LOU WATSON

Born 1971, United Kingdom.

Lives and works in Portland, Oregon, USA

 

EDUCATION:  

B.F.A in Intermedia, Pacific Northwest College of Art. Portland, Oregon

 

Selected Work (*denotes group show)

2020: 

“Junior Art Museum (JAM),” online project

“Suite Preparation,” Disjecta, Portland, OR 

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2019: 

“Foreign Bodies,” Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Poland, curated by Kate Zazenski and Brittney Connelly*

"Portland Biennial 2019," Disjecta, Portland, OR* curated by Yaelle S Amir, Elishaba Johnson and Ashley Stull Meyers*

“North Interstate Avenue, on a Saturday, for Harp Duet and Percussion”, Disjecta, Portland, OR 

“Beside the Screen: Graphic Intelligences & Algorithmic Fictions”, Museum of Sound and Image, São Paulo, Brazil*

"Interstate," Sarah Spurgeon Gallery at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA* curated by Grace Kook-Anderson*

 

2018: 

"Take Interstate 5," vinyl album available at Tacoma Art Museum

“Force Majeure,” Altered Esthetics Festival, Minneapolis, MN*

"Learning from Cascadia," Brian Holmes ongoing project*

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2017:

"Interstate," Sarah Spurgeon Gallery at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA* curated by Emily Zimmerman* 

"Concept 2017,”  Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Gyeonggi-do, Korea*

"We Are All in this Together – A Road Map Through a Post-Truth Art World," Transmission Art Festival, Karlsruhe, Germany* 

“Bellingham National 2017 Juried Exhibition,” Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA, curated by Catharina Manchanda* (curators award)

“The Understated Orchestra,” performance (Hello Lovely), What The Festival, Dufur, OR 

“Echo Chamber,” Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR*

“Convergence: Digital Media and Technology,” Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland, OR, curated by Scott Malbaurn*

“Kegel Chorus,” performance, Arcata Playhouse, CA

“Live Girls Show,” performance (MASHlab), Zero to Fierce Festival, CA

 

2016:

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“How to score Interstate Five,” performance/lecture, Jubitz Truck & Travel Center, OR

“47° 39′ 23″ N, 122° 18′ 44″ W for Piano,” performance, The Henry Gallery, Seattle, WA

“Section of the I-705, on a Wednesday, for Electric Piano,” Tacoma Art Museum, WA

“Landscapes,” Tasmanian Int Art Film Festival, Australia*

“Six Weeks, in Time,” The Henry Gallery, Seattle, WA, curated by Nina Boznick and Emily Zimmerman*

“Transmission,” Transmission Art Festival, Karlsruhe, Germany*

“To and fro/circuit dialogue/default,” Toronto Film Week, Canada*

“Northwest Art Now,” Tacoma Art Museum, WA, curated by Rock Hushka and Juan Roselione-Valadez*

“The Participants,” Littman Gallery, Portland, Oregon*

“Scores for a Piece of Paper, No.1 and No.2,” Small Space Festival, Las Vegas*

“Dowsing,” Indivisible Gallery, Portland, OR*

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2015:

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“Suite Sandy Boulevard,” performance, Hollywood Theatre, Portland, OR

“In Celebration of Pig Pens,” Installation, The Portland Building (RACC), Portland, OR

“commute,” Observational Cinema Festival, New Nothing Cinema, San Francisco, CA*

“commute,” Experiments in Cinema Festival, Albuquerque, New Mexico*

“Craftwerk 3D” Ongoing crafting/synth music group project, Portland, OR

“Sweeping Changes (or how sandy is Sandy Blvd?)”, performance, NE Sandy Boulevard, Portland, OR

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2014:

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"Roadside Attraction," lecture/performance, Oregon Heritage Society Annual Convention, Albany, OR

“Setting the Tone”, performance, NE Sandy Boulevard, Portland, OR

“commute,” 41st NW Filmmakers Festival, Portland Art Museum, Portland, curated by Christopher Rauschenberg (Juror’s Award)*

“Lou Watson Scores,” Intermedia Department Scholarship Solo Show, PNCA, Portland, OR

“On a soap-box,” Continental Shift, Seattle, WA*

“Cuddly Jug,” Multnomah Arts Center Gallery, Portland, OR*

“Sorry I forgot You,” Recfest, Hollywood Theatre, Portland, OR*

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2013:

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“Louie Louie Memorial,” Plaque for Oregon Music Hall of Fame, 13th & NW Burnside, Portland, OR

“hands (off)” VideoFest, Clinton Street Theatre, Portland, OR*

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Collections:

Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Washington

Numerous private collections

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Discography:

Take Interstate 5, vinyl record release 2018

Inter-dream-state-5, digital release 2019

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Organizations/collectives:

2017: Founding member of Hello Lovely, Portland, Oregon

2015: Founding member of MASHlab, Portland, Oregon

2007: Director of What The Pop! Music Video Festival, Arcata CA

2005: Founding member of The Brendas, Blue Lake, CA

 

Selected Press:

2019: Robert Ham, Portland Mercury, "Disjecta’s Portland 2019 Biennial: North Interstate Love Song" 

2017: Gary Fagin, Seattle Times, “Diverse notions of drawing at the Whatcom Museum”  

2017: Dora Tennant and Francis Quettier, WomenCinemakers Vol. 9, "Lou Watson"               

2017: Danielle Schlunegger, Venison Magazine, “Lou Watson Scores” 

2017: Jen Graves, The Stranger, “NW Art Now Reflects the World We Have, Not the World We Want”  

2016: Dave Miller, OPB’s Think Out Loud, “On the road, hoofing it on Portland’s Sandy Blvd”   

2015: Phoebe Flanigan, OPB’s State of Wonder, “Suite Sandy Boulevard Brings Street Sounds to Life” 

2015: Esme Hogeveen, Untitled Magazine, “Lou Watson’s Suite Sandy Boulevard" 

 

Residencies:

2017: Make+Think+Code Residency, PNCA 

2017: Zero to Fierce Festival, Artist in Residence

2016: Prequel Artist Incubator

2016: KBOO Artist in Residence

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Awards and Honours:

2017: Curators Award (Catharina Manchanda), Bellingham National 2017 Juried Exhibition

2017: Follow Fluxus Award Nominee, NKV, Wiesbaden, Germany

2017: Nominee for the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Award 

2015: Kayla Skinner Special Recognition Award, Betty Bowen Committee, Seattle Art Museum

2015: Liberal Arts Dept Thesis Award, PNCA

2015: Intermedia Dept Thesis Award, PNCA

2014: Judges Prize (Christopher Rauschenberg), 41st NW Filmmakers Festival

2013: Visual Artist Award, Oregon Music Hall of Fame

2012: Jury Prize, Videofest 2012, Portland, Oregon

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Grants, Fellowships and Scholarships:

2018: Individual Artist Fellowship, Oregon Arts Commission, Salem, Oregon

2017: Career Opportunity Grant, Oregon Arts Commission, Salem, Oregon

2016: Career Incentive Fund, The New Foundation, Seattle

2015: Regional Arts & Culture Council Installation Grant, Portland, Oregon

2014: Puffin Foundation Artist Grant

2014: Oregon Heritage Commission Fellowship

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