June 1-3 Assembly

Assembly is the annual confab or the social practice art node at Portland State University. They have enlisted friends and invited you to participate in dozens of events. Days, times and details are at www.assemblypdx.com.

May 22-23 Dance of the air in the heat of the day

Chirgilchin is one of the premier Tuvan throat singing ensembles. They have been singing for over 20 years, including collaborating with Laurie Anderson. They have a woman as ensemble member, as women expand their participation in the art form. And yes, the name of their group translates to "dance of the air in the heat of the day" or miracle.

They perform Tuesday free at City Hall at 5. From 6-8 they are offering a workshop. Wednesday they perform a concert at 8.

Tuva is a Russian Autonomous Area in Siberia. It entered the Western consciousness with a book about Nobel physicist Richard Feynman's obsession to travel there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scc0ZnZ4AN8.

But a Portland musician's obsession to travel there, study Tuvan throat singing, and study the indigenous land-based religion was realized. In turn, when Tuvan musicians tour, they visit little Portland.

Soriah is that Portland musician and he performs here about two or three times a year. It is a supreme honor for Soriah to join Chirgilchin on stage Wednesday.

Chirgilchin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgJhrZn8o-s
Soriah - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-xrdGb81kg

Performance and workshop Tuesday. At Portland City Hall 1221 SW 4th. Performance 5PM Free. Workshop 6PM-8 $40

Performance Wednesday. Minors must be accompanied by an adult due to OLCC rules. At Alberta Rose Theater www.albertarosetheatre.com 3000 NE Alberta 8PM $25

May 12 Spring Tube Feria

Getting to Know You(Tube) is back. Founded by social practice artists Crystal Baxley and Stefan Ransom, it is a moving image dialog between an artist selecting, an audience responding, and sometimes in the past, the audience bringing their own moving image selections time-available at the end.

Tonight, artists Brad Grose, Sarah Turner, and Michael Reinsch show their favorites made by others from the YouTube.

At the Boathouse Microcinema www.boathousemicrocinema.com 822 N River 7:30PM $8



For something with passion, Feria de Portland is Portland's annual celebration of Flamenco. It is the third year. Espacio Flamenco Portland, Oleaje Flamenco, Flamenco Pacifico, Flamenco Chico, and schools Espacio Flamenco Portland, Portland Flamenco Events, 3shine Flamenco and Escuela Flamenca Elena Villa perform. Spanish food and drink available at additional charge. I have been and this is a lovely event. Feria de Portland http://www.espacioflamencopdx.com/ at AudioCinema 226 SE Madison. 5PM-10 $15

May-June Art School Thesis Shows

An art school thesis show was my entree to the visual art world. Schools PNCA, OCAC, OCAC-PNCA, PSU, L&C, Marylhurst and others mount shows graduating. They will have an opening and be open for a week to a month. You can look them up. Recommended!

May 5 Humans Flow

Human Flow is artists Ai Weiwei's cinematic examination of refugees across the world. It is no means exhaustive.

While Weiwei is a huge artist, his smashing pots work has been seen at the Museum of Contemporary Craft and his Zodiac Heads at the Portland Art Museum. A Zodiac Heads show is currently at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum in Eugene. The Portland Art Museum hosted the Ai WeiWei Never Sorry filmmaker previously.

For this film he traveled with refugees, employed documentary moviemakers and solicited comments forming the soundtrack from thinkers on refugees in today's world. It's a documentary made by an artist informing social conscience.

https://www.humanflow.com/videos/

Human Flow https://portlandartmuseum.org/event/film-human-flow/ at the Portland Art Museum - NW Film Center Whitsell Auditorium 1219 SW Park. 1PM film, 3:30 discussion $19.99

May 4 Eastside Art Openings

Spring sprang. We don't have all the things because they are spranging. But we have some.



Dust to Dust is a newer alt space on Mississippi with strong curatorial action. They open Ice Cream Social with artists Josh Bolin, Emily Counts, Brian Giniewski, Shaina Kastztelan, Erica Prince, Amy Santoferraro, and Jessie Rose Vala tonight. Recommended. At Dust to Dust http://dusttodust.space 3636B N Mississippi - inside Beacon Sound Map 6PM-8 Free



We love the 811 East Burnside block - 811 East Burnside. It includes upper and lower, front and back. Go. 6-8 timey.



ANX, the gallery of ADX Portland, has work by Ali Balter, Winnie Black, Marcelo Fontana, Emily Wise, Kevin Holden, Alan Page, Pace Taylor and Maya Vivas. In my experience, they curate Eastside competently, far above average. At adxportland.com/anx-gallery/ ANX Gallery 1015 SE Stark 6PM-9 Free



Stphanie Chefas opens Adrian Landon Brooks. At Stephanie Chefas Projects www.stephaniechefas.com 305 SE 3rd Ave #202 - the City Sign Building, formerly a low cost artist space Map. 7PM-10



Eutecic has Trey Hill and John Zimmerman along with Iván Carmona. Eutectic is Portland contemporary ceramics central. At Eutectic Gallery www.eutecticgallery.com 1930 NE Oregon 6PM-9 Free

May 3 Westside Art Openings

Many galleries continue openings from last month.



Eileen Isagon Skyers has Eyes Without A Face. It an obvious and topical examination of Internet and social media voluntary surveillance. And it wins the copywriting award for the month.

"We have a tendency to approach the verisimilitudes of computers and other non-human intelligence with a striking amount of unearned trust. Todays AI mimics the dynamic relationships we engage in with other people, using elements of our input to both soothe and comfort us at all times. Plotting techniques for facial analysis render bright, minimal geometries over the face — a seemingly perfect recalculation of facial specificity. We have grown to rely on this, desperately ensnared by the elaborately orchestrated mirror that always recognizes us, always tells us what we want to hear, and shows precisely what we want to see. In search of reflections, we glean together the distorted elements of a self.

Taking its title from her recent essay by the same name, this exhibition evokes the beyond — or other-than networked self—as-something-necessary, and yet no longer fully known, or understood."

At Williamson | Knight 916 NW Flanders early close. Early Close 6PM-8 Free



En Foco Photography Fellowships are a curatorial process in New York State with Blue Sky, odd. Their selectees are here this month. Read if you like on the Blue Sky website. At Blue Sky Gallery www.blueskygallery.org Map 122 NW 8th 6PM-9 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: Dweomer, Adaptive Machines and System Lords. In the Ace Hotel Lobby 1022 SW Stark 6PM-8 Free



Every First Thursday, the Portland Art Museum is free from 5PM-8.

It is a great opportunity to see the year-long project by Libby Warbel: We Construct Marvels Between Monuments. Warbel is the creator of Portland's other art museum, the Portland Museum of Modern Art. Tonight is a performance by Sidony O'Neal and Tropic Green from Florida and LA. Marvels https://portlandartmuseum.org/event/performance-tropic-green/?instance_id=29304 At the Portland Art Museum www.portlandartmuseum.org 1219 SW Park 5PM-8 Free



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



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, in cold Winter earlier