THE BIG 500!

Opening - December 13th, 2014

This group show is gigantic!  Artists and curators Chris Haberman and Jason Brown along with Mark Woolley , The Peoples Art team, and a slew of volunteers are into their 7th year of putting on this enormous egalitarian art show. Every year the number advertised escalates. There are likely 600 artists contributing between 5-10 pieces of art to the show this year. If the trend continues next year the Big 600 will  really be the Big 700 and so on - The Big 1000 is not far away. 

A sample of my submissions

Contributing artists (including myself) can submit work in any medium but artists need to bear in mind that the work will be handled a lot so it should be durable. There is a broad spectrum of work as the ages and art experience of the contributing artists covers a wide range. The walls of two galleries on the 3rd floor of Pioneer Place Mall are stacked 8 rows high with over 5000 art works, all 8" by 8" inches on wood panels supplied by People's Art, all priced at $40 each, 10% of the proceeds go to the Oregon Food Bank and to the galleries to cover expenses, and 90% to the artist. 

The opening at 2pm on Saturday December 13th is a crush. Lines around the entire 3rd floor. There is certainly nothing like this show anywhere else in Oregon and I would wager you won't find anything of its kind anywhere else in the U.S. The Big 500 represents Portland art culture and community in all its quirky "anyone can play" beauty. Not only is there a varied swath of art makers represented, but the extremely low price point invites folks of a wide economic range to collect art. Avid, well heeled art collectors along with first time buyers and fellow artists scroll the walls for a special piece. Some patrons can be seen carrying stacks of art, no doubt getting their holiday shopping done. The work can be framed on the spot for $10 by the hard working volunteers who barely have time to look up for the fist few hours of the reception. 

The Big 500 (and counting) is certainly is not the first art show of its kind in Portland to boast  lots of artists making art priced at bargain basement prices, but Chris Haberman and Jason Brown have taken the concept to a new level and honed it into an annual party event that is anticipated by collectors and artists alike. Nobody is getting rich here. The Oregon Food Bank makes out the best with a portion of the proceeds and barrels of food that are collected via the donations of the art patrons.