Tie One On: the Art of Fly Fishing

Western Oregon University is hosting a fly-fishing exhibit. From the StatesmanJournal in Salem Oregon:

The genesis of "The Art of Fly Fishing" was a simple show-and-tell session about a year ago.

"One
of the students — it was Jackson (Stalley), he’s a fly tyer — had
brought in some of the flies to show me," said Jerrie Lee Parpart. "And
I said, ‘Oh, we should do an exhibit on that.’ And it just sort of
blossomed from there."

Parpart, as the instructional support and exhibits coordinator at Western, was in a position to make it happen.

Along
with Stalley, a self-proclaimed "nontraditional student" and one of
three curators — Bryan Miyagishima and Camila Gabaldon are the others
– for the fly-fishing exhibit.

The theme is a natural, Stalley said.

"Especially
here in the Willamette Valley, with its abundance of great fly fishing;
and there are so many people on campus who fly fish.

"We thought it was something interesting and fun, and with a scientific ‘angle,’ if you will."

In
terms of aesthetics, the exhibit will feature the fly tyers’ art in
styles ranging from what might be called primitive through classical
and realist into creations that are almost surreal.

"We do have some standard nymphing patterns, things like those," Stalley said.

"But
we also have probably at least six to ten spey and Dee flies, and some
classic full-feathered Atlantic salmon flies, right down to wooly
buggers."

One of those who has caught the bug, so to speak, is Parpart.

"For
me, it was very exciting because I think flies are beautiful, for one
thing," she said about assembling the exhibit items. "Even the ones
that people call, you know, the scruffy ones that people use."

Along
with the static displays, the two-plus-monthlong run of the exhibit
includes readings from fly-fishing works by university professors and
others, special fly-tying and fly-casting demonstration days, and a
silent auction for a signed graphite fly rod donated by Dr. Robert
Hautala, a professor at Western.

As with most of the exhibits at the university, it draws on the talents of the school.

"Our focus is on those who are connected with Western Oregon — so alumni, faculty, students," Parpart said.

Along
with willing volunteers from the fly-fishing community, such as Richard
Bunse of Salem, an artist, illustrator, photographer, tyer and casting
instructor; and Ted Leeson of Corvallis, a renowned fly-fishing author
who is going to be reading from his works.