Since 1996, Blackfish Gallery has presented an exhibit of work by recent graduates from the thirteen colleges and universities in Oregon offering BA, BFA, and MFA degrees in the Visual Arts. We ask each school to nominate two of their strongest graduating students, and every July we dedicate our gallery spaces to the exhibit. The number of students we have shown over the past twenty-eight years now exceeds 830.
The graduates exhibit a selection of work from their senior projects or theses, or master’s theses.
The work encompasses the wide range of traditional and new media in contemporary art: painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, digital processes, graphic novels, etc.
Participating schools: Eastern Oregon University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield University, Oregon State University, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Pacific University, Portland State University, Reed College, Southern Oregon University, University of Oregon, Western Oregon University, Willamette University. across Oregon offering BAs, BFAs, and MFAs in the visual arts.
This exhibit not only provides many young artists with their first experience of showing their work outside of school, it also promotes the schools and the schools have expressed thanks for this. Many visitors to the show express surprise at how many schools in Oregon offer degrees in art. It is regularly our most visited exhibit of the year.