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
