Join us Wednesday, November 1st from 5:30pm-7pm as we celebrate the opening of our new exhibit, The Photography of Darryl Baird – Artist-in-Residence 2023, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, at Olive Street Gallery in the Newport Performing Arts Center. Come get a first look at this incredible show, enjoy wine and light refreshments, and hear Baird himself speak at 6:00pm.
The Photography of Darryl Baird
Artist-in-Residence 2023
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
For three and a half weeks in the summer of 2023, photographer Darryl Baird was the Artist-in-Residence at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (YHONA) – an opportunity made possible in part by the Bureau of Land Management, the Friends of Yaquina Head Lighthouse, and the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts. The photographs Baird captured during his time in residence are now the subject of a special exhibit presented by Newport Visual Arts Center, running November 1st, 2023 through January 21, 2024 at Olive Street Gallery (a satellite gallery location inside Newport Performing Arts Center).
Originally from Dallas, Darryl Baird’s career as a photographer and educator spans more than fifty years, and his work is included in collections at the Detroit Institute of Art, the Museum of Fine Art in Houston, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor. Now retired, Baird was excited to have been chosen for the YHONA residency. “To live on the edge of land’s intersection with the sea is a joy and a formidable subject that keeps me alert, touches my soul, and satisfies my desire to capture the primordial exchange of nature’s forces as no other landscape has,” he explained, “I am humbled and inspired by this place.”
National Conservation Lands, such as YHONA, are designated to conserve special features and provide exceptional opportunities for recreation and scientific research. While in residence, Baird worked on site to develop creative products that would help to promote public stewardship of the area’s unique natural and cultural resources.
An opening reception will take place on Wednesday, November 1st from 5:30 – 7:00 pm at the Newport Performing Arts Center. The public is invited to attend. Wine and light refreshments will be served, and Baird himself will speak at 6pm.
“I was impressed by Darryl’s presentation at Yaquina Head over the summer, and feel privileged that we can offer the public an opportunity to hear him speak about his photography on November 1st,” said Chasse Davidson, director of the Newport Visual Arts Center, “His extensive background in both photography and education offers the observer a technical glimpse into what goes into Fine Art photography. It’s so much more than the point and shoot of a cell phone. I encourage all those interested in photography to join us, not only to hear Darryl speak, but also to witness his work firsthand.”
Exhibits at Olive Street Gallery are free to the public and can be viewed from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Tuesday-Friday, at 777 W Olive Street. Artwork is also on display and available for viewing beginning one hour before all public performances at Newport Performing Arts Center.