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I suppose I have always been drawn to the non archival. The work I do may not be here forever, but it will probably see us out. In the truest moments, I don't look at the work as something I made. I see it as something that has been here all along.
I am concerned with time and temperature and tars and resins and climates. And Regions. Stains. The color of glue. Random marks of a traveled space. The role of water. Then, there are times I look down at the worktable, and I would just like to remove history.
D.E. MAY
BORN
1952 Salem, OR
EDUCATION
1971 - 1976
Studied under Larry Stobie at Oregon College of Education, Monmouth, OR
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2013
VOLTA NY, with PDX Contemporary Art, New York, NY
2010
The Template Files, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2009
Black Page, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2008
The Artist as Archivist, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR
2007
TESTBEDS, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2006
Drawing(s): 40+ artists/200 works - A 25th Anniversary Exhibition, ArtGym, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR
2005
template - grid - inset, Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York, NY
2004
Wood, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2003
Retrospective, ArtGym, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR
Alloys and the Role of Water, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland,OR
2001
Reservoir District, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR.
2000
Solo show, Hallie Brown Ford Museum, Willamette University, Salem, OR
1999
Small Timber, The Templates, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
Drawing Space, George Suyama Space, Seattle, WA
1998
Dark Cabinet, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
1997
Small Timber, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
1994
Reservoir District, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, Portland, OR
1993
Recent Work, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, Portland, OR
1992
New Works, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, Portland, OR
1990
D.E. May, Paintings and Constructions, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, Portland, OR
1985
Floor Plans, The Yellow Front, Salem, OR
1984
The Four Berlins, The Yellow Front, Salem, OR
Gstaad - Haunts of the Very Rich, The Yellow Front, Salem, OR
1982
Hide Outs, Hallie Ford Brown Gallery, Salem, OR
1979
The Lost Weekend, The Big Sleep Gallery, Salem, OR
Nightlights and Paperweights, The Big Sleep Gallery, Salem, OR
1978
Willamette University, Salem, OR
Expeditions, The Big Sleep Gallery, Salem, OR
Handline, The Big Sleep Gallery, Salem, OR
1977
Fort Ord Logic, The Big Sleep Gallery, Salem, OR
1976
Willamette University, Salem, OR
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011
Pulse Miami, with PDX Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
2010
Northwest Artists Draw, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Sun Valley, ID
A Gathering of Gifts: Relationships That Build Our Collections, University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks, AK
2008
Kinda Like a Buffet, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2007
Mixed Company - Mary Henry, Ryan Jeffery, D.E. May and Vanessa Renwick, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2005
drawing(s): A 25th Anniversary Exhibition, The Art Gym, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR
Next, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2004
Group Exhibit, Ute Barth, Zurich, Switzerland
Collecting Words On and Off the Page, Gallery 114, Portland, OR. Curated by Nancy Palmer
2001
“Oregon Biennial,” Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
“Abstracts on Paper and Mixed Media,” PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2000
The Oregon State Capitol, Salem, OR
1998
Abstract Geometric Show, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
1997
Gallery Artists, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR.
Drawings... An Annual Bi-Coastal Invitational, Meyerson & Nowinski, Seattle, WA
Bellevue Art Museum 1997 Annual Exhibit, Bellevue, WA. Curated by Kathryn Kanjo
Square Painting / Plane Painting, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
1996
Willamette Valley Juried Exhibition, Corvallis Art Center, Corvallis, OR
Gone But Not Forgiven, Michigan Gallery, Detroit, MI
Fire and Ash, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
The Tool Show, Portland Insitute For Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
1995
Oregon Biennial, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Fifteen Years, group show, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, Portland, OR
The Dress as Form and Symbol, group show, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, Portland, OR
1994
Only the Shadow Knows: Revelations From the Unconscious,” Art Access Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT
Recycling With Imagination: Art From Detritus,” Metro Regional Center, Portland, OR
Public Encounters,” Bush Barn Art Center, Salem, OR
1993
Cross Cut, Oregon Biennial, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
1992
Sign of the Cross,” group show, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, Portland, OR
On a Small Scale,” Susan Cummins Gallery Mill Valley, CA
Spirit of the West: A Celebration of the Arts,” One West Bank, Travelling Exhibition. Curated by Kristin M. Poole
Dreams and Shields: Spiritual Dimentions in Contemporary Art, Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT. Curated by Frank McEntire
1991
Intimate Relations, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, New York, NY
Sum of the Parts, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, New York, NY
1989
Artquake, Portland, OR, juror, Mary Beebe
Small Works, Jamison/Thomas Gallery, Portland, OR
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2008
Contemporary Northwest Art Awards finalist, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
1996
Juror’s Award, Willamette Valley Juried Exhibition, Mary Ann Deffenbaugh, Juror
1995
Juror’s Award, Oregon Biennial, William A. Fagaly, Juror
1992
Art Matters Grant
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY
Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID
Oregon Arts Commission, Salem, OR
Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
Regional Arts and Culture Council, Portland, OR
Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR
University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks, AK
ArtColl Trust, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Brad Cloepfil, Portland, OR
Martin Brest, Los Angeles, CA
Blake Byrne, Los Angeles, CA
Isabelle Dervaux, New York, NY
Beth Rudin DeWoody, New York, NY
Sylvia Engelman, Grand Blanc, MI
Margaret Hargraves, New York, NY
Sandy Harthorn, Boise, ID
William Ittman, Andrew Kerr, Cannon Beach, OR
Dennis Katayama, Berkeley, CA
Carol Smith Larson, Portland, OR
Dorothy Lemelson, Tahoe, CA
Richard Levy, Albuquerque, NM
David Lewis, Seattle, WA
Nancy Lorenz and Doug Schwalbe, New York, NY
Tim Kerr, Portland, OR
Werner Kramarsky, New York, NY
Richard Levy, Santa Fe, NM
Kevin Longe, Dover, NH
Marilyn Murdoch, Portland, OR
Megan Murphy, Portland, OR
William and Agnes Peelle, West Hartford, CT
Linda Shostak, Sausalito, CA
Driek Zirinsky, Boise, ID
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2011
Jahn, Jeff. “D.E. May’s The Template Files at PDX.” PORT, January 7, 2011
2009
Snyder, Stephanie, “Black Page,” Artforum, July
Lorenz, Rachael, “D.E. May Exhibit, Black Page, at PDX Contemporary Art,” Portland Contemporary Art Examiner, June 13
2007
Motley, John, “D.E. May, Testbeds,” The Portland Mercury, Oct 25-31
Row, D.K., “Shows of Note: D.E. May and Mary Henry,” The Oregonian, February 23, p. 39
Jahn, Jeff, “Last chance, some quick reviews,” PORT, February 23
2005
Jahn, Jeff, “Last Days of Art,” PORT, July 1
2004
Row, D.K., “Bare Lines Reveal a Rich World,” The Oregonian, June 4, pp 22, 24
Jahn, Jeff, “Dan May’s Wood Show”, Criitical i, NWdrizzle, June
2003
“D.E. May: The Occupations,” The Art Gym: Marylhurst University (Retrospective catalog), essay by Joel Weinstein
“A Retrospective of Sneaky Details,” The Oregonian, April 11
2001
Oregon Biennial 2001, catalog, ppgs. 40-41
Allan, Lois, “2001 Oregon Biennial at the Portland Art Museum,” Artweek, July/August
Gragg, Randy, “An outsider’s guide to the NW,” The Oregonian, November 9
Ellerton, Karen, “Collages evoke tension between geometry, emotion”, The Oregonian, September 21
2000
Row, D.K., “An Informal View,” The Oregonian, January 7
1999
Frederickson, Eric, “Shapely Art, Simple Tools, Big Ideas in Local Drawing,” The Stranger, December 9, v. 9, no. 9
Farr, Sheila, “Drawing the Lines,” The Seattle Times, November
1998
New American Paintings, Number 19, The Third Pacific Coast Competition, p. 108-111
Allan, Lois, “D.E. May at PDX Contemporary Art,” Artweek, October, p. 26
Row, D.K., “A Sobering Elegence,” The Oregonian, August, 21, p. 70
1997
Row, D.K., “Floor Plans of the Mind,” Willamette Week, June, p. 61
1994
Feronto, M., “Treasure Island,” ArtsOregon, June/July
1990
“Of Bombast and Clarity,” The Oregonian, August 17, Randy Gragg, A & E