Chase Gallery

The mission of the Chase Gallery is to exhibit works that engage the public, bring people to a new outlook on contemporary issues, feature innovative artwork, and provide space for people of all backgrounds to share their perspective through art. The gallery showcases rotating exhibitions throughout the year, championing local Spokane artists and their work.

The Chase Gallery, located inside Spokane’s City Hall, is currently open for visitors whenever City Hall is open to the public and for First Friday receptions. Stop by and see the gallery Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (gallery access may be limited Tuesday mornings) and the First Friday of each month from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Flow Biologica: A Conversation on the Art of Nature

Approaching the beauty of biology from different angles, Finn Pond and Meghan Jones bring unique perspectives to a richly colored and detailed celebration of the natural world. Pond, an emeritus professor of biology at Whitworth University, channels his love of protozoa and other organisms into colorful artistic expression. Jones brings her Bachelor of Fine Arts and modern impressionist skills to illustrate and share her passion for deep-sea organisms, habitats, and science education. Their work invites others to find artistic inspiration in nature, and to consider the role of artists in celebrating the organisms of our world. Together their artwork bridges the gap between Fine Art and Science Communication, creating a space in the middle to observe, listen, and contemplate.

Finn Pond is a biologist and self-taught artist. His journey into painting began when he found some discarded oil paints of his mother’s and discovered that he enjoyed spending quiet and meditative time with paints and brushes, filling a canvas with images. This began his lifelong interest in the visual arts. From an early age, he was drawn to the beauty in nature, and over the years his love for the natural world has fed both his scientific and artistic interests. He endeavors to bring to the canvas a bit of the beauty he find in living systems and natural environments.

Artist statement

As a biologist and artist, I am continually fascinated by the intricate beauty and complexity of biological systems, both at the microscopic and macroscopic levels. My paintings often begin with an abstracted image of the natural world—an isolated aspect of some organism, the essence of a biological process, or an ecological setting. From this initial inspiration, my goal is to capture the vibrant energy of living systems without losing the sense of an interconnected and organic whole.

Some of my work emphasizes vibrant colors and dynamic movement, and at other times subtle transitions of color and form, acknowledging that there always exists a delicate tension between chaos and order in nature. Consequently, some paintings are dense and intimate landscapes of color and shape, others are more ethereal.

Through abstraction and an emphasis on organic movement, I strive for a harmonious interaction of elements, trying to capture some of what is at the heart of natural phenomena. I invite viewers to see the natural world differently and immerse themselves in the beauty all around them.

Meghan Jones has a BFA from the Alberta University of the Arts. She spent 12 years designing knitting patterns for magazines like Vogue Knitting before returning to her fine art roots in 2021. A chance connection with Deep Sea Scientists who shared photos from the deepest of ocean habitats captured her imagination in 2023 and rekindled a childhood love of all things science. Now Meghan uses her modern impressionism painting style, and research based art to raise awareness, and promote love for the deep ocean. You can find more of her work on Instagram @studio_mbj  and online at www.studiombj.com

Artist Statement

My work is an effort to enhance biological sciences with art, by depicting deep ocean organisms and habitats, in a modern impressionist and sometimes surrealist style. My paintings are created to share my appreciation and love for the lesser known natural world, especially those areas that we as fragile humans cannot access easily, and organisms we may feel  less emotionally attached to.

Many of the photos I work from are taken deep below the surface of the ocean in the Abyssal  and Hadal Zones at measurements of ~6,000m (19, 685 ft) to ~10,000m (32,808 ft). This last frontier is only accessible by manned submersible or science lander, and the resulting photos of Abyssal Grenadiers and Super Giant Amphipods- among other species- are truly fascinating to me.

Sixteen of the paintings exhibited at the Chase Gallery in 2025 are being published as illustrations for a children’s book on deep ocean habitats and organisms. Initially titled The Unusual Ocean: Who Lives in the Deep, this book will be published by Rowman and Littlefield releasing sometime in early 2026. The remaining 5 pieces I have on display are the beginning of a series investigating the depths of the human psyche and the complexities of interpersonal relationships; using imagery from impassable realms such as the deep ocean or outer space.

I would like to extend a special thank you to Professor A.J.  Jamieson of the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre for his generous photo reference permissions.

You can find more of my work on instagram @studio_mbj and join the mailing list for the book release at www.studiombj.com

For more information about the exhibit and other Spokane Arts events, please visit www.SpokaneArts.org or contact Program Director, Jeremy Whittington.

Explore the various experiences of young women artists in Spokane through the work of Emily Flynn-Delay, Carly Ellis, Lily Henderson and Elsa Oxford. 

These four emerging artists, between the ages of 22 and 30, will exhibit their works in a show opening Friday, May 2, titled “Portraits from Within; 4 Emerging Spokane Artists.” Spokane Arts, the nonprofit that amplifies Spokane as the region’s hub of arts and culture, invites the public to celebrate the show’s First Friday opening along with the exhibition’s artists from 5:00 – 7:30 PM at the Chase Gallery on the lower level of City Hall at 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. 

To spice up what is already sure to be an entertaining opening, Spokane Arts and Kelly Baker, an arts commissioner who also curated this exhibition (running through June 27), have booked DJ Spicy Ketchup to provide music for the event. “Spokane Arts is excited to amplify the voices of these strong, individual artists,” said Skyler Oberst, Executive Director of Spokane Arts. “Their work around self-reflection and personal expression is an inspiration to all who seek to create an artistic practice centered on conjuring curiosity and self-examination among viewers.”

While employing different mediums and a wide range of viewpoints, all four artists use portraiture to explore questions of self-perception and identity as young women. Another common thread among all four is that they have, at some point in their lives, called Spokane “home” and are relatively recent university art program graduates. They have created portraits of themselves or of those in their inner circle, which portray a view of their experiences not only as artists, but also as young women at a particular moment in their lives, careers and communities.

Their mediums vary, and include sculpture, painting, stop-motion animation, and photography-based works. Emily Flynn-Delay will include two sculpture pieces drawn from her own personal experiences as well as debut new painted portrait works from her “Names” series. Carly Ellis contributes her photo-manipulated works which explore “the duality women face” in our society’s contradictory demands and views of women, leaving them to piece back together their own sense of self and identity. “Despite what may have been stolen or altered, there is power in piecing together fragments to redefine who we are,” Ellis said in a written statement. Lily Henderson, a sculpture and diorama artist using familiar adolescent materials, creates scenes which first appear disarmingly naive, but upon reflection reveal a complex tension. She explores childhood memories, safety, and the pressures associated with the transition into adulthood. Elsa Oxford paints portraits of both herself and of her loved ones, exploring “the chaos, belonging, and stillness in family dynamics,” she wrote. Viewers can sense the intimacy in her relationships through her brushstrokes and candid, natural moments she captures in her portraits.

For more information about the exhibit and other Spokane Arts events, please visit www.SpokaneArts.org or contact Program Director, Jeremy Whittington.