Portland galleries get serious in the Spring and Fall. They rest in December-January and August. This month, some of our galleries are getting very serious.
Since retiring as chief curator for the Art Museum, and the architect of the Museum upping its contemporary game, building relationships with the Broad Foundation and perfecting the use of the Simon Norton Wynn-Bacon rule, we haven't heard much from Bruce Guenther. He continues to make an art mark for Portland, curating R.B. Kitaj: A Jew Etc., Etc. It contextualizes the work of the contemporary painter who lived from 1932-2007. The show is focused on his later work, much made after significant shows in Europe. He left Europe after anti-Semitic attacks surrounding a major show at the Tate. England, the world's nation, has significant immigration owing its days as empire. That diversity is sadly met by xenophobia to this day, as we are having here. At the Oregon Jewish Museum www.ojmche.org 724 NW Davis 6PM-8 Free First Thursday
The Elisabeth Jones Art Center is an issue-focused gallery. They have a show by native artists associated with the Standing Rock resistance to an oil pipeline. That oil pipeline drains the Bakken Formation to Texas for export. There are several other projects in the opening of this new space. At the Elisabeth Jones Art Center elisabethjones.art 516 N.W. 14th 5PM-8 early close Free
Fueled by a Schnitzer grant, Blue Sky is expanding beyond their local open source curation committee with this show. It is curated out of New York and includes a fellowship. The first two artists are Cinthya Santos-Briones and Daesha Devón Harris. At Blue Sky Gallery www.blueskygallery.org Map 122 NW 8th 6PM-9 Free
Food, Fashion and Capital Punnishment is a show of paintings on plates by Julie Green, OSU art professor. It complements her ongoing work The Last Supper, over 800 paintings of the last meal requested by death row inmates. She has started a new project, The First Supper, the first meals of individuals released from imprisonment. At UpFor Gallery www.upforgallery.com 929 NW Flanders early close 6PM-8 Free
The Book is a Body that Bends is a new show by minimal conceptualists Anna Gray + Ryan Wilson Paulsen. This is 2d and 3d work themed on the printed and bound book. They are good artists to get to know the work of in this genre. We don't track the Window Project, but noticed this month it is Emily Nachison with Gemini, glass sculpture. At PDX Contemporary Art www.pdxcontemporaryart.com 925 NW Flanders Map early close 8PM Free
The PNCA thesis show has been up since commencement, but many artists will be there on this first Thursday. At PNCA www.pnca.edu 511 NW Broadway Map 5PM-10 Free
Willimason Knight has paintings by Annie Swiderski in show Pom-Palm. The artist made pigments from soil. At Williamson|Knight williamsonknight.com 916 NW Flanders 6pm-8 early close Free
Leach vintage work by Portland-born Richard Diebenkorn and a retrospective of Lee Kelly who continues to work from his country studio. At Elizabeth Leach Gallery www.elizabethleach.com 417 NW 9th Map 6PM-9 Free
Augen has a group show of late career and vintage prints Face: 20th Century Portraits. At Augen Gallery www.augengallery.com 716 NW Davis early close 8PM 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-10ish Free
The Ace Hotel has a First Thursday experimental music event curated by Sounds et al. It pairs well with Veriform's sound gallery First Thursday, but it detracts from people flowing to galleries and it is a very small space. This month: Heather Perkins, Reliqs, Wallflower. In the Ace Hotel Lobby 1022 SW Stark 6PM-8 Free
