Telephone game inspires Lincoln City art exhibit

Most people are familiar with the classic game of telephone where one person whispers a phrase to someone else seated next to them and that person then whispers what they heard to the next person, and so on. The game continues until the last person shares aloud what they heard, often bearing little resemblance to the original message. 

Oregon ArtsWatch recently profiled an exhibit that opened in Lincoln City this month that showcases what happens when a group of local artists is invited to play telephone. But instead of a phrase that’s whispered, here the prompt came in the form of two photographs, including one of the Oregon coast taken at sunset. Each of the participating artists had only the work that preceded them for inspiration to interpret visual details, colors or objects they saw or imagined, and chose to pass on in their rendering for the next artist. The result is 18 works in a variety of different media, from watercolors to sculpture, fiber art to spray paint, some bearing little resemblance to the work that came before it. Krista Eddy is the visual arts director at the Lincoln City Cultural Center and the creator of the exhibit. She and Sam Jacobson, a featured artist based in Cascade Head, join us to talk about “The Telephone Game Group Invitational” which is on display until Feb. 11 at the Chessman Gallery at LCCC.