The Front & Center Galleries
May 16 - June 21, 2025
Jennifer Rabin - mixed media sculpture in the Front Gallery
Heidi Keith - ink paintings on paper in the Center Gallery
The mixed media sculptures by Jennifer Rabin mingle found objects often made of metal or concrete with elegantly constructed fiber forms. She says, “I’m drawn to objects that society has given up on, thrown out, left to rot.” In them, she sees parallels to “structures in our lives—our bodies, our family, our society—that have failed us or have broken down so badly that we no longer know what to do with them.” In this body of work, she asks how we might build anew with the pieces that remain. “My work is an attempt to put those questions into material form, a small ongoing practice of radical optimism.”
This show is made possible by grant support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council and the Oregon Arts Commission.
The mesmerizing ink paintings by Heidi Keith on display in MAC’s Center Gallery visually explore the interaction of human bodies and bodies of water. “Through ink, I embrace the unpredictable nature of water, allowing figures to emerge and dissolve within translucent layers. This process mirrors the impermanence of identity and the ways we are shaped by our environments, histories, and emotions.”
This body of work also questions the divisiveness of the current social and political moment. “These works reflect the ways we are all interconnected—how our choices, histories, and struggles ripple outward, shaping the collective experience.”
Join us for the artists’ reception on Saturday, May 31 from 1-3 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
2025 Exhibition Calendar
January 10 – February 15, 2025
Menka Desai – works on paper
Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA) Oregon – “Biophilia: Threads of Natural Wonder”
Reception: Saturday, January 18, 1-3 p.m.
February 21 – March 29, 2025
Katsuyuki Shibata – nature photography
Julie Johnson – plant-based fiber art
Reception: Saturday, March 1, 1-3 p.m.
Artist talk: Saturday, March 29, 1 p.m. in the Center Gallery
April 4 – May 10, 2025
Two companion exhibitions with work by over 50 regional LGBTQIA2S+ artists, co-curated by Pablo V. Cazares, Lux Harris and Megan Hatch.
- “Shift Work: Queer Artists in Tectonic Times” – a group show in the Center Gallery featuring work by Zephyr Kim, Tommy Bruce, Robert Sumner, Areem Rose, and Ami Patel.
- “Holding Our Own: Works by LGBTQIA2S+ Ceramic Artists” – a group show in the Front Gallery.
Related events:
- Reception: Thursday, April 10, 6-8 p.m. in the Front & Center Galleries
- Artist talk: Saturday, April 19, 1 p.m. via Zoom
- Reading by regional LGBTQIA2S+ writers: Saturday, April 26, 2 p.m. in the MAC Auditorium
May 16 – June 21, 2025
Heidi Keith – figurative ink paintings on paper
Jennifer Rabin – mixed media sculpture
Reception: Saturday, May 31, 1-3 p.m.
June 27 – August 2, 2025
Re Pinter, Molly Lecko Herro and Phoebe Mol – cartoon-based arts
Gesine Krätzner – ceramic sculpture
Reception: Saturday, June 28, 1-3 p.m.
Artist talk: Saturday, July 12, 1-3 p.m. in the Center Gallery with Re Pinter, Molly Lecko Herro and Phoebe Mol
August 8 – September 13, 2025
Avery Nielsen Webb – large-scale photography
Allana Nagy – ceramic sculpture
Reception: Thursday, August 14, 6-8 p.m.
September 5 – October 25, 2025
Portland Zine Symposium – historical and contemporary zine art
Related events: TBD
September 19 – October 18, 2025
Biennial MAC Instructors’ Exhibition – works in a variety of media
Reception: Thursday, September 25, 6-8 p.m.
October 24 – November 29, 2025
Jere Grimm – a retrospective featuring ceramics, textiles and works on paper
Related events: TBD
December 12, 2025 – January 10, 2026
Gili Rappaport – bronze sculpture installation
Related events: TBD
January 10 – February 15, 2025
Menka Desai – works on paper
Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA) Oregon – “Biophilia: Threads of Natural Wonder”
Reception: Saturday, January 18, 1-3 p.m.
February 21 – March 29, 2025
Katsuyuki Shibata – nature photography
Julie Johnson – plant-based fiber art
Reception: Saturday, March 1, 1-3 p.m.
Artist talk: Saturday, March 29, 1 p.m. in the Center Gallery
April 4 – May 10, 2025
Two companion exhibitions with work by over 50 regional LGBTQIA2S+ artists, co-curated by Pablo V. Cazares, Lux Harris and Megan Hatch:
- “Shift Work: Queer Artists in Tectonic Times” – a group show in the Center Gallery featuring work by Zephyr Kim, Tommy Bruce, Robert Sumner, Areem Rose, and Ami Patel.
- “Holding Our Own: Works by LGBTQIA2S+ Ceramic Artists” – a group show in the Front Gallery.
Reception: Thursday, April 10, 6-8 p.m. in the Front & Center Galleries
Artist talk: Saturday, April 19, 1 p.m. via Zoom
Reading by regional LGBTQIA2S+ writers: Saturday, April 26, 2 p.m. in the MAC Auditorium
May 16 – June 21, 2025
Heidi Keith – figurative ink paintings on paper
Jennifer Rabin – mixed media sculpture
Reception: Saturday, May 31, 1-3 p.m.
June 27 – August 2, 2025
Speck Collective (Re Pinter, Molly Lecko Herro and Phoebe Mol) – cartoon-based arts
Gesine Krätzner – ceramic sculpture
Reception: Saturday, June 28, 1-3 p.m.
August 8 – September 13, 2025
Avery Nielsen Webb – large-scale photography
Allana Nagy – ceramic sculpture
Reception: Thursday, August 14, 6-8 p.m.
September 5 – October 25, 2025
Portland Zine Symposium – historical and contemporary zine art
Reception: Thursday, September 25, 6-8 p.m.
Reading: Thursday, October 9, 7-8:30 p.m.
September 19 – October 18, 2025
Biennial MAC Instructors’ Exhibition – works in a variety of media
Reception: Thursday, September 25, 6-8 p.m.
October 24 – November 29, 2025
Jere Grimm – a retrospective featuring ceramics, textiles and works on paper
Related events: TBD
December 12, 2025 – January 10, 2026
Gili Rappaport – bronze sculpture installation
Related events: TBD