Lessons for Artists From Ursula K. Le Guin

"There's a particular magic in discovering the worlds created by the late prescient author Ursula K. Le Guin, from the Earthsea archipelago to the planet of Gethen. The former series was one of the first I encountered as a young reader that centered non-White characters. Even her carefully drawn maps reveal a mind with gears always turning, swirling with storylines that defied linearity and conventions of science fiction - and the way writers speak to their readers."

""I hoped visitors to A Larger Reality, at Oregon Contemporary through February 8, could experience a little of the residual magic that I find clings to it, pecking out whatever they please, taking home the original and leaving a carbon copy for posterity," writes Downes-Le Guin, musing on the limitations of narrative and how to tell his mother's stories."

Theo Downes-Le Guin curated A Larger Reality at Oregon Contemporary in Portland, presenting artifacts and materials connected to Ursula K. Le Guin’s life and imaginative worlds. The exhibition showcases Earthsea maps, references to the planet Gethen, and carefully drawn objects that reflect a continually inventive mind. A functioning typewriter was placed on view for visitors to type and leave copies, making the show participatory and mutable. The presentation highlights non-White central characters in Earthsea, nonlinear storylines, and experimentation with narrative conventions. The curation emphasizes willingness to learn and change rather than idolization, inviting visitors to experience and contribute to Le Guin’s enduring imaginative presence.

Read at Hyperallergic