Today is worldwide Obscura Day, in which you are given the opportunity for expeditions, discovery of hidden treasures and back-room tours in over 75 towns worldwide. A wander through the website is an adventure in itself. In each city, volunteers have planned their favorite events, including Portland. Today, with advance reservations, it is possible to tour Portland's epic Center of Art and 3D Photography. 3D is exploding in filmmaking, after an early experimental period of horror and monster movies in the 1950's, 3D film fell into oblivion. Even before, stereo photographic viewing came to the masses in the form of View-Master viewers and mass produced disks with primarily landscape photographs. It was invented in Portland in 1939. Portland artist Vladamir has updated the medium for art. Meanwhile across town, it's possible to tour with reservations, the Reed College nuclear reactor, the world's only operated by undergraduates. While nuclear chemistry is as old as the universe, the earliest nuclear chemist, was Madame Curie. Rutherford was first to transmute elements, the first successful alchemist. Madame Curie's daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, was the first to make radio-isotopes of non-transuranic elements. So if someone is going to do that sort of thing, I would rather it be a Reed student than a dark magician in a pointy hat or steampunk attire. Details and documentation after at www.atlasobscura.com/obscura-day Free reactor, $5 3D
Caldera continues its monthly open houses showing the work of winter resident artists. At Camp Caldera, www.calderaarts.org Sisters, Oregon (see the web site for directions) Free
The 2010 Portland Biennial of art continues with a large group opening in the Templeton Building. Artists include Holly Andres, Corey Arnold, Pat Boas, John Brodie, David Eckard, Damien Gilley, Jenene Nagy and the Oregon Painting Society. At 230 E Burnside/SE 3rd and Burnside 6PM-10 Free
