Brief History of New Zone Gallery

New Zone grew out of two earlier cooperatives: The Artist Union and Project Space. They operated as collective through the late 1970s and provided a sense of community for college artists in Eugene. The new incarnation of the cooperative, New Zone, was cofounded by members Bob Devine, Harold Hoy, Mike Walsh, and the late David Joyce. Together, they created a highly selective, experimental gallery space that valued non-conformity within the artistic realm.

The Beginning Years:  411 High St.*, 1984 
In the first years of New Zone, the gallery was highly selective in choosing its membership, relying on enough artists to create impactful shows and also keep the space up and running. During this time period, experiential shows were prioritized. New Zone held the first annual Lane County juried exhibition of art. This show was the precursor to the long running annual Eugene Mayors Art Show. For many participating artists, it was their first experience in a juried show. New Zone hosted the show for seven years.

New Zone and the Salon des Refusés: 1995
In 1995, the gallery lost its building space and began to crumble. Although the  Salon des Refusés was not a product of the New Zone, the two were closely intertwined, the Salon narrative is integral to understanding of New Zone and it’s evolution. Cofounded by New Zone members, Jerry Ross and Steve La Riccia, the Salon began as a public protest to the highly elitist nature of the Eugene Mayor‘s Art Show. All artwork denied entry at the Mayor‘s Art Show were welcomed at the Salon which occurred at the same time as the Mayors Art Show. While the loss of the building space catapulted their downfall, the emergence of the Salon brought much attention back. Through the ingenuity and perseverance of La Riccia and Ross, and the success of the Salon, New Zone survived this period.

Nomads: 1995 to 2002

After losing the gallery space at 411 High St., the group struggled to maintain its highly selective membership. Without a home, vision of selectivity and fine arts waned as many members moved on from the shrinking gallery. In 1995 the gallery entered its next incarnation. Steve La Riccia and Jerry Ross dedicated themselves to preserving the gallery in any way possible. In the end, they kept the New Zone alive by having shows in bars, tavern’s, pop-up shows, restaurants* and even online. New Zone during this period was marked by instability, and the gallery needed to change their philosophy from their emphasis on juried art to a more inclusive environment that focused primarily on the survival of New Zone. New Zone maintained their spirit  in any space they could.

The  Salon des Refusés continued to grow, and hosted by New Zone, made a name for both spaces in the Eugene Art scene.

Finding Stability:
1 East Broadway
From 2003 to 2005, New Zone showed at 1 East Broadway* in a donated gallery space that hosted some of the most iconic openings, including the anti-war exhibit and other politically themed protests. It was a time of revived, artistic interest, and community participation that contributed to the revitalization of downtown Eugene and The Eugene Art society.

2005 to 2006:  975 Oak Alley
From 2005 to 2006 New Zone was located at 975 Oak Alley.* Once again, New Zone membership shrunk in this tiny gallery space. Despite its  small size this location symbolized an era in which New Zone was coming into its own as one of the premiere art galleries in Eugene. It’s membership slowly began to grow again.

164 W. Broadway*
In 2006, the gallery had to move once again, continuing it’s perpetual search for a permanent location. Thanks to the generosity and support from Oregon Contemporary Theatre, they relocated to 164 West Broadway and remained there for 10 years! This extended stay offered  a chance to acquire a stable member base and to determine their goals as a Gallery going forward.  The focus of New Zone (beyond survival ) settled on providing opportunities for the unconventional, fledgling and tenured artist,  the under appreciated, veterans, disabled and low income artists, all of whom would have been excluded from more traditional galleries.

In 2009 Eugene Mayors Art Show decided to go digital, leaving an opportunity for a new in-person display of community art. New Zone filled this gap by creating a community exhibit that would later evolve into the “Zone 4 All,” a biannual non-juried show. New Zone membership increased dramatically during this time as they went from a small, moderately size gallery to one with nearly 70 members ranging from ages 21 to 85.

2017-2021:  Nomads again.
A short run in multiple gallery spaces once again characterized the years between 2017 and 2021. From 2017 to 2018 New Zone was located at 220 West 8th*. New Zone continued as a main stay in the Eugene arts community by holding Zone 4 All shows and member exhibitions. In December 2018, it was time for the gallery to relocate once again. In 2019 they move to another temporary location at 22 W.7th* across from the Hult Center. This short lived but wonderful location was the largest one that New Zone had ever occupied, allowing them to share their location with PhotoZone just as they had in the formative years of the gallery. But, two years later, it was once again time to vacate. 

2021-Present
In the early months of 2021 New Zone relocated to our current location at 110 E. 11th Ave*. In 40 years, this is the first venue, owned by St. Vincents De Paul) that gave us a lease and a real sense of stability! New Zone could leave the survival mode behind (just a little bit) and focus on future planning, the artists and the community.

New Zone has survived the 2009 economic downturn, COVID-19, homelessness, membership instability, financial instability, the retirement of our very long time gallery coordinator, Steve La Riccia. But today, thanks to the hopes and dreams and hard work of many people over the last 40 years, we have been voted the best Art Gallery in Eugene, delivering on live drawing classes, student interns, Art in the Park, a rocking First Friday every month, support for emerging artists, interesting outsider Klausmeier room shows, twice yearly Zone 4 All shows, classes open to the community, art films, gift shop, and lastly, a very diverse display of accessible local art.

Thank you Founders and everyone involved in creating and sustaining this amazing project! Here’s to another 40 years!

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