January 31 - March 17 City of Tomorrow Yesterday

Architecture can be art. The great movements in architecture often have a conceptual ingredient and represent a zeitgeist. Religious architecture often has been designed to invoke trance and awe. Classical styles sampled Greek and Roman elements to lend grandeur and legitimacy.

Sullivan's buildings, derived from classical forms with a base, a rise, and a cap, and ornamented with geometric organic designs, nonetheless set a direction with his maxim "form follows function." Wright was a student of Sullivan and followed with his Mayan period and the Imperial Hotel before his prairie style and site sculptures, like Falling Water.

The Bauhaus, birthed as a response to poverty in Germany to make beautiful inexpensive household items, exited Germany as Hitler rose. The Bauhaus architects in America birthed the ranch house.

The International Style from Germany and France was enabled by new materials, float glass and steel. It represented aspiration and modernism in its minimalism. Of course, every action produces a reaction, postmodern architecture.

Postmodern architecture proposed by Brown and Venturi samples disparate elements into a whole as an affront to modernism. The Portland Building, with many haters, is a key building in postmodern architecture. The City of Portland posed a competition of architects for a building with requirements of footprint, square footage, and cost. Architect Robert Graves won. That year the AIA conference sported many buttons on participants, "I Don't Dig Graves." Amid a great hue and cry against the design, the competition was reopened and Graves won again. Between the program and the budget, Graves had to minimize the size of the windows and design a squat building in mass. The ornamentation, the ribbon near the top, and the colors, the blue base and yellow cladding disguise the mass.

Later came the deconstructionist architecture movement. I once heard Eisenman, an architect and professor, say that the comfort of the building occupants, including their psychological comfort, is not the responsibility of the architect. Personally I enjoy deconstructionist architecture and all the movements above. But deconstructionist architecture has a lot of problems with weather leaks and its long term durability goes against sustainability objectives. Of course, architecture continues to evolve.

Portland is architecture-poor because we are cheap. And today it is Asia with the great budgets and experimental forms. As a fan of Brown and Venturi's Learning From Las Vegas, I'm especially interested in whole-building LED screens.

One of the tools of architects are physical scale models. Today they are supplemented by VR, but there is still a pleasure in models. Allied Works is known for its artistically crafted models. They have a book of them, Case Work.

City of Possibility is a show of architectural models, including city planning models. It was arranged by Oregon architecture schools and collaborators. Curated by Justin Fowler, Elisandra Garcia, Anna Goodman, Randy Gragg, Juan Manuel Heredia, and Will Smith. Many events, some with fees, unfold over the time of the exhibition detailed on their website. January 31 is the public opening. It would be good for parents with family interested in architecture.

City of Possibility, https://cityofpossibility.net/ Opening at the Expensify Building 401 SW 5th and the JK Gill Building 408 SW 5th 6PM-9 Free

January 31 - March 2 Cascade Festival of African Films

The 35th annual Cascade Festival of African Films begins tonight. Films show Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Most are in the PCC Cascade auditorium. The opening film and one February 14 are at the Hollywood Theater, and one is at the PAM Cut Tomorrow Theater on Division February 6. February 22 has a matinee suited for children. The schedule and film synopses are at https://www.africanfilmfestival.org/. Some films, like the Tommorow Theater may benefit from advance free ticketing. All the films are free

January 30 Birds Aren't Real Too Often

Last Thursday on Alberta continues to have some of the remaining galleries open in cold Winter.

Antler+Talon has a bird group show of illustration-style work. It benefits the Bird Alliance Of Oregon, nee the Audubon Society. The focus is endangered and extinct birds of a feather.

Artists include Emily Furr, Ernesto Maranje, Rhea O’Neill, Christina Keith, Michael Bailey, Jason Borders, Teagan White, Tripper Dungan, Natalie Erickson, Michelle Mitchell, Keith Carter, Rachel Sabin, Matt Linares, Juliet Schreckinger, Jeff Sheridan, Brin Levinson, Hickory Mertsching, Rialenga, Ryan Bubnis, Zoe Chigi, Lo Gonsalves, Lilah Mcghee-Stinson, Kristin Bell and Elise Toublanc.

At Antler & Talon Gallery www.antlerpdx.com 2714 NE Alberta 6pm-9 Free

January 25 Mug

Mugs can be functional art. So Lowell brings Ed Hill, Emily Sher, Eunice Luk, Harry Kuttner, Heather Hankins, James Alby, Jessica Hans & Logan Ross, Kelly Schirmann, Matilda Alair, Nick Norman, Rocki Swiderski, Shiela Laufer, Shino Takeda, & Zoe Dering making the show's namesake, shown in the context of the gallery curator's personal collection.

At Lowell https://www.lowellshopgallery.com/ 2136 E Burnside 4PM-6 Free

January 25 Seek Leave

Leave the Porchlight is a show by Molly Bernstein, Libby Rosa, both from Philadelphia, and Nick Norman from Portland. At Hide & Seek Gallery, a gallery in an apartment, 2638 N. Interstate Unit B 3PM-6 Free

January 24 The Wave

Jay Heikes brings Second Wave, an installation of sculpture and sound. The website has an explanation.

At Adams and Ollman Gallery, the second of four members of the New Art Dealers Alliance newartdealers.org/members, www.adamsandollman.com 418 NW 8th 5PM-7 Free


Guest curator Danielle Krysa brings Witches of the West, Alexis Mixter, Jennifer Ament, Meghan Hildebrand, Shannon Taylor, and Stephanie Chefas. The artists are homed in BC, Washington, Oregon, and California.

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

January 23 Play

Just Playin’ Around is a show themed on play by Derrick Adams, Calvin Chen, Jeremy Okai Davis, Latoya Lovely, Jillian Mayer, Takashi Murakami, Jeremy Rotsztain, Heidi Schwegler, Joshua Sin, Matthew Earl Williams, and Erwin Wurm. It was curated by Nancy Downes-Le Guin and Theo Downes-Le Guin. Downes–Le Guin was the founder of the late Upfor Gallery https://upfor.gallery/, missed.

RSVP requested at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opening-reception-just-playin-around-tickets-1116009357029


At the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University https://www.pdx.edu/museum-of-art/ 1855 SW Broadway 5PM-7 Free

January 23, February 6 March 13, March 20 Social Practice

In America, the degrees of separation, popularized by Milgram at Yale, to gun violence, is probably about 2. We don't usually do workshops, but we have much respect for socially conscious social practice art going back to Project Grow.

The Lewis and Clark art gallery and curator were defunded. The school has an art therapy program, outside our regular content. The art therapy program is doing community workshops on gun violence in association with a national project. They will have a readout show in May.

"Examine the underlying factors contributing to gun violence and envision a safer, more equitable society. Design a Vision Quilt panel that embodies your dreams. Participate in the national VQ Project with the opportunity for your panel to be displayed at the LC Community Counseling Center Art Therapy Gallery from May - November 2025.

Art for Social Change and Vision Quilt invite members of Lewis & Clark and anyone in the Portland Community to join us in a collective community art response to gun violence. This free program is held over two Thursdays with optional art making at the Community Counseling Center to work on your panel.

Addressing Gun Violence through Art & Activism (Choose one Part 1 date & one Part 2 date) Part 1: January 23 or Feb 6 Part 2: March 13 or March 20 3PM-6"

See the lcarttherapy insta.

In the Hoffman Gallery on the Lewis and Clark Campus, 0615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road. Campus Map Please park in the Fir Acres lot. Parking Map Enter gate 2 off Palatine, proceed down the hill to the very end to find the Fir Acres Lot "E." Map 3PM-6 Free

January 11 Moonlight Place

I Know This Place by Heart continues Stelo creative show naming. It is a distance collaboration by artists Ahnika Wood and Karina Rovira. It involves cyanotype printing on fabric.

At Stelo Arts https://www.steloarts.org 412 NW 8th Avenue Noon-5 Free


Moonlight, Starlight, Sunlight, Twilight, Rain is the Lines of Light show by Nancy Lorenz. https://pdxcontemporaryart.com/lines-light at PDX Contemporary Art www.pdxcontemporaryart.com 1825 NW Vaughn Map 3PM-5 Free RSVP by email to info at pdxcontemporaryart.com


Nucleus has Irene Saputra. Inspired by her graphic design work, Saputra mixes illustration with embroidery. With Dadu Shin, a gifted pointillist. Shin would benefit from getting an MFA to refine their subject matter and narrative. They have the collector network.

Irene Saputra and Dadu Shin https://nucleusportland.com/blogs/future-exhibitions/dadu-shin-2025 at Nucleus Portland http://www.nucleusportland.com 2916 NE Alberta 4PM-6 Free


As previously noted, Aftertime has their official opening 6PM-9

January 10 Color for Winter

Molly Mendosa https://www.mollymendoza.com/ is a PNCA-minted Portland illustrator comfortable across a variety of styles from hard-edge classic comic to softer watercolor styles and the space between. She has a show tonight.

https://nucleusportland.com/blogs/future-exhibitions/molly-mendoza at Nucleus House Gallery 1137 NE Alberta 5PM-7 Free

January 4 Northside Art Openings

Jodie Cavalier has Figured That You, sculptures and photograms. L.W.D., Little Walt Dog, Victor Grandy, has paintings, North Country.

At Nationale www.nationale.us 15 SE 22nd Map 2PM-4 Free


Echoes of Passage is a show by Chinese artists immigrants Melanie Tsang and Jia Jia. Tsang, art-schooled in the US, is a multiartist based in Seattle. Her poems in English inform her installation. Jai Jai, Seattle, is UW BFA minted and is part of SOIL.

At Well Well Projects www.wellwellprojects.com in the Disjecta building 8371 N. Interstate Map  5PM-8 Free


Ex SOIL, now Portlander, Epiphany Couch brings Strong Spirits Carry Us Forward formed around family photographs. At www.carnationcontemporary.com in the Disjecta building 8371 N Interstate. Noon - 5 or 8 Free


Oregon Contemporary continues Sea of Vapors by Emily Counts. They add Maia Chao and Fred Schmidt-Arenales with Waste Scenes, work made from materials destined for the landfill. Both continue into February.

At Oregon Contemporary nee Disjecta, in the shadow of Paul Bunyan www.oregoncontemporary.org 8371 N. Interstate Map Noon-8 Free

December 3 Eastside Art Openings

Info at http://firstfridaypdx.org/ and their socials which list many shows and their times.


Ily2 Too is a storefront residency in the Lloyd Center Mall. Today they are being programmed by Grapefruit Arts. The Grapefruits Art Space was active pre-pandemic, it reemerged at Mother Foucault's Bookshop, and is now here. Tonight they bring a visual show Blossom to Blossom by Amy Bay, and Friendship Castle by Rose Lewis and Ellen Blazich.

At I Love You 2 Too - ILY2 https://ily2online.com/ In the Lloyd Mall Suite G113, lower level far East down the hall by the abandoned Marshalls 5PM-7 Free

January 2 Westside Art Openings +

First Thursday also includes the Saturday following in the afternoon.


ILY2, The Black Gallery, Adams & Ollman, Laura Vincent Design, and Waterstone continue. PNCA and Froelick are on Winter break.


For your +1 you can experience Flamenco music with guitarist Brenna McDonald and guitarist/vocalist Yeshe Wingerd. A project of Espacio Flamenco, it repeats on first Thursdays. At Bar Botellón 606 NE Davis 7PM-9 Free


+2 The Portland Art Museum, through a private grant, is open free first Thursdays. They are free the whole day 10AM-8PM.


+3 The Schnitzer Collection is open First Thursday and other limited hours. They have long running theme shows and occasional events.

At the Schnitzer Family Collection https://www.jordanschnitzer.org/schnitzer-collection/ 3033 NW Yeon 3PM-8 Free


Moviemaker Ken Paul Rosenthal has In Light, In! https://www.kenpaulrosenthal.com/films/in-light-in/, social hygine movies from the US 1950s recontextualized with looped cello music from former Portlander Zoe Keating. Ford Gilbreath has Our Town After Dark, landscape town photography from Eastern Washington.

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


Residency space Fans Only has a show of resident artists and guests. At Fans Only https://www.fansonly.studio/ 1010 SW 11th 6PM-9 Free


Judy Cooke brings Following Form 2024 and Christine Bourdette brings Cumulus.

At Elizabeth Leach Gallery www.elizabethleach.com 417 NW 9th Map 5PM-7 Free


Not visual art but Gabrielle Civil reads poems at Stelo arts. 412 NW 8th Avenue 6PM Free


Blackfish has a show of new members Mae Al-Jiboori, Pomegranate Doyle, Dede Lucia, Christa Nye, and Robert Shepard.

At Blackfish Gallery https://www.blackfish.com/ 938 NW Everett Map 5PM-8 Early Close Free


After/Time has more irregular schedules. Tonight they do a "soft opening" of King Tide in Empty Spaces by self-taught painter Nate Orton. At After/Time Collective Gallery 730 SW 10th (enter on 9th) 5PM-8 Free


Augen continues Jim Dine and shows many from their print archive.

https://www.augengallery.com/exhibitions/a-month-of-prints-a-group-exhibition-of-contemporary-prints-by-over-40-different-artists/ at Augen Gallery