Think Out Loud

What is the point of an art critic? Oregon arts writers shares their thoughts

Do we need art critics? If you ask Bob Hicks, executive editor of Oregon ArtsWatch, he says “critic” is a dumb word. As he argues in his recently published piece [https://www.orartswatch.org/the-first-thing-we-do-lets-kill-all-the-critics/], the role of art criticism isn’t to be the final say in whether a piece of work is good or bad, but rather to be the start of a conversation. At the same time, arts journalism as a whole has faced a number of setbacks in the industry this year, including [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/10/arts-criticism-future/684523/?gift=VFSJ6MT2hEf9HZId98JST4s3aQHHqkWoGErhQOmWjYY&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share] the Associated Press ending its book reviews, Vanity Fair eliminating its reviews and the Chicago Tribune losing full-time movie reviewer Michael Phillips. But as Portland-based arts and culture writer Justin Duyao writes in his piece [https://www.orartswatch.org/maybe-the-critics-are-already-dead/] in response to Hicks, arts and cultural criticism isn’t dead, but has evolved to online spaces, including social media. Hicks and Duyao both join us to share their thoughts on modern day criticism.

Cannabis and hemp industry might be looking at a sea change

Last month, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. Cannabis is currently Schedule I, alongside drugs the DEA defines as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Trump’s order fast-tracks the reclassification, and it could significantly change the industry, opening new doors for cannabis research and easing a punishing tax burden faced by businesses that grow and sell the product. The order may also act as a counterbalance to the quickly closing “hemp loophole [https://natlawreview.com/article/opening-government-closing-hemp-loophole],” a provision in Congress’ shutdown-ending resolution that will ultimately put tighter restrictions on what products cannabis businesses can sell.   Beau Whitney is the chief economist at Whitney Economics, an Oregon-based cannabis and hemp consulting organization. Mason Walker is the CEO of East Fork Cultivars, an Oregon cannabis and hemp business. They join us to talk about how these ongoing changes could shape the future of the cannabis and hemp industries.

What Harney County officials and residents think about the 10-year anniversary of Malheur occupation

On Jan. 2, 2016, a dozen armed anti-government militants led by Ammon Bundy and his brother, Ryan, took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge [https://www.opb.org/news/series/burns-oregon-standoff-bundy-militia-news-updates/militia-oregon-wildlife-refuge-burns-bundy-hammond/] headquarters outside of Burns in Harney County. The 41-day siege at the bird sanctuary in rural Eastern Oregon attracted national and international media attention. On Jan. 26, one of the militants, Arizona rancher Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, died during an armed confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police. Law enforcement also arrested the Bundys and several of their supporters that day, although prosecutors failed to secure convictions of the Bundys [https://www.opb.org/news/series/burns-oregon-standoff-bundy-militia-news-updates/ammon-bundy-verdict-oregon-standoff-malheur-court/]and five other defendants during a trial in the fall.  OPB legal affairs reporter Conrad Wilson and OPB visual journalist Eli Imadali recently traveled to Harney County to see how the Malheur occupation reverberates within the community 10 years later [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/02/malheur-occupation-anniversary-southeast-oregon-harney-county/]. Wilson joins us to share what he learned and the perspectives of former officials and community members he spoke with about the occupation and the challenges the county grapples with today.

New director of University of Oregon’s Jordan Schnitzer art museum shares her vision and goals

In September, Olivia Miller [https://news.uoregon.edu/meet-new-director-uos-jordan-schnitzer-museum-art]returned to Eugene to start her new position as the executive director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon. She earned a master’s degree in art history from UO in 2009 and most recently served as the director of the University of Arizona’s Museum of Art in Tucson.     Miller curated two exhibits at UA’s art museum that featured works selected from Schnitzer’s vast art collection, including “The Art of Food,” [https://www.orartswatch.org/review-the-art-of-food/] which traveled to Portland State University in 2022 and other locations around the nation.   Miller joins us to share her experience so far leading the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at UO, as well as her priorities and future plans for it, which may include offering a class on art theft. It’s a subject Miller has some experience with after successfully leading the return and restoration [https://artmuseum.arizona.edu/about/woman-ochres-journey] of a painting by abstract artist Willem de Kooning that was stolen from University of Arizona’s art museum four decades ago.

Oregon ecologist on state's efforts to create safe wildlife corridors over busy roadways

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates 14.5 million wild vertebrate animals are killed on Oregon’s roadways each year. Data shows it’s difficult to control driver behavior with things like road signs and traffic regulations. A more effective way to mitigate animal fatalities is by redirecting the animals themselves. Wildlife crossings — human-made structures that allow animals to safely pass through habitats near roadways — have been a successful tool in preventing animal-motor fatalities. States like Montana, Colorado and California have over 100 wildlife crossings, while Oregon has only six. Rachel Wheat is a spatial ecologist who serves as the wildlife connectivity coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. She joins us to discuss her work and tactics for improving transportation infrastructure for wildlife in Oregon.