J. Steensma | A Retrospective

photo by Marsha Burns

J. Steensma: A Retrospective marks an extremely rare occurrence for Center on Contemporary Art-to dedicate its entire 4,000 square foot space to the work of a single Northwest artist. With his tragically premature death at the age of 52 in October, 1994, Jay Steensma (1941-1994) left an extraordinary legacy of works in all media, never before collected together in one place or at one time. The exhibition opens Good Friday, March 28, at 8:00 p.m. at Center on Contemporary Art.

Distinguished art critic and independent curator Matthew Kangas has spent the past two and a half years tirelessly visiting private and public collections searching for key works executed in oil, latex, acrylic, and mixed media on canvas and paper. In the process, he has uncovered Steensma's masterpieces along with the revelations of early works. Covering the years 1963 to 1994, J. Steensma: A Retrospective combines prints, painted furniture and objects, with small, medium and large-scale paintings. Seven key visual themes are represented: animals; still lifes; landscapes; self-portraits; religion; "combinations"; and abstracts. This is the sixth retrospective exhibition of a Northwest artist that Kangas has organized since 1981.

In conjunction with the exhibition, CoCA has published a color-and-black-and-white document, designed by Philip Kovacevich with an essay by Kangas.