March 28 Game On

I am not a gamer. I attempted to engage, but it was boring to me. Nonetheless, the gaming space is interesting. There is also a huge gamification movement, in many manifestations, which is much, much more interesting. Games are part of progressive brand strategies too.

Today games are distributed by generally large companies on 4-5 platforms plus mobile, another handful. But it's entirely possible for games to go the way of the music industry. Independent development and independent distribution. Or maybe you just want your own startup, like Rovio or Zynga. Mobile games, in particular, have minimal entry barriers, and float weightlessly over the top of the mobile ecosystem from clouds.

Game developers are the subject of the film, Indie Game. It traces the obsessions and dreams of independent game developers, a modern day maker community.

The scheduling is fortunate, it's Spring break for potential developers!

Unfortunately the film, judging by its trailer, hews closely to the guy geek stereotype in its attempt to tell the story. Noticeably absent are girl gamers. It was an area noted by entrepreneur and researcher Brenda Laurel. So we are still waiting for Game 2.0. But you can be sure DisneyTM has MMPORGs aimed at young girls today.

You can see the film Indy Game tonight, a presentation of the Software Association of Oregon, with advance tickets (since it could sell out) - http://igtmportland.eventbrite.com/ - at the Hollywood Theater www.hollywoodtheatre.org 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard 7PM $15

March 25 Brunchin'

The Research Club brunch returns with peeps, foods and talks. People meet, talk and chill over presentations by Portland's most creative creatives. Networking. Did I say networking?

This month, some of the presenters include: Gina Altamura on collaboration between nightclubs and Portland creatives; Joe Burgess on animation and NW landscape/characters; Alex Linsker and Fitz on the Collective Agency, hosts of this event and day place to work for creatives; and Noah Manger on the Bus Project - it's a powerful change agent in politics. Bring vegetarian or vegan foods for the potluck as you like. A project of Research Club at the Collective Agency 322 NW Sixth Ave (between Everett and Flanders), Suite 200. See their website, collectiveagency.co for details on how to get into the building. Noon-3 Free

March 24 Bathrooms are Gross

"Bathrooms are Gross, So We’re Redesigning Them" is a talk this evening by biowaste activists Molly Danielsson and Matthew Lippincott of The Cloacina Project. Indoor waste plumbing is about 4000-6000 years old. But what happens to that waste followed "the solution to pollution is dilution" philosophy until only about 150 years ago. In many places in the world today, and even in the US, that is the state of the art. That we deal with it at all is attributed to the first epidemiologist, Dr. John Snow. He traced a cholera outbreak in 1854 Soho (London) to a water pump contaminated by human waste (map). The episode and its importance has been popularized by noted information graphics proponent, Edward Tufte.

Cloacina provides a poetic summary: "combining inevitability, intimacy, and ecological value, the problem of excrement is situated directly between our artificial boundaries of human and natural environments." Tonight they present bathrooms they have built, their evolving theories, and new research directions on toilets, sinks and urinals of the future.
At Project Grow at the Port City Development Center. 2156 N Williams Ave at Tillamook. 6PM-9 Free/donation

March 23 Pure Clear Appendix

New Appendix curator-collaborator, Alex Mackin Dolan, shows his personal work tonight at Appendix, Pure Clear. The work connects objects by color, concept and chemistry, weaving an environmental theme. At Appendix Project Space www.appendixspace.com On the alley between 26th and 27th, South of Alberta. Map 7-10ish Free



Worksound has been hosting an extended residency for 5 artists. Tonight two, Kyle Rapiquiso and Nathanael Thayer Moss discuss their work over an informal happy hour. Rapiquiso discusses the influence of "skyscrapers, shelves, images and mimicry"; Nathanael Moss on "transcending repetition... parallax". At Worksound www.worksoundpdx.com 820 SE Alder Map 7PM-10 Free

March 21-24 In the Garden with Natsu Nakajima

Natsu Nakajima began her dance career in 1955, at age 12. At age 19, she began a collaboration with Kazuo Ohno, and at age 20, in 1963, with Tatsumi Hijikata.

Hijikata is the founder of the butoh dance movement, with its first performance in 1959, Kinjiki (Forbidden Colors). He worked with Ohno for many years and together they define the two main branches of butoh.

Hijikata represents the wild and taboo-embracing branch. He was the youngest of 9. He was suspended from school for urinating on teachers and engaged in petty crime in his early Tokyo days. He worked with images of nature and the landscape inspired by the rural Japan of is youth and the indigenous nature-based religion of Japan, Shinto.

Ohno was a Christian and represents the soulful branch of butoh. He first encountered butoh later in life, at age 53, and worked with themes of birth, death, the mother and flowers. Many butoh dancers perform at advanced age. Ohno performed unassisted into his early 90's, and sometimes in a wheelchair in his late 90's, passing at age 103.

Initially butoh was entirely made by male dancers. Nakajima was the first female dancer with whom Hijikata worked. At age 26, she formed her own group, Muteki-sha (Fog Horn Dance Company). For a few years, Hijikata choreographed works for Muteki-sha.

After his performance, Nikutai no Hanran (Revolt of the Flesh), Hijikata undertook a four year reexamination of butoh. He returned to visit his home town in rural Japan. His meditations on the female spirit, including his lost sisters, who had been sold or married to feed the family, in the period of famine of his childhood, weighed upon him. In 1972, he formed the first all female butoh group, Hakutobo, with his lover, Yoko Ashikawa, and other women with no previous dance background.

Meanwhile, Nakashima carried on her own work, including a collaboration again in 1976 with Hijikata, Sorewa Konoyouna Yoru datta (It was a Night Like This).

Nakashima's signature work is Niwa (The Garden), first performed in 1982. It has been continuously adapted to the present time. "Niwa is a forgotten garden, very tiny, very Japanese. I wanted to see my life from the perspective of a woman seated in the garden, watching it bloom and wither." She has also made stunning and moving works with untrained intellectually and physically disabled dancers.

At age 69, she teaches regularly in Tokyo and travels internationally to perform. This week she offers a series of workshops in Portland. Opportunities to work with Nakashima are Wednesday-Friday from 7PM-9 and Saturday 12PM-3. Registration information and details are at www.theheadwaters.net/?service=natsu-nakajima-intensive-butoh-workshop At the Headwaters Theater, by www.witdpresents.com 55 NE Farragut St. #9. The theater is in the back of the building by the railroad tracks facing Winchell Street.

March 21 Designing the Mayor

Portland loves process. In particular, Portland public involvement in government decisions is one of the most involved, including our strong neighborhood association system. So it's fitting in this year's campaign for mayor that there are innumerable debates between the 3 major candidates. Tonight it is in front of the architecture, planning and design community, with an opportunity for questions. It's part of the excellent Bright Light series, but in a different location than usual. At the University of Oregon in the White Stag Block, 70 NW Couch. Doors 5:30PM, talk 6. Free

March 20 Boombox Appendix Party

Michael Davis-Yates builds speakers, ambient audio objects and electronic musician performance tools as Leaptronic Audio. His specialty is boomboxes. The originals are getting long in the tooth enough that finding a thrift store museum piece that works is a challenge. Repairs of those old ones is a challenge too, few of the electronic parts of the time are made today. So there is a romance for some with making them anew. A presentation of the Curiosity Club, you can tune into the free live webcast off the Core77 site or visit the talk and demonstration in person at Hand Eye Supply www.handeyesupply.com/pages/curiosity-club 23 NW 4th 6PM Free



Appendix Project Space holds a fund raising party for its upcoming year of programming. It will be an exciting year with shows by Daniel Baird (Chicago), Alex Mackin Dolan (Portland), Christian "Megazord" Oldham (Salem), Brian Khek (Chicago), David Knowles (Portland), MSHR (Portland), Cameron Rowland (New York), Micah Schippa (Chicago), Iain Ball (London), Joseph Hamilton (Melbourne), Yngve Holen (Berlin) and Katja Novitskova (Amsterdam). The event tonight includes DJ's and visualists Concrete Floor, Ra' Sean, DJ Peacepips, DJ Biohazard and Tarzan Boy. At Holocene www.holocene.org 1001 SE Morrison Doors 7PM, Music 9 $5

March 18 No. 2 Waves Alike

The No. 2 Print Shop is one of Portland's printmaking collectives. They open a show tonight by Vanessa Kauffman, The waves [broke on the shore]. The work was made in Belgium and combines letterpress, monoprinting and drawing, with the text based on the writing of Virginia Woolf. At the No 2 Print Shop, 3317 SE 21st 4PM-6 Free

March 17 Mall Time

The Mall galleries open their new shows tonight.

Place has Philip Bone & BT Livermore have High School Football Memories, themed on the formation of their conception of manliness. Georgeanne Watters has large scale prints, The Weighing of Souls. Julie Perini has Big Film and Michael Reinsch has a performance from his crowdsourced project. Heather Zinger has a video work Crying, Feeding, Touching on men and personal stories.

The Store space opens one of the last if not the last of its shows, 24 Karat Pretense. The space has been programmed by PNCA students. The artists, Kris Clouse, Kaija Cornett, Demian Dine ’Yazhi’, Zack Dixon, Insa Benita Evans, Andre C. Filipek, Anthony Hudson, Adam Johnson, Brenna Lavin, Izidora Leber, Lee and K. Valenci, are participants in Linda Kliewer’s video installation class. The space will soon be the new project of Mark Woolley who may open his first show there themed on red.

At Place, placepdx.tumblr.com a gallery on the 3rd floor of the Pioneer Place Mall. If the mall appears closed, enter the film theater building adjacent, travel through the tunnel to the Place mall, and take the elevator to the 3rd floor, sometimes the bridge on the 3rd floor is open too. 700 SW Fifth. 6PM-9 Free

March 16-18 Clash

Hip hop is a fertile cultural remix culture that matters. Yes, contemporary art remixes culture, but with the same risk and earnest? This event, Clash, is hip hop mixed with commercial sponsors. Bboy-Bgirl dancing is a sport, so what's new with that?

The event is a regional bracket that leads to the world championship. Saturday 64 competitors from LA to Vancouver to Houston will be narrowed to 8. Sunday those 8 compete with an invited A-list of 8. The one winner advances to San Diego for the best of the West. From there, the winner competes in Chicago for the US title. The US winner moves to the world finals in Rio.

Competitors are: Faze - Rhythm Bandits (PDX), Lift - Soul Beat (PDX), Ginger - (PDX), Mel Massacre - No Roots (SEA), Bryan - Shoryukent (Kent), Cha Cha - Art Of Movement (SEA), The Pit - Massive Monkees (SEA), Phenomejon - 17.42 (Puyallup), Boxcutta - Fraggle Rock (SEA), Furuya - Mid City Breakers (PDX), Impulse - Moon Patrol (PDX), Mikeskee - Sleepless Collective (SEA), Luke - Crisis (SEA), Jbugz - Soul Felons (BC), MPO - Jungle Brothers (Houston), King Reds - Soul Felons (Tri-Cities), Nori - Battle Reflex (SEA), Fligh - TruRoots (Salem), Kornnut - Crisis Crew (SEA), Beany - Solo (Boise), Sonic - Rockin Fly Kicks (PDX), Drama - Moon Patrol (PDX), Say - Crazy Monkiees (PDX), Byron - Misguided Steps (SEA), Fu-Rok - Solo (PDX), Akhang47 - Dec Con 5 (PDX), Spinoy - Battle Reflex (SEA), Lunatic - Unleashed (SEA), Leviathan - Def Con 5 (PDX), Fumi - Battle Reflex (SEA), Killa Cam - Portland City Rockers (PDX), Drift - Vandle Squad (PDX), Doe Rock - Portland City Rockers (PDX), Quetzel - Spanish Armada / Rocking Fly Kicks (Hood River), Justin - Solo (WA), Throw - Rhythm Bandits (PDX), Neo - Unleashed / Battle Reflex (SEA), Cristian Em - DWA (PDX), TangBang - Solo (PDX), Hongover - 17.42 (TAC), Irban - Unleashed/Battle Reflex (Seattle), Lil Sin - The Freakshow (Oceanside), Gil - AOM (SEA), Merk - New Birth (PDX), Abiud - Break Tuff (Tri Cities), Aaryn - Back 2 Basix (Aloha), Rona - Solo (Aloha), Golden Child - MPC (PDX), Long Division - Shoryukent (Kent), Buckshot - Unleashed (SEA), Mango - No Roots (TAC), Damon - Solo (PDX), Jason K. - Solo (PDX), and Elvis - Back 2 Basix (Aloha).


Sunday DJ Soul Rane (Vegas) on the wheels of steel. Special guest Bboy, 2011 world finalist Morris of the Fallen Kings. True athlete.

Pre-party at The Slate: 2x2 crowd judged battles & performances. 2001 NW 19th#104 Friday 7PM
Eliminations at the Urban Arts Studio. 3934 NE MLK Blvd#108A Saturday 6PM
Event at the Bossanova Ballroom. 722 E Burnside Sunday Doors 6PM
All events all ages, drinks 21+ Friday & Sunday, each event $10

March 15 On the Beach

Einstein on the Beach. Seminal postmodern opera. 1976. Avignon. 5 hours.

It is a collaboration between minimalist composer Philip Glass and epic director Robert Wilson. It samples the life of Albert Einstein, whose work ultimately resulted in the atomic bomb. The title is a reference to the 1957 Australian novel, On the Beach, about the end of the world from the nuclear radiation of a war. It is an end still within our grasp. The film from the novel, easily searchable by the same title, uses Waltzing Matilda, a song of deep significance to Australians, throughout. Later musicians wrote new lyrics to the song lamenting the futility of war and its human impact. Is it a coda to a species?

The opera, with original choreography by Lucinda Childs, is being presented again in 2012-3, internationally. Glass and Wilson have selected 5 dance performer collaboratives, from Argentina, Iceland, Italy, Brazil, Chile, NY and Seattle, to make new interpretations of segments of Einstein on the Beach for a separate 75 minute performance in NY. One is the Seattle movement music collaborative, the Degenerate Art Ensemble, DAE. DAE is the creative child of composer-musician, Joshua Kohl, and butoh mover, Haruko Nishimura, with their collaborators.

Tonight DAE previews the work in progress at the Moore, with a documentary about the original Einstein on the Beach performance. DAE presents its performance with the others in New York April 5-7 at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

Einstein on the Beach by the Degenerate Art Ensemble. At the Moore Theater 911 Pine Street Doors 7PM, 8 show. Free!

March 15 What We Carried

PortlandOrUSNow is generally focused on events close to Portland city center. We only occasionally cover school galleries, though their shows are consistently often good. It's our culture. But sometimes we note items in the suburbs and this is one.

Longtime Portland photographer Jim Lommasson has flexed his lens toward social practice, and poignant narrative, focused on the small stories of individuals affected by big events. These have included Katrina and Iraq War veterans. Now he brings, What We Carried, a refugee project.

The United States has been blessedly insulated from war on its soil for almost 150 years. Yet the social impact and resentments, the wounds and scar tissue, from that time are still present. What is it like for people who have personally lived in war?

Lommasson explores that in his project What We Carried: Fragments from the Cradle of Civilization. He has been interviewing refugees to the United States from Iraq. He collects their stories and photographs the personal items they carried with them, often by foot, through borders and refugee camps, over months and years, before arriving here.

The show opens tonight. Lommasson gives a talk about it March 21 at 2. At Print Arts Northwest www.printartsnw.org in the Washington County Museum on the PCC Rock Creek Campus. 17677 NW Springville Road Opening 5:30PM-8 Free

March 14 Good Local

PortlandOrUsNow wrote about and attended the inspiring Good for Cities:Portland event. That project feeds into a PSU design class which has chosen Portland challenges of their own and then designed solutions. Design thinking worldchanging.

The students present their chosen problems and designed solutions tonight. Alissa Walker of GOOD speaks as part of the program. At adxportland.com 417 SE 11th x Stark Map 6:30PM Free

March 12 Mao to Now

Art in China can be a sticky wicket. Most artists operate under the official radar, but some fly too close to the sun. That the sun's orbit changes unpredictably makes it a challenging game. Dr. Richard Kraus, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Oregon is fascinated by the subject and shares his thoughts on the interrelations between politics, economics and art over the last 40 years in China. Dr. Kraus has written on patronage, censorship, nude painting, the repatriation of Chinese antiques, calligraphy and the impact of Chinese aesthetics on the world. Readers interested in this topic can research the backstory of the current Chinese film Let The Bullets Fly. At PSU www.pdx.edu in Smith Memorial Student Union, 1825 SW Broadway, Room 236 6PM Free

March 10 Le Hip Hop Biennials

The Portland Biennial continues tonight with an opening by artists Erik Geschke, Brian Gillis, Anna Gray & Ryan Wilson Paulsen, Hand2Mouth Theater, Arnold Kemp, Matt McCormick, Mack McFarland, Susan Seubert. The entire collection of biennial artists are exciting, but many of these are the most interesting to me. Decide for yourself! At Disjecta, in the shadow of Paul Bunyan www.disjecta.org 8371 N. Interstate Map 6PM-10 Free



I'm fascinated by sampling and some edges of hip hop. Here's a rare edge for Portland: French hip hop. French hip hop culture is considered second only to the American scene. It's a mix of African influences and working class culture straight out of the projects, the banlieues, monumental low rent housing towers in the suburbs. French rap emerged in the early 1980's. Here is Petit Frere from IAM's Planète Mars from 1991 Marseille. Here is another example, La concubine de l'hemoglobine, by Paris MC Solaar. Portland DJ E3 has a French connection, is fluent in French, and in French hip hop. Tonight for the early set, 9PM-10 of Atlas, E3 lays down le hip hop. Atlas by Anjali and The Kid with E3 at Holocene 1001 SE Morrison 9PM $5

March 9 Bansuri

The bamboo flute, the bansuri, is one of the more difficult instruments, and its expressive mastery in Indian and Japanese music is a great quest. American bansuri player Steve Gorn is joined by American tabla player Benjy Wertheimer in a concert of Indian music this evening. Wertheimer was the founding tabla player of the world fusion ensemble Ancient Future in 1979. Both musicians have performed classical Indian music and fusion with Indian and world musicians. Tonight they perform Northern Indian classical ragas and folk music in traditional style. At the Movement Center www.themovementcenter.com 1021 Northeast 33rd Avenue. Parking directions in the residential neighborhood www.themovementcenter.com/direc.php. 7:30PM $15 advance $20 door

March 8 Typographic Animals

Artist Marcus Fischer makes illustration style work which includes type selected by weight and shape to make edges and shading. So it's a hand- machine- hybrid. His subject for this show is animals. Fits perfectly with Portland's type foundring and letter press obsessions. Could be a good exercise of find the letter with a magnifying lens for childen as well as being pleasing for adults. Fischer is a sound artist, musician and photographer too. At Black Wagon blackwagon.com 3964 N Mississippi Map 5PM-7

March 7 Wild Combination

The Research Club is a gathering of creative individuals in Portland. They have a new initiative to facilitate collaborations between arts groups and individuals. Wild Combination kicks off that program with varied performances and tables set up by arts groups, as well as plenty of individual networking. Details are at research-club.org/wild-combination. At Holocene 1001 SE Morrison. Early start 8:30PM $5

March 3 Rocking Bamboo Flute

Openings at underground gallery Rocksbox are at once sprawling, and intimate, in a good way. That is because the curator, impressario and artist, Patrick Rock, who has created the gallery in a storefront on North Interstate, has a progressive bent and a great network of edgy artist friends not afraid to make a mess. Tonight it's Night-tide Daytripping by Ralph Pugay. Pugay has been making a name for himself with painting illustrations in which the characters engage in provocative pursuits. The gallery has hours throughout the month detailed on the website. Always recommended. At Rocksbox Fine Art www.rocksboxfineart.com 6540 N Interstate 7PM-11 Free



Portland and Oregon have a long history of Chinese connection. The PSU Institute for Asian Studies and the Portland Lan Su Chinese Garden have partnered to present talks on those connections. This morning, Ned Jacquith will discuss the bamboo collection of the Lan Su Garden. At the PSU College of Urban Affairs Bldg, Room 250. 9:30AM-11 Free



Shashank Subramanyam performs on flute with H.N. Bhaskar on Violin and Sai Giridhar on Mridangam, in a concert of classical Indian music. Produced by Kalakendra www.kalakendra.org. At the First Baptist Church, 909 SW 11th Avenue. 7:30PM Members, free, students $15, otherwise $20

March 2 Eastside Art Openings+

Out Eastside, Milepost5 has a poignant performance by artist Wendy Dyer. Dyer, who has been making groundbreaking performances based on her childhood family life, presents Sorting Things Out. In this performance, Dyer uses a paper shredder to reduce all of her childhood family portraits to bits. She then will sort the bits by hand, by grayscale and hue, into piles. I really can't say anything more about the intensity of this idea. It's at Milepost5 www.milepostfive.com 900 NE 81st (go by MAX) 6PM-9 Free



YU Contemporary has a talk by 2008 Whitney Biennial photographer Shannon Ebner. Ebner places handmade signs in her photographic field as another layer of content. At YU Contemporary www.yucontemporary.org 800 SE 10th &PM $5



Valentines is cohost to 13 for 13, an exchange of artists and art between The Portland State University & the San Francisco Art Institute. Most of the show is at PSU's Autzen Gallery. Tonight there are live performances and videos at Valentines valentineslifeblood.blogspot.com 232 SW Ankeny 10PM-11:30 Free



Notes on a Recent Arrival is the show by University of Oregon faculty. Tonight curators Stamatina Gregory and Kristan Kennedy discuss the work. At the University of Oregon White Stag Building, 70 NW Couch 5:30PM



Ajna Lichau is a smart installation and video artist locating from San Francisco to Portland. She combines her studio with other building openings, Gallery Homeland and curator Modou Dieng for a show, Slow Invisible Drama of Madonna. The work is an interactive light and video sculpture by Daniel Long, Mary T Brossman and Val Hardy Jr, current or recent PNCA students. 2nd Floor, Ford Building 7PM-9ish Free

Meanwhile downstairs Homeland continues performances supporting portrait paintings by Jeff Diteman. Winter Compresses the Day is a dance performance by Grace Nowakoski, Jacqueline Rubinstein and Jaasiel Bean; with live music by Jeff Diteman, Justin Glenn Smith and Ryan Spangler; video by Dora Gaskill, Grace Nowakoski & Jeff Diteman. At Gallery Homeland www.galleryhomeland.org in the Ford Building www.fordbuildingpdx.com 2505 SE 11th x Division 6PM-9



Portland painter James Papadopoulos, in PNCA's MFA program shows his work at Nationale thenewnationale.com 811 E Burnside Map

Portland Scottish artist Neil M. Perry makes anthropomorphic illustration style work. You can see it at Redux www.reduxpdx.com 811 E Burnside

Color: The Visual Spectrum is a photography show of landscapes and a few peoplescapes curated by Todd Johnson. At Black Box Gallery www.blackboxgallery.com 811 E Burnside, Suite 212 upstairs 5PM-8:30 Free

All at 811 East Burnside Map



Gabe Flores continues and About Framing, by Avantika Bawa, opens. At Half/Dozen Gallery www.halfdozengallery.com 722 E Burnside (enter on 8th) 6PM-9, half dozen



Foco has 2011 grad of Arizona State Jonni Cheatwood who combines collage and urban aerosol techniques in his paintings. At Foco Gallery focogallery.wordpress.com 211 SE Madison Free



Painter and illustrator Ian Anderson opens new illustration paintings at the Hawthorne Albina Press tonight. 5012 SE Hawthorne 6PM-8 Free

March 1 Westside Art Openings+

Death is not funny. But there is a good argument we should lighten up on our relationship with it. Maybe artist Jim Riswold, mad ad man, who beat death by cancer, has some ideas about that. Pretty smart copywriter Riswold presents his new show, Philosophy is Not Funny, inspired by noted philosophers Hegel, Kant, Spinoza, Foucault and others. At W+K www.wk.com 224 NW 13th Map 5PM-9 Free



Contact. It's a heavy meme. One of the heaviest. In the top 5, with birth, love, mating and death. Take a look at a talk on the search for contact. So with that meme, curator Chloé Womack has crafted a show. Artists Chase Biado, Jamie Edwards, Daniel J Glendening, Joshua Lee Vineyard, the Xhurch Collective and the Portland Alien Museum explore of the idea of a relationship with other life forms, real, fictional, in our minds. The announcement of the show is a beautiful thing. In the Littman Gallery at Portland State University Smith Center, 1825 SW Broadway Room 250. early 5PM-8 Free



Sometimes we forget, in the ADD fog of the mediasphere, our our native landscape, and our native people, both here before. Especially true with the ubiquity of access to wild landscape surrounding us daily. James Lavadour lives it as a native man who makes abstract landscape paintings. His studio is on the res. Long championed by PDX Contemporary Gallery, he has a show there opening tonight. At PDX Contemporary Art www.pdxcontemporaryart.com 925 NW Flanders Map early close 8PM Free



What is it about eleven? In our range of experience we have had 9/11. Madrid 3/11. Japan has 3/11. The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami shook the culture and government to the core. There will be an exclusion zone for years. Artists Soichiro Fukuda and Dai Ishizaka have photos of it. The gallery also has Terra D'Agua by illustrators Marcelo Macedo, Monstrinho and Michael Cursed. At Hellion Gallery www.helliongallery.com 19 NW 5th Suite 208. Through the lobby of the arched brick entry, up the stairs and to the back. Very upper floor Japan-style.
Map 6PM-10ish Free



The Portland 2012 Biennial, curated by Prudence Roberts, continues its sequential openings across multiple venues tonight. Ben Buswell and Akihiko Miyoshi are at PDX Across the Hall, 929 NW Flanders. Early close 8PM Free



Compound has Aaron Nagel, Dan Gluibizzi, David Bray, Berto Legendary, JesseHectic, Adam Garcia, Ripper1331, Alister Lee, others, in a show, Dangerous Curves, themed on the pin up aesthetic. At Compound Gallery www.compoundgallery.com 107 NW 5th 6PM-10 Free



Stumptown has Bradley Streeper. Haven't seen the show, but it wins the copywriting award for the month: "Bradley Streeper combines paintings and sculptures to reflect on a culture increasingly dictated by shallow advertising, flashy surfaces, and anxiety-inducing white noise. With surroundings often distorting our definition of value, Streeper points to man’s conflict with the natural world and literally carves out extraneous information from his pieces in an attempt to bring some order to this modern chaos". At Stumptown www.stumptowncoffee.com 128 SW 3rd 5PM-9 Free



Chambers has installation artist Allen Maertz. Maertz makes 2d and dioramas which would fit well with natural history or science museums. At Chambers Gallery www.chambersgallery.com 916 NW Flanders Early close 8:30PM Free



Jessica Bronk is a Portland painter and maker of schematic impressionist landscapes. She has some at the Powell's Books third floor gallery. 1005 W Burnside Store hours. Free



Valentines is transitioning to Modou as curator. Tonight though there is Yep, photos by Norm Sajovie. Best to curator booker Jen on her new project! 7PM-late Free



The Everett Station lofts are recommended as always, all of your choice, of course! At the Everett Lofts 625 NW Everett. Bounded by NW Everett, Broadway, Flanders and 6th Map



Want the heaviest of heavies instead of art? You can see the documentary War Don Don as part of the Cascade African Film Festival free tonight. War Don Don translates in Krio to the War is Over. Sierra Leone had a civil war from the 90's to 2001. It's in the top 3 unspeakable atrocities of the 20th century. Not necessarily in numbers, but certainly in transgression on society and civilization. After it, the UN and the international court at Le Hague stepped in to process the period. This film traces the trial of rebel leader Issa Sesay. Prosecutor David Crane remarks on the war as “a tale of horror beyond the gothic into the realm of Dante’s Inferno… these dogs of war, these hounds of hell released.” That's a mild indictment in my opinion. The defense portrays Sesay as himself caught in the maelstrom. Frankly I don't know if I can watch this on the big screen knowing the period. But I would recommend it. Part of the Cascade Festival of African Film www.africanfilmfestival.org At PCC Cascade Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building, Room 104. 7:30PM Free