# Jeff Jahn

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**Jeff Jahn** (born 1970) is a curator, art critic, artist, historian, blogger and composer based in [Portland](/source/Portland,_Oregon), [Oregon](/source/Oregon), [United States](/source/United_States). He coined the phrase declaring Portland "the capital of conscience for the United States," in a *[Portland Tribune](/source/Portland_Tribune)* [op-ed](/source/Op-ed) piece,[1] which was then reiterated in *[The Wall Street Journal](/source/The_Wall_Street_Journal)*.[2]

Jahn's cultural activities in Portland frequently receive attention outside the region from media outlets such as [CNN](/source/CNN), *[Art in America](/source/Art_in_America)*,[3] *[The Art Newspaper](/source/The_Art_Newspaper)*, *The Wall Street Journal*, and *[ARTnews](/source/ARTnews)*. Described in the press as "outspoken and provocative",[4] and curatorially as, "a clarion call for Portland's new guard of serious artists—the ones creating a dialog that exceeds the bounds of so-called regional art."[5] He originally took up art criticism when then-*[Modern Painters](/source/Modern_Painters_(magazine))* editor Karen Wright asked him to contribute to the then-London based magazine in the late 1990s. In 2005, he co-founded **PORT**, a noted visual [art blog](/source/Art_blog).

He also lectures on art history or critiques at [Portland Art Museum](/source/Portland_Art_Museum),[6] [University of Oregon](/source/University_of_Oregon), [Pacific Northwest College of Art](/source/Pacific_Northwest_College_of_Art), [Portland State University](/source/Portland_State_University), [Oregon College of Art and Craft](/source/Oregon_College_of_Art_and_Craft) and [Lewis & Clark College](/source/Lewis_%26_Clark_College). In 2010 he was a juror for the Andy Warhol Art Writing Grants.[7] as well as the 2016 Precipice Fund Awards.[8] From 2002-2008 Jahn served as a board member of the Portland Art Museum's Contemporary Art Council and was elected to the vice president's post for a three-year term from 2005 to 2008. In 2006, he launched the visual arts non-profit **Organism**, which has hosted the work of artists Jarrett Mitchell[9] [Pipilotti Rist](/source/Pipilotti_Rist), Yoram Wolberger, Weppler & Mahovsky and [Hank Willis Thomas](/source/Hank_Willis_Thomas). In 2008, he shut down Organism as the scope of his projects fell increasingly outside of its more narrow mission of living artists. One of Jahn's most memorable curatorial projects was a scholarly conference and exhibition[10] dedicated to the work of [Donald Judd](/source/Donald_Judd) with [Robert Storr](/source/Robert_Storr_(art_academic)) as keynote speaker at the University of Oregon's Portland campus. In April 2016 Jahn co-curated Habitats as an extension of his new media art interests [11] for the What Is? Media Conference at the University of Oregon, featuring Lynn Hershman-Leeson, Agatha Haines and Brenna Murphy among many other noted new media artists as well as virtual reality and other large scale installation works.

## Exhibitions

As a curator, Jahn exhibited "Play" (2002),[12] "The Best Coast" (2003), "Symbiont Synthetic" (2003), "Fresh Trouble" (2005), "Model Behavior" (2007),[13] "Volume" (2008)[14] and Donald Judd (2010). Jahn's art has been exhibited in the United States and [Germany](/source/Germany). Since 2007, his photography,[15][16] and spatial installations have received increasing attention.

One solo show *Eutrophication* took place at *[Pacific Northwest College of Art](/source/Pacific_Northwest_College_of_Art)'s* [Manuel Izquierdo](/source/Manuel_Izquierdo) Sculpture Gallery in April 2008. His most recent solo show Vection at the New American Art Union presented installation art and photography and was picked by the Huntington Post as a top show on the West Coast.[17] His installation work was selected for the 10th Northwest Biennial at the [Tacoma Art Museum](/source/Tacoma_Art_Museum) where it was noted by numerous critics. One Seattle critic, Jen Graves, described the work as, "a faux forest canopy made of jagged pieces of plywood that create a small, localized environment of green-tinted shadows where you can hide out to think."[18]

## Publications, reviews and interviews

Jahn has been published, reviewed and or interviewed in, *[Art in America](/source/Art_in_America)*, *[Art News](/source/Art_News)*, [CNN](/source/CNN),[19] *[Modern Painters](/source/Modern_Painters_(magazine))*, *[The Wall Street Journal](/source/The_Wall_Street_Journal)*, *Art Critical*, *NYArts*, *[Clear Cut Press](/source/Clear_Cut_Press)*, *[The Oregonian](/source/The_Oregonian)*, *[Oregon Public Broadcasting](/source/Oregon_Public_Broadcasting)*,[20] *[Portland Tribune](/source/Portland_Tribune)*, *[Portland Mercury](/source/Portland_Mercury)*, *[Willamette Week](/source/Willamette_Week)*, *[The Stranger](/source/The_Stranger_(newspaper))* and Diesel music magazine. As publisher and chief critic of PORT, he prompted Stuart Horodner to state, "In the ecology of Portland he is an important independent player....He's calling for a level of seriousness."[21]

On September 5, 2002, *[The Oregonian](/source/The_Oregonian)* said, "…Jahn's laser focus on the present moment emphasizes one important thing about him: He's the voice of right now."[22] On December 20, 2006 Richard Speer stated, "Jeff Jahn has the smarts to mount quirky conceptual shows by nationally known artists…"[23] The *[Seattle Post-Intelligencer](/source/Seattle_Post-Intelligencer)* described "Fresh Trouble" (which included [China](/source/China)'s [Cao Fei](/source/Cao_Fei)) as "impressive."[24]

## References

1. Jahn, Jeff, *[Portland Tribune](/source/Portland_Tribune)*["Portland grows into a capital of conscience"](https://archive.today/20130222074638/http://www.thetribonline.net/opinion/print_story.php?story_id=132632177453019600). Archived from [the original](http://www.thetribonline.net/opinion/print_story.php?story_id=132632177453019600) on 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2012-11-09., January 12th 2012.

1. Plagens, Peter. *Our Next Art Capital: Portland?*, [*The Wall Street Journal*](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303916904577378300036157294), May 2nd, 2012.

1. Plagens, Peter. *Report From the Blogosphere: The New Grass Roots*, [*Art in America*](https://web.archive.org/web/20090703205023/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_10_95/ai_n25439329/), November 2007.

1. [ULTRA](http://www.ultrapdx.com/zero/2006/04/28/ultra-q-jeff-jahn/)

1. Henderson, Harvest, *[The Oregonian](/source/The_Oregonian)*, May 16th, 2003.

1. [*PAM Artist Talks*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XErIeLfvZuw), May 13, 2010.

1. [Warhol Art Writing Grants](http://artswriters.org/jurors_2010.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20101204052030/http://artswriters.org/jurors_2010.html) 2010-12-04 at the Wayback Machine

1. ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170315090212/http://pica.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2016_PrecipiceFund_PressRelease_r3.pdf). Archived from [the original](http://pica.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2016_PrecipiceFund_PressRelease_r3.pdf) on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2017-03-14.

1. Gallivan, Joseph, *[Portland Tribune](/source/Portland_Tribune)* December 2006.

1. Vondersmith, Jason, *[Portland Tribune](/source/Portland_Tribune)* [\[1\]](http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=127128354567121600) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100420153555/http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=127128354567121600) 2010-04-20 at the Wayback Machine April 15, 2010

1. ["| What is Media?"](http://journalism.uoregon.edu/whatis/media/habitats/). *What is Media?*

1. Bancud, Michaela. [Game plan: Local arts champion Jeff Jahn assembles a show that focuses on our innate need to play.](http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=13334) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070926225613/http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=13334) 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine *The Portland Tribune*, September 6, 2002.

1. Speer, Richard. [Organism's sophomore show impresses with restraint.](http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3344/9548/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20071019011312/http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3344/9548/) 2007-10-19 at the Wayback Machine *Willamette Week*, September 12, 2007

1. Motley, John. [\[2\]](http://www.portlandmercury.com/visualart/renegotiating-space-with-volume/Content?oid=886872) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110527004916/http://www.portlandmercury.com/visualart/renegotiating-space-with-volume/Content?oid=886872) 2011-05-27 at the Wayback Machine *Portland Mercury*, September 4, 2008

1. Art News (review of and image from Zeitgeist at Pulliam Deffenbaugh gallery) September 2008

1. [Portland Visual Chronicle](http://data.racc.org/visualchronicle/details.php?id=2800.11&PHPSESSID=ab3d8d90e164e9d8d7ed3b7df5e9b2bc) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110727194415/http://data.racc.org/visualchronicle/details.php?id=2800.11&PHPSESSID=ab3d8d90e164e9d8d7ed3b7df5e9b2bc) 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine September 2008

1. [Jeff Jahn's Vection at NAAU gallery](http://wweek.com/editorial/3636/14261/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100719024545/http://wweek.com/editorial/3636/14261/) 2010-07-19 at the Wayback Machine

1. Jen Graves. [*The Stranger*](http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-activation-of-corners/Content?oid=11986034), January 24, 2012.

1. Brown, Aaron. [\[3\]](http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0409/28/asb.00.html) *[CNN](/source/CNN)*, September 28, 2004

1. Think Out Loud. [The Region's Art.](http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/the-regions-art/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120402213021/http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/the-regions-art/) 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine *Oregon Public Broadcasting*, August 8, 2008

1. Row, D.K. *The Oregonian*, September 5, 2002.

1. Row, David. *The Oregonian*, September 5, 2002.

1. Speer, Richard. *[Willamette Week](/source/Willamette_Week)*, December 20, 2006 ["Willamette Week | "Oh, Deer God" | December 20th, 2006"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080720161335/http://wweek.com/editorial/3306/8343/). Archived from [the original](http://wweek.com/editorial/3306/8343) on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-03-15..

1. Hackett, Regina. [Wake up, Seattle. Portland's art world is gaining on you.](http://www.seattlepi.com/visualart/243793_portlandart.html)[dead link] *Seattle Post-Intelligencer*, October 10, 2005.

## External links

- [Jeff Jahn Official website](http://www.jeffjahn.com)
- [PORT](http://www.portlandart.net)
- [Archive of Jahn's *Critical i* articles from *the nw drizzle*](http://www.nwdrizzle.com/drizzle/archives/Criticalindex.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jeff Jahn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Jahn) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Jahn?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.