January 27 Elder Flowers

Flowers for Black Elders is a project of images and interviews with musicians Mel Brown, Alonzo Chadwick, Libretto Jackson, Derrick McDuffey, and Saeeda Wright. Musician Onry, photographer Brett Brown, and Future Paririe principal Joni Whitworth made it.

It is at Nationale now in their project room with a closing reception in late February in association with One Grand Gallery.

At www.nationale.us 15 SE 22nd Map their regular hours Free

January 26 - April 29 Data Weaving

While Upfor Gallery has shifted to consulting and physically closed, they have undertaken a large curatorial project, Weaving Data. Humans are tool makers and art makers. The petroglyphs, cave paintings, and artifacts show it. Since then, America has a history of craft revivals, and both craft and craft as art are a popular Northwest regional theme.

https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/weaving-data/brochure provides a well written explanation of the show and art theory by Shannon R. Stratton. It is worth a read.

The short version is that artists Faig Ahmed, April Bey, Jovencio de la Paz, Ahree Lee, Kayla Mattes, Shelley Socolofsky, Joan Truckenbrod, Vo Vo, and Sarah Wertzberger use data in which we are awash to inspire the pattern of their woven works.

The show is up January 24 – April 29. https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/weaving-data/calendar-of-events is a list of events including for children for the show. The opening is tonight, January 26.

At the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University https://www.pdx.edu/museum-of-art/ 1855 SW Broadway 5PM-7 RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weaving-data-opening-reception-tickets-474378237077 Free

January 21 Indiscreet Opening Sun Flow

The current show by Hannah Newman and Susan Murrel hosts an interview with the artists by MK Guth. At Carnation Contemporary www.carnationcontemporary.com in the Disjecta building 8371 N Interstate. Also on Instagram Live. 2PM Masks encouraged Free


Jose Bonell from Barcelona has paintings The Indiscreet Night. At Adams and Ollman Gallery, the second of two members of the New Art Dealers Alliance www.newartdealers.org, www.adamsandollman.com 418 NW 8th 1PM-4 Free


John Vitale has What has Gone Wrong Becomes an Opening. At Nationale www.nationale.us 15 SE 22nd Map Masks required 2PM-4 Free


Sun Foot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBF8YGF17rQ is a band with Portland multiartist Chris Johanson. He created the Portland Quiet Music Festival we hope returns. They play tonight. Sun Foot at Mississipi Studios 8PM $10

January 14 Pop Low Surrealism No Brow

Although I am familiar with La Luz de Jesus Gallery and Roc La Rue from the early days, lowbrow and pop surrealism never was of interest. Too California or creepy. But hey, some people like it, including famous Portlanders. In that vein, John Sauer has Pretend Times, and Diego Corral has Destroy. At Brassworks Gallery 3022 NE Glisan Ave 5PM-9 Free

January 13 Yawa Quadrivial

The Ivan McClellan and Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe show Inheritance has a closing party this evening. There will be a musical performance by Yawa - Amenta Abioto. Recommended.

At The Lumber Room http://lumberroom.com/exhibitions/2022/quaicoe-mclellan 419 SW 9th, above Liz Leach Map  6PM-8 Free

Lisa Congdon operns The Opposite of Sorrow along with a big group show Quadrivial.

At Stephanie Chefas Projects www.stephaniechefas.com 134 SE Taylor, Ste 203. Map. 5PM-8 Free

January 7 Reclaiming Outside Watersky Flowstone

David Rice is a Portland based photorealistic painter. He shows Outside along with a group show Wilderness III he curated with the gallery. At Antler Gallery antlerpdx.com 2728-2724 NE Alberta Noon-4 Free


Douglas Burns and Amirah Chatman collaborated on an interactive work Watersky. The ball pit was very popular with smaller type children. At Well Well Projects www.wellwellprojects.com in the Disjecta building 8371 N. Interstate Map  5PM-8 Free


Hannah Newman and Susan Murrel collaborate on Flowstone, loosely inspired visually and conceptually by sunsets. The work includes fluoro stalgmite-like structures with embedded fragments of coal and obsiian. They have a pile of pebbles, some seats, and an about 10 minute recording to contemplate the rock you picked along with earth-theme literary readings. They have a talk January 21, 2PM with MK Guth, masks required. At Carnation Contemporary www.carnationcontemporary.com in the Disjecta building 8371 N Interstate. 5PM-8, masks required in the first hour Free


Oregon Contemporary continues their Home School show and Intisar Abioto performs at 6. At Oregon Contemporary nee Disjecta, in the shadow of Paul Bunyan www.oregoncontemporary.org 8371 N. Interstate Map 5PM-8 Free

January 6 Eastside Art Openings

Sad 2 year aniversery of January 6 2020.

For now we are going to discontinue First Fridat listings. You can find them on the 1FPDX FB, their FirstFridayPDX Insta and individual space socials.

Many of the spaces slow down in rainy season. Eutectic has moved to appointment. The Afru building was sold.

Have fun in your independent explorations and keep your feet dry!

January 5 Westside Art Openings+

Westside art openings are reviving slightly, though others focus on Saturday mid-day openings.


Sara Siestreem is Hanis Coos, one of the Oregon tribes. She has paintings and mixed media, and a video work, in a show taking the whole gallery, Looking for the Land///Found the Weather. Many Oregon tribes were de-recognized by the federal government as discussed in the recent https://www.underscore.news/reporting/experts-say-lawsuits-pose-greatest-threat-to-tribes-in-decades. The last Hanis language speaker passed in 1972, before the artist was born. This scene, from a famous Wim Wenders film, Where the Green Ants Dream, set in Austrailia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiN2B9cklC0 captures that idea. Recommended. At Elizabeth Leach Gallery www.elizabethleach.com 417 NW 9th Map 6PM-8 Early Close Free


The late David Pace, working in West Africa, presents The Architecture of L’Ancien Village, https://www.blueskygallery.org/exhibitions/archives/2023/david-pace. Saturday at 3PM is a talk. Eli Durst has The Community, https://www.blueskygallery.org/exhibitions/archives/2023/eli-durst. He has a 1PM Saturday talk.

The Nine Gallery inside Blue Sky has Paula Overbay, a Portland and East Coast late career artist. In this show, Cells, she interprets cell growth with a pointalist painting style.

At Blue Sky Gallery www.blueskygallery.org Map 122 NW 8th 5PM-7 Early Closing Free


Blackfish has Monica Mitchell with Unos Sitios Escondidos Hidden Places, Corey S. Pressman with The Light at the Center, and Carol Bensonwith Counterpanes. At Blackfish Gallery https://www.blackfish.com/ 938 NW Everett Map 6PM-9 Free


What If? is a show of 27 artists across America by 4 curators. It is themed on a what if? future. Gallery 114 is a coop as are several local galleries, often focused on the work of their members. At Gallery 114 www.gallery114pdx.com 1100 NW Glisan 5PM-7 Early Closing Free


Waterstone continues their 30 year retrospective group show. At Waterstone Gallery www.waterstonegallery.com 124 NW 9th 4PM-7 Early Closing Free