Collections, Colleagues, and Play
Collections, Colleagues, and Play, a group exhibition featuring current and former faculty members from the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Linfield College, celebrates the life and career of Nils Lou, a faculty member at Linfield from 1987 until his death in 2013. Lou was an artist, teacher, golf coach, and beloved and playful spirit. He remained an active and engaged professor, publishing and exhibiting his work, which was shown in more than 200 exhibitions during his career. He received numerous awards and recognitions, including two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and an Oregon Odyssey of the Mind Creativity Award. He was one of the founders of the East Creek Anagama kiln and the author of several books, videos, and articles, including The Art of Firing and The Art of Play. His works are featured in collections throughout the world, including the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Kanto Gakuin University in Japan, and the National Museum of Art in Costa Rica.
The scope and impact Lou had upon friends, family, colleagues, students, and emerging artists is impossible to define. Throughout his artistic career, he helped to expound and expand ceramics as an art form, both in technique and aesthetics. From painting, sculpture, drawing, and ceramics, Lou’s storied career touched countless people throughout the world. This collection features work from Totem Shriver, Liz Obert, Ron Mills, Cindy Hoskisson, and Don Hoskisson.