Thursday, February 25, 2016

February 28 Pure Pure Photo School Video School

Julia Dolan, Portland Art Museum Curator of Photography, gives a talk: Why Should There Not Be Many Schools of Photographic Art? Talk www.portlandartmuseum.org/event/lecture-why-should-there-not-be-many-schools-of-photographic-art/?instance_id=26104 at the Portland Art Museum www.portlandartmuseum.org 1219 SW Park 2PM Free for Museum members; Lecture included with admission fee for non-members



Our friends at Xhurch are hosting a workshop by Max Schneider on Pure Data, software for creating audio and video. The event on Facebook has information on downloading the !free! software for a !free! workshop!! www.facebook.com/events/1702956873275433/. At Xhurch xhurch.net 4550 NE 20th 4PM-7 Free



Pure Surface, a collaborative performance between a mover, a filmmaker and a writer is back from holiday with Rene Sills - dance, Christopher Rose - writer and Sam Pirnak - video. Pure Surface www.puresurface.info at Valentines valentinespdx.com 232 SW Ankeny. Doors 6PM, performance 7 sharp Free

February 27th Winter Caldera

Caldera Arts is a Summer arts immersion for at risk youth. In Winter, guest artists visit for an uninterrupted residency in a beautiful setting. Today is an open house to see the work and meet the artists in the cycle.

This residency has artists Kim Calder, Literary Arts—Poetry; Camas Davis, Culinary Arts and Literary Arts—Nonfiction Writing; Kylie Lockwood, Visual Arts—Sculpture; Christine Olejniczak, Interdisciplinary Arts; Jason Randolph, Performing Arts—Circus and Sculpture; Adriana Rojas Pretel, Performing Arts—Circus and Sculpture; and Brittany Reeber, Visual Arts—Film.

Full artist bios: www.calderaarts.org/caldera/arts-in-residence/current-roster/.

Arrive at 1PM sharp for presentations by the artists, then visit the studios.

Most years, the camp gets snow. You might check the pass and road cameras on Tripcheck.

At Camp Caldera www.calderaarts.org, 31500 Blue Lake Drive, Sisters, OR Map 1PM-3 Free

February 26 Creative Jelly Beans

Creative Mornings PDX hosts Jelly Helm this month. Helm worked as executive creative director at the Big Advertising Agency on Brands You Would RecognizeTM. He founded the Big Advertising Agency12 school of ad program. Then he set out on his own with Studio Jelly. www.studiojelly.com. The Timbers campaigns, including photographing fans with axes? He did that. This Creative Morning will not be recorded for rebroadcast. Creative Mornings at the First Congregational Church. www.creativemornings.com/talks/jelly-helm

Creative Mornings Portland at First Congressional Church 1126 SW Park Doors 8:30AM Talk 9 Free - advance tickets required

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

February 23 Forensic Lutherie

Portland has one of the finest makers of guitars in the world. Jeffrey Elliot speaks tonight about his guitar restoration projects for museums. He had to research the original materials in the guitar and replace them with materials available today. Fascinating! Jeffrey Elliot of Elliot Guitars www.elliottguitars.com www.curiosityclub.handeyesupply.com/new-events/2016/2/23/jeffrey-r-elliott-luthier presentation of the Curiosity Club, you can tune into the free live webcast, 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

February 23 Quiet Fun

Long form reading builds strong minds in a myriad of ways. But it is being supplanted by short form reading and video. Once that gets built into culture by a generation of early childhood development, the societal implications will be profound.


About 200,000-100,000 years ago our ancestors experienced a mutation in the FOX2 gene. It is believed that evolutionary breakthrough allowed our ancestors more complex vocal expression and control of facial expression, a large part of nonverbal communication. We have not yet decoded the genetic basis of the accompanying advancing neocortex, giving humans the capability to integrate the senses, planning and abstract thinking.

Art and ritual objects are found about 100,000-50,000 years ago. So it is likely that language as we know it would have been well established by that time.

We have an archaeological record of written language beginning about 10,000 years ago in the fertile crescent.

A good friend started to write a book interweaving the entire history of all of our branches of language and the variation in dyslexia between languages. Unfortunately she was unable to complete the project as she developed dementia. It breaks my heart to never be able to read that book.


For eons our brains were oriented to passing knowledge by oral storytelling. The clay tablets, ink on strips of bamboo, writing on leather, papyrus and eventually paper has been with us for at least 4000 years. But they did not play a significant role in the everyday language of a life lived beyond governments, scholars and monks. Many great works, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Epic of Gilgamesh, Mahabharata, the Songlines of Australia come to us from oral tradition.

Where literature has been copied by hand, it evolves, albeit at a slower pace than the evolution of an oral narrative, which may change in each telling.

Only a few artifacts of the great historical libraries in China, India, the Eastern Mediterranien and the Fertile Crescent remain. Written Western literature was carried through the Middle ages in Europe by monasteries. Those isolated monastic libraries of hand copied books began to give way to the first universities and their libraries about 1000 years ago.


Wood block and even movable type printing emerged in Asia. For the West, it was Guttenberg who brought movable type and mechanized printing about 575 years ago. For several hundred years more, books were for the wealthy and the great libraries which emerged. Few people could read; oral narrative predominated.

Now we live in an era of infinite reproduction. In long form books, we have access to vast libraries, bookstores and electronic books.


But we have a way to go even in the United States to achieve our potential in literacy, especially for complex material. Key are the principles of Ready to Read: being read to daily as small children, learning the alphabet and parental vocabulary. We have libraries at the ready to help with that. (Where is Ready for Math?, Ready for Science?)

Today, now, we have ample social reinforcement for experiencing reading in 140 character chunks, political sound bites low in information content, along with Buzzfeed-worthy short writing which passes for journalism.

The building blocks for literacy are our entire human history of brain development, language, writing, printing, books and libraries. What it builds in an individual is best maintained in good working order by long form reading. See 1, 2.

Where is the social reinforcement for long form reading? Where is its pleasure?


It is right here in Portland!

Silent reading has been the raison d'etre of libraries since the beginning. A quick search shows silent reading parties in bars in Seattle as early as 2010.

In Portland, there is one now at the Beech Street Parlor, monthly.

It is tonight.

Bring a paper book, or an electronic book reader. Experience a drink or a snack. Bring a friend. Leave behind the chit chat for an hour or two. And immerse yourself in a book.

Lighting provided, free!

Silent Reading Party www.silentreadingpartypdx.com at www.beechstreetparlor.com 412 NE Beech 6PM-8 Free

Saturday, February 20, 2016

February 22 GTKYT Is Back!

Eric Isaacson, Erica Thomas and Michael Bunsen present their favorite finds on YouTube. At Getting to Know You(Tube) www.gettingtoknowyoutube.com at the Hollywood Theater www.hollywoodtheatre.org 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard. 7:30PM $5

February 21 Pure Data Sanctuary

Sanctuary Sunday celebrates its 3 year anniversary with Opaline, Soul Ipsum, Glas + Schneider and HOM vs Anthony Bisset. At Xhurch xhurch.net 4550 NE 20th. Music 7PM-10 $5

February 20 Build, Don't Buy Love

Kayla Mattes has Live Buy Build opening this evening. Mattes masters contemporary textiles well. She has combined it with wallpaper she has designed, a floor pattern of varied materials and prints from a Risograph - an archaic Japanese copy machine which has attracted a cult following among artists. To update textiles is a challenge in Portland's craft-centric world with generations of craft instructors plowing deep aesthetic furrows. At FISK Gallery www.itsfisk.com 3636B N. Mississippi 8PM Free



Mark Woolley has collaborations between Sid Deluca (Astoria) & Stirling Gorsuch (Bend) and paintings by Portlanders Gustaf Mortier & Samuel Eisen-Meyers None of it is my style, but Woolley openings are always fun.

At the Mark Woolley Gallery www.markwoolley.com a gallery on the 3rd floor of the Pioneer Place Mall, with the People's art of Portland opening at the same time. 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



The Portland Love Show began in 2006 www.launchpadgallery.org/on-love.

It has always been a show of primarily self-taught artists. The People's Art of Portland has carried on the annual tradition for the last five years.

Tonight the tenth annual love show is a show by about 50 artists working on small panels. The show has dual themes: Portland and Love.

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 5PM-9 Free

Friday, February 12, 2016

February 12 Elemental

NY artist, gallerist and NYU professor Jonathan Berger has taken over Adams and Ollman with an ambitious installation. It is a minimal and elegant construct of painstakingly shaped and pigmented materials with an organic feel. They are modeled from tin, putty, charcoal and chalk; the artist's "elemental materials."

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 6PM-9 Free

Thursday, February 11, 2016

February 11 Parallelogram

Happy gravity wave day! Parallelograms is a group show of interactive web work by Alfons Knogl, Kayla Mattes, Gideon Barnett, Ben Alper, Joy Drury Cox, Rob Hult, Sheida Soleimani, Barry Stone, Eileen Isagon Skyers, Aeron Bergman, Alejandra, Salinas, Fabian Hesse, Brion Nuda Rosch, Chris Maggio, Sophia Le Fraga, Gabriela Salazar, Courtney Stephens and David Court. The S1 site has a longer description. At S1, formerly Multiplex, www.s1portland.com 4148 NE Hancock Map 6PM-9 Free

Tuesday, February 09, 2016

February 9 Riot Grrrls International

Masha Alyokhina and Ksenia Zhivago, formerly of the collective Pussy Riot, sit for an interview tonight in Portland. If you are interested in performance, art and risk taking in the women-identifed world, this will be a fierce event.

The Pussy Riot collective, made of many women, made political and social criticism performances in the Russian Republic which landed several members in prison, including Masha Alyokhina.

Since, Masha Alyokhina and Ksenia Zhivago have set out, taking the Pussy Riot brand as their own, on the lecture circuit including Portland. You can find many videos of their presentations online.

This event is probably the best thing you can do with your time tonight in Portland, OR, US. Masha Alyokhina and Ksenia Zhivago www.crystalballroompdx.com/events/148452-A-Conversation-with-Pussy-Riot- at the Crystal Ballroom. 1332 W Burnside. Doors 7PM, talk 8. $45

Sunday, February 07, 2016

February 7 Tinderbox

Gary Wiseman has a show Tinderbox opening this afternoon. It was inspired by his work with Bark, and curated by Ka'ila Farrell-Smith. Rainmaker is the in-city residency program of Signal Fire, which was birthed by Bark. Talk 5PM. At Rainmaker Artist Residency www.rainmakerartistresidency.org 2337 NW York St, # 201 4PM-7 Free

Saturday, February 06, 2016

February 6 Connect Study Dolphin Folk

The Portland Art Museum is hosting a talk by the architect of the new Japanese Garden pavilions. Unfortunately tickets sold out very quickly. Kengo Kuma speaks on Tsunagu, his Architecture of Relationships. The show of architectural drawings, models and materials at the AIA would make a good complement to the talk; the Portland Art Museum often posts videos of their talks on their YouTube channel. At the Portland Art Museum Whitsell Auditorium 1219 SW Park 2PM Sold Out



Jaik Faulk, Justyn Hegreberg, Fredrik Averin, Elizabeth Allen-Cannon, Ty Ennis, Elizabeth Malaska, Oriana Lewton-Leopold and Ním Wunnan have work inspired by the idea of artist studies. Nationale has engaged in consistently excellent curation for some time. If you are not acquainted please do. At Nationale www.nationale.us 3360 SE Division Map 3PM-6 Free



The Tenses, Corum, Dolphin Midwives, Arrington de Dionyso play music tonight. The Facebook event has a good description: https://www.facebook.com/events/643293882478759/ At Xhurch xhurch.net 4550 NE 20th. Map 7PM-10:30 $3-5 donation appreciated



Mamie Deschillie and Sally M Mulda have their first show together. They are each self taught artists. Mamie Deschillie is Navaho and grew up on the Navaho Nation land. Sally M Mulda is an aboriginal Australian of the Luritja Yankuntjatjara who grew up in Alice Springs. Both first peoples. DJ Hisham Mayet (Sublime Frequencies) provides music for the opening.

Mamie Deschillie began her art work in her 60s and worked until she passed at age 90. Sally M Mulda also came to art as a mature adult.

The PMOMA web site has a great description.

PMOMA is a small gallery in the basement of a vinyl music store which flies under the radar. But they consistently show stellar work in the folk art and self-taught artist realms. Their openings are lively and conversational, or you can stop by anytime the vinyl music store is open. Highly recommended.

At the Portland Museum of Modern Art inside Mississippi Records www.portlandmuseumofmodernart.com 5202 N Albina Map 8PM-10 Free

Friday, February 05, 2016

February 5 - March 5 Cascade Festival of African Films

The Cascade Festival of African Films is a favorite event. Each year on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for a month they show films from all over Africa.

This year they have films from Algeria, Cote d'Ivore, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda.

Every single one of the films is free!

Most are shown on the PCC Cascade Campus on N Killingsworth. The opening night and Friday February 19 films are at the Hollywood Theater, also free.

The PCC Library maintains a copy of all the films shown over 26 years for in-library viewing.

The 26th annual Cascade Festival of African Films www.africanfilmfestival.org at Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building, Room 104, Portland Community College Cascade Campus, 705 N Killingsworth; and the Hollywood Theater, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Check the schedule for times. Free

February 5 Eastside Art Openings+

Your best bet tonight is probably the Winter Light Festival. Eastside spaces are fluxing, and crowds sparse.



A new space from Fall is Stephanie Chefas Projects. The show, Straight Outta Portland, includes artists Ryan Bubnis, Stephanie Buer, Zach Erickson, Blaine Fontana, Adam Friedman, Peter Gronquist, Yellena James, Susannah Kelly, Brin Levinson, Jen Lobo, Mako Miyamoto, Jeremy Nichols, Jeff P., Neil M. Perry, David Rice, Souther Salazar and Ayumi Takahasi. It's an unusual mix of artists, with Peoples Art of Portland artists showing with artists that would show at Hellion and spaces that are art school-oriented. The curator is also active in the pop surrealism projects, curating in major West Coast cities. At Stephanie Chefas Projects www.stephaniechefas.com 305 SE 3rd Ave #202 - the City Sign Building, formerly a low cost artist space Map. 6PM-9 Free



We generally don't cover book arts. It is not our expertise, and contemporary aesthetics are rare. But tonight we are vary curious about Ink + Metal + Paper at 23 Sandy.

The C.C. Stern Type Foundry has curated this international show of letterpress work from C. Christopher Stern, Jules Remedios Faye, Jim Rimmer, Brian Bagdonas, Inge Bruggeman, John Christopher, Jennifer Farrell, Julia Ferrari, Rebecca Gilbert, Patrick Goossens, Joseph Green, John Grice, Barbara Henry, Richard Hopkins, Darrell Hyder, Myrna Keliher, Emily Larned, Norman McKnight, Sarah Nicholls, Pat and John Randle, Amy Redmond, Mark Sarigianis, Ivan Snyder, Jessica Spring, Barbara Tetenbaum, Sandy Tilcock and Jenny Wilkson.

At 23 Sandy www.23sandy.com 623 NE 23 at Sandy 5PM-8



One Grand has an artist residency. Max Rippon works in the gallery this month. His style of sampled old sign painting styles works with the One Grand aesthetic. At One Grand Gallery www.onegrandgallery.com 1000 E Burnside 6PM-10 Free



Forest for the Trees is a show by Ted Vogel and Jeff Irwin inspired by nature. At Eutectic Gallery www.eutecticgallery.com 1930 NE Oregon 6PM-9 Free



Alea Bone has Mexican folk art influenced wall pieces made from scrap metal. At Redux www.reduxpdx.com 811 E Burnside 6PM-9:30 Free



Black Box has a group show of black and white photography. At Black Box Gallery www.blackboxgallery.com 811 E Burnside, Suite 212 upstairs Early close 5PM-8 Free

Thursday, February 04, 2016

February 4 Westside Art Openings

The Museum of Contemporary Craft is closing permanently. This may be the last opportunity to visit them for free on a First Thursday. Good friends have been involved with The Museum of Contemporary Craft and done stellar work. But there has also been faulty planning, communication and strategy. I prey that the collection finds a home where it can be properly cared for and contextualized. The Museum of Contemporary Craft shop will be permanently closed, but future contemporary craft shows may or may not fall under the PNCA exhibition program.

This last month has a show by the Craft Advanced Research Projects Agency CARPA / CARPA. Their project runs parallel to Switzerland's EToy and is a parody of ARPA/DARPA, a USA Department of Defense agency with essentially unlimited resources to pursue new technologies which the military could use. ARPA/DARPA created the early space program and they created the Internet. They are great to follow if you are curious.

Rowland Ricketts also has a show Work Time involving fabric dyeing.

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



Three Russo artists Dana Lynn Louis, Samantha Wall and Akio Takamori are selectees for the Portland Art Museum Contemporary Northwest Art Awards. They have a show this month. At Laura Russo Gallery www.laurarusso.com 805 NW 21st early close 5PM-8



Blue Sky is always worth a visit. In the Nine gallery, Bill Will, always the wry commentator, has The Rapture (Simulator). It fills the room with his trademark kinetic art carrying a social or political critique. At the Nine Gallery inside Sky Gallery www.blueskygallery.org map 122 NW 8th 6PM-9 Free



Thomas Kinkade was an American phenomenon. He created an arts empire outside the art school, gallery, investment bank collector, museum great cultural chain of being. Yes, he had a big ego. Yes, some of his most avid fans were evangelical. And yes, Upfor has a group show inspired by Kinkade. It's loosely inspired. But hey, fun is fun! At UpFor Gallery www.upforgallery.com 929 NW Flanders early close 6PM-8 Free



Seated With is a show of paintings by Micah Hearn, Portland. The video space has artist Daniel Heffernan from New York. At theWhite Box Gallery at the University of Oregon White Stag Building, whitebox.uoregon.edu 70 NW Couch 5PM-7 Free



Not purely art, but the Good Mod furniture store is doing room installations with an artistic bent. This month, Casey Keasler of Casework does it. At The Good Mod 1313 W Burnside, 4th floor. 6PM-9 Free



Other outlets cover architecture better than we. In eras, PICA and PNCA were or hinted at being a collaborative space for creatives across communities. Not it may be soon the Portland Japanese Garden. They are building several new pavilions in the former parking area right outside the existing garden ticket entrance. Kengo Kuma is the architect for that expansion of the Portland Japanese Garden. There is an architectural model, materials and drawing show about the project. It is at the Portland AIA office 403 NW 11th 5:30PM-8 Free



Everett Lofts are recommended as always. It's easier for you to see them all than for me to write suggestions. At the Everett Lofts 625 NW Everett. Bounded by NW Everett, Broadway, Flanders and 6th Map closing ranges from 9PM to a little later in Winter



PNCA is 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

Wednesday, February 03, 2016

February 3-6 Let There Be Light Festival

The Winter Light Festival is an installation of light art by over 20 artists, participatory illuminated events, talks and affiliated events scattered throughout the city. It is a new event for Portland, running tonight through Saturday at OMSI, in the surrounding East Bank area and in the affiliated locations.

It may have had its roots in the Light Bar event each February in a Northeast Portland yard. It also corresponded with Portland Minibike Winter. To combat Winter darkness, people gathered there evenings for art-themed events and conversation. Each year it was in a new temporary experimental structure, built for the event, heated by a wood stove and illuminated brightly. One year show collapsed the structure when it was unoccupied. It was fun while it lasted!

The organizers and advisors of the Winter Light Festival are artists, professional lighting designers and veterans of art festivals with night time light art installations.

The event itself is free. OMSI will host food and drink for sale if you would like to get inside to warm up.

Some items will be visible from the West Willamette shore.

Winter Light Festival www.pdxwlf.com at OMSI and the industrial area nearby. 5PM-10 Free

February 3 Seconds Remaining

(we sleep) In The Seconds Between by Micah Schmelzer is a new show of interactive video by a recent PNCA grad in the Littman Gallery. Nicole Baker has Into the Trees in the White Gallery.

Also note that the Littman and White Gallery needs your support now. Portland State University is considering taking the Littman Gallery Space for another use. Portland State University has a thriving art program, particularly its world-leading social practice art program. That needs to be front and center in the Smith student union on that floor where it is. The competing uses can be easily accommodated in a variety of rooms in that same area. If PSU believes it cannot spare instructional spaces or meeting rooms on that floor for their new use, they can make room for those meeting rooms in the grand athletic center building they are constructing. If you are concerned, speak to the Littman and White staff this evening, and follow their FB page

At the PSU Littman Gallery in Smith Union. www.pdx.edu/littmanandwhite PSU Smith Hall, Room 250, 1825 SW Broadway 6PM-8