Artist List    Mel Katz    Images  |  Bio Born: 1932, Brooklyn, New York EDUCATION Cooper Union, New York, NY 1953 Brooklyn Museum Art School, New York, NY 1954-55 FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS Multnomah County Distinguished Artist Award 1999 Oregon Governor’s Award for the Arts, State of Oregon 1999 National Endowment For The Arts, Artist's Fellowship 1976 Western States Arts Foundation, Artist's Fellowship 1975 International Print Institute, Santa Cruz, CA 1975 ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 “Mel Katz: Recent Donations and Acquisitions,” Hallie Ford Museum, Willamette University, Salem, OR 2006 “8th Avenue Series, 1973,” Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 2002 “Mel Katz: From Painting to Sculpture 1965-1996,” Gallery 299, Portland State University 1999 Meyerson & Nowinski Gallery, Seattle, WA 1996 “Mel Katz: Selected Works 1964-1987,” retrospective, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 1988 Lynn McAllister Gallery, Seattle, WA 1987 Fountain Gallery, Portland, OR 1967, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 Foundation Gallery, New York, NY 1982 Linda Farris Gallery, Seattle, WA 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982 Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR 1981 Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 1979 Max Hutchinson Gallery, New York, NY 1978 Bolles Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1968 Portland State University, Portland, OR 1968 Gordon Woodside Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1966 Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 1965 Amel Gallery, New York, NY 1961,1963 GROUP EXHIBITIONS “M5,” Feldman Gallery, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR (invitational) 2010 “PNCA at 100,” Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 2009 The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009 “Lasting Legacies: The First 75 Years,” Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 2009 “20th Anniversary Group Show,” The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2006 “artObjects,” Portland International Airport, sponsored by the Regional Arts & Culture Council, OR 2006 “Drawing(s): A 25th Anniversary Exhibition,” The Art Gym, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR 2005 “Artists Drawing,” The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2005 "Art Slate," Condon, OR (invitational, juror Henry Sayre) 2005 Art in Embassies Program, Nouakchott, Mauritania, Africa 2004 “Draw,” ‘Core Sample: Portland Art Now’ Exhibition, The Maytag Building, Portland, OR 2003 “Northwest Masters,” City Space, Seattle Arts Commission, Seattle, WA 2002 “PSU and Portland: Currents in Northwest Art,” Simon Benson House, Portland State University, Portland, OR 2001 “15th Anniversary Group Show,” The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2001 “Art and Technology”, Bush Barn Art Center, Salem, OR 2000 Maryhill Museum, Goldendale, WA 2000 “Prints and Drawings,” The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 1998 Bellevue Art Museum, invitational, Bellevue, WA 1997 Portland State University Faculty Exhibition, University of Ulsan, Korea 1997 "1997 Drawing Invitational," Western Oregon State College, Monmouth, OR 1997 “Still Working,” national traveling exhibition organized by Parsons School of Design, New York; opening at The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL; IBM Gallery, New York, NY; Virginia Beach Center for the Arts, Virginia Beach, VA; Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 1994-1996 “Directors Choice,” Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 1995 Archer Gallery, Clark College, Vancouver, WA 1995 Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR 1995 “New to the Northwest Collection,” Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA 1995 “Eyes on Public Art: Abstract Art in the Seattle Arts Commission Portable Works Collection,” Seattle Center Pavilion, Seattle, WA 1994 Artquake Visual Arts Gallery invitational, Portland, OR 1994 “Portland Collects,” Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 1993 “Forms of Abstraction,” Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 1992-1993 “Sculpture in the Landscape,” Marylhurst College, Marylhurst, OR 1992-1993 “Unabandoned Abstraction,” Marylhurst College, OR 1991 “Modern Art from the Pacific Northwest,” Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA 1990 “Art of the Northwest 1890-1990,” Oregon Historical Society, Portland, OR 1990 “Recent Acquisitions: Paintings and Sculpture from the Permanent Collection,” Portland Art Museum, OR 1987 “Northwest ‘87,” Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA 1987 “Art is the Center,” Invitational Exhibition, Portland Center for the Visual Arts, Portland, OR 1987 Clackamas Sculptural Invitational, Portland, OR 1987 “Drawing Power,” Lynn McAllister Gallery, Seattle, WA 1986 “Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Exhibition,” Fountain Gallery, Portland, OR 1986 “Art Expo,” Seattle, WA, invitational sculpture exhibit 1986 “Large Drawings,” Independent Curators, Inc., New York, NY (traveling show in the United States and Canada) 1985-1986 “Constructures: New Perimetrics in Abstract Painting,” Nohra Haime Gallery, New York, NY 1985 “What’s Happening - Contemporary Art from California, Oregon, and Washington,” Alternative Museum, New York, NY 1984 Oregon Biennial, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 1983 Smith-Anderson Gallery, Palo Alto, CA 1982 “Mountain High III,” Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, OR 1981 “Northwest Artists, A Review,” Modern Art Pavilion, Seattle, WA 1980 “First Western States Biennial,” invitational traveling exhibit, Denver Art Museum, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., San Francisco Art Museum 1979-1980 Portland Center for the Visual Arts, Portland, OR 1977 “Annual,” San Francisco Art Institute, CA 1977 “Northwest Artists, Part Two,” Modern Art Pavilion, Seattle, WA 1976 “Sculptors of Oregon,” University of Oregon Art Museum, Eugene, OR 1974 “Sculptors for Public Places,” Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR 1974 Oregon Painting and Sculpture Annual, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR; Award 1965, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973 Oregon College of Education, Monmouth, OR 1971 “Seventy-Third Western Annual,” Denver Museum of Art, Denver, CO 1971 William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1970 French and Company, New York, NY 1970 “Younger Artists of the Northwest,” Attica Gallery, Seattle, WA 1968 Annual Exhibition of Northwest Artists, Seattle Center Pavilion, Seattle, WA; Award 1964, 1965, 1966 National Council of Churches, Portland, OR; Award 1966 Reed College, Portland, OR 1966 Drawing and Watercolor Annual, Portland Art Museum, OR 1964, 1967 “Eighty Fourth Annual Exhibition,” San Francisco Art Museum, CA 1965 “Sixth Annual National Arts Association,” New York, NY 1963 “New England Annual,” Silvermine Connecticut 1962, 1963 “27th Annual Butler Art Institute Exhibition,” OH 1962 Terrain Gallery, New York, NY 1960 Brooklyn Museum Biennial, New York, NY 1956, 1960 “Art U.S.A.,” New York Coliseum, New York, NY; invitational 1958 “18th Annual Audubon Artists,” New York, NY, award 1958 COMMISSIONS City of Seattle, Fire Station #38, Seattle, WA 2010-2011 Southern Oregon University Library, Ashland, OR 2004 City of Bend, OR 2003 Washington County Justice Center, Hillsboro, OR 1998 The Quintet, Cascade Estates, Portland, OR 1991 Russell Development Co., 200 Market Street Building, Portland, OR 1990 COLLECTIONS Arthur Young and Co., Portland, OR Ballard High School, Seattle, WA Cascade Estates, Portland, OR City of Bend, OR City of Seattle, WA Claremont Resort Hotel, Oakland, CA Cougar Valley Elementary School, Silverdale, WA Federal Reserve Bank, San Francisco, CA Felton Management Corp., Cascade Building, Portland, OR Foothills Middle School, Wenatchee, WA Good Samaritan Hospital, Portland, OR Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR Harsch Investment Corporation, Portland, OR International Fragrances, New York, NY Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR Oregon Health and Science University, Kohler Pavilion, Portland, OR Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR Portland Community College Performing Arts Center, Sylvania Campus, Portland, OR Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus, Portland, OR Portland State University, Portland, OR Powers Gallery of Contemporary Art, University of Sydney, Australia Russell Development, Portland, OR Safeco Corporation, Seattle, WA Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA Stephen Chase Associates, Rancho Mirage, CA Stoll Stoll Berne & Lokting, PC, Portland, OR Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA The Quintet, Cascade Estates, Portland, OR TriMet, Portland, OR Walla Walla Community College, Walla Walla, WA Wanke Cascade Corporation, Portland, OR Washington County Justice Center, Hillsboro, OR Wenatchee School District, Wenatchee, WA Westin Portland Hotel, Portland, OR RELATED EXPERIENCE Artist Talk, The Laura Russo Gallery 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Portland, OR 2006 Juror, Oregon Arts Commission: Helen Gordon Child Development Center, Portland, OR 2005 Juror, Larson Gallery, Yakima Valley Community College, Yakima, WA 2004 Panelist, “Art in Public Places,” Bend, OR 2003 Juror, “Beaverton Showcase,” Beaverton Arts Commission, Beaverton, OR 2003 Exhibition Committee, Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, Portland, OR 2002-2003 Professor of Art, Emeritus, Portland State University, Portland, OR 1966-1998 Visiting Artist, University of Haifa, Israel 1990, 1992 Metropolitan Arts Commission, Selection Committee, member 1992 Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA, lecture 1990 Cheney Cowles Museum, Spokane, WA, lecture 1989 Visual Arts Organizations, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C., panelist 1985 Portland Center for the Visual Arts, co-founder, first president, programming, administration 1971-1984 Regional Artist Fellowship Program, Rockefeller Foundation, NEA, NY, panelist 1979 Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Arts Commission and NEA, juror 1979 Individual Artists Grant-In-Aid, Rhode Island State Arts Council, juror 1979 New Artspace Conference, Los Angeles, panelist 1978 Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA, juror 1978 Custom House, Portland, OR, Art in Public Spaces, NEA, juror 1977 Metropolitan Arts Commission Advisory Committee 1976-1977 Visual Art Program, NEA, panelist 1976 Helen Frankenthaler Exhibition, Portland Art Museum, curator 1972 “CRUSH,” Fountain Gallery, Portland, OR; initiated and directed theme exhibition involving 24 regional artists 1970 Portland State University, arranged exhibitions and lectures for Robert Irwin, Allan Kaprow, Barbara Rose, Laddie John Dill, Carl Andre, Helen Frankenthaler and others 1970s BIBLIOGRAPHY Row, D.K. “Always Moving Forward,” The Oregonian, July 16, 2010, A&E p. 23 Adams, Anne, “First Thursday Picks,” Portland Monthly, June 30, 2010, online at http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/blogs/culturephile-portland-arts/063010-firstthursday-cp/ Row, D.K. “Take a peek at First Thursday, even if the sun doesn’t,” The Oregonian, July 1, 2010, pp. E1, E3 Hartz, Jill, Lasting Legacies: The First 75 Years – Selections from the Collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon Press, 2009, p. 69 Row, D.K. “PNCA at 100 celebrates arts, scene’s affinities,” The Sunday Oregonian, June 14, 2009, pp. O1, O3 Row, D.K. “Give yourself an artful break tonight,” The Oregonian, March 5, 2009, pp. E1, E2 Speer, Richard, “Old Man Art: Sculptor Mel Katz Makes Art For the Ages,” Willamette Week, March 4, 2009, p. 29 Koppman, Debra, “Mel Katz and Roll Hardy,” Artweek, March 2009, Volume 40, Issue 2, pp. 6, 22 “Oregon Art Beat,” Oregon Public Broadcasting, First Broadcast, February 26, 2009 Row, D.K., “Portland art scene needs a contemporary showcase,” The Sunday Oregonian, Aug. 31, 2008, pp. O1, O6 TriMet, “Public Art on the Mall,” http://portlandmall.org/about/publicart.htm, March 14, 2008 Speer, Richard, “Mel Katz at Laura Russo Gallery,” art ltd, May 2007, pp. 18-19 Gallivan, Joseph, “Polymers, shuttles keep art bonded,” PortlandTribune, February 27, 2007, pp. B1, B4 Row, D.K. “Movers and Shapers: The top 10 players on Portland’s visual arts scene,” The Oregonian,” January 26, 2007, A & E, pp. 8-15 “Collection Update,” Brushstrokes, Newsletter of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Jan.-June, 2007, Vol. 9, No. 1 Row, D.K.,”Recently reviewed: Laura Russo Gallery,” The Oregonian, A & E, Friday, October 20, 2006, p.38 Row, D.K. “Laura Russo toasts 20 years atop Portland’s Art World,” The Sunday Oregonian, October 15, 2006, pp. O1 and O11 Row, D.K., “Portland Ascends: The Jupiter Art Fair tries to push the local art world into national orbit,” The Oregonian, A & E, Friday, September 29, 2006, pp. 10-13 Chandler, John, “20 Good Years,” Portland Monthly, October 2006, Volume 4, Issue 10, p. 189 Filips, Janet, “Rainy Day Magic, “ The Oregonian, Downtown Monthly, Feb. 24, 2006, p. DM1 Olbrantz, John, “Collection Update,” Brushstrokes, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Jan.-June 2006, Vol. 8 No. 1 Blake, Victoria, “A Quarter Century of Quality,” The Oregonian, A&E, December 2, 2005 Row, D.K. “Shows of Note: Mel Katz, Jun Kaneko and Manuel Izquierdo,” The Oregonian, A & E, August 26, 2005, p. 28 Row, D.K. “Veterans of the Visual,” The Oregonian, August 4, 2005, p. E1, E5 Gallivan, Joseph, "A Summertime Smorgasbord," Portland Tribune, July 5, 2005, pp. B1, B3 Gragg, Randy, and Matthew Stadler, ed. Core Sample: Portland Art Now, Clear Cut Press, Astoria, OR, 2004 Row, D.K. “Galleries: Work Delves into Isolation and Alienation,” The Oregonian, July 1, 2004, p. E3 Row, D.K. "Shows of Note: Mel Katz," The Oregonian, March 26, 2004, A&E Row, D.K. “Art Walk on Wild Side,” The Oregonian, March 4, 2004, pp. E1, E4 Row, D.K. “Unearthing a Scene,” The Oregonian, October 19, 2003, pp. E1-E2 Row, D.K. “Visual Visionaries,” The Oregonian A & E, cover story, September 19, 2003, pp. 4-14 “Roundabout Installment,” The Bulletin, Bend, OR, August 26, 2003, p. C1 Jahn, Jeff. “Something to Prove,” Modern Painters, Spring 2003, pp. 44-46, illus. “Mel Katz: 8th Avenue Series-1973,” Portland Art Museum Members Magazine, Fall 2002, p.8 Row, D.K. “Laura Russo Gallery,” The Oregonian, September 5, 2002, p.E1 Ellertson, Karrin, “Mel Katz, Art Review,” The Portland Mercury: Art, May 2001 Hicks, Bob, “Mel Katz and Elise Wagner at Laura Russo Gallery,” The Oregonian, April 27, 2001 Gragg, Randy, “Northwest Rising: A Start for Art,” The Oregonian, August 27, 2000 Row, D.K., “1999 Governor’s Art Awards Honor Six for Contributions,” The Oregonian, Dec. 14, 1999 Row, D.K., “Katz’s Epiphany,” The Oregonian, March 26, 1999, p.63 Row, D.K., “Artist Carries On,” The Oregonian, March 14, 1999, pp.E1, E7 Taylor, Sue, Mel Katz, Recent Sculpture and Selected Commissions, exhibition catalog, The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR, 1999 Chidester, Bill, “Sculpture Garden,” Argus, May 28, 1998 Megrod, George, “The Fame Game,” Arts & Antiques, Summer Issue, 1997, p.79 Gragg, Randy, “Katz Off the Wall,” The Oregonian, March 21, 1997, p.60 Failing, Patricia, “Necessity Is the Mother of Reinvention,” ARTnews, December 1997 City Limits, Portland, OR, March 1997 Gragg, Randy, “Ageless Art,” The Oregonian, January 29, 1996, pp.C1, C5 Labdauer, Robert, “Portlanders’ Idea is ‘Still Working’” The Oregonian, January 24, 1996 “Mel Katz,” Reflex, February 1996 Gragg, Randy, “Tip Sheet,” The Oregonian, February 2, 1996 Gragg, Randy, “Art’s Full House,” The Oregonian, May 26, 1996, pp. E1, E2 Allen, Lois, Contemporary Art in the Northwest, University of Toronto Press, Buffalo, NY, 1995 Johnson, Harold, “Man of Steel,” Reflex, Seattle, WA, April/May 1995, p.6 Ross, Terry, “All a Matter of Materials,” The Oregonian, March 3, 1995, p.36 “Exhibitions of Note,” Portland Downtowner, February 1995, p.10 “WW Pick: Mel Katz: Reveal Line Series,” Willamette Week, March 22-28, 1995 Ross, Terry, “Katz Preview Relieves Group Show Doldrums,” The Oregonian, January 20, 1995, p.32 “Corcoran Gallery Exhibit Includes Works by Three Portland Artists,” The Oregonian, July 9, 1994 Shedletsky, Stuart, Still Working, University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA, 1994 Gragg, Randy, “Steel ‘Drawings’ Evoke Industrial Seduction,” The Oregonian, May 14, 1993, p.30 McCafferty, Elizabeth, “Mel Katz at Laura Russo,” Reflex, Seattle, WA, July/August 1993, p.19 Francis, Kevin, “Something Old, Something New,” Willamette Week, August 5-11, 1993, p.43 Weinstein, Joel, “The Art of Seeing Nature,” The Oregonian, May 1993 Francis, Kevin, “WW Recommends,” Willamette Week, June 1992 Gragg, Randy, “Katz Swaps Nerve for Style in Series of Refined Sculptures,” The Oregonian, 1991 Gragg, Randy, “Old Meets New,” The Oregonian, January 18, 1991, p.24 Allen, Lois “Abstraction Undaunted,” Reflex, Seattle, WA, February 7, 1991, p.17 Unabandoned Abstraction, exhibition catalogue, Marylhurst College, Marylhurst, OR, 1991 Harvey, Stewart, “Mel Katz: Walking in a Straight Line,” NW Gallery Art Magazine, Portland, OR, 1990, pp.26-28 Modern Art from the Pacific Northwest, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA, catalogue, 1990 Gragg, Randy, “’Views’ Offers Surprises and Maturity,” The Oregonian, July 1990 Johnson, Barry, “From Canvas to the Material World,” The Oregonian, January 15, 1989 Fichtner, Ann, “Mel Katz’s Vinyl Sculptures are “Counter Evolutionary’” Portland Downtowner, January 2, 1989 Allan, Lois, “Urbane Wittiness,” Reflex, January/February 1989 Glowen, Ron, “Some Serious Fun,” Artweek, December 1988 Weber, John, “Perspectives Series 12: Mel Katz,” exhibition catalogue, The Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR, 1988 Failing, Patricia, Mel Katz: Recent Sculpture, exhibition catalogue, Lynn McAllister Gallery,Seattle, WA, 1987 Doran, Heather, “ERGO,” Bumbershoot Arts Magazine, Seattle, WA, 1987 Johnson, Barry, “Neo-geo Fashion Shows Up,” The Oregonian, October 1986 Johnson, Barry, “Formica Becomes Art,” The Oregonian, October 26, 1986 Art, Search and Self-Discovery, Davis Publications, Worcester, MA, 1986 Guenther, Bruce, The Fountain Gallery of Art 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Portland, OR 1986 “Large Drawings,” Independent Curators, Inc., NY, exhibition catalogue, 1985 Frank, Peter, “Constructures: New Perimetrics in Abstract Painting,” exhibition catalogue, Nohra Haime Gallery, NY, 1985 “What’s Happening in California, Oregon and Washington,” exhibition catalogue, Alternative Museum, New York, NY, 1984 Guenther, Bruce, 50 Northwest Artists, Chronicle Press, San Francisco, CA, 1983 Sutinen, Paul, Mel Katz: Drawings 1973-1981, exhibition catalogue, Marylhurst College, Marylhurst, OR, 1981 Malicki, Mary, “Portland Center for the Visual Arts,” Stepping Out Magazine, Vol. 3. No. 3, Fall 1980, pp. 12-14 Guenther, Bruce, Mel Katz: Work 1971-1978, exhibition catalogue, Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, 1979 The First Western States Biennial Exhibition, coordinated by Western States Arts Foundation, traveling exhibition, catalogue, 1978 Hoppe, Bill, Mel Katz, Portland Center for the Visual Arts, exhibition catalogue, 1977 San Francisco Art Institute Annual, catalogue, 1977 Slusarenko, Kay, “Mel Katz: From Gorky to Gorilla Suit,” Encore, Nov/Dec., 1976 Seventy Third Western Annual, Denver Art Museum, CO, exhibition catalogue, 1971 Griffin, Rachael, The Primary of Color, exhibition announcement, Portland Art Museum, OR, 1965