Our 21st Century Renaissance
	Note: items in bold (except for section headings) are clickable links. "Our 21st Century Renaissance" -- or R21 for short -- is an exhibition space dedicated to modern expressions of the technological, humanistic, and civic discourse ideals of the original Renaissance. Launched with the understanding that we are also living in a time of rapid change -- but great promise as well !!! -- and with the further belief that Eugene is a uniquely progressive community, R21 is seeking, and will place on display, both artistic and industrial creations expressive of those ideals. More critically, it is our hope to become a resource for those many organizations working with the young people of Lane County, and to whom we can help introduce the many wonderful benefits of a STEAM (science/technology/engineering/art/math) education.

Our Location R21 is now located at 1245 Pearl Street -- right around the corner from the flagship New Zone Gallery -- and with upstairs Suite 208 as our serene and expansive new exhibition space !!!

		Our 21st Century Renaissance: Science & Technology As a period of great scientific and technological progress, the original Renaissance was also -- like our own era -- a period of great uncertainty: humanity beginning to realize, for example, that our Earth was not the stable center of the uiverse, but rather one of several planets orbiting the Sun. These same discoveries, however, also gave to the citizens of the Renaissance -- and as should be the case today -- a sense of confidence in their ability to understand and thrive within our cosmos. As the core of our own technology collection, R21 is privileged to own two prints donated by digital art pioneer Paul Brown -- the originals of which are in the Victoria and Albert Musuem in London -- and an operating drawing machine donated by renowned techno-artist Jack Tait. Image (clockwise from upper left): Paul Brown / detail of his Swimming Pool / Jack Tait / his drawing machine in operation

		Our 21st Century Renaissance: Humanism Going hand-in-hand with these these technological achievements and discoveries of the wonders of the physical universe, another hallmark of the original Renaissance was as a period in which an exalted depiction of the nude human form was revived -- a noble form, and of potentially noble behavior. Indeed, in their marvelous 10th edition of Gardner's ArtThrough the Ages, and in reference to Raphael's ravishing fresco Sala di Galatea, Richard Tansey and and Fred Kleiner perfectly capture this ethos: "So completely does the new spirit embodied in the Galatea take control that it is as if the Middle Ages had never existed". Image: Botticelli's Birth of Venus / L'Amour Industrielle by Glenn Smith

		Our 21st Century Renaissance: Civic Discourse and Diplomacy The original Renaissance also saw the birth of modern civic discourse and diplomacy; and history confidently records that the first modern diplomatic mission was from the city/state of Milan to the city/state of Florence. And with the hope that progress is being made -- there has not been a major war for almost a century !!! -- civic discourse thus fills out the tripartite spirit in whch R21 has been launched. Image: Map of northern Italy circa 1490

		Educational Resources R21 has available an inventory of modular components for creating microprocesseor-controlled kinetic art armatures; and as per the bronze-shelled Cyberman 2021, which was juried into the leading national kinetic art show, these can be fittend with visual elements made from a variety of materials -- wood; acrylic; fabric -- even ceramic. As an additional resource, we also stand ready to host afternoon workshops for small groups of young people in the application of this hardware, and as sponsored by one of Lane County's educational organizations.

		Getting Involved If you are an artist, we welcome submissions in any medium that are "modern expressions of the technological or humanistic ideals of the original Renaissance"; or if you represent a firm with a forward-looking product, we are also interested in talking to you !!! Donations, of course, are always welcome (!!!), and inasmuch as all of our staff work is entirely voluntary, will be applied to the maintenance and enhancement of our collection and facilities. Please make checks payable to "Our 21st Century Renaissance" c/o OCCU. Contact information: Glenn Smith 421 Stonewood Dr. Eugene, OR 97405 glennwsmith@gmail.com (504) 478-3485 Image: Leila by Anna Golden

News and Events

		June 2025 ArtWalk First, as noted above, R21 will be in a new home for the June ArtWalk -- the fabulous upstairs Nexus Business Lounge at 40 E. Broadway. And given the success of our May robot exhibtion -- see here for a video, with, in the background, Dr. Alan Fern of OSU, Paul Dassonville, mentor of the South Eugene High Robotics Team, Kelly Johnson, Executive Director of the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene (ABAE), and Glenn Newland, President of the Lane Arts Council -- we have decided to continue this theme for the June 6th ArtWalk with Laura Lewis' wonderful new series of "Robots R Us" paintings, and with a detail of "Thinking" shown here. And yes, she has imaginatively depicted a robot trying to understand an exhibition of modern abstract art !!!
		May 2025 ArtWalk At the May 2nd ArtWalk, R21 visitors will have the opportunity to come face to face with "Digit", the industry-leading humanoid robot manufactured by OSU spin-off Agility Robotics, and which firm has reportedly received $400 million in a new round of funding. This event promises to be a captivating exploration of the inter- section between robotics, technology, and the arts; and with an appeal, in particular, to the young people of Lane County, it is our hope that this event can be followed by the offering of a four-week "Art + Robotics" summer course.
		October 2024 ArtWalk Due to the enthusiasm expressed by our September ArtWalk visitors, we retained as our theme last night "A Celebration of the Female Form", and with the work of Anna Golden, Thi Nguyen, Carol Petty, Glenn Smith, and Jack Tait now joined by the photography of Barbora Bakalarova. The highlight of the evening for us was a visit by Stacey Ray, the executive director of the Lane Arts Council -- and left, a photo of guests watching Jack's "Oregon" drawing machine in action !!!
		Visitors admiring Thi's Garden of Eden.
		Barbora's newly-installed (left to right) Nude with Mirror, Atlantis, Ethos, and Trees are Us.
		September 2024 ArtWalk Our September ArtWalk last night was fantastic !!! -- so crowded, in fact, that we did not have the chance to take any crowd photos -- but see left for a pre-show photo of Suite 212 as featuring our September theme, "Celebrating the Female Form", with some of new contributing artist Thi Nguyen's work on the north wall, and with, front-to-back, Anna's Leila; Glenn's plaster, pre-kinetic Obelisk 2023; his kinetic Obelisk 2024; and, in the far back, his once-kinetic 1994 L'Amour Industrielle as recently arrived from New Orleans.
		Two of Thi's works, Garden of Eden and Abandonment of Vanity.
		Carol with her newly-installed Colors of Climate Change.
		Glenn's L'Amour Industrielle (left) and Obelisk 2024 (right).
		August 2024 ArtWalk Our second ArtWalk has been quite successful, even though we've just moved into our new new home in Suite 212 of the Miner Building !!! Many thanks to all of you who attended, and on behalf of contributing artists Carolyn Bloom, Paul Brown, Anna Golden, Carol Petty, Glenn Smith, and Jack Tait. (Photo, left to right: Glenn's now-kinetic Obelsik 2024, Anna's Leila, and Carolyn's Sentries in Perspective.)
		The Jack Tait Oregon Machine display.
		Anna with her Leila.
		Carolyn with Sentries in Perspective (left), and Contemplation (right).
		Lane Arts Council board president Glenn Newland with Paul Brown prints.
		June 2024 ArtWalk This is the first ArtWalk in which R21 has participated, and by courtesy of Campbell Commercial Real Estate and the Modern Betty Salon, who let us occupy an area in the Miner Building's gorgeous atrium. In this photo of the overall layout, Glenn Smith's not-quite-kinetic Obelisk 2024 is on the left; Rob Bolman's Money Tree is on the right; and behind them is the beautiful glass-walled Suite 103 which we soon hope to occupy !!! (And thanks to Vintage Underground of Eugene for the fabulous gloss-gold finish on the Obelisk !!!)
		Close-up of the four hollow fiberglass sections of Obelisk 2024.