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Wed, October 8, 2025
Southwestern Oregon Community College is pleased to announce its first-ever Guest Artist in Residence. This year’s guest artist, Tristan Perrotti, is a Portland-based visual artist, arts advocate, and educator.
“This is the first time in the college’s history that we have hosted an Artist in Residence, and we’re excited to share this opportunity with the community we serve! It will be a truly unique experience for our students and for anyone who has the chance to work with Tristan or engage with his work,” said Ali Mageehon, Vice President of Instruction and Student Services.
The Guest Artist in Residence project is a partnership between the College, SWOCC Foundation, private donors, and the Coos Art Museum. It’s designed to provide a nearly year-long opportunity for an artist to focus on their work, inspire artistic exploration, and drive collaboration between the college and community.
“It is vitally important in a community to have the arts flourish. Coos Bay and North Bend have always had a major art community. To support that community with The Arts and an Artist in Residence is important. SWOCC Foundation is committed and excited in being able to help,” said Arnie Roblan, SWOCC Foundation Chair.
The program will run from September 2025 – June 2026 at Southwestern’s Coos Campus. Through the year, Perrotti will continue to build his personal practice, mentor students through workshops, and have access to the College’s gallery space in Eden Hall to exhibit his own work.
Perrotti will be giving an Artist Talk to present his work and artistic philosophy on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 5:00 pm. The presentation takes place in the Eden Hall lecture room, on the Coos Campus (1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay). The college will provide a reception with refreshments in the Eden Hall lobby. This event is free and open to the public.
This is event is scheduled on the eve of the annual Bay Area Artists Association exhibit opening the next day on Thursday, October 9, 11:00 am -1:00 pm. This makes for a lively “Art-stranvaganza” on campus with back-to-back visual arts events in Eden Hall.
About the Artist:
Raised in rural southern Oregon, Perrotti holds an MFA in Visual Studies from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and has exhibited nationally and internationally, including solo and group shows in Portland, Los Angeles, and Bucharest, Romania, as well as art fairs in Seattle, New York, and San Francisco. Beyond his studio practice, he has curated exhibitions that elevate emerging and underrepresented voices in contemporary art.
Perrotti’s work bridges the emotional immediacy of expressionist portraiture with a sustained engagement in community and public life, exploring masculinity, labor, and the performance of self through painting.
Perrotti brings a record of arts advocacy, having worked in the Oregon State Legislature to champion historic preservation, creative economy jobs, and access to arts education. His residency at Southwestern will focus on creating new, site-responsive work and fostering connections across the Bay Area arts community.
You can contact Perrotti at tristan.perrotti@socc.edu or by calling 541-841-1585.