Don Bailey Artist Talk

Don Bailey's artist talk will revolve around his current show on display in Blackfish Gallery, "Past is Present".

Bailey’s work often begins with an archival photograph of Native Americans, typically one the photographer intended as a “document of a vanishing race.” He recontextualizies the often static, sometimes staged portrait with layers of color, traditional native design, images from contemporary popular culture, references to the work of other artists, and landscapes real and imagined. In doing so, Bailey shakes up old (mis)understandings of (indian) art and history.
Bailey has been featured on the Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) television show, in Oregon ArtsWatch, and on the Portland Streetcar. His work is in the collection of the Hallie Ford Museum (Salem, Oregon), the State Library of Oregon (Salem, Oregon), the Mayor’s Office (Portland, Oregon), Riverfront Park (Salem, Oregon), R B Ravens Gallery (Ranchos de Taos, NM), the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM), and private collections. He is a member of Blackfish Gallery, an artist owned and operated gallery in Portland’s Pearl District, and works out of his studio in Portland, Oregon