Camas woman is creating interest in art

Kathi Rick likes to push artistic boundaries.

Rick, of Camas, has managed the North Bank Artists Gallery, in downtown Vancouver, for six years.

“Art is a powerful communication tool,” she said. “I use my art as a political tool and an avenue for dialogue.”

In October 2011, Rick organized a “Weird Sisters” exhibit with two friends.

Rick, 52, was part of the exhibit as she displayed “an aging female body” with her eyes closed for more than five hours.

“It was the bravest thing I’ve ever done,” she said.

Rick’s exhibit regarding violence against women in October 2009 involved more than a year of online research regarding attitudes of men and women toward each other.

“It was a brutal piece,” she said. “Some brought their mothers, daughters, sisters. Some ran out. Some came back. Some cried.”

Her responsibilities as the gallery manager include designing postcards and posters, sending invitations and preparing the gallery for shows.

Committees of other individuals provide assistance with various tasks.

“It is a nice gallery space,” Rick said. “It is very relaxed and spacious. It is low key. It is not a commercial gallery. I have time to talk to people.”

She appreciates having opportunities to get some sketching done while she is there.

Before working at the gallery, Rick commuted two-and-a-half hours each way to and from Corvallis as a certified veterinary technician at the Oregon State University Large Animal Hospital.

She is a former photography professor for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

Rick currently teaches “computer as a medium” classes at Washington State University, Vancouver; and Marylhurst University, in Marylhurst, Ore. She also teaches digital photography at Portland Community College, Cascade; and PCC, Scappoose.

Rick has a master’s degree in fine art photography from the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque. She has a bachelor’s degree in print making and photography from the University of Nevada, in Reno.

North Bank Artists Gallery, 1005 Main St., is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The gallery is also open from 5 to 9 p.m., for the “First Friday Gallery Walk” each month. There is no admission fee.

For more information, contact Rick at 693-1840 or info@northbankartistsgallery.com. Additional information can be found at www.northbankartistsgallery.com.