Joan Shipley at Blue Sky gallery/photo: Wayne Bund

Sometimes, we think of individual audience members, of ourselves, as passive receivers of culture when we attend performances or view exhibitions. That’s the wrong way to think about it, though, as some audience members prove beyond doubt. Today, the Portland Art Dealers Association has given its service award to one of those people, Joan Shipley, who couldn’t be less passive. Here’s what PADA wrote:

It is our pleasure and honor to recognize Joan Shipley for her many years of support and interest in the visual arts. Our community is deeply enriched by Joan’s interest, time, work, enthusiasm, donations and collecting.

Over the years, my path has criss-crossed that of Joan and her husband John constantly at arts, theater and dance events. Her enthusiasm for the arts, her attraction to its wilder, more experimental manifestations, her insights into particular works and performances and her great, generous and gracious spirit — any one of these would qualify her for this award in my mind. Together, they have made her an absolutely crucial person in the arts scene here, and Oregon Arts Watch could not second an award any more loudly.

The photograph was taken at Blue Sky’s 35th anniversary celebration, which Shipley helped to plan. Perfect.