further notice.
October 2 – 30, 2020
The last five years have witnessed a luminous turn in contemporary painting in which light has become the primary index of painting’s interface with lens-based imagery and the digital realm. This exhibition surveys the work of six artists pushing the boundaries of traditional painting.
Featuring the work of this year’s cohort: Meredith Matthews, Alex Navarro, Hannah Smith, Ally Johnson, and Hannah Flower.
*With much regret, the Senior show has been cancelled for the safety of all participants.
Hear ceramic and performance artist Ryan W. Kelly discuss his diverse practice on Thursday, May 21 from 6-7pm PST. Kelly currently serves as Assistant Professor of Ceramics and Foundations at Western Washington University.
Learn More>
Join the Art Department for a talk and live Q&A with Texas performance artist Liss LaFleur, Assistant Professor of New Media Art at the University of North Texas. Access the recorded talk then login to the Q&A Thursday, May 14 @ 6pm PST.
View an artist talk with sculptor Jackie Brown, the Marvin H. Green, Jr. Assistant Professor of Art at Bowdoin College, Maine, followed by a live Q&A Thursday, May 7 (recorded). Brown’s art operates within a current surrealist revival, drawing upon a legacy of 20th century biomorphism.
You are invited to hear artist Sung Eun Park discuss her poetic, multimedia sculptures on Wednesday, March 4, 6-7PM in the Huber Auditorium. Park’s work examines the fundamental tension between fatalism and yearning, expressed through disjointed assemblages of disparate elements.
We humbly acknowledge the original inhabitants of the land Eastern Oregon University is upon: the Waiilatpu (Cayuse), Imatalamthlama (Umatilla), Waluulapam (Walla Walla), and Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) people. We celebrate their traditions, languages, and stories. We acknowledge their continuing connection to this land, water, and community and pay our respects to these original stewards of Northeastern Oregon.
The Nightingale Gallery now reviews exhibition proposals on an ongoing basis. Visit our Call for Entries page to learn more about submitting a proposal. Learn More>
Faculty Director Scott Gleeson
Student Director Nickie Voltaire
Email: gallery@eou.edu
Instagram @nightingale_gallery
Hours: T-F 11-4, Sat 12-4 Loso Hall 106 6th Street La Grande, OR 97850
The Art Department faculty at EOU are dedicated to bringing their diverse experience and artistic explorations to bare in teaching challenging studio and art history courses. We are dedicated working artists with active studio practices and expertise in a variety of media and conceptual approaches to making art.
smurrell@eou.edu Printmaking, Drawing, Graphics
cpeeke@eou.edu Art History, Professional Practices, Foundations, Director of the Nightingale Gallery
nprouty@eou.edu Ceramics, Sculpture, Senior Theory and Practice
msell@eou.edu Analog Photography, Digital Photography, Photojournalism & Studio Photography, Graphics, Digital Video
sgleeson@eou.edu Art 101, Senior Seminar, VAP Art History & Director, Nightingale Gallery (2019-2020)
Students studying art at Eastern Oregon University are exposed to a wide range of aesthetic, critical, historical, multi-cultural, and technical art experiences. The art faculty challenge and aid all students to develop a personal aesthetic and conceptual foundation intended to drive and define their personal vision and artwork. The depth and breadth of the Art Program within the broader liberal arts experience prepares students for professional expertise in art education and studio art with an emphasis in portfolio development intended to make students competitive for graduate school admissions and other professional endeavors in the arts. Eastern art students are encouraged to experience a wide range of media and explore their ideas within a strong conceptual framework.
“The art department at Eastern is one of its strongest departments. The one-on-one attention and care we receive is so refreshing compared to crowded lecture halls where one can get lost in a sea of faces. Faculty care so much about my success both professionally and personally. I have grown close to my fellow artists and professors during my time at Eastern.”
Erica Hitzman, '16ArtPendleton, Ore.
Apply online or by mail be considered for one of our merit-based art scholarships.
Join the EOU Art Club to make new friends, get creative and hang out in the Art Lounge.
Explore our growing archive of digital content for visiting artists and scholars.
Our mission is to actively contribute to aesthetic and conceptual dialogue that is visual art, both on campus and throughout the region. Our students are offered a broad and diverse selection of artistic experiences designed to help them develop as critical thinkers and producing/participating artists, with a firm awareness of both historic and contemporary issues within the field.
Discover your true nature with the Eastern Edge. Learn more.