Saturday, March 29, 2014

March 30 Research Place is No Place

The contemporary gallery Place in the mall closes tonight. Borne of the recession of shopping, the gallery occupied a mall. Over the lifecycle of Place, there were many stellar shows. With those shows, it has been a place for creative thinkers to compare notes. While the closing is regrettable, all good things must come to an end. It is an fine excellent dénouement. At Place, www.placepdx.com a gallery on the 3rd floor of the Pioneer Place Mall 700 SW Fifth. 2PM-5 Free


Join, bring, eat Research Club brunch. It's a creative potluck brunch with a few creative talks. This afternoon XRAY.FM and The Black Portlanders chat about their creative projects. Bring food, drink and your own plate cup and utensils please. The Research Club www.research-club.org at Flux Hackerspace, 412 NW Couch #222. Buzz the doorbell and go straight up the big stairs. Noon-2 Free


March 29 The Ice Man Goeth

Usually we do not note school galleries. Some, like Linfield College in Mcminville and the UO museum in Eugene are consistently excellent. PCC Cascade and Sylvania have cycles, as does Clark College in Vancouver. Reed often pulls stunners. We count on other other blogs to cover. We cover UO Portland because they are excellent and you can bike.

But a little trafficked photography gallery is on the menu this month. And they are not a drive.

The Camerawork Gallery is downstairs Peterson Hall at Linfield College Nursing Campus. This month they have a National Geographic-landscape photographer, Camille Seaman with The Last Iceberg.

It is the type of photography foreign to the art world because it is commissioned. The travel costs are high and the time involved is substantial. As art, this type of landscape photography struggles with a one note chord of beauty.

But this material is an important topic. We are all for beauty in art and these are beautiful. Very. They also have a very heavy narrative which art likes.

Seaman has photographed icebergs afloat. Icebergs separate from the ice floes and glaciers covering Greenland, parts of Alaska and Antarctica. Smaller ones are pieces of the Arctic sea ice - the vast ocean around the North Pole.

Explorers for oil and gas, as well as seabed minerals, are in hot pursuit of drilling all those places. Without ice it would be significantly easier. Their devils' handiwork is the destruction of that ice and other externalities to the detriment of life. And we are all complicit in our use of energy.

Other artists have approached the topic including Susan Robb with her proposed Sea Ice Life Boat. Here is new research result of loss of ice from satellite earth studies.

You can see Seaman's work at Camerawork Gallery www.TheCameraworkGallery.org, Linfield College Nursing Campus Peterson Hall, 2255 NW Northrup. See the website for hours. Free

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

March 27 Surplus Naught

The alt space energy is always shifting. The next wave is Surplus Space. There, The Naught Collective has a performance, participation, installation on the teaching industry. Maybe it operates similarly to the profitable disease treatment industry. Instead could they be replaced with the learning industry and the optimum health industry? Come tonight and see if you want to join their experiment. At Surplus Space www.surplusspace.org 3726 NE 7th 6PM-9

Saturday, March 15, 2014

March 15 Place Place Place

Place opens Linda Kliewer and Portia Roy while continuing Paul Clay, John Dougherty and Michael Reinsch. At Place, www.placepdx.com a gallery on the 3rd floor of the Pioneer Place Mall along with the People's art of Portland and the Woolley Gallery. 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. 5PM-9 Free

At the same location, the Mark Woolley Gallery and People's Art of Portland have events. Free

Monday, March 10, 2014

March 14 Zeitgeist

Portland photographer Holly Andres had an interesting childhood. But so did we all. Andres has been able to recall the emotional resonances of those childhood experiences in the time, and recreate them, in photography, now. There are many, many photographers traversing this space. For few, if any, I know, is it personal. Andres recreates the feelings of those childhood dreams with friends as actors in a stop motion narrative. You may not know the story, but you know there is a story. And at a subconscious level those story lines are forming tendrils around your story lines.

This morning she speaks in Portland. The event is fully subscribed. Tickets are no longer available for his talk, but the video will soon be available on the Creative Mornings website. Sponsored by Portland Creative Mornings @Portland_CM at the Hollywood Theater www.hollywoodtheatre.org 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard Doors 8:30AM, talk 9. Free

March 10 SpringTube

Getting To Know You(Tube) is in with four contestants tonight! Tubes by Alexander Mackworth, Cecilia Ailicec, Timothy James Kelly and Rob Walmart. Tonight's contestants have been curated by Dalas Verdugo. At Getting to Know You(Tube) www.gettingtoknowyoutube.com at the Hollywood Theater www.hollywoodtheatre.org 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard. 7:30PM $5

Sunday, March 09, 2014

March 9 Color is Good

Sometimes people make fun of curators and galleries. The intent of art is not to get it, or make fun because you self-select as not getting it. The intent of art is pleasure. You have a set of pleasure receptors and I do too. Let's respect that each both. One of Portland's fine curators instantiates at Nationale. My pleasure receptors in art respect the curatorial accomplishments of Nationale.

Today Nationale opens painter Amy Bernstein in her first solo show at the gallery. Though calligraphy springs from another source, this work reminds. You make like. At Nationale www.nationale.us 811 E Burnside Map 2PM-5 Free

Friday, March 07, 2014

March 8 Black Chime Metal Music Machine

Many curators are artists. They can be quite creative in their rivalries. And of course the biennial is opening tonight. So.



The International Invitational Triennial of Contemporary Wind Chimes opens tonight. Artists include Brad Adkins, Portland, OR; Jesse Albrecht, Bozeman, MT; Chase Allgood, Portland, OR; Ásmundur Ásmundsson, Reykjavik, ICE; Dan Attoe, Washougal, WA; Gordon Barnes, Portland, OR; Steve Beatty, Portland, OR; Chase Biado, Portland, OR; Philippe Blanc, Paris, FR; Keith Boadwee, Emeryville, CA; Mike Bray, Eugene, OR; Nadia Buyse, Portland, OR; Sean Joseph Patrick Carney, Brooklyn, NY; Brenden Clenaghen, Portland, OR; Bruce Conkle, Portland, OR; Fiona Connor, LA, CA; David Corbett, Portland, OR; David Dunlap, Iowa City, IA; Grier Edmundson, Montreal, CAN; Alex Felton, Portland, OR; Derek Franklin, NY, NY; Eric Franklin, Portland, OR; Mary George, London, ENG; Matthew Green, LA, CA; Amelie Guerin, Montreal, CAN; Alex Felton, Portland, OR; Linda Ford, San Francisco, CA; Jason Hirata, Seattle, WA; KeKe Hunt, SF, CA; Flint Jamison, Portland, OR; Sarah Johnson, Las Vegas, NV; Kristan Kennedy, Portland, OR; Brian Kennon, LA, CA; Arnold Joseph Kemp, Richmond, VA; Jennifer Locke, SF, CA; Brendan Lott, LA, CA; Marne Lucas, NY, NY; Pam Martin, Marin, CA; Alicia McDaid, Portland, OR; Mack McFarland, Portland, OR; Michelle Liccardo, Portland, OR; Reuben Lorch Miller, NY, NY; Thomas Moecker, Leipzig, DE; Donald Morgan, Eugene, CA; FUCK MOUNTAIN, Portland, OR; Lucas Murgida, SF, CA; Johann Neumeister, Vienna, AU; Paul Nudd, Chicago, IL; Joshua Pieper, San Francisco, CA; Ralph Pugay, Portland, OR; Amy Rathbone, San Francisco, CA; Sean Regan, Portland, OR; Michael Reinsch, Portland, OR; William Rihel, Portland, OR; Gary Robbins, Portland, OR; Zach Rose, Seattle, WA; Jay Schmidt, Bozeman, MT; Krystal South, Portland, OR; Tim Stigliano, Portland, OR; Brian Storts, Ventura, CA; Jesse Sugarmann, LA, CA; Tim Sullivan, San Francisco, CA; Joe Thurston, Portland, OR; Ian Treasure, San Francisco, CA and Ian Trout, LA, CA & Carl Alexander, HOU, TX. Moar chimes! At Rocksbox Fine Art www.rocksboxfineart.com 6540 N Interstate Map 8PM-11 Free



Chiaroscuro is a conceptual performance by Matt Doyle. He has perfected the wall surfaces of the Recess Gallery, painted them black, then painted them white. Tonight's show is the documentation. Recess will also release a book on curation and custody by Tori Abernathy, gallery principal, artist and curator. Doyle is the sound designer for film Automated Futures. It places high frequency trading of financial instruments in the context of the post industrial decline of the rust belt economy. The vehicle is a road trip along a privately owned $300 million optical communication cable built by Spread Networks which connects the Nasdaq and NY Stock Exchange data centers in New Jersey with the Chicago board of trade. It also connects to a large multi tenant data center building owned by Google in Chelsea. While there are many fibers on that route, this one is a few milliseconds faster because it is shorter.

At RECESS recessart.com at Oregon Brassworks Building, 1127 SE 10th Map 7PM-10



Metal Music Machine is a lengthy and legendary noise work by musician Lou Reed. Tonight is is reprised by March Music Moderne, presenter of dozens of events of 21st century music around town. Joan Laage, Sheri Brown and Alan Sutherland, butoh artists from Seattle perform. At Three Friends Coffee House 201 Se 12th 11PM Free

March 8-April 27 The Oregon Biennial

The Oregon Biennial is a sprawling affair in time and space. This year it is curated by Amanda Hunt from LA, the first out of region curator. The event opens tonight at the main Disjecta space. There are other openings Sunday, then onward. There are public projects outdoors, and a fine Saturday series of talks and video.

Tomorrow there are openings at the UO Whitebox by the artists behind Appendix and at Upfor. We will leave it to you to navigate your way on www.biennial.disjecta.org.

At Disjecta, in the shadow of Paul Bunyan www.disjecta.org 8371 N. Interstate Map 6PM-10

March 7 Eastside Opening Songs

Many people are going to the Luc Tuymans talk tonight at PNCA previously mentioned.



Art and Commerce engage in a dynamic. The common dishonesty of commerce makes art suspicious. But creativity and commerce are each large organizing fields which subsume the other. Creativity works best with optimism, while commerce is unafraid to exploit both pessimism and optimism. Nonetheless, commerce, on its best days, loves creativity. The Art of Work is a show of photography by artists made in service of their day jobs, but never used. Curated by Julia Dolan, photography curator at the Art Museum and John Jay at the ad agency. Artists include Neil DaCosta, Scott Dalton, Maia Flore, Eugenie Frerichs, Tom Hassler, Joshua Hobson, Carter Johnston, Kristianne Koch, Mark Mahaney, Tasia Markoff, Robbie McClaran, Christopher Onstott, Shawn Records, Alan Thornton, Allan Visnick, Bruce Wolf and Dave Woody. At Newspace Photo www.newspacephoto.org 1632 SE 10th Map 6PM-9 Free



Black Box turns in Landscape: Looking at Photography, their collection of contemporary landscape. At Black Box Gallery www.blackboxgallery.com 811 E Burnside, Suite 212 upstairs 5PM-8:30 Free


Conny Purtill has The Ground, drawings and collaborative works by Felix Culpa, Jay Heikes, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Barry McGee and Todd Norsten. At Adams and Ollman Gallery www.adamsandollman.com 811 E Burnside #213 6PM-9 Free


After some fierce for Portland snow, Spring energy is in play, with the Hawthorns blooming and a burst of fashion, Portland's other art form. In that spirit, independent fashion photographer Christine Shields has a show. At Haunt www.hauntstudio.blogspot.com 811 E Burnside Suite #113 6PM-8


All at 811 East Burnside Map




The Way We Think We Are is a portrait show by Ken Sellen, David Slader and Matt Schlosky. www.galleryhomeland.org in the Ford Building www.fordbuildingpdx.com 2505 SE 11th x Division. Enter through the cafe on the corner if the main doors on 11th are locked. 6PM-9 Free



Portland has many musical ecosystems. More so than many places they are collaborative tribes. The March Music Moderne is an example, the old-timey revival and its influence on rock and folk, many shades of punk, new psych, the Valentnes-curated-in-the-day flows, the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls phenomena, gamelan, Indian, African, the list goes on.

We have many artists that are creative polymaths, and pursue music making as a creative facet. Chris Johansen is one. He has a visual show up at PMOMA. In honor of that show, Tara Jane ONeil with Dragging an Ox Through Water and Morgan Ritter play tonight. It's a free show for homies on her world tour.

At the Portland Museum of Modern Art inside Mississippi Records www.portlandmuseumofmodernart.com 5202 N Albina Map Show 8PM Free

Thursday, March 06, 2014

March 6 Westside Art Openings

Stephanie Simek sets up her studio in the Museum of Contemporary Craft's Storefront Residency Project. It runs the other Thursdays in March 2PM-5. Tonight it is 5PM-8. At the Museum of Contemporary Craft 724 NW Davis 5PM-8



Swiss artists Françoise and Daniel Cartier work collaboratively as f&d cartier. They open an installation of unfixed photosensitive papers which will change over the time they are up. Lucy Capehart has photos of the long stored clothing of her parents who perished in an airplane crash when she was a child. At Blue Sky Gallery www.blueskygallery.org map 122 NW 8th 6PM-9



PNCA has Luc Tuymans: Graphic Works – Kristalnacht to Technicolor. The artist also speaks at the school Friday 6:30PM. At PNCA www.pnca.edu 1241 NW Johnson Map 6PM-8



I like wind turbines. I don't understand those who don't. More wind turbines please. Painter Shannon Passon does too, and paints them in landscapes. They are there with poetry book arts. At Glyph Cafe & Arts Space www.glyphpdx.com 804 NW Couch 7PM-9



Eliza Fernand, PNCA minted in '06 presents a show of quilts, Bright Shroud. Sculptor, illustrator, animator and installationist Fernald has a great sense of humor and that has always been reflected in her work. At Stumptown www.stumptowncoffee.com 128 SW 3rd



Compound has Minutiae Enchantica miniature paintings and sculpture by Ben Adams, Jennifer Parks, Arax Sargsyan and Kim Slate. At Compound Gallery www.compoundgallery.com 107 NW 5th 6PM-10



Everett Lofts are recommended as always. It's easier for you to see them all than for me to write suggestions. Some close as early as 9PM. At the Everett Lofts 625 NW Everett. Bounded by NW Everett, Broadway, Flanders and 6th Map closing ranges from 9PM-10:30ish

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

March 5-9 And So It Begins

The art world embraces the dynamic between the Confucians and the Taoists. The Confucian pole is all about a hierarchy of curators, venues, collections, critics, collectors and artists, dollars too. The Taoist pole is about experimentation, DIY, and influence on society and aesthetics within, the unassuming sage changing the world.

The Reed College Reed Arts Week combines these polar impulses with grace. Reed College is Reed College. They extend their Reed College essence to their students to organize, curate and execute a national-scale art event-show which includes their own student artists along side international artists.

You can get all the details at the website designed by students - reed.edu/raw/2014/index.html. At Reed College , www.reed.edu 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd Free