Randy Hayes at Hallie Ford Museum of Art

“Randy Hayes: Unfamiliar Territory” is supported in part by grants from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.

“Second Story: Baby Doll Suite”, 2006, oil on photographs mounted to canvas, 84 x 96”, courtesy of the Randy Hayes, Seattle, Washington

(SALEM) - Look closely at Seattle artist Randy Hayes’ painting and you wont find a typical canvas. What you will find is an assemblage of photographs that intriguingly float just below the surface. In some cases these individual photos are pinned together to form an underlying tapestry that acts as a large canvas where the world of paint and photography meld together. Hayes’ mixed media paintings explore his travels to Italy, India, China, Mexico and Kyoto, Japan. His work also reflects his childhood roots and ongoing fascination with the rural South.

On June 2 – Aug. 26 Willamette University’s Hallie Ford Museum of Art will feature “Randy Hayes: Unfamiliar Territory.” Organized by Director John Olbrantz, the exhibition features a range of works from the past 15 years and transports the viewer on an interesting journey across the globe; from mysteriously half sunken cars, to camera wielding women in kimonos, to the house where the 1950s movie “Baby Doll” was filmed in Benoit, Miss. Randy Hayes will discuss his life and career in a free public lecture on Friday, June 1, at 5 p.m. in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. A members-only preview reception will follow from 6-8 p.m. in the lobby and galleries downstairs. New members are welcome. Membership includes free admission, invitations to members-only events and the museum newsletter. Annual membership begins at $25.

The Historic Elsinore Theatre will complement Hayes’ exhibition and lecture by presenting the film “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on Wednesday, June 13, at 7 p.m. Set on a plantation in the Mississippi Delta, the film explores relationships, mores, death, and addiction and stars Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor and Burl Ives. Admission is $5 per person. For further information please call the Historic Elsinore Theatre at 503-375-3574 or visit www.elsinoretheatre.com.

“Randy Hayes: Unfamiliar Territory” is supported in part by grants from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.