Saturday, December 19, 2015

December 20-25 NTVTY VI

The Xhurch is an Alberta former church and now current artist live, work, show, gallery and dream portal.

It fits in with its protagonist's larger documentation of former churches, repurposed: www.xhurches.org. And it vibes with contemporary spiritual and mysticism remixing in art and culture.

This Xhurch's churchly origins have been remembered yearly for the last five years with artist-realized nativity scenes. This is the sixth year.

Each year is different. Their Alien Nativity Scene, NTVTY II, was stellar and could be repeated in today's heated political climate. Jesus, of course, was an alien, and so were his parents.

NTVTY III was a mirrored birth canal time tunnel star portal accompanied by music from MSHR.

NTVTY VI incorporates virtual reality experiences which began with NTVTY V, a live nativity scene a'la NTVTY I, video installation, fashion-forward costumes and, of course, experimental music every evening.

Musicians are Sunday, Ant'lrd; Monday, Entity; Tuesday, Sean Pierce; Wednesday, Justice Miracle; Thursday, Mike Erwin; with Friday's band to be announced. The musicians play at 7PM-8ish as a live accompaniment to the nativity. Strongly recommended.

NTVTY VI at Xhurch xhurch.net 4550 NE 20th. Map 7PM-9 Donations appreciated

December 19 Refreshing Art Viewing

The Jamison Thomas 1985 retrospective closes this evening. Much of the art for sale benefits the William Jamison scholarships at PNCA. So bid early and often. At Jeffrey Thomas Fine Art www.jeffreythomasfineart.com 2219 NW Raleigh 4PM-6 Free



Upfor, Adams and Ollman and Melanie Flood galleries have a progressive viewing party this afternoon of their current shows.

At UpFor Gallery www.upforgallery.com 929 NW Flanders early close 3PM-5 Free

At Adams and Ollman Gallery, the second of two members of the New Art Dealers Alliance www.newartdealers.org, www.adamsandollman.com 209 SW 9th early close 3PM-5 Free

At Melanie Flood Projects 420 SW Washington Suite 301 3PM-5 Free

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

December 17 Chroma Key Supply

Art is sleeping the next few weeks to be with family. But there are a few items.


S! unveils their 2016 programming with a holiday party. There will be green screen video karaoke and hopefully dancing. At S1, formerly Multiplex, www.s1portland.com 4148 NE Hancock Map 8PM-10-11? Free



Not art, but Hand Eye Supply has their holiday confab. At Hand Eye Supply www.handeyesupply.com/ 427 NW Broadway 6PM-9 Free

Sunday, December 13, 2015

December 13 Dark Book

The Publication Fair is a small sale by small bookmakers and art book shops. They include Ampersand Gallery & Fine Books, About a Bicycle (AAB), Anthology Booksellers, Big Big Wednesday, Book Arts Editions, Bridge Lab by MediaSurf Communications, Container Corps, Couch Press, Division Leap, Floating World Comics, Future Tense Books, Gobshite Quarterly / Reprobate Books, Know Your City, Mini Chapbook Press, Monograph Bookwerks, Mother Foucault’s Bookshop, Nationale, Octopus Books, Passages Bookshop, Perfect Day Publishing, Personal Libraries Library, Poor Claudia, Portland Museum of Modern Art, Publication Studio, Reading Frenzy, Sidebrow, Sincerely Analog Press, Two Plum Press, University of Hell Press and Whitewall of Sound Publications. Portland is a book town, but we don't usually cover it because others do it better. But here is an exception. At the Cleaners at Ace Hotel 1022 SW Stark Noon-6 Free



Our favorite Tuvan throat singer, Soriah, is part of an early show this evening with dark punkers Christ vs. Warhol and Dead Cult. The show is followed by Portland's dark Hive dance party. At the Star Theater, an old burlesque theater once owned by Gus Van Sant, 13 NW 6th. 8PM $8

Thursday, December 10, 2015

December 12 Bronco 500 Architecture Wonderland

The Big 500 is big. Inspired in Portland by the Charm Bracelet show, Meeting People in 2001, it is a show of art entirely on 8 inch plywood panels. Each panel is $40, cash and carry. Most of it is not my style, but the sponsors, The Peoples Art of Portland, are arguably in the top 5 of Portland galleries in annual revenue. The show has over 500 artists, each producing 10 panels. Doors open at exactly 2PM with a horde of competitive buyers. At the People's Art of Portland www.peoplesartofportland.com 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 5th. 2PM-10 Admission is a can of food for the food bank



We don't usually cover craft exhibitions, or sales. But we do like Crafty Wonderland which takes over the convention center this weekend. You can look them up, as well as smaller more recently curated Gifted at ADX Saturday, The Makery Pop Up Saturday, and the Portland Bazaar Saturday and Sunday. If you want to see what Portland and even regional, in the case of Crafty Wonderland, which includes Seattle crafters, you are welcome.



Melissa Soltesz has relocated Soltesz Fine Art from Utah to Portland. Her large space is large enough to host the Bronco Gallery inside, paintings by Corrie Slawson & Jennifer duToit-Barrett, and a performance by Lucy Yim with fellow movers Stacey Tran, Lindsay Ruoff, Sidony O'Neal and Kira Alexander Clarke. At Soltesz Fine Art www.solteszfineart.com 1825 NW 23rd Map Opens 5PM, performance 7, early close 8 Free



DLS Solution: Downtown Light and Sound, from LA, is a loose collective doing interior and exterior architectural light and sound installations.

It's a growing field, from the theoretical work of Robert Venturi, Steven Izenour and Denise Scott Brown in Learning From Las Vegas - The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form which evolved into Venturi's Iconography and Electronics upon a Generic Architecture. Architects Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio evolved the Times Square aesthetic further (in a more refined way). Later large works are found in the iconic architecture of boom China with examples like Simone Giostra's Greenpix Zero Energy Media facade. The work is framed within the demise of Dara Birnbaum's 1989 Rio Video Wall. The interactive video piece, placed in an Atlanta shopping mall, was eventually commandeered by the mall management to show advertising, and the artist decommissioned the work.

Downtown Light and Sound artists Cayetano Ferrer, Jacqueline Kiyomi Gordon, Nate Hess, Jonathan Mandabach and Ashland Mines have a six week interior installation opening tonight.

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



Grant Hottle's paintings Throw Me the Idol I Throw You the Whip closes tonight. At Carl & Sloan Contemporary www.carlsloan.com
in the Disjecta building. 8371 N Interstate Ave #1 Map 6PM-10 Free

December 11 Supersize Lunch for Dinner

Painter, illustrator and installationist Ron Ewert has I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever. He visits from Chicago, continuing the cross fertilization between Portland and Chicago. At S1, formerly Multiplex, www.s1portland.com 4148 NE Hancock Map 6PM-9 Free



Jane Schiffhauer has a show: Take Size of Me Only if I Can Take Size of You. At Worksound www.worksoundpdx.com 820 SE Alder Map 7PM-10 Free

December 10-12 Tentfall

Composition has a three evening performance, experimental film and installation event: like men in the folds of a fallen tent, ii. Performers and artists include Babette DeLafayette, John Marc Powell, Cameron Fletcher, Marlyn Yvonne and The House Of ia: Jillayne Hunter & kb Thomason. At Composition Gallery www.facebook.com/compositiongallery 625 N.W. Everett St., #102 (mid-block on NW6th) 7PM-9 $5-20

Sunday, December 06, 2015

December 8 Mind the Precipice

The Precipice Fund is a Warhol Foundation-funded small grant program for Portland artists and spaces. The grants are small, up to $5000, and are offered for a year, but not the next year to the same organization. But the groups receiving them have had a great impact on Portland contemporary art.

The grantees for 2013 were 12128 Microresidencies, Amur Initiatives Media and Research, Container Corps, C.O.P.S, The Cosmic Serpent show, Experimental Film Festival Portland 2014, Eights, Issue No. Two, FalseFront, Front newspaper, M.A.S.S., Not Too Distant Futures, Portland Museum of Modern Art, Resident Residency, Random Access Tape / Stream Room Installation, S1, Arresting Power film, Sensingfeelingperceiving, Spreading Rumours, Weird Shift Storefront.

In 2014 they were At the Drive In, BCC: BrownHall, Composition, Environmental Impact Statement, Free Spirit News, I’d Rather Goya Robbed Me of My Sleep than Some Other Son of a Bitch, Habitat, HQHQ Project Space, Moving Out, Muscle Beach, One Flaming Arrow, Physical Education, Portland Pataphysical Society, Prequel, Radical Imagination Gymnasium, Surplus Space, TakerLab, They said don’t bring her home, Worksound International.

Many will be familiar to Portlandorusnow readers.

The new year's recipients will be announced this evening, and each of them will briefly describe their project. After will be a party.

Since all the applicants, their friends and everyone we know will be there, it should be fun!

Precipice Fund awards and party at 415 SW 10th, 3rd floor. 6PM-midnight Free

December 6 The Meaning of Life

JD Banke paints still life arrangements in his own style. His show is called The Meaning of Life is Living. At Nationale www.nationale.us 3360 SE Division Map 3PM-5 Free

Friday, December 04, 2015

December 4 Eastside Art Openings

Dark, rain, cold. Digesting tryptophans, readying for Solstice. But there are things this first Friday. Don't stay in bed!



Newspace continues its Alaska road trip show and has party tonight. At Newspace Photo www.newspacephoto.org 1632 SE 10th Map 6PM-9 Free



Isabela Faun has oil paintings and graphite drawings in show, Zoological Society. At Redux www.reduxpdx.com 811 E Burnside 6PM-9:30 Free



Black Box has Color Photography: A Picture Show. At Black Box Gallery www.blackboxgallery.com 811 E Burnside, Suite 212 upstairs 5PM-8 Free



Megan Ace has staged collages: Between Anarchy and Metamorphosis. Good idea in the conceptual photography realm. Megan Ace www.pushdotstudio.com/site/gallery/2015/12/index.html at Pushdot Studio www.pushdotstudio.com 2505 SE 11th Avenue Suite 104 6PM-9 Free



You never know what Worksound is up to.

Wednesday, December 02, 2015

December 3, 4, 6, 7 Dr Zhou is In!

Beijing, London and New York artist Yi Zhou is in Portland for a series of events in a variety of locations themed on her Body Memory 身体记忆 project. The Body Memory thesis is that memories are stored not exclusively in the brain, but are also stored in the body. The project makes castings of body parts to as reliquaries and totems for those memories.

First Thursday she has an exhibition and participatory performance. Her works are on display from 6PM-about 10. From 8PM-9:30, she will work with five participants to make plaster castings of a finger. Those five have signed up in advance on her project funding website https://www.rockethub.com/61846. Looking is free, though the space is small.


Friday she gives a talk. At Tea Bar 1615 NE Killingsworth. 6PM Free


Sunday she holds a workshop and clinic involving casting a finger and adding scents in collaboration with OLO Fragrance, one of Portland's more experimental fragrance houses. At Milk Milk Lemonade 1407 SE Belmont 2PM-3:30 $75


Monday she holds a clinic and market with items by fellow Chinese artists. At Jupiter Hotel 800 E. Burnside 5PM-10 $99 for the clinic and casting, Free to browse the market


The clinic events include a personal diagnosis and prescription by Dr. Zhou. All is explained on her https://www.rockethub.com/61846 website.

December 3 Westside Art Openings+

If you happen to be in Seattle, which originated the First Thursday art gallery opening tradition adopted by Portland, there is a loft butoh performance.

Erica Howard, Lela Besom, Marina Sossi and Tara Babette join Gerard Erickson, Bryce Evans, Alan Sutherland, Rusty Zepto, Kaoru Okumura, Helen Thorsen and Sheri Brown in a series of group and solo performances tonight.

It is a production of DAIPANbutoh Collective www.daipanbutoh.com in Loft 510 of the Tashiro Kaplan Artist Lofts, 115 Prefontaine Pl S. Preshow in the lobby 7:15PM progressing to Loft 510 at 7:30. $10-20



Composition presents Body Memory by "Doctor" Yi Zhou, visiting from New York, London and Bejing. See the separate listing for the project and exhibition tonight and events throughout town December 4, 5, 6 and 7. At Composition Gallery www.facebook.com/compositiongallery 625 N.W. Everett St., #102 (mid-block on NW6th) 6PM-10 Free



Within Within is an installation by artists Ellen George and Jerry Mayer. They have worked together for many years and their minimal installations are beautiful. Recommended. At the Nine Gallery inside Blue Sky Gallery map 122 NW 8th 6PM-9 Free



Hellion has Attuned, surreal figure sculptures by Troy Coulterman.
The Hellion website is also tracing the career developments of Hellion artists. Bravo! At Hellion Gallery www.helliongallery.com through the lobby of the arched brick entry, up the stairs and to the back. Very upper floor Japan-style. 19 NW 5th second floor. Map 7PM-10 Free



Color is a group show on that very theme by Anne Appleby, Tina Beebe, Peter Gronquist, Joe Rudko, Storm Tharp and Molly Vidor. PDX has 2 spaces at art Basel Miami with gallery artists. At PDX Contemporary Art www.pdxcontemporaryart.com 925 NW Flanders Map early close 8PM Free



Pedro David has close shots of of his family home and Ken Ragsdale has models of landscapes he has rephotographed, The Hundred-Acre Wood. At Blue Sky Gallery www.blueskygallery.org map 122 NW 8th 6PM-9 Free



Froelich has Native American contemporary artist Joe Feddersen with mono prints. At Froelick Gallery www.froelickgallery.com 714 NW Davis early close 8 Free



First year PNCA visual MFA students Jenna Reineking, Ardis DeFreece, Corrin M Olson, Keegan O’Keefe, Hunter Buck, Melanie Stevens and Chanel Adair have a show Ninety-Three Percent Invisible tonight. At The Lodge Gallery 1532 SW Morrison. 6PM-9 Free



Leach continues last month's show and shows at Pulse in Miami. At Elizabeth Leach Gallery www.elizabethleach.com 417 NW 9th Map 6PM-9 Free



Upfor continues last month's show and shows at Untitled in Miami. At UpFor Gallery www.upforgallery.com 929 NW Flanders early close 6PM-8 Free



Adams and Ollman continues their show and shows with NADA. At Adams and Ollman Gallery, the second of two members of the New Art Dealers Alliance www.newartdealers.org, www.adamsandollman.com 209 SW 9th early close 6PM-8 Free



Fourteen30 is in Miami at NADA. At the first of two members in Portland of the New Art Dealers Alliance www.newartdealers.org, Fourteen30 Gallery www.fourteen30.com 1501 SW Market Street Map (they are not open tonight)



Anne Siems, Seattle painter, has Dream Lessons and Gina Wilson also has paintings. At Laura Russo Gallery www.laurarusso.com 805 NW 21st 5PM-8



PNCA and the Museum of Contemporary Craft are recommended to stop in.

They have long time cycle shows and pop ups distributed throughout the building. PNCA www.pnca.edu 511 NW Broadway Map 6PM-9 Free

and

At the Museum of Contemporary Craft www.museumofcontemporarycraft.org 724 NW Davis Early close 6PM-8 Free First Thursday



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 3-6 Predator Songstress

Predator Songstress is a series of performances which began in 2012 by Haruko Nishimura and composer Joshua Kohl operating as the Degenerate Art Ensemble. Nishimura is a butoh performer known for large scale productions.

Predator Songstress: Dictator is the current chapter playing on the big stage.

It is a fantastical and surreal new myth.

Ximena, played by Nishimura, is captured by the Harvesters, a group of old men, who pass judgement on her. She is accused of exaggerating peoples feelings by singing them; and is sentenced to have her voice removed.

She joins fellow women prisoners who hang birdhouses in the forest while they await the same fate.

Ultimately Ximena triumphs, restoring the voices to all from which they have been stolen.

The performance incorporates video, animation, stories gathered from the audience by Ximena in the lobby before the performance, and an original score. Collaborators include Douglass Ridings, Okanomodé Soulchilde, Benjamin Marx and Paris Hurley. Costumes by Alenka Loesch.

Predator Songstress degenerateartensemble.com/dictator-current by the Degenerate Art Ensemble at On the Boards 100 W Roy Street, Seattle. Thursday-Saturday 8PM, Sunday 5PM $25 (waitlist available)

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

December 2 Arresting Made Tube

Julie Perini is an activist artist who works through documentary moviemaking. She was fortunate/unfortunate to be in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time when the keystone cops attempted to prosecute the Critical Art Ensemble. She has continued her work in Portland with the movie Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Portland Oregon www.arrestingpower.com. She speaks about that movie and her work in a midday talk. At the Portland State University Art Building, Room 200, 2000 SW 5th. Noon Free



Gabi Villaseñor and Helmy Membreño have revived Getting to Know You(Tube). Three artists are invited to curate a short collection of fovorite YouTube videos. After viewing the audience engages them in discussion and may bring their own YouTube selection. This program's artists are Libby Werbel, Britt Howard and Travis Beardsley. The event will be at PICA, different from the usual venue. GTKYT at Portland Institute for Contemporary Art 415 SW 10th, Ste 300. Doors 7PM Videos 7:30 Free



Kelley Roy has a new book, Portland Made: The Makers of Portland's Manufacturing Renaissance. She reads from it this evening at Powell's, then there is an after party at Made Here PDX across the street until 11.

Roy coauthored a great book on the Portland food cart movement, from interviews with owners, to the legalities and ecosystem. That book has been a bible in other cities. Roy also founded the ADX makerspace.

You can find out more about the book on their successful Crowdfunding site https://www.crowdsupply.com/portland-made/book.

Portland Made reading at Powells 1005 W Burnside 7:30 Free, after event at MadeHere PDX 40 NW 10th 9PM-11 Free

December 2-4 Viva Las Vegas!

The long time performer, writer, vocalist and creative force in Portland is the subject of a one act opera excerpted from her book Magic Gardens: The Memoirs of Viva Las Vegas.

The book captures an era when artists and activists collaborated to embrace exotic dancing in Portland's cultural mix. It centers around the protagonist's Christmas visit to Midwest family when she reveals her profession to her minister father.

The opera expression of the story is a collaboration with Portland's contemporary opera project Cult of Orpheus, which descended from Classical Revolution PDX. It is no coincidence that Viva is a classically trained singer and studied opera. It is also promoted by Opera Theater Oregon which supports new opera, and has been the subject of an interview on All Classical FM's Northwest Previews. Oregon Art Watch has an extensive review.

All the details and tickets are at www.vivas-holiday.com. Performance at Star Theater, an old burlesque theater once owned by Gus Van Sant, 13 NW 6th. 9PM $20

December 1 Trauma & Apathy

PSU MFA Studio Lectures Series is now curated by Julie Perini who does social justice-focused movie making. Perini is speaking tomorrow at PSU. Tonight's talk is by Basma Alsharif who focuses the same themes. Her talk is entitled Trauma & Apathy. At Portland State University, Lincoln Hall Room 75, 1620 SW Park Avenue 7PM Free

December 1 Bedstock Festival

Bedstock is an online event today with performances by musicians and authors from their beds and kids in their beds for children all over the world who are sick in bed.

It is a gift and fundraiser for MyMusicRx, a 20 year project by the Children's Cancer Association. Bed stock is conceived by Anomaly in NYC and organized in Portland by the creatives at YouWho.

Performers include The Decemberists, Sallie Ford, The Von Trapp Family, and more than 30 other musicians along with authors Cheryl Strayed, Chelsea Cain, Jon Klassen, Carson Ellis and Mac Barnett reading children's books from bed.

Turn your dial to that website!

MyMusicRX performances are archived at https://www.youtube.com/user/MyMusicRX/videos in case any parents of sick children need them, anytime.