Exhibition Dates: January 22 – March 12, 2026
Community Reception: February 12, 6:00 p.m.
Location: Royal Nebeker Gallery, 1799 Lexington Avenue, Clatsop Community College, Astoria, OR
The sixteenth annual international juried exhibit, Au Naturel: The Nude in the 21st Century, will be on display from January 22 through March 12, 2026, with a community reception on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., at Clatsop Community College’s Royal Nebeker Art Gallery, located at 1799 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR.
This prestigious exhibition celebrates the enduring subject of the nude human figure in contemporary art, featuring diverse interpretations across a wide range of media including drawing, painting, printmaking, and a limited selection of three-dimensional work where the handmade mark remains central.
Awards to be announced at the reception include $1,000 in cash prizes, up to $2,000 in purchase awards, opportunities for future solo or group exhibitions at the Royal Nebeker Gallery, and a select number of visiting artist workshop awards. This reception is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.
Gallery visitors are invited to cast a vote for their favorite piece throughout the full run of the exhibit. Ballots will be tallied at the close of the show, and the winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced.
This year, 48 works of art were selected from over 300 images submitted by artists from 20 states in addition to international submissions from Canada. The 2026 exhibit will include artwork created by 39 artists from 12 states across the U.S. and Canada.
It is a testament to the incredibly vibrant figurative artist community on Oregon’s North Coast that six artists from the area were selected for the 2026 show: Karina Andrews (Astoria), Bryan Hobein (Astoria), Roger McKay (Astoria), Ben Rosenberg (Manzanita), Sherrie Wolf (Manzanita), and Karen Strand (Longview).
The exhibition showcases a rich range of stylistic approaches and expressive content. For example:
- Karina Andrews (Astoria, OR) contributes Siren, a woodblock print on paper that reflects on the disconnection from one’s body after childbirth: “a body suddenly torn apart and stretched into previously unknown forms—wading through a new sea of body realities, expectations and physical responsibilities.”
- Roger McKay (Astoria, OR) brings Sophia, Nude Humanoid AI Robot, an oil on panel that portrays a humanoid AI robot reclining nude on a chaise lounge, drawing direct inspiration from Manet’s Olympia and Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus.
- Beth Kehoe (Lake Forest Park, WA) presents Mountain Woman, a painting expressing the emotion of being curled up and content in nature, deeply connected yet unaffected by shifting winds and weather.
- Two striking ceramic sculptures by Linda Jerome (Hillsboro, OR) were selected, including Grappling with Reality (Cone 6 stoneware with stain and glaze), adding a tactile, three-dimensional presence to the show.
- Elena Frost (Greenville, SC) reimagines Giambologna’s classical subject in The Abduction of a Sabine Woman, an oil on canvas that transforms historical conflict into “mutual harmony, celebrating sensual unity… bodies in rhythmic balance… reborn in modern tenderness and beauty.”
This year’s juror, Martha Lee, is the owner and director of the Russo Lee Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Philadelphia, Lee received a B.A. in Art History from the University of Oregon and has been working in the fine arts community for over 35 years. Her gallery career began as an art consultant and director at the Gango Gallery in Portland. She joined the Laura Russo Gallery in 1996, working closely with Laura Russo for 14 years. Notably, Laura Russo served as juror for the 2010 Au Naturel exhibition and, with Martha Lee’s close assistance, completed the jurying process shortly before her passing that year. In 2010, Lee purchased the gallery and, in 2016, renamed it the Russo Lee Gallery to honor Russo’s foundational vision while signaling its continued evolution.
The Russo Lee Gallery remains firmly rooted in a deep commitment to the Pacific Northwest art community, providing a venue that brings the richness of the region’s visual arts together with an ever-expanding audience. Lee has served on a variety of juries and art committees, including the Sitka Art Invitational, the PNCA Annual BFA Juried Exhibition, the Cascade AIDS Project Art Auction, Portland Open Studios, and the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Art Prize from Portland State University, as well as a panelist for the Oregon Women’s Caucus for Art. She is a long-time board member of the Portland Art Dealers Association and served as its President from 2012 to 2014.
To view images of all the artwork selected for the 2026 exhibit, please visit the 2026 gallery of the Au Naturel website, which will be available for viewing by January 22, 2026.
Gallery Hours Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sundays and holidays: By appointment only.
