Friday, November 30, 2007

December 15 Prints

TodayArt is somewhat a continuation of 333 Hancock. So hosting a huge printmaking marathon to benefit PICA as did 333 is not unexpected. Artists Adam Sorenson, Alex Felton, Annette Thurston, Barb Tetenbaum, Bill Park, Blair Saxon Hill, Bonnie Paiseley, Brad Adkins, Brendan Clegnehan, Brendan Sthalman, Bruce Conkle, Bryan Schellinger, Calvin Ross Carl, Carol Ferris, Catherine Rondthaler, Cecilia Hallinan, Cris Gander, Christine Bourdette, Corey Lunn, Cris Moss, Cynthia Lathi, Dana Louis, Darren Orange, David Corbett, Deb Horell, Eleanor Erskine, Ellen George, Emery Hinckley, Gabriel Liston, Gabriele Irle, Harvest Henderson, Heather Watkins, Henk Pander, Hilary Pfeifer, Jenene Nagy, Jesse Hayward, Joe Hockett, Joe Thurston, John Brodie, Josh Berger, Kristan Kennedy, Linda Hutchins, Linda K Johnson, Mack Mcfarland, Manya Shapiro, Mark Mahaffey, Marty Houston, Meg Peterson, Melia Donovan, Midori Hirosi, MK Guth, Modou Dieng, Morgan Walker, Nan Curtis, Nathaniel Price, Nicole Smith, Paige Saez, Patrick Long, Patrick Rock, Pete McCracken, Philip Iosca, Rae Mahaffey, Renne Zangara, Rhoda London, Rob Halverson, Robert Gamblin, Samantha Wall, Sarah Gottesdiener, Scott Porter, Scott Wayne Indiana, Sean Carney, Sean Healy, Stephen Hayes, Stephen Slappe, Storm Tharp, Tim Dalbow, TJ Norris, Yoshihiro Kitai, Yuji Hiratsuka gather in the day with a raft of volunteers and experiment with one off printing processes - mono-style. After getting studio clothes and fingers dirty all day, from 6-9 all the prints are sold in a benefit. If you are interested in printmaking, it's a great volunteer opportunity and chance to get dirty. At 439 SE Grand. Enter on Stark. 6-9PM Prints $100-250, visiting, free

December 14 Endless Homeland Center

Gallery Homeland is a NW Thang thing operating on a small international stage, and doing it well on the smallest of budgets, Portland style. Homeland has brought Portland artists to Art Basel Miami and Scope Hamptons in wry performance exhibitions. They have brought artists for residencies. They have had shows and skate parties. They were homeless, operating out of the studio-live space of one of their superheroes, now they have a home.

Tonight they open a show NW Thang in the new space. The show features Marc Dombrosky, Saya Moriyasu, Patrick Rock, Paige Saez, Cynthia Star and Jason Wood, commenting through a regional lens on "class, culture and aesthetics". Knowing some of these artists, I would expect a playful approach to such heavy topics. www.galleryhomeland.org At 2505 SE 11th Avenue x Division Doors 6, band 9, close not too late. Free



The Portland Art Center planned and successfully made happen a huge art show as fundraiser with dozens of artists. Take a look at the First Thursday listing. Tonight is a party for the artists at the Center. Portland Art Center www.Portlandart.org 32 NW 5th 7-11



"It's Kind of Endless" is Quality Pictures gallerist Erik Schneider's take on Portland art of interest. Schneider moved his noted photography gallery from Atlanta a year ago because of Portland's hot art community. He has become part of the community, looked around and is now presenting Portland artists alongside international artists, here and in Miami. There is a reception for the "Endless" artists Kevin Abell, Dana Dart-McLean, Alex Felton, Midori Hirose, Kristie Louderbough, Corey Lunn, Meg Peterson, Nathaniel Price, Taryn Tomasello and Jason Traeger tonight at the gallery. Quality Pictures www.qpca.com 916 NW Hoyt 6PM Free

December 8 Indian Reading Circus

An intimate performance of Carnatic vocal music by Madhunapantula Sowbhagya Kameswari with Dharmala Sailaja on violin and Dharmala Ramamoorthy on mridangam will occur at the Westside Church of Christ, 17415 NW Walker Rd., Beaverton, OR. RSVP requested to Sekhar Madhunapantula, 503 533 9114. 3:30 - 6:30PM Free



Juggernaut Disjecta presents 3 of Loggernaut's n+1 writers, reading. Keith Gessen is author of All the Sad Young Literary Men and the translator of Voices from Chernobyl. Chad Harbach is novelist as well. The elder, Barry Sanders is author of books, including ABC: The Alphabetization of the Popular Mind (with Ivan Illich) and A Is For Ox: Violence, Electronic Media and the Silencing of the Written Word. At Disjecta 5 SE 3rd under the Burnside Bridge 7PM $6



Everyone loves the circus and Portland is no exception. Neo circus performers are multiplying here and that means more performances. Cirque Magique! features performers Kazum, Leapin' Louis Lichtenstein, Leah James Abel on trapeze, Dave Clay, Sweet Juice and music, dance later with DJ Nicoluminous. "The emcee will be Dave Clay, acting as a delusional and imaginative amateur magician. Scarred by the criticism he receives from his unrefined act, he self-righteously displays to the audience how grand he truly is in his own imagination, being an Earthly contact with aliens, friend of wild cowboys and suave with the ladies." Someday Lounge 10PM $10

December 6 Westside Art Openings +

Jessica Bronk makes dark landscapes in yellow ochre and burnt umber with a sometime touch of pale sky blue. Maybe they would be landscapes you would like to be lost in. Enigmatic in a good way. Tonight she shows at Powell's Basil Hayward Gallery on the third floor. Hey galleries, sign this artist. Powell's Corner 10th and W Burnside.



Filmmaker Ryan Jeffery is well known for his work as visualist for Adelade/Small Sails and for lyrical, maybe mythical, films with characters set in landscape. One had a figure trapped in an illuminated translucent box in the deep forest. Another, Fallen, close shots of Keri Merkl's mysterious resin music box-like machine, juxtaposed with a character in the landscape. Tonight Jeffery shows Origin at PDX Contemporary Art www.pdxcontemporaryart.com 925 NW Flanders



Ogle's ambitious exhibition program flies under the radar but consistently shows adventurous sculpture and arte povera. They close early, 8:30PM, in contrast to many of the Everett Loft spaces that surround their building, but they are open for viewing business hours largely in contrast to the intimate Everett Loft living rooms. Tonight they open a group show with artist Rob Tyler, Yoshi Kitai, Brenda Mallory, and Mary Lang. See this show. www.ogleinc.com 310 NW Broadway



Portland is a printmaking town and it is not because we had plenty of trees to make into paper. Artist, printmaker, teacher, collector Gordon Gilkey was born in Linn County Oregon. In his 20's, serving in WWII, he wrote a letter to President Roosevelt proposing a project to minimize damage to European artwork and architecture in war planning. The project was approved and his unit later recovered thousands of artworks stolen and displaced by the war. For his work, he was knighted by France and similarly honored by Italy, Sweden, Germany and the United States. As a result, Gilkey developed lifelong friendships with print collectors and artists worldwide and continued his own collection begun in Oregon before the war.

Gilkey taught at Albany College, Oregon State, where he headed the art department, and at PNCA. Curator of prints at the Portland Art Museum, Gilkey donated his collection of over 8000 prints to establish the Vivian and Gordon Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts. The entire collection is open to the public which is pretty awesome.

As a result of Gilkey's efforts, printmaking in Portland is vibrant. Tonight City Hall hosts a show of printmaking from some of Portland's print studios. Printmaking equipment is often large and heavy. So it makes sense to share it in a studio. Studios Lark Press, Letterary Press, Egg Press, Oblation Paper and Press, Stumptown Printers, Flight 64, Pinball Publishing, Shu-Ju Wang Studios, Oni Press, Top Shelf Comix, Bitch Magazine, Veneer Magazine, Stumptown Printers and Sharon Helms show work, from fine art to the practical.

At Portland City Hall 1221 SW4th Early 5-7PM Free



The Portland Art Center is doing things no one else is. They show unsaleable installation and sound work, they show video work consistently. The publish a mind blowing map of Portland art addresses. Now they need money. It's beyond juggling between paying the wireless bill and the rent, they will close without an infusion of support. Tonight they show panels of art for sale by artists Katherine Ace, Kelly Akin, Tisa Ambcosino, Michael Ambcosino, Matthew Anderson, Carl Annala, Melissa J Armstrong, Josh Arseneau, Adam Bailey, Hayley Barker, E. Dan Barker, Carolina T. Barres, Nicole Barton, Bennett Battaile, Jonathan Beaver, Susan Beck, Jordan Behr, Deanna Belinoff, London Bellman, Chris Bennett, David Benz, Ryan Birkland, Eric Blaisdell, Chuck E. Bloom, Jennifer Bogartz, Jacquelyn Bond, Mason Bond, Alisa Bones, Brian Borrello, Elizabeth Bottomly, Alison Boz Schurr, Jason Bradbury, John Brodie, Sharon Bronzan, Christopher James Brown, Tara Brown, Mazana Bruggeman, Huyden Buell, Peg Butler, Matt Carlson, Sarah Cella, Natasia Chan, Hannah Chavez, Niina Cochran, Thomas K. Conway, David Corbett, Robin Corbo, Dodge Corvallis, Michael Costello, Brianna Courtney, Kc Cowan, Kindra Crick, Leo Daedalus, Anna Daedalus, Kerry Davis, Margaret De Bona, Tatiana Defigueiredo, Rita Dekelaita, Brad Delay, Nathan Dinihanian, Kara Distler, Tore Djupedal, Tanja Djupedal, Melia Donovan, Shelby Dorneden, Robert R. Dozono, Tripper Dungan, Jessica Eastburn, Kara Edge, Joel Eisenhauer, Andrew Englehorn, Eleanor Erskine, Audrey Eschright, Peter Eschright, Karen Esler, Jenn Feeney, Chelsea Fletcher, Gabriel Flores, Jess Fogel, Shane A. Fortner, Sarah Fox, Jason Frank, Emily Freeman, Paul Francis Fukui, Alison Gayne, Ellen George, Pam Gibson, Bean Gilsdorf, Christina Glaze, Erik Goetze, Liz Goltz, Julie Gragg, Lisa Graham, Gordon Grant, Jen Gulzow, Christina Gyulafia, Chris Haberman, Cecilia Hallinan, Meghan Hanlon, Chris Harback, Carrie Hardison, Roll Hardy, Gregory Harrold, Sara Harwin, Fred Harwin, Sol Hashemi, Mo Hashemi, Kaebel Jk Hashitani, Stephen Hayes, Harvest Henderson, Paul Hendricks, Shelley Hersnberger, Helen Hiebert, L. Harrison Higgs, Lindsay & Nita Hill, E Ann Hinds, Beau Von Hinklywinkle, Kaz Hiromoto, Vidya Hivale, Theodore Holdt, Jeff Houghtaling, Scott Wayne Indiana, Colin Ives, Diane Jacobs, Collin Janke, Pamela Jayawardena, Molly Jochem, Lindsey Johnson, Barry Johnson, Marilyn Joyce, Jennifer June, Jaclyn Kampmeier, Eileen S. Kane, Emily Katz, Penny Kavan, Daniel Kaven, Joann Kemmis, Lindsay Kennedy, Kelly Kerwick, David Kimmel, Yoshihiro Kitai, Suzy Kitman, Linda Kliewer, Randall Koch, Nikki Kress, Nicky Kriara, Sadie La Rue, Bonnie Laing-Malcomson, Emily Larson, Tony Le Tigre, Stephanie Leet, Jeremy Legrand, Bishop Lennon, Maya Levy, Michelle Liccardo, Gabriel Liston, Rhoda London, Grace Luebke, Erin Mader, Rae Mahaffey, Bonnie Laing-Malcomson, Victor Maldonado, Sara Mapelli, Brian Mathus, Shannon Mayorga, Matt Mccalmout, Sef Mccullough, Mack Mcfarland, Jamshid Mehr, Bonnie Meltzer, Jennifer Mercede, Palmarin Merges, Leslie Miller, Don Minnerly, Nova Moisa, Cindy Monica, Ashley Montague, Monique Mos, David Mosher, Christine Mosher, Dave Mosier, Angela Muldoon, Brenna Murphy, Noah Nakell, Lorna Nakell, Seth Nehil, Jim Neidhardt, Kelly Neidig, Tj Norris, Dave Nunn, Caesy Oney, Shannon Page, Tammy Paladeni, Eugenia Pardue, Trude Parkinson, Timothy Peitsch, Carola Penn, J.D. Perkins, Hilary Pfeifer, Tom Prochaska, Nathoniel Prorka, Alex Rauch, Kelly Rauer, Jason Rhodes, William Rihel, Alexander Robbins, Mario Robert, Rita Robillard, Ben Rosenberg, Laura Ross-Paul, Blair Saxon-Hill, Lisa Sayles, Nancy Schaefor, Brian Schellinger, Megan Scheminske, Richard Schemmerer, Michael Schlicting, Jeremy Schultz, Gwenn Seemel, Mark E. Seibold, Evan Serrill, Dorthy Sharrar, Ty Shaver, Shannon Shea, Adam Sheppard, William Shouse, Colleen Siviter, Mark Smith, Cyrus W. Smith, Jessie Smith, Nicole Erika Smith, Moe Snyder, Kentree Speirs, Abi Spring, Benjamin Stagl, Dan Steffan, Blake Stellyes, Claire Stephens, Karen Stephens, Taylor Stevenson, Michelle Stiehl, Mika Suri, Angelita Surmon, Jenevive Tatiana, Lauren M. Taylor, Nishiki Tayui, Tyler Tervousen, Dave Tinman Edgar, Anna Todaro, Marjan Torabi, Anni Tracy, Jeremy Tucker, Nubby Twiglet, David Vanadia, Dana Vinger, Morgan Walker, Pat Walker, Sarah Walker, Shu-Ju Wang, David Ware, William Washburn, Staci Wendt, Alisha Wessler, Rebecca Wild, Emily Willis, Georgeann Wilson, Dane Wilson, Michael Wilson, Rachael Wilson, Sherrie Wolf, Linda Womack, Jana Woodson, Jennifer J. Woodward, Matthew Allen Wooldridge, Kerrie B. Wrye, Jenny Zajac. Just about everyone. They are priced at $300 which is cheap for an unknown and many of these artists are far from unknown. They are also doing a raffle at 221 NW 2nd at the Northwest Resource Credit Union - details. And they have a show by their own staff and Memory Machines by Alicia Eggert who is responsible for the awesome Kitchen Sink. If you ensure PAC survives, it is set to re-rename itself The Modern Zoo and set the stage for operating on a global level with some serious backers. That is good for Portland because it offers an opportunity to inject Portland artists into the world. All details at www.portlandart.org 32 NW 5th until 11PM



Fernanda D'Agostino is a mid career artist well known for installations. "Flight Studies" is video sourced from slow motion studies of bird flight done in collaboration with Dr. Bret Tobalske. CCA is an important West Coast art incubator. L'enfant terrible Larry Rinder, responsible for the 2002 Whitney Biennial shook up the NY art making machinery by presenting artists such as Miranda July and Chris Johanson who were formulating new aesthetic movements. Fully expecting to be fired, Rinder then curated risky show "The American Effect", art about America from outside America, in a post 9/11 New York. It was a success. Rinder is now dean at CCA from which he has launched a show "Coming Up: New Work by Recent Graduates of the California College of the Arts" Both at Elizabeth Leach Gallery www.elizabethleach.com 417 NW 9th



Quality Pictures moved here from Atlanta for the art. They have shown Portland artists but now they are jumping in in a very positive way. This month they open a large group show "It's Kind of Endless Paintings, Works on Paper and Sculpture by new Portland talent". We say yea! www.qpca.com 916 NW Hoyt



Eva Lake is a painter and collage maker. She is the artist's artist with a pretty awesome history as an artist, fashion worker, blogger podcaster, and gallerist with a finger in the music world. Richter Scale is her new show of vibrating bright geometric work. Artists just starting will benefit from learning from her experiences, delivered point blank, no candy coating. Since we are sitting on the fault line, Lake's work provides both visual and metaphorical touchpoints. At Augen downtown

Former Portlander Dharma Strasser Maccoll is known for ceramic multiples and elegant minimal mixed media work. "Growth Patterns" would be that. Recommended. Augen DeSoto

www.augengallery.com 817 SW 2nd and 916 NW Davis.



A standing recommendation are the Everett Lofts, bounded by NW Broadway, Everett, 6th and Flanders. It's easier to see everything in an evening than to try to find out in advance what is happening. Likewise the DeSoto building NW Broadway and Davis is home to several established galleries of high repute.



PNCA has many things worth seeing anytime. One tonight is Rip City Gingerblaze, candy and gingerbread sculpture made with sincerity. It would be hard to top the gingerbread office at April's Kitchen Sink which was devoured by fans. At PNCA www.pnca.edu corner NW 13th and Johnson



A DIY show, Mellow Yellow, goes down Eastside late. It's a mixed media group show at new bar mecca East End. Curator Jhordan Dahl wrangled artists Jaclyn Campanaro, Jake Cartwright, Liam Drain, Damien Gilley, Sarah Johnson, Barbara Kinzle, Kristie Louderbough, Dam Markson, Sarah Meadows, Sophie Mckinley, Tamar Monhait, Jud Nichelson, Corey Smith, & Jason Traeger. East End 203 SE Grand 8PM-2AM



The AIA, the American Institute of Architects, is where architects hang. Portland has a vibrant chapter which has just completed its move to NW 11th and Flanders in the old SK Josefsberg Gallery. They present monthly shows of architecture, planning, design and art. Tonight they present a show of the record of Portland architect John Yeon. Active in the early mid late 20th century, Yeon is known for establishing the Northwest mid century modern style in houses and in landscape. He was an influence on Pietro Belluschi and many Northwest architects to follow. Interestingly his first built work, the 1937 Watzek House in the West Hills is home to part of Eugene's U of O Art program in Portland. The ecology of U of O, PSU and PNCA art programs here is yet to play out. At the AIA offices and gallery www.aiaportland.com 403 NW 11th Early close, 8PM



Other shows which might be interesting are Heidi Kirkpatrick "Lost & Found" at Chambers Gallery, Debra Beers, known for longtime work with homeless kids on art Woolley, and a Bullseye group show dedicated to legendary glass maker Murano from which some of Bullseye's secret formulas may have derived.

December 4 New Orleans Photo Talk

Primarily focused on photography, 23Sandy opens a show of night photography, Night Moves, this week. One of the photographers, Portlander Stewart Harvey, speaks of his night photography experience in New Orleans. New Orleans, of course, feels different. The smells, the bugs, the krews, Yoruba magic, nature's decay-regeneration, impenetrable subcultural communities. I do not know if Harvey has captured it for you, but this is an easy way to maybe feel a little of what it is like to be there. At 23Sandy 623 NE 23rd 7PM Free

November 30 Toy Camera Book Talk

The one word career advise "Plastics" in the 1967 film "The Graduate" has been the real life career of author Michelle Bates. Holga queen Bates is the author of "Plastic Cameras: Toying With Creativity". She teaches how to mod and use these inexpensive, lo-fi, primarily chemistry-based imagers.

The book samples the work of photographers who use cameras such as the Holga, Diana(s), Action Sampler, Lomo, Fujipet, low tech digitals such as the Rollei Minidigi and Portland's own Lensbabies. She reviews the history of plastic cam models. She also explains how to fix your brand new Holga so it actually works.

To illustrate her talk, Bates will present chemistry-based slides of plastic imaging artists.

At Powell's. 1005 W Burnside 7:30PM Free

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

November 15 !!ArtsLaunch!! Seattle

There isn't something like this in Portland and maybe there should be.

!!Arts Launch!! happens 4 times a year. Artists spanning media present new works followed by a free flowing discussion with the audience on the creative process. No pressure of a big venue. An opportunity for cross fertilization of genres.

Tonight it is choreography by Sheri Brown and Diana Garcia Snyder with live music by Rosalynn DeRoos; Bharatanatyam dance by Divya Rangarajan; koto and shakahuchi by Elizabeth and John Falconer - Duo En; piano with toy piano by Nicole Truesdell and Adrienne Varner; musical theater by Holly Eckert, Amy Denio, and LA Heberlein; singer/songwriter Tim Franklin; paintings by Jessica John and mixed media by Tori Ellison.

!!Arts Launch!! is sponsored by Allied Arts which started as the Beer and Culture Society. Their list of accomplishments is truely awsome. Check this - funded by the "Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs." So Portland, get it on.

At a sweet central location: The Chapel Space at the Good Shepherd Center 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, (Wallingford) Seattle. Doors 7PM, performance 8. $5 - $15 suggested donation

Monday, November 12, 2007

November 17 Aishu Venkataraman

Indian violinist Aishu Venkataraman was born in 1993. Beginning her violin training with her grandmother at age 18 months, by the Suzuki method, she became the youngest musician ever admitted to Berklee last year. She is simultaneously pursuing a high school degree in California and college degree in Boston over summers while touring to perform. Her teacher is Panjidt T. N. Krishnan, India's preeminant violinist, and now 80. He flies in from India to teach her here. In her own words: "I think I'm doing a lot more in the summers [than my peers] and I guess I'm working harder, but on the weekends, I'm still nagging my parents. I'll say, 'Dad, I'm going out.'". Her accomplished father, a mathematician, Vinod Venkataraman, accompanies her on mridangam. Of her musical career, her father remarks: "I think what's happened in her life is that she's become very focused and become very good at time management".

Sponsored by Kalakendra. At Lewis and Clark College in Evans Auditorium. Adults: $20 advance, $25 door, the next gen (age 5-12): $10 advance, $12.50 at door. 7:30PM

November 12 Pecha Kucha=Smart Show and Tell

Art and design evolves more quickly than the culture at large because creative people are sharing ideas, the raw feed, continuously. A new vehicle for that is Pecha Kucha. Created by architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham in Japan for designers to show their work, each presentation is 20 slides presented for only 20 seconds each. The format promotes intuitive response, so perfect for post presentation brainstorming. Pecha Kucha has spread worldwide, now to Portland.

Presenters tonight include Urbanhonking blog cofounder, Mike Merrill; Holst Architecture; artist provocateur, Scott Wayne Indiana, responsible for the Portland Horse Project; PhaseOne multi genre event organizer, Garrett Strickland; designer-traveler Ryan Yaden; founder of P:ear, Pippa Arend and Portland Architecture blogger Brian Libby .

Sponsored by designers cityscope, the research lab of architects Works Partnership, Picha Kucha Night Portland Vol 01 takes place at the Ace Hoel Cleaners, SW 10th and Stark. Sliding scale admission by donation. Doors 7:30PM, talks 8:20

Saturday, November 10, 2007

November 10 Battles and More

While the city has been waging a war of attrition on hip hop, a small group is building community around b-girl b-boy crews. Individual style, teamwork and psychology all come together for battle events which combine fierce competition with love. The Amplified Techniques Ashes2Ashes event this summer was the performance of the year for me. A more intimate event is the 7th annual Reed battle.

The Foundation is a 5 on 5 event. On the wheels of steel itz Sugarman of the Buttermilk Baby Makers (PDX/AZ)and judges are Kareem (R4C), Andy Tiger Claw (Misguided Steps) and Tim Chips (Fraggle Rock).

At the Reed student union. Doors 6PM, battles 7. All proceeds to Ethos (yea!!) $3 Reed students, $7.


Meanwhile there is a bellydance performance by Severina and Znama with Kristin, Emily, Angel and Lili. They are accompanied by musicians Negara which is Doug Shafer, Sean Malloy, Chris Jacobson and JD Devros. That is at Marino's Cafe, 4129 SE Division. 8PM $5