On Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at 11.30 a.m. Joseph Gallivan interviews artist Linda Hutchins about Willamette Greenway, a show of her late husband’s stills and video of a patch of the Willamette River, which is on now at Nine Gallery through November 2. Hutchins talks about discovering the seven-year streak of photos and videos on John’s phone after his sudden death in February 2024, his composition of the wooden “frame” within the tidal river, the play of light, shadows and reflections on the water, and the deeper meaning of this durational installation.
This edition of Art Focus was recorded on an iPhone 14 on Oct. 23, and edited by Joseph Gallivan.
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From the press release:
https://www.blueskygallery.org/nine-gallery
Nine Gallery
Willamette Greenway 45.52951° N, 122.67341° W
John T. Montague
October 3 - November 2
Site walk Saturday, November 2, 1-2:30 pm
This posthumous video installation compiles over 250 still and moving images of a singular view along the Willamette River that John T. Montague shot by iPhone during his regular walks from 2017 through 2023.
Montague’s close framing at the river’s edge centers the remains of a man-made structure within the water’s shimmering reflection of sky. Changing weather and water level alter the scene from one take to the next, Montague’s shadow appears on occasion, and his sniffles mingle with ambient sounds of trains, sirens, runners’ footsteps, and snippets of conversation. By quietly capturing this particular view over multiple years, Montague offers viewers a many-layered experience in which moments, days, and seasons collapse with historical, geological, and celestial time, drawing attention to our own mortality.
The installation is presented by Linda Hutchins, Montague’s widow and a member of Nine Gallery, with video editing and technical assistance by Stephen Slappe.
On the final day of the show (Saturday, November 2), Hutchins and Slappe will lead a 20-minute walk from Nine Gallery to the site of John’s videos, leaving the gallery at 1:00 pm and returning to the gallery by 2:00-2:30 pm. The route crosses the train tracks via an overpass at Union Station, accessible by elevator on the west and ramp on the east.
For more information: https://www.johntmontague.com/news
Nine Gallery was founded in 1987 by nine artists interested in working periodically outside the context of the commercial gallery. It is an artist-run cooperative and is administratively and financially independent from Blue Sky, funded solely by its members. Each member of Nine Gallery is in charge of the gallery for one month each year. Usually members show their own work, however, they are also welcome to curate shows of other artists’ work. Periodically the members of Nine Gallery, present work together in group exhibitions, and at other times they collectively invite other artists to show. Beyond the general interest in creating a largely non-commercial exhibition environment with a minimum of bureaucratic and institutional structure, the members of Nine Gallery have no collective ideological program or philosophy.
To purchase a copy of Nine @ 25, a Blurb publication celebrating Nine Gallery’s 25th anniversary, follow this link.
Nine Gallery shares the same hours as Blue Sky.
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Joseph Gallivan has been a reporter since 1990. He has covered music for the London Independent, Technology for the New York Post, and arts and culture for the Portland Tribune and for Axios Portland. He is the author of two novels, "Oi, Ref!" and "England All Over" which are available on Amazon.com