February 29 Newspace Photo Funder

Newspace Photo operates a darkroom, exhibition space and shooting studio in SE. They offer innumerable workshops on imaging at a reasonable price. They are embarked on a plan to do more and do it well.

In support of that, they present their third annual silent auction of photographs. Included are works by Larry Fink, Stu Levy, Hiroshi Watanabe, Cherie Hiser, Shawn Records, Jonathan Brand, Lyla Emery, Joe Glasgow, Dale Strouse, Jim Lommasson, Randy L. Rasmussen, Scott Jackson, Ann Ploeger, Paul Yurkovich, Barrett Rudich, James Nakagawa, Jeffrey Wolin, Jessica Burko, Phil Harris, Angela Cash, Keith Wood, Heather Gonsior, Gene Faulkner, Christine Laptuta, TJ Norris, Audim Culver, Jake Shivery, George Kelly, Faulkner Short, Dolly Winter, Vernon DiPietro, Terry Thompson, Bob Farr, Diedrich Dasenbrock, Myron Filene, Jeff Condit, Rick Regan, Chris Willis, Ann Kendellen, Bill Watt, Blake Andrews, John Blalock, Mariana Tres, Jackson Nichols, Zeb Andrews, Alexis Pike, Chris Bennett and Laura Valenti.

See, and if you like, take some beauty home. Network with other photographers. At Newspace Photo. 1632 SE 10th Ave $10/members free. 6PM-9. Bidding ends at 8.

February 28 Office on the Waterfront

Ziba Design conceived an arts focus to creating community in a neighborhood created from scratch, and a construction zone for the foreseeable future. That would be the South Waterfront, towers opposite Ross Island, at the base of the Tram and fronting the riverfront bike path. Monthly, artists take up residence making site specific art. This month, photographer Chris Rauschenberg presents his work at SoWa. Rauschenberg is known for urban documentary photography worldwide, including Paris, the Portland Grid Project and elsewhere. A world renowned photographer who happens to live here. For this project, Rauschenberg photographed residents and their inside spaces. Visit the project website for a map. AiR Studio Storefront, 3623 SW River Parkway 6:30-8:30PM Free


Art and design is a continuum and it is sad insecurity when one ridicules the other. Office PDX is trying to bridge the gap. Tonight they present the art of two designers. Heather Amuny-Dey, designer, artist and Dora Drimalas, designer, artist and creator of SF store Super-7. 21+ as New Deal is sponsoring. At Office PDX 2204 NE Alberta 6PM-8 Free

February 27 Vision and Hearing Landmarks

Another music+visuals event is an installment of the irregular Vision+Hearing series. The show is themed on Portland landmarks. With Ethan Rose, visuals by Jeremy Bird; Yellow Swans, visuals by Avalon Kalin; Unrecognizable Now, visuals by Rob Tyler; Very Stereo visuals by Matt McCormick; Dj's late Linger and Quiet . Want to contribute your own Portlandific videos? Go to vimeo.com/vhlandmarks. Holocene 9PM $6


This is rarely a political blog. I leave it to others who do it much better. But a unique Oregon phenom is the Bus Project, which is presenting one of their periodic debates tonight. By 2015, young voters will make up a third of the electorate, if they vote. Turnout for young voters is always high, but maintaining the requisite voter registration is difficult if you are moving. The non partisan Bus Project addresses this by registering voters and making politics fun! Tonight they host a debate on Oregon's new domestic partnership law. A real debate on both sides of the issue. It is 21 and over, at Rontoms 600 E Burnside 7PM Free

February 26 Social Responsibility and Photojournalism Explored Through a Lens on Iraq

Perhaps this falls into the category of wishing we didn't know now, what we didn't know then. Photojournalist Joel Preston Smith spent months in Iraq, spanning the time immediately before the 2003 invasion, when its inevitability was clear, and immediately after as well. He documented the everyday lives of ordinary Iraqis. They are ordinary, just like us, and to demonstrate that is the aim of Smith's work. Smith speaks with slides, it's a one night event, sponsored by the Oregon Council for the Humanities. Smith's focus is the responsibility for sensitivity by the documentary photographer in wartime. Maybe a guide to the responsibility for sensitivity in life. At Newspace Photo 1632 SE 10th 7PM Free

February 25 PSU Andrea Bowers Artist Talk

Artist Andrea Bowers speaks on her work. Based in California and CCA schooled, Bowers has a long history of politically inspired work. At PSU 5th Ave Cinemas 510 SW Hall Room 92 7:30PM Free

February 24 Cartunz and Hooliganship of the Good Kind

Combining visuals and music as a form of creative communication is not new. In France in the 1700's a keyboard instrument was developed to play visuals and music together. In the early 1900's, the Society of Prometheans in New York collaborated on audio-video composition, resulting in Thomas Wilfred's Clavilux instrument. Jump 90 years and you have Advanced Beauty and Hooliganship's Cartune Xprez in Portland. They collaborate with musicians, including themselves, to produce animation. Tonight filmmakers E*Rock, Hooliganship, Takeshi Murata, Bruce Bickford, Amy Lockhart, Barry Doupe, Lief Hall, Peter Burr, Josh Mannis, Adrian Freeman and Hooliganship collaborate with musicians and turntablists E*Rock, Hooliganship, the Gay Deceivers, Nollifur and Beyonda. If you have some red-blue 3d glasses, throw them in your pocket as some past Hooliganship animations were made with that in mind. At Holocene. 9PM on $6

February 20 Microfinance in the Developing World

TiE is The Indus Entrepreneurs, also known as Talent Ideas and Enterprise. Not limited in membership to the Asian Indian Diaspora, TiE is a network of entrepreneurs and investors, which is how jobs are created. TiE started in Silicon Valley, home to many garage band startups, such as HP, Apple, Google. Maybe you have heard of them. (This carpet store played an interesting role too) But entrepreneurship also includes your friend's Etsy, shop, web design business. In that vein, microfinance is the business of making small loans to individuals in developing countries. A noted example is the Grameen Bank founded by Muhammad Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for it. Grameen Phone, an offshoot of the Grameen Bank operates by the same model. Mix microfinance with Hernando de Soto's ideas and you have a powerful combination.

Tonight TiE Oregon presents Chris Brookfield from UNITUS which bankrolls microfinance. He will discuss the microfinance world, its impact on poverty and creating self sustaining microfinance networks. Details at TiE.

PSU 310 S.W Lincoln Street. 6PM-9. $10-$35 - see the website for details