A River Runs Through Us documents the Wild Lostine

Published 6:00 pm Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Friday, Aug. 2, the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture in Joseph opened the doors to its new exhibit: “A River Runs Through Us: The Art and Words of the Wild Lostine.” With 40 paintings and photographs, along with videos, sculptures, and poetry, the exhibit provides a portrait of a diverse and wild place, where river, forest, geology, and wildlife abound. The art and words of the exhibit are captured in the exhibit catalogue, which is available at the Josephy Center for $20.

Prior to the exhibit opening, the artists provided a tour and interpretations of their works. “I wanted to capture places where people often spend time,” said photographer Rick McKewan. “So I went to the Pole Bridge and decided to make that the place for my work.” McEwan’s black and white images include one of the Lostine River’s torrents pouring through the rocky, forested gorge, and another of a small water ouzel that was dashing into the fast-moving waters to catch dinner. “If I tried that, I’d be washed away,” McKewan said. The two images, along with a poem, will be a part of a forthcoming exhibit of McEwan’s black and white images, along with those of Adele Buttolph.

Kai Oliver’s painting focuses on the more quiet water of a tributary stream. “I just wanted to find a place where I could sit and find peace,” he said. “The little stream, just up from it’s confluence with the Lostine, seemed perfect.”

Rick Bombaci took a somewhat different tack in his exhibit—a four-minute video of just the Lostine River’s rushing water. “I wanted to see whether, in an age of electronics and cell phones and distractions, we still had the patience to just sit and watch the river for 4 minutes without thinking about texting or a phone call or the internet,” he said. The video is hypnotic. No-one who watches it remembers that there is such a thing as a cell phone–or anything else — for those four minutes.

The exhibit will remain open until September 9.