Out of the Fire: Bullseye Gallery and William Grant & Sons
A Whisky Tasting Benefit for North Lands Creative Glass
When: Saturday, March 21, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Where: Bullseye Gallery
300 NW 13th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209 USA
Cost: $100 individual, $175 couple
RSVP: Seating is limited; 503-227-0222
Portland, OR – For the last seven years Bullseye Glass Company has collaborated with North Lands Creative Glass to send artists to teach, learn, and experiment in the program’s studios, located in the northernmost county of the Scottish Highlands. To share the results of these artists’ experiences, Bullseye Gallery has gathered together the work of this singular artistic community in Due North, on display from January 27 – March 21, 2009. In conjunction with this exhibition, Bullseye Gallery has partnered with William Grant & Sons, the distillers of Glenfiddich and Balvenie whiskies, to host a benefit tasting on Saturday, March 21, in support of the continued excellence of the North Lands program.
Five days a week the skilled craftspeople of Bullseye Glass Company pour, roll, and shape glass into sheets and other forms, using methods rooted in the late seventeenth century and re-invented by company founders in the 1970s. Over the past 35 years Bullseye has channeled this dedication to glass into support for individual artists and art-school programs by developing new materials with an unparalleled focus on quality. The Bullseye Gallery represents the most dynamic of these artists through exhibitions and projects that sit at the leading edge of contemporary studio glass.
As one of the last remaining family-owned distillers in Scotland, William Grant & Sons boasts a five-generation line of dedicated whiskymen. Over the years, their finely crafted spirits have garnered them a record number of accolades, most recently the Distiller of the Year title from the 2008 International Spirits Challenge and the inaugural Excellence in Craftsmanship award for its Glenfiddich malts. Their combination of a long heritage and artisanal production makes them an ideal partner with which to honor the influence of North Lands Creative Glass.
Surrounded by art inspired by the unique climes of Northern Scotland, Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador Ray Pearson, will lead a guided tasting of five single malts, including three Glenfiddich whiskies and two from the Balvenie distillery. Over the course of the evening, Pearson will explain the nuanced aromas that result from different years spent in the barrels, as well as the unique characters of the two distilleries’ spirits, made only a half-mile apart.
Bullseye Gallery director Lani McGregor fondly points out that, “[North Lands Creative Glass], which brought us and our glass to the Scottish Highlands, has proven itself to be a sort of crucible where artists from around the world regularly create works in glass that have the distinctive imprint of the region’s character.” That same character resides in the whisky that will be poured to celebrate its legacy.
Download: Due North, January 21, 2009