₍^. .^₎⟆ ~&~ /|\ ^._.^ /|\
Anna Fidler, Michael E. Stephen, John Whitten
October 4 - 26, 2025
Opening Reception
Saturday, October 4, 2025
5:00–8:00 pm
Gallery Hours
Saturdays - Sundays, 12-5 pm
John Whitten, Fran, graphite pencil on paper, 11 x 14 inches
For as long as humans have gazed into the dark, there have been cats and bats staring back. From divine guardians to ominous omens, these otherworldly creatures have captivated the human imagination for centuries.
The cat: collaborator of witches, its flashing, changeable eyes glinting with nocturnal mischief.
The bat: a messenger of the underworld, a velvet-winged omen overhead.
₍^. .^₎⟆ & /|\ ^._.^ /|\ is an exhibition of new works by Anna Fidler, Michael E. Stephen, and John Whitten that summon the humor, tenderness, and strangeness of these animals. Part séance, part pet portrait, part garage-sale coven, this exhibition conjures a shared love of magic(k) and mystery through drawing, painting, installation and assemblage.
About the Artists
Anna Fidler's (Corvallis, OR) chosen mediums range from cut paper and glue to gouache on linen; her process resembles a meditative ritual grounded in intuition and intention. She draws inspiration from historical photographs, spirits and everyday life, creating visual gateways that encompass the innate energy of her subjects. Fidler has had solo exhibitions at The Boise Art Museum, and The Portland Art Museum, and has been widely exhibited at such venues as SHRINE in New York, The Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science, and Art, The University of Southern California, The Schneider Museum of Art and The Sun Valley Museum of Art. Her exhibitions have been reviewed in publications such as Art in America, The Washington Post, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Grants and awards include an Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship, a Regional Arts and Culture Council Project Grant, and residencies at The Iris Project + Yucca Valley Material Lab. Her work is held in the collections of The Portland Art Museum, The Boise Art Museum and The Hallie Ford Museum of Art among many others.
Michael E. Stephen (Los Angeles, CA) is a conceptual artist working in the expanded field of sculpture, installation, and video. His objects and arrangements, composed from appropriated to alchemically cast materials, seek to unveil the change and dynamism of objects as they pass through time, space and context on their quest to archive our idiosyncratic relationship with nostalgia and the act of the ritual. His work has been exhibited at various national and international venues in Austin, TX, Houston, TX, Los Angeles, CA, Miami, FL, New York, NY, Portland, OR, Stavanger, Norway, and Lecce, Italy.
John Whitten (Portland, OR) is a multimedia artist exploring the resonance between digital technologies, physical materials, and lived experience. Through drawing, video, and photography, he constructs images that emphasize how perception is shaped by process, material, and time. His work often begins with fragments of the everyday: a grain of salt collected from a desert, the surface of a healing scar, or the shifting texture of a single element isolated from a landscape. These subjects, whether deeply personal or broadly environmental, serve as portals into questions of presence, care, and observation. Whitten’s work has been exhibited in museums, universities, and galleries across the United States. Recent awards include Project Grants and a Professional Development Grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, a Career Opportunity Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission, a Faculty Research Grant from Oregon State University, and residencies with Caldera and Signal Fire.