Friday, December 19, 2014

December 21 Energy, Mass and C

Einstein laid the groundwork for the standard model. It still holds, though models are a sticky wicket. For a lovely exposition, see the film Particle Fever.

The standard model runs the sun, which makes our life. And the Solstice celebrates our relationship with the sun in its cycle.



M.A.S.S. X celebrates Solstice with musical explorations by Michael Stirling + Matt Carlson + Doug Theriault, Fountainsun (Daniel Higgs + Fumie Ishii) and Douglas Mcgowan. www.facebook.com/events/1523155414604295/ Recommended. At Alberta Abbey 126 NE Alberta 8PM-11 Donation



Today is also the Worldwide Celebration of In C.

Composer and musician Terry Riley wrote the work in 1964. It is the first minimalist music work, though it has innumerable preceding influences. Today In C will be performed throughout the world, and streamed live to the Worldwide In C website. It will also be performed live at the Waypost at 7PM.

By coincidence, Portland musician Michael Stirling, performing M.A.S.S. tonight, has studied extensively with Riley and Riley's teacher, Pandit Pran Nath.

Worldwide Celebration of In C www.worldwideinc.org. All day. Free

Thursday, December 18, 2014

December 20,22-5 Aliens Once All Mostly

Most all of us are aliens, or our predecessors were aliens.

Raises hand.

The concept predisposes borders and includes the future of outside-of-earthians. Of course, from space, there are no borders.

Artists Xchurch have been wryly commenting yearly on the phenomenon.

This year they add an Oculus Rift take on past years. Xhurch NTVTY opens a few days and hours for your contemplation on family, and the turn of the sun, and for baby Jesus, artists and aliens.

Here is a little more about the project vimeo.com/112521303. Tuesday evening goes later with live music.

NTVTY V at Xhurch xhurch.net 4550 NE 20th. Saturday, December 20 6PM-9; Monday-Thursday, December 22-25 6PM-9. Tuesday evening ceremonial and musical ritual. Donation appreciated, think $5

Monday, December 15, 2014

December 19 Whither Arts Education?

Jen Delos Reyes and Harrell Fletcher run the social practice art program at Portland State University. Jen Delos Reyes shares her thoughts this morning on arts education as a vehicle for worldchanging.

Academia is expensive and it is competitive, not only in a positive way. The same applies to the internecine warfare between faculty over appointments. And of course, those same primitive impulses play out in society at large.

What if art and design were human-focused? What would change in arts education? Could those creatives create a better world? That is this morning's discussion.

It is part of the always excellent Creative Mornings. Advance tickets are required http://creativemornings.com/talks/jen-delos-reyes, but the video will be up on the web to be seen for free within a few weeks.

At the Museum of Contemporary Craft 724 NW Davis 8:30AM Free

Sunday, December 14, 2014

December 16 The Tool Array Has Landed

There will be a reception for the Brenna Murphy installation Central~Lattice Tool Array at Upfor tonight. At UpFor Gallery www.upforgallery.com 929 NW Flanders 6PM Free

December 15 Body of Sound

Tere Mathern & Roland Toledo discuss collaboration between movement makers and soundscape makers. Mathern is a modern dance choreographer and Toledo is a sound designer. It is part of architects' Project Cityscope New Structure series. http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-new-structure-tere-mathern-roland-toledo-tickets-10739683683. At Shout House 210 SE Madison St. Ste. 11 7PM Free

December 14 Publication

The annual fair of small Portland publishers and bookstores is today. What a pleasure in an era of Amazon and short attention spans. http://www.publicationstudio.biz/events/ At the Cleaners at the Ace Hotel SW 10th and Stark. Noon-6 Free

Friday, December 12, 2014

December 12 Give, Take, Happen

Givers is a group show curated by Jesse Hayward. They are artworks Hayward has been given by their makers over many years. Artists include Olivia Brown, Elias Crouch, Sally Finch, Bryan Friel, Nathan Gibson, Bill Hayward, Midori Hirosi, Byron Kurtz, Hannah Lockhart, Mark Moore, Lisa Mir, Jarrett Mitchell, TJ Norris, Tim Schwartz, Sibelle Sunar and Liz Walsh. At Gallery Homeland 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



It's Really Cool To Be Here is Thomas J Gamble's response to recent citizen deaths at the hands of police. Many are drawings. At S1 www.s1portland.com 4148 NE Hancock Map 6PM-9 Free



Time Arts Club mounts Happening #17 tonight at Composition Gallery in the Everett Lofts. The event includes an installation by K.C.R.Anderson, Hot in the Sack; video by Katie Holden, two waters; interactive Installation by Emily Lewis, The Ache for Home; video by Chris Freeman You're a Good Man, Chris Freeman at 8PM; installation by Joshua Raines; performance by Amanda Wilson; video by Skyler Wells, Superdrunk at 815PM; 8-Channel Boom Box Performance by Manny Layers, New Romancer IV at 9PM. RSVP requested, it is a small space https://orgsync.com/67394/events/932921. At Composition Gallery compositiongallery.tumblr.com in the Everett lofts facing NW 6th 7PM-10 Free

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

December 11 Precipice

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has a mission to birth more L'enfant terribles. Those artists gather around experimental art spaces, like The Factory in its time. So the foundation has created The Precipice Fund in Portland to give grants of $500-$5000 for a total of $75000 to those experiments. The Foundation operates similar programs in San Francisco, Kansas City, Chicago and Houston.

Last year rcipients included The Portland Museum of Modern Art, M.A.S.S., Multiplex/S1, Falsefront, Weird Shift Storefront, C.O.P.S., 12128 Boatspace and others pica.org/precipice-fund/2013-grant-recipients/.

Tonight the new Portland recipients will be announced. You can attend the announcement event with an RSVP to precipice@pica.org, or attend an annual party later. Precipice Fund announcement and art party pica.org/event/precipice-fund-winner-announcement-pica-winter-fete/ at 415 SW 10th, 3rd floor. Announcement 6PM Party 8PM Free

Thursday, December 04, 2014

December 5 Eastside Art Opening Magic

"No law shall be passed restraining the free expression of opinion, or restricting the right to speak, write, or print freely on any subject whatever; but every person shall be responsible for the abuse of this right." It is in the Oregon Constitution's Bill of Rights.

It is a stronger protection than the US Constitution.

In 2003, the Oregon Supreme Court broadly included exotic dance performances under the Oregon Bill of Rights. The rest is history.

The Magic Gardens opened much longer ago, in 1960, in an even older building. They are closing New Year's eve for the building to be redeveloped.

But tonight, over 50 artists contribute their memories in the form of commemorative posters. At One Grand Gallery www.onegrandgallery.com 1000 E Burnside 6PM-10 Free



Northwoods Journals by Kurt Simonson are photographs inspired by the artist's family childhood memories. It is in the narrative branch of photography. Reathel Geary has photographs Waiting for Griffin, meditations on his relationship with his autistic son. Kudos for a solid December show. At Newspace Photo www.newspacephoto.org 1632 SE 10th Map 6PM-9 Free



Mitsu Okubo, San Francisco Art Institute schooled, has a show at Worksound www.worksoundpdx.com 820 SE Alder Map 6PM-9 Free



All Play & No Work is work-play by Calvin Ross Carl and Matt Jacobs. It is at HQHQ Project Space in the Oak Street Building, 232 SE Oak St #108 6PM-9 Free



Daniel Long's I Hear a Symphony closes tonight with a reception. There is book release by Publication Studio related. At the Portland Museum of Modern Art inside Mississippi Records www.portlandmuseumofmodernart.com 5202 N Albina Map 8PM Free



The 811 building has some new shops and they will be celebrating.

Katherine Bradford and Sarah Gamble continue their previous show. At Adams and Ollman Gallery www.adamsandollman.com 811 E Burnside #213 6PM-9 Free


The Poetics of Light is a curated group show of photographs. At Black Box Gallery www.blackboxgallery.com 811 E Burnside, Suite 212 upstairs 5PM-8 Free


Michele Maule has Into the Woods, fanciful illustrations of treehouses and woodland life. Octavia Hunter has photographs Letting Go, which are on display 24x7 through the rear window. At Redux www.reduxpdx.com 811 E Burnside 6PM-9:30 Free

All at 811 East Burnside Map6PM-9:30



Lisa Golightly has Fade Away, collage of found and made images transferred to canvas. At Pushdot Studio www.pushdotstudio.com 2505 SE 11th Avenue Suite 104 6PM-8 Free

December 4 Westside Art Openings

Brenna Murphy has Central~Lattice Tool Array at Upfor. Some of the work will be recognizable as related to her work as MSHR. The work is individualistic, enigmatic and beautiful. Highly recommended. At UpFor Gallery www.upforgallery.com 929 NW Flanders 6PM-9 Free



Master of drawing, Samantha Wall has a show this month at Laura Russo. At Laura Russo Gallery www.laurarusso.com 805 NW 21st 5PM-8 Free



Francine Fleischer has Swim, photographs made in popular Mexican swimming holes called Cenote. They are fresh water caves and sinkholes. Many go back to the early civilizations of the region as part of their spiritual rituals. Today they are a popular place to cool off. Portrait photographers Jaime Travezán and Morgana Vargas Llosa with art director David Tortora have made an unusual project for Blue Sky, Mírame, Lima. They worked with 50 families to realized staged portraits subsequently digitally composited. In the Nine Gallery, Postcards From Paradise is a show of faux tourist attraction signs staged along the route of proposed Wyoming, Colorado and Montana coal trains. It may not even be economical to export that coal from Oregon and Washington ports. Ryan Pierce takes the artist way in making light of the issue and includes a map of his locations. At Blue Sky Gallery www.blueskygallery.org map 122 NW 8th 6PM-9 Free



Michael Horwitz, Susie J. Lee, Marne Lucas and Corey Lunn share a group show You Don't Know Me, roughly portraits. At PDX Contemporary Art www.pdxcontemporaryart.com 925 NW Flanders Map early close 8PM Free



Visage Eyewear has a show by illustrator Lisa Holley. It admixes animal portraits with botanical illustration. At Visage Eyewear www.visageeyewear.com 1046 NW Johnson 6PM-9 Free



The PNCA MFA programs are weak at publicizing their shows. They even have a dedicated gallery, and probably more, but they ably keep secrets. Not tonight. Happy Hour: The Retrospective is a show by 2016 visual studies class artists Rebecca Rosen Carlisle, Maggie Condit, Alex Godbold, Aaron Johnson, Caitlin Rooney, BriAnna Rosen, Dylan Schietinger, Tait Brian Simonson and Lauren Kristine. At the PNCA Visual Studies Lodge Gallery, in the Allied Works Architecture Lobby, 1532 SW Morrison 6PM-9 Free



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

December 2 Stoned Curiosity

Our regional perch on the ring of fire contributes to the rocks and minerals we find. There are outstanding ones, agates, jaspers, petrified wood, zeolites, sunstones and thunder eggs. That has led to a community of collectors who love exploring the out of the way corners of the state. Some then fabricate jewelry from those findings.

Alison Jean Cole is one and she speaks about her explorations and lapidary adventures tonight. A presentation of the Curiosity Club, you can tune into the free live webcast off the Core77 site, see the video archive on the Hand Eye Supply Website or visit the talk and demonstration in person at Hand Eye Supply www.handeyesupply.com/pages/curiosity-club 427 NW Broadway 6PM Free