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Rock Creek hosts memorial dedication for late art instructor

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PORTLAND, Ore. — The life and work of late instructor Dick Helzer will be on display this fall at the Rock Creek Art Gallery.

The college will host a dedication ceremony for Helzer, a long-time PCC art instructor who passed away this summer, at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6 at the Rock Creek Campus, 17705 N.W. Springville Road. Helzer’s own artwork, sculptures and drawings will be on display at the gallery from Sept. 25 through Oct. 28.

Helzer, a prolific artist, spent 37 years as a teacher of sculpture and drawing at PCC. The Rock Creek Gallery will be dedicated and renamed in his honor during the memorial gathering. There will be a gathering in The Forum for individuals to share memories and stories of Helzer.

The exhibition of Helzer’s sculptures and drawings includes works from the early 1970s as well as pieces made this year. Largely representational, the works show Helzer’s keen understanding of such modern masters as Auguste Rodin, Aristide Maillol and Henry Moore. The sculptures also highlight Helzer’s command of a range of mediafrom stone to wood and from clay to bronze.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a small publication of essays by Mark Andres, chair of the art department at Rock Creek; and Prudence Roberts, gallery director.

For more information, call 503-614-7245.

Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon, serving approximately 91,000 full- and part-time students. For more PCC news, please visit us on the Web at www.pcc.edu/news. PCC has three comprehensive campuses, five workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.

About James Hill

James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »