Wednesday, December 01, 2004

December

This month, take a look at the Ed Ruscha print show at Augen. Ruscha is a West Coast Artist who went unappreciated in NY for ever, but is back for the revenge of quality and longevity. He was selected to represent the US at the Venice Biennale and his 1970 Chocolate Room has been reconstructed at LA's MOCA. Also upstairs at Augen take a look at recent Portland arrival Chris Johanson's prints and a more refined encaustic look by Chris Kelly.
augengallery.com

The RC Gallery, above the Peruvian restraunt at the corner of 13 and NW Glisan has a group show curated by Trish Grantham including her work, Lisa Dejohn, Scott Patt and Amy Ruppel. The work is sweet as well as contemporary.
rc-gallery.com

Belinki and Deprey and Gallery 500 host a show of political pop art including many Portland art stars.
belinkiandduprey.com and gallery500.org

The New American Art Union hosts a group show of art they will actually buy from the artists and lottery off to their members. Keep an eye on this space and its great artist curators.
newarmericanartunion.com

Pacific Switchboard shows serial work - think multi panel cartoons and more abstract multiples. My favorite are Jason Funk's 3 panel illustrations set in Japan. Joe Hilsenrad has a great telephone installation which is not to be missed. All the prices are super reasonable! The cafe gallery is open many hours and they also host an always relevant antiwar poetry open mic on December friday evenings 7:30.
pacificswitchboard.com

Finally Savage has got its groove back with the Surface Tension show. The Parlato paintings of slick poured paint are outstanding. I confess, I like bright shiny things! The other work by Jacin Giordano shows a subtle sense of composition with materials that would be at home in Ready Made, while delicate paper tracery by Doug Morris offers layers of detail in which to loose yourself. Finally some of Aaron Van Dyke's (#2) constructions are dreamlike, simple, but hit home.
savageartresources.com

Also don't forget the Urban Art Network's indoor sale at the Crystal Ballroom 1PM-9PM Sunday December 19.

Friday, October 01, 2004

October Surprises

Closing party Friday October 1 7-10... With live music and a great group show curated by Vicki Lynn Wilson. Be there early to experience the interactive "Who is the most.." installation - do not miss this!!! See Vladimir's hilarious narrated Viewmaster stereo viewer saga of roaches "Licifugia Thigmotaxis" , your kitchen friend. Yolanda Baca's "Waterfall Overload (7 days of news)" is a poignant personal response to the sad political news, so unfortunately commonplace. Philip Cooper's "Acrylight" continues his experiments with projection on diverse surfaces. Cynthia Star's "My heart is filled with Sugar" incorporates a live ant colony, but her work could be improved by a bit more time spent on fabrication. Chandra Bocci's "Ritual" presages her Haze Gallery show opening October 9. She again proves cute and contemporary art can coexist to create new mythologies. 420 NW 9th x Glisan www.blackfish.com

At the Burnside Powells, third floor, Jessica Bronk creates mysterious moody-romantic landscapes compatible with the Northwest but not quite in it. Her work is a welcome break from the usual encaustic encrusted Northwest style.

Closing party Friday October 1 Blackfish - see above

Opening Friday October 1 CO7 2000 SE 7th 7-11 ish

Opening Friday October 1 group show of past hits. Pacific Switchboard N Albina at Blandena 7-11 ish.


Visit Jupiter October 1-3

Portland's newest too cool for school hotel, the Jupiter Hotel - 800 East Burnside, wedged between KBOO and Union Jacks, is being taken over by art for just this weekend. Portland, and some Seattle, SF, LA and galleries elsewhere are showing their wares in the hotel rooms. Included are Portland's sweethearts, Motel. Disjecta, excluded, simply rented a room for its artists. So see where you fit into the schedule below since they are charging for some events.

www.affair-jupiterhotel.com

Also consider hearing some Portland artists talk for free Saturday at 5 at the Ecotrust building about their working process:
www.jeffjahn.com/HavingWords.htm

If you are a visual artist wondering how the hell you can support yourself doing it, this is good research material!


Friday, Oct 1
6-9 PM Opening Night Gala (collectors and press)
* $25 ticket (RSVP to stuart@affair-jupiterhotel.com)
Music by DJ Entropy
Catering by Devil's Food

Saturday, Oct 2
10-11:30 AM Panel Discussion on Biennial & Art Fair Culture
with Saul Ostrow, Andrea Fraser, Regine Basha, Stephanie Snyder
* FREE

Saturday, Oct 2 & Sunday, Oct 3
Hours 12-7 PM
* $5 general/$3 student


from the event's press release:
"AFFAIR @ the Jupiter Hotel is the first professional art fair in the history of Portland. It brings together 22 adventurous art dealers and guest curators who will set up temporary galleries in rooms at the newly opened Jupiter Hotel. A lively panel discussion, impromptu parties, and surprise guests will provide additional infotainment.

Why Portland, why now?

Portland is known by artists as a great place to live and make work, but it's almost impossible to make a living here entirely as an artist. But as Portland develops its reputation among out of town collectors and galleries more opportunities for Portland artists to sell out of town. This art fair is part of that process.

At AFFAIR @ the Jupiter Hotel there will be art on the beds, the walls, in closets, in bathrooms. Visitors will roam the rooms on the hunt for beauty, intelligence, and a good deal. Since the doors are blackboards, rooms come outfitted with colored chalk, each threshold is an instant message center for posting sales, phone numbers, websites, parties, etc. Most of the art at the fair will fall into the emerging or mid-career categories, with prices ranging between $500-$10,000."


October Roundup

This month, the non profits and indy galleries are the standouts!

At Blue Sky Gallery blueskygallery.org you can see the 10 photographers of mixed style selected from 6000 in a worldwide competition. All different and all outstanding.

In the Everett Lofts, Mo shows Etch a Sketch inspired portrait drawings made in one continuous line at Genuine Imitation genuineimitation.com in his Labyrinthine Projections show.

See Adam Haynes just rough enough drawings, Robert Mars retro car culture urbanscape compositions derived from photos and Mike McGovern's posterific characters in the Delamination show at Milk: milk-studio.com rock.

H Adam Haynes takes an original tack in his presentation of 360 degree panoramic landscape photographs at Koidu.

Down the street at Motel motelgallery.com the hug me illustrators Carson Ellis, Jen Corace and Susie Ghahremani present sweet work. Affordable!

In contrast, around the corner at Backspace backspace.bz, Bruce Walker shows hyperreal large format color portraits of American military men and women in Iraq. See it, think about it.

At Disjecta disjecta.org, Liz Haley has curated some standouts, mixing Brooklyn and Portland artists. The video work is uninteresting, but some of the photo work and the prints and drawings of Chris Johanson are well worth a look. It's Disjecta's last show, if you have a lead on a new space for them, contact Bryan.

PNCA plays host to presentation boards by the Portland Design Festival winners in the areas architecture, design, fashion, graphics and cross discipline work. All of the work is targeted for a life well beyond Portland and the quality shows. pdxdesigncollaborative.com/PDXDesign.html

Finally, over at Savage savageartresources.com, see the Bambi Effect show curated by Laurel Gitlen, one half of the force behind the Jupiter hotel Art Fair. The show includes international art stars, such as Justine Kurland, all of whose work seems disturbingly at home in rainy rur-urban Portland.

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

Last Chance for September's Hits

Sean Healy is expanding beyond his photo/glass/acrylic constructions to more sculptural and more graphic forms. Though colorful, the sculptural work needs either more edge or more irony. The even more colorful graphic works etched into glass are a great new direction - a great sendup for Sean's upcoming show in Germany. at Elizabeth Leach 207 SW Pine www.elizabethleach.com

Sunday, August 01, 2004

August gone fishin

August

This month I have no data for first Thursday, I'm traveling to Central Asia and will miss August's First Thursday. So if you see something you like, spread the word!

Peace and freedom, we need more!


Superflat Godzilla spawns a brood

Only limited time this month for wall art? Visit Just Be Toys/Video/Art at the corner of NW 5th and Couch for this show:

http://www.justbedesign.com/JBD03/compound/0804_digmeout/0804_digmeout.html

The work is great and carries on in the vein of Murakami's 2001 Superflat show - art in the style of manga and anime. Is it art (Art)? - it's fun, so who cares?

The Digmeout model of a periodical showcasing the works of young Osaka artists to the world should be emulated here in Portland.

Thursday, July 01, 2004

July

July 1 First Thursday


Erin Kennedy's deceptively simple schematic compositions are the perfect mixer for summer love. "he loves me he loves me not" daisies abound.
Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery www.pulliamdeffenbaugh.com 522 NW 12th opening until 8:30

Mail art show - buy good art here cheap - Zine Central:Reading Frenzy - 921 SE Oak opening til 9

Always a hit

Blue Sky/Nines Conceptual art space is hit or miss, but when it is a hit, how sweet; meanwhile the photos tend toward Arbus- style disaffection, be it David Lynchian suburbs or charmingly mythical images from South and Central America. 1231 NW Hoyt opening until 9:30

Compound/Just Be Toys/Video/Design/am I forgetting anything? The upstairs of this Japanese Action Figure Emporium is a great and affordable and very up to date gallery. A big hangout too for Japanese expats. corner NW Couch and 6th opening til 10

Motel - what can I say, the quintessential DIY spot for accessories and cool hand made household objects has a tiny gallery space with warm fuzzy art you would love to take home for a song. NW Couch between 5th and 6th

Fashion Incubator See and be seen - fashion, another of Portland's art forms. Every 2 months the laboratory store is remade by a new set of designers. corner NW 5th and Couch opening til 8ish

Always a party, sometimes a hit

Various Everett Station Lofts and Ogle corner NW Everett and Broadway opening til 10 or so

Group show Gallery 500 420 SW Washington, 5th floor opening til 2

Paintings of skateboarders? Mark Wooley Gallery 120 NW 9th til 10


First Friday July 2

Head over after taking in the SE - this is the big show of the evening

Uncle Unkeles - - a curated show of artists who rent space or who have in the past from this landlord to the warehouse artist Haze Gallery www.hazegallery.com 6635 N Baltimore opens 7-11ish (see the press release below)

Start early in the SE

5d Show: Exploring Space. This work / exhibition space is open random last Fridays. Sometimes the quality is good. _Hall Gallery 630 SE 3rd opens Friday 7-10ish

Hot Girls Cool Guys New Space Photo 1632 SE 10th opens Friday 7-9ish

And (don't know the artists, so pot luck):

Photos, pastels, jewlery Studio 1636 1636 SE 10
Photos and Paintings tiny's 1412 SE 12th
Group show Studio 2507 2507 SE Clinton
Photos genie's Cafe 1101 SE Division

Our friends at Dragonlilly are considering joining the first Friday art showings, stay tuned...


www.hazegallery.com

Who/What: Twenty-One Years of Studios: Friends of Carton Service
A historic exhibition that celebrates the work of more than 150 artists who, at some point since 1983, have harbored their Portland studio in one the Unkeles Family’s buildings.

When: July 2, 2004 - Opening Party! – 7-11pm
Food, beverages, entertainment

Gallery hours continue from noon-6pm on Saturdays and Sundays
July 10/11, July 17/18 and July 24/25

Where: Cathedral Park Place - 6635 N. Baltimore
Near the East End of the historic St. Johns Bridge

*note: The St. Johns Bridge will be closed July 10, 11, 24, and 25, eliminating access from Hwy. 30. However, the site can still be found easily. Directions: take I-5 North to the Portland Blvd. exit. Take a left onto Portland Boulevard. It will curve right and become Willamette Blvd. Pass both water towers, go under the St. Johns Bridge and take a left onto Baltimore, towards the boat ramp. Cathedral Park Place is the orange building on the right. Parking is available inside.
In 1983 the Unkeles family bought a vacant, pigeon-infested industrial building that had previously been home to the "North Coast Seed Co." Their business, Carton Service, needed only part of the warehouse to store its inventory, so they ran an advertisement to rent the leftover space. Peter Teneau, a mid-career sculptor, answered the ad and became their first artist tenant. "I hate moving," he said. "What I need is a studio I can stay in for the rest of my career that I won't get priced out of." He trained them well. They agreed on a month-to-month lease, shook hands, and Peter moved out when he retired seventeen years later.
Since then the Unkeles family has rented space to over 400 artists in ten buildings throughout the city. The primary studio complexes today are: The North Coast Seed Co. Bldg., The Carton Service Bldg., The Northwest Marine Iron Works Complex, River St. Studios, and their newest project, in partnership with David Gold, Cathedral Park Place in St. Johns. Artists have included: Cynthia Lahti, Matt McCormick, Kristan Kennedy, Raul Mendez and Ed King, Dana Louis, Melody Owen, Stephen Hayes, Alex Hirsch, Scott Becker, Julie Keefe, Philip Krohn, Jerry Mayer, Whitney Nye, Meg Rowe, Cris Moss, Joe Thurston, Kelley Baker, Jacqueline Ehlis, the Pander Brothers. . . and the list goes on.
To celebrate their 21st year of working with artists, in commemoration of Carton Service's 50th anniversary, and because there is some vacant space to use out in St. Johns (40,000 sq. feet for this show!), the Unkeles family invites you to come celebrate the work of these artists and explore the history behind Twenty-One Years of Studios: Friends of Carton Service.

Wed July 7

Gallery CO7 hosts an opening of painting and sculpture + an ambient/radioheadish DJ Wednesday July 7 from 7-11PM at 2000 SE 7th

Extra credit:

PNCA NW Johnson and 13th has a group show of recent art school graduates across Oregon. Take a look at Jennifer Zimmerman’s work made of plain old window screen and a most outstanding piece by Renae Kowitz “field” - an about 15 foot square carpet of toy plastic army men, in a pattern of pink and green. The variety of profiles of the figures, standing, laying, etc. creates a varied texture as shaggy as our current foreign policy.

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

More June Events and Art

Haze Gallery Opening Saturday June 5th
topic posted Fri, May 28, 2004 - 6:04 PM

Hazegallery.com Way out in St. Johns (! carpool) Bruce Conkle appropriates weird and wonderful aspects of the Northwest environment to create works like the Sasquatch Feng Shui living room and repurposed video game landscapes. See his work in New York, London and Reykjavík, or this show in Portland! 7-10ish free postscript: the Haze closed, the curator went on a sailboat trip, was in the Indian Ocean when the Tsunami hit, survived and now is in LA. His assistant is in art history/theory at the Claremont Colleges



Pacific Switchboard - June
topic posted Tue, June 1, 2004

Pacific Switchboard a DIY-style exhibition space has great openings with a great crowd of artists, musicians and creative people!
Corner of N. Albina and Blandena

"Dear friends of Pacific Switchboard,
Perhaps some of you have already heard that JUNE IS THE LAST MONTH of
Pacific Switchboard’s art space as we currently know it. At the end of June
our lease is up, and our existence is changing. Renovations and structural
changes happen in July, and in August, PS will re-open as part of a shared
space, which we will no longer fully control. This means a lot of
interesting things, but for now what it means is that all of you are
expected to COME HANG OUT IN THIS SPACE WITH US WHILE IT IS STILL OURS!
And also, stay tuned for word on our closing party…
-love, PS."


FIRST THURSDAY GALLERY SHOW AND PERFORMANCE!
June 3, THURSDAY, 6:30pm
New work by Courtney Nyman, Jennifer Gleach, and, from the dingy bedrooms of
Brighton, England, Dylan Nyoukis and Karen Constance.
Performance and installation by Marty Schnapf and Monster Squad.

MUSIC, VIDEO, PERFORMANCE
June 10, THURSDAY, 8:30pm
video and performance - Hayley Barker (portland)
computer musician/video artist - Jake Elliott (Chicago)
drawing/computer/sound - Ezrara Hoffmann (Chicago)
music, video - Bad waste (New York)

RHIZOMATICA #4
June 12, SATURDAY, 8pm
multidisciplinary performance by artists:
Kathleen Keogh, Chris Piuma, Terrence Chiusano, Vladimir Solman, Tim
DuRoche; plus special guests!

AGAINST THIS WAR
June 25, FRIDAY, 7:30pm
some anti-war poets, including
duane poncy, heidi x, patricia mclean, fred nemo, brigid whipple, s. spyrit,
and many mystery guests…

THE SEATTLE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
June 26, SATURDAY, 6pm
John Olson, Diana George, Selah Saterstrom, and others read from SRI's
poetry& essay anthology "Experimental Theology."

www.pacificswitchboard.org
for directions, schematics, descriptions



First Thursday Performance
topic posted Tue, June 1, 2004 - 11:39 AM

This performance + visual collaboration is part 2 of a series that began with Marty Schnapf's powerful LANDMINES paintings at Stumptown/Downtown in February.

"LEVEL TWO
FOUR PERFORMANCE BASED INSTALLATIONS WILL BE PLACED IN FOUR QUADRANTS OF PORTLAND FOR THE JUNE 3, 2004 FIRST THURSDAY ART WALK. EACH INSTALLATION INCORPORATES A DEVICE WITH WHICH A PERSON WILL BREAK A SMALL PANEL OF GLASS, AND A DIGITAL COUNTDOWN TIMER WHICH WILL INDICATE WHEN THAT PANEL WILL BE BROKEN. THE TIMERS WILL BE SYNCHRONIZED AND ALL OF THE PANELS WILL SHATTER SIMULTANIOUSLY AT 7:00PM."

THE LOCATIONS FOR THIS EVENT ARE
PDX GALLERY 604 NW 12th,,
SEAPLANE 3352 SE Belmont,
FROELICH GALLERY 817 SW 2ND
PACIFIC SWITCHBOARD 4637 N ALBINA

www.monstersquad.org
www.martyschnapf.com
free



This is a new gallery in SE near Goodwill. Fun openings...

"FASHION IS.
On the wall.
In the trunk.
On the runway.
On you.

At gallery co 7.

Gallery Co 7 invites you to celebrate style with us June 11, 2004.

Please join us dressed to the hilt, to gaze at new fashion by independent Portland, designers, dig through affordable summer styles in the trunk show, talk with your mouth full of delectable goumet cooking , stomp your stilettos to the fine
tunes of Max Murphy, question when fashion becomes art and sip a bit of wine."

June 11, 2004- Art Opening and Local Designer Fashion Show

June 11-30 Art Show will be up in gallery

Artists:
Kat Manock- Fashion Collage.
Erika Kohr- Glass Fashion

Designers:
OverHeadhats
Kelly Murphy
Jalopy
The cat haus
Xavier
Karen Lembke
*additional designers in trunk show

Music:
Max Murphy

Event:
Art opening and Summer Season trunk show in front gallery 7-10pm. (no cost)

Fashion runway show and Gourmet Vegetarian Dinner in back studio 8pm Gallery Co 7
503-231-8700
2000 SE 7th
Portland, OR 97214
Hours: Tues. Fri. Sat. 11-4
also by appointment or by chance



Studio sale and party Sat June 26
topic posted Thu, June 24, 2004

David Eckard, wildman extreme performance sculptor is performing in the TBA festival in September. So to raise some $ to build his performance sculptures, he is having a sale of monoprints, custom made for you at his studio Saturday 6/26 from 10AM to 8PM, with a party after. Studios are at 333 NE Handcock, 1/2 block off MLK upstairs.

To get an idea of his work:
www.marylhurst.edu/artgym/p...4-03.html

and www.davideckard.com


Last Show at Pacific Switchboard: Heaven&Hell on Film
topic posted Thu, June 24, 2004
FROM HEAVEN TO HELL
Unearthly multimedia concoctions

June 25, 9pm and June 26, 9:30pm
Pacific Switchboard
4637 N Albina Avenue
Donation $6 per night or $10 for 2 nights

"Two nights of otherworldly films, videos, and
performances by local and national artists creating
mind-exploding goods across the metaphysical spectrum.
Featuring Redemption and Punishment, God vs Satan,
Saints and Infernos, all stuffed into two evenings of
multimedia fringe spectacular. The lineup includes Jon
Routson’s fiendish bootlegs fresh from New York and
lauded by New York Times for subversive copyright
muddying; archive of Portland’s real first gay wedding
at the infamous Church of Elvis; performative film
antics and live music by Owl vs. Lemming; 1970s cult
horror arthouse films culled from the vaults of San
Francisco’s Other Cinema; soul-stealing portraits
available from etch-a-sketch artist Sarah Halpern; and
much much more! Feast your eyes on cinema taken to the
extreme of this world and the next, and bid farewell
to Pacific Switchboard on its last weekend before
reincarnating under new ownership."

VIEW OF HEAVEN
Friday June 25, 9pm

*archival footage of the 24-hour Church of Elvis’s
very first wedding
*ethereal video remixes by Sacramento artist Jenny
Stark
*live multiple film projection and music by Owl vs.
Lemming

STRAIGHT TO HELL
Saturday June 26, 9:30pm

*Jack Chick's “Somebody Goofed” comes to life
*Jon Routson's bootleg of "The Passion of Christ,"
among others
*Satanic Texan televangelist footage tweeked by San
Francisco’s Brian Boyce
*J.X. William's cult film "The Virgin Sacrifice"
*videos by Portland locals Sarah Halpern and Gretchen
Hogue
* Lloyd M. Williams's 1963 horror classic "Ursula"
*plus etch-a-sketch portraits, music, and much much
more!!

Friday, May 28, 2004

First Thursday June 2004

Holocene.org at its best with artist-designed miniature golf course and tournament. What will artists from Seaplane, the Wieden+Kennedy 12, Cinco Design, HOLST Architecture, Junktown Allstars and many more create? Be there free 5-8, $4 after 8.

markwoolley.com 5-10 Rebecca Guberman-Bloom's paintings may lead you into a strange world tugging at subtle emotions of unknown origin. Free

alysiaducklergallery.com 5-8 This gallery is not a personal favorite. This month though, see PNCA professor Arvie Smith's large paintings, unique to Portland, showing the influence of his time in New Orleans. Bright. Free

pulliamdeffenbaugh.com 5-8:30 Group photo show of out of towner's - see biggies like Thomas Ruff, Alfredo Jaar, Vanessa Beecroft and Nan Golden. See, learn. Free

Pdxfashionincubator.org/announcements.htm Ensconced in a glam space in Old Town, the FI is promoting Portland fashion design. The showroom design, contents and management will rotate periodically – see it now 5-8PM free

Motelgallery.com Jen’s tiny gallery and crafty-vixen-design-object space is always a dependable art hit. The art prices are always affordable, the art lovable. This month Targets and Trophies pairs a NY artist with Portland’s Kim Hamblin 5-9:30ish Free

JustBeToys.com The gallery upstairs is always fun with locals to artists from Japan 5-9:30ish. Free