Portland Postcards from America is the Portland instance of a national project, and a group show of photography, tonight, one night. Nine photographic explorations in the series preceed. It is a project of the respected Magnum photo agency, and the work is by Magnum photographers Susan Meiselas, Jim Goldberg, Alec Soth, Bieke Depoorter, Peter van Agtmael, Donovan Wylie and Zoe Strauss. This show is lensed through the social practice modus. Thus it is part of the Assembly conference. At Newspace Photo www.newspacephoto.org 1632 SE 10th Map 7:30PM-10 Free
Today is Atlas Obscura Day. Atlas Obscura is an online entity that catalogs and maps unusual places on earth. Some are natural, but most are human-made. They can be drawn to irony, more so than say, The Center for Land Use Interpretation. They run parallel to Roadside America and others. Once a year, on Atlas Obscura Day, they arrange local events at their sites, and that day is today. Details at www.atlasobscura.com Free
Recess, as part of the Assembly conference, rocks Foucault. They present an author, exploring through science fiction, the exploitation of individuals by the financial system.
Student loans got you down? Be there.
Author Cassie Thornton has authored Rock. Not copywriting award of the month level, but getting the idea level:
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ROCK is the story of a mass that is unable to be valued, because it is simultaneously a physical piece of debt and a meteorite. In this story, which began to unravel in 2011, Cassie Thornton experiences the impact of indebtedness on her unconscious while she yearns to feel the infinity offered by outer space. If debt were a meteorite—a condensed and heavy, physical thing—could it be thrown at the debt ceiling (which has replaced the ozone layer around the earth)? Imagine debt leaving earth, breaking through into a different, epic value system. Imagine a life in which the debt doesn't just loom over our heads or cloud our thoughts. If we could follow the debt into space, would we escape this hard landscape that does not support life over profit?
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Recess Gallery Moving On recessart.com talk by author at Mother Foucault bookstore, a small space, arrive early and browse. 523 SE Morrison 7PM Free
Portland's hip hop dance community is smaller than Seattle and elsewhere. Nasty history TL:DR. Tonight is a big battle Ashes to Ashes. Fifth year. Big thing. Guests from other cities. Details https://www.facebook.com/events/1535339483401496/. Doors 1PM, prelim 2, main 4. At Refuge, 116 SE Yamhill. $20
Composition molds a participatory ceramics event, the clay will tell me what to do next, facilitated by Amanda Leigh Evans. "Drawing from imagery in Kabbalah and Peter Sloterdijk’s spherology, the project uses the metaphor of functional ware to consider self-orientation and service" is one way to look at it. Another way is that you can come, get your hands dirty in some mud, which will then be fired so you can take it home in about a week. Plus you get to converse with other artists. It is part of the Assembly conference. At Composition Gallery, part of the Everett Station Lofts. Mid block on NW 6th between Everett and Flanders. 5:30PM - 7 Free
All the way from Belgium, Willem Oorebeek opens a show, Monolith Regardless of the Millers. The work uses graphic art media and sampling. Where have we seen that before? Mr Oorebeek presnets an in-person talk June 5 at the space you can look up. At Yu Contemporary Art www.yucontemporary.org 900 SE 10th 4PM-6 Free
