Salem's First Wednesday Art Walk kicks off the 2007 season on April 4 with merchants and galleries in the downtown core keeping their doors open until 8p.m., with music, art and complimentary refreshments on tap.
First Wednesday Art Walks continue monthly through October, each month
guided by a special theme. April will tie in with the Salem Film Festival. This year, look for Salem's Artists in Action taking part in these events -- helping to put more "art" into Art Walk. So stop in and take a look at the exhibitions and handcrafts showcased by these locally owned galleries and small businesses. Can you think of a more pleasant way to wile away a few hours?

Willamette Art & Art History students strut their stuff
Senior Art Majors at Willamette, who spend their final year developing a thesis project under the tutelage of a faculty advisor, will submit to public scrutiny in Hallie Ford's Henderson-Rubio gallery beginning April 14. Student art exhibitions often offer a lens into the philosophical and aesthetic leanings of an art department. They also are a good place to pick up reasonably priced artwork by "lesser known artists."

Students will give gallery talks on Tuesdays (the museum's free day) at 12:
30 p.m. For those more critically inclined, thesis projects from eleven Art History majors will also be "on view" at Hallie Ford. A synopsis of each paper will be posted alongside the tome itself for those inspired to delve deeper. Topics run the gamut from Northwest Coast Indian art, Balinese calendars and architectural themes to critical examinations of Ingres, Manet and Chagall.

In the Print Study Room on the museum's second floor, senior Art History
major Laura Crisp has curated from the collections at Hallie Ford a small exhibition of depression era photography. The exhibition includes works by Dorothea Lange, Minor White and Russell Lee, among others. A celebratory
reception for all will be held at HFMA on April 13, 5 - 8 p.m. The exhibitions continue through May 13.

If all of that doesn't wear you out, stop by the Junior Art Majors Spring Review Exhibition, on view April 9 to 27, in the Student Gallery of Willamette's Art Building, located at the corner of State and Winter streets.

More than Meets the Eye at Bush House Museum
The Bush House Museum, which is shuttered during late winter for
something akin to springcleaning, has re-opened for the season.

During the annual closure, the staff was busy behind the scenes. A collections inventory and a new computerized database of the many historical objects found in Bush House will improve access and knowledge of artifacts and will assist with the ever-increasing number of inquiries from the public.

With funding from the William S. Walton Charitable Trust, Bush House has
a new Children's Tour that meets state curriculum standards in social science for third- and fourth-graders and provides a real-world context for local and state history. On the Art Association's new Web site, teachers can download pre-tour lesson plans designed to prepare students for field trips to make the visit more informative and fun. For information about school tours, call Sara
Swanborn at (503) 363-4714.

During April Bush House Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday 1-4 p.m.;
from May to September, 12-5 p.m.

Glass at Chemeketa

"Clear Expressions: A Juried Art Glass Exhibition" is on view April 2 to April 24 at Chemeketa Community College. Curated by Laurel Marie Hagner, coordinator of Chemeketa's Art Glass program, the exhibit explores the expressive qualities of glass. If you've ever had an opportunity to try your hand at blowing glass, you know the experience quickly instills a deep appreciation for artists who are able to deftly and artistically master the technique. Meet some of the hot shots at an artist reception on April 4, 12 - 2 p.m. The Art Gallery is located in Building 3, Room 122. Hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Saturday 12 - 3 p.m.

Beverley Hood: On the Edge of Art and Technology
You have to act quickly to keep up with new technology, and you'll have to act quickly to take in the work of Beverley Hood, an Edinburgh, Scotland-based artist working with digital and interactive media, who will visit Willamette University for a week-long residency in early April. Her work "First Person," a 3-D computer game and art project, will be on view April 3 to 6, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the gallery of the Art Building. On April 4 Hood will discuss her work, which explores real and virtual space and our ever-increasing use of technology as a means of communication, in a free lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.