This content was published: October 13, 2006. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Staff remember Dick Helzer, long time art instructor
Photos and story by James Hill
They came to not only see his finished artwork, but also to remember the artist.
The life and work of late instructor Dick Helzer will be on display this fall at the Rock Creek Art Gallery (renamed the Helzer Art Gallery) through October. On Oct. 6, staff, faculty and students gathered at the newly christened gallery to pay their respects to Helzer.
A prolific artist, Helzer spent 37 years as a teacher of sculpture and drawing at PCC. The Rock Creek Gallery will be dedicated and renamed in his honor during the memorial gathering. There will be a gathering in The Forum for individuals to share memories and stories of Helzer.
The exhibition of Helzer’s sculptures and drawings includes works from the early 1970s as well as pieces made this year. Largely representational, the works show Helzer’s keen understanding of such modern masters as Auguste Rodin, Aristide Maillol and Henry Moore. The sculptures also highlight Helzer’s command of a range of media from stone to wood and from clay to bronze. 
In response to his wishes, a Dick Helzer Memorial Art Scholarship was established through the PCC Foundation for selected art students in the program. The funds would go to pay for tuition, books and art supplies for the year. Faculty and staff donated money to help the fund get started.
To learn how to donate to the fund, contact the PCC Foundation at 503-977-4382.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »