The world is ever-changing. We can each struggle with pausing and being in the moment. With gaining a new perspective or perception.

Perception and perspective can come in many ways.

One such way is art. Each piece in a new take on an idea. We each see something different, even if it’s only very slight. One person will treasure what another has thrown away.

At SFCC this quarter, there are two new exhibits filled with opportunity to gain something new.

Both have work from artists scattered throughout the Inland Northwest and beyond. The art exhibit Pareidolia features pieces from nine local Portland artists and former students of the previous Alexandra Gallery director David Andersen. Andersen is the one who chose the artists for the exhibit.

Zachary Andersen, Hector Ornelas, AJ Escobar, Nora Brodnicki, Justin Taylor, Stan Evenson, Don Olson, Kate Simmons and David Andersen are the artists whose work currently fills the SFCC Fine Arts Gallery. All have websites if you wish to see more of their work.

The exhibit’s name was selected after the pieces had been. According to Tom O’Day, a fine arts instructor at SFCC, “Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon that causes people to see patterns in a random stimulus. This often leads to people assigning human characteristics to objects.”

Human traits can be found throughout the exhibit. Haunting eyes capture viewers as they scan the room. New perspectives greet spectators with every turn of the head.

SFCC’s Fine Arts Gallery is presenting the exhibit. It opened on Jan. 6 and will be open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until Feb. 11. It is located in building 6, the SFCC fine arts building. On Feb. 11, Andersen will be doing a walk-through at 11:30 a.m. It is open to the public and refreshments will be available. There will be a workshop from 1-3 p.m. with fine art students having priority.

In a separate exhibit in the photography building, building 11, a group show of photographs is on display.

Walls of white hold an array of colors and tones with different scenes filling each picture frame.

The exhibit doesn’t have a specific theme. When they called for entries, a collection from what was received blended well and created the show now on display.

“As it so happened, there was a complementary mix of tableau, landscape and still-life, in both color and black and white,” said Melissa Rackham, a photography instructor at SFCC.

Matthew Boyle (@10mwboyle), Noel C. Pierce (@npierce102), Christina Sanborn (@christinasanbornphotography), Chance Keso (@chancekeso), and Charlayna Adams (@charlayna_adams_photography) are the photographers with work in the gallery. Keso and Adams are graduates of SFCC’s photography program.

The show is juried. That means a juror, often one with a trained eye in the field, chooses what works well in the space or theme and with one another. The upcoming call for entry will feature an internationally known juror. To find out who, follow the SFCC Photo Gallery on Facebook or Instagram (@sfccphotogallery) and watch for the post with details.

The gallery has been open since Jan. 6 and will be so until the last day of winter quarter, March 26. It can be visited from 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Art exhibits aren’t the only place to gain new perspectives and perceptions, but they’re a great place to start when looking for one. O’Day says it well: It’s as easy as “simply taking the time to look at something.”