811 Block
Birds are everywhere, but for how long? The industrial revolution fueled by rapacious resource extraction generated massive new wealth. For some benefiting, the incorporation of bird feathers and even complete bird carcases into hats became the fashion rage.
In addition, mass production placed firearms within the reach of many Americans, in turn, placing birds within the reach of gunowners. Many species were literally driven into extinction by hunting. The massive depopulation of birds in the late 1800's alarmed many, fueling the founding of the National Audubon Society and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in England and their rapid growth. The movement to save birds was one of the earliest environmental movements.
There is a revival of plumassier today, so if you see their displays in public you might inquire how sustainable their source.
"The New Birds" is an art show to benefit the local Audubon Society. Artists Apak, Evan Harris, Martin Ontiveros, Bwana Spoons, Scrappers, Keith Shore, Amy Ruppel, Katy Horan, Matthew Feyld, Stefanie Choi, Tripper, Steve Mathews, Meredith Mathews, Brett Superstar, J.Otto, Cyrus Smith, Ryan Berkley, Adain Koch, David Neevel, Mr. Pinks, Shawn Creeden, Amy Morrison, Nick Robins, Jon Izen, Reverend Benny Bob, David Wein, Betsy Walton, Keith Greiman, Klutch, Matthew di Leo, Phoneticontrol, Mama Morgan and Maxwell Loren Holyoke-hirsch, Shayla Hason, more even, contribute their artistic meditations on bird.
At the Grass Hut http://www.grasshutcorp.blogspot.com/
Kendra Binney creates kawaii-styled work [1,2], but it is the eyes that get you. Her figures have preternaturally large eyes. They are dreamers and her paintings, their maybe dreams, hued in a subtle blue palate. Excellent. At Moshi Moshi http://www.moshi-moshi.com/
Joseph Valentino shows multiple exposure Polaroid (how did he do that?!) that have been modded up by collage at Redux http://www.reduxpdx.com/
All 811 E Burnside
Artist David Eckard makes strange sculptures which could be imagined the fabrications, in steel, canvas, fur and leather, of farm animal prosthetics by a mad Finnish farmer. Perhaps they the prototypes of primitive agricultural machines. He also performs in his contraptions, combining physical risk with maybe masochism. Example include "Tournament" and "Widow's Walk", floating the River in a candle lit skeletal podium for Gallery Homeland's "Scratching the Surface" art project. His work is disturbing but much more subtle, though less endorphin-fueled, than the hook suspensionists. He shows drawings and sculptures at Mark Woolley Gallery http://markwoolley.com/ 128 NW Russell
The Rocket building is at 11th and Burnside. It is covered in sliding ply shutters, painted by artists curated by Ruthann Brown. The building is also green certified by the LEED program. Sustainability is yet at an early stage. That means what it means is not completely clear yet. So people are experimenting with a myriad of sustainability vectors. Here is a chance to see a fancy building where people thought about that in design and selection of materials. Rocket Building 1101 E Burnside
Artist Auditions creates fun in the usually painful dance between artists seeking representation and galleries seeking cold hard sales. Banishing that junior prom-like angst, the artist audition process is more a game. The first phase of selection involved a quest for golden tickets which contained the location of a secret event and the password. At the event the art-gamers were challenged to create an artist trading card. Following instructions to find the "woman in hot pink fishnets" at the next event, the artists exchanged their trading card for an envelope containing a white square stamped with a star. Their challenge was to create something with the star square using a Sharpie. Each phase also included a challenging Internet competitions for artists worldwide. Those artists who made it through these challenges show tonight. They are Aaliyah Gupta (WA, Aaron Morgan Brown (KS), Brynn Dizack (MA), Chris Miller (NY), Christian Rex van Minnen (CO), Jaime Lakatos (CA), Lisa Nersesova (TX), Matthew Broussard (Italy) and Naomi Falk (MI). This show is quite excellent, validating the Artist Auditions process. See it.
If you want in on the fun in the future, check http://www.artistauditions.org/
http://brianmarki.com/ 2236 NE Broadway
Brian Elliott makes ray guns and robots. Not transformer style, more 1950's sci-fi. What a great job! He shows some at 12x16 8235 SE 13th Ave., Suite 5, 432-3513
AMONG US AND CURIOUS is a national juried photo show. With 2000 images submitted, 32 Photographers and were selected including 3 Oregonians. To me the unfigured landscapes are not very interesting. The portraits and peopled landscapes are a pleasant and unique surprise. At Newspace http://www.newspacephoto.org/gallery/ 1632 SE 10th
Portland's Telegraph Arts presents the One Minute Film Festival tonight. Only slightly longer than a blipvert, these films tell a story in the manner of a television commercial. Short enough to guarantee you won't have time to get bored, but still leaving a residual impression of quality or not. At Holocene http://www.holocene.org $3-10 sliding scale
