What can we say about February... well Valentine's day marks halfway to spring.
February 1
Art preopenings...
February 2 First Thursday
The Portland Modern project (see the call for artists for the next cycle) presents gallery shows by its artists. Holly Andres and Andrew Myers will be exhibiting at Ogle. Andres, a PSU MFA graduate last year presents obsessive installations of pop culture and consumer goods. Some are pink. She has also made great video work. Details on the artists at www.portlandmodern.org or www.radiusstudio.com/portlandmodern/ 310 NW Broadway early close, about 8:30
The other artists in Portland Modern #3 Mariana Tres, Marc Manning, TJ Norris, and Craig Payne will all be featured at the Portland Art Center temporary space. Details www.portlandart.org 32 NW 5th St.
The Everett Station Lofts are always worth visiting including the Rake Gallery, a new artists' coop effort. Tonight a new gallery opens: Tilt at #106, curated by Jenine Nagy, recent artist in residence at PNCA. Her low relief wall mounted sculptures are brilliant - keep an eye on the space and this artist's own work. Opening tonight "Paper Fences" by Stephanie Robinson. Thanks to portlandart.net for this tip. 625 NW Everett #106
Courtesy of Michael Merrill blogger, and metablogger-founder of urbanhonking: Khaela Maricich fully embraces grey winter with a performance installation. Khaela's music project with Jona, the Blow, has been hibernating. She has been writing. What better place to hibernate, write and sing but an igloo? Igloo in situ, tonight Khaela will take requests for themes for new songs from *you* written on index cards and carried into the igloo, Brooklyn clothesline style, by a system of pulleys and strings. In her igloo, she will compose and sing the songs for the audience outside. Refreshments 6-9 p.m. B street gallery on 13th and NW Davis
See the B street gallery discussion under artist opportunities...
Around the corner, at Vault Martini, filmmaker, artist, graphic novelist, photographer and DJ, Arnold Pander presents "Symmetry" velvet paintings. Girls, silhouettes - you've got it. His velvet paintings have become fixtures in Portland establishments such as the Gypsy, Dots, and Dante’s. They have also been displayed in the Hollywood Standard Hotel. Note also the velvet painting museum gallery on NE 28th sometime (admission charge applies). The show at Vault is free.
226 N.W. 12th 6-10PM
Patrick Rock: San Francisco artist who has moved to Portland. He was responsible for the interactive giant hot dog sculpture in the Fresh Trouble show. Now artist in residence at PNCA, he's showing "I think there might have been some kind of mistake..." an interactive installation in the PNCA Intermedia Gallery. www.pnca.edu
First we were terrorized by Yeti's, then by 'zines - they were everywhere in Portland - well now Homeland Security better get ready for the YETI 'zine. This Portland based journal will be distributed internationally. YUMMY FUR opens with the work of artists in the journal: Kevin Arrow (Miami, FL), Julianna Bright (Portland, OR), Claudia Brown (Portland, OR), Mark Dwinell (Brooklyn, NY), E-Rock (Portland, OR), Alan Greenberg (Portland, OR), Liz Haley (Portland, OR), Chris Johanson (Portland, OR), Josh Kermite (Portland, OR), Robert McCormack (Brunswick, NJ), Jason Miles (Seattle, WA), Tara Jane O'Neill (Portland, OR), Lucy Raven (Brooklyn, NY), Alysin Smith (Portland, OR), Marian St. Laurent (Brooklyn, NY), Gregory Van Maanen (Patterson, NJ), Gretchen Vaudt (Portland, OR) and Randy Wood (Seattle, WA). If it's dark when you visit, feel free to use one of the flashlights scattered about to see the work better. For more information, a sample issue, or whatever, feel free to contact the editor ringleader Mike McGonigal at yetimike@gmail.com. Valentine's 232 SW Ankeny
The Nine Gallery, inside the Blue Sky Gallery, presents new work by installation artist Bill Will. Will is a professor at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts who specializes in installations incorporating elaborate mechanisms. One was a room filled with bowling balls which swiveled in unison to face the viewer. Another repurposed an electric garage door opener to wrap a large American flag around the viewer, blocking any view of the world. Here is what Oregonian art writer David Row says: "The DIY Award: [awarded to] To Bill Will. Two decades before the DIY movement invaded Portland's empty warehouses and Eastside homes turned into evening art keggers, Bill Will had been creating heady, conceptual art fare that no commercial gallery would show or collectors could fit into their living rooms. His brilliant midcareer retrospective at The Art Gym at Marylhurst University offered inspiration to every artist whose work doesn't fit snugly into the commercial system: Keep visiting the studio every day and don't give up."
www.blueskygallery.org 1231 NW Hoyt
At the Art Institute of Portland Ethan Ham shows an installation "EMail Erosion". Something about the patterns of spam defining the structure - sounds like John Cage would smile. Haven't seen it, but I'd take the time to see any installation art in Portland.
Mark Woolley Gallery shows the paintings of Rebecca Bloom Guberman. 1996 PNCA graduate and HIV survivor, Guberman was doing the art thing, the tribal thing, the permaculture thing, natural building, filmmaking and fire performing back when they were all truly fringe in Portland. Cultural explorer with a big heart, artist. www.markwoolley.com 120 NW 9th, Suite 210
Artist, curator, critic, Jeff Jahn has made one of his sandcastle installations and a painting titled "Romance Languages" in the expanded space of the PDX window project. Thanks portlandart.net for the tip. 405 NW 9th
Compound Gallery Presents 3 shows: T-Boy by Shin Tanaka - textured monsters meet graffiti world; The Romance Between 0 and 1 by Erik Sandberg & Justin Wood - illustrations of people and worlds enigmatic; and a Valentine's Day themed group show on love, romance and desire (better check with the Pope on that...) 107 NW 5th
Next door, Backspace presents "Sleepless" photographs by Elisa Lazo de Valdez, Lyla Emery Reno and Joshua Dommeruth www.backspacegallery.com 113 NW 5th
Pushdot Studios presents sculptures and an installation by Junko Iijima. Iijima's admixes, with her unique Japanese sensibility, traditional forms, in this case, cast iron teapots, with kawaii (cute), in that oh so Japanese way, cartoon characters. www.pushdotstudio.com 830 NW 14th near PNCA and REI
Red wine, valentine's - nice group show by some members of this tribe and friends. Vino Paridiso Winebar 417 NW 10th 3-11PM
Sugar Gallery presents "we are your family now" and exhibit exploring the psychic terrain of child soldiers in West and central Africa by Josh Arsenau. Arsenau has shown previous work on the same theme at Milk. Arsenau taps a color palette which would be at home in equatorial Africa and a rough and ready representational style that could be a poster from the Nigerian film industry. Other works are finely detailed character studies on dress patterns. The work references Uganda's LRA, the Lord's Resistance Army, which sows a twisted violent Christianity; and the NPFL, National Patriotic Front of Liberia, madman Charles Taylor's vehicle for wrecking over 10 years of the most unspeakable violence on Liberia and the surrounding countries. If you have seen the film "Lord of War", the African president depicted is Taylor, *before* he got really bad. Arsenau also draws parallels between the American gang culture and Africa's child soldiers. www.josharseneau.com and www.sugarartgallery.com 420 SW Washington 5th floor (old Gallery 500) 6-9PM
Laura Russo has the textures of the 80's down. Two artists that do it well are sculptor JD Perkin and painter Rae Mahaffey. Judge for yourself: www.laurarusso.com/exhibits/index.html Laura Russo Gallery 805 NW 21st Ave
Augen presents stunning silver gelatin prints, portraits of Africans by Thomas Miller. Also a group show "Under 500" - sounds good to me. www.augengallery.com 817 SW 2nd
I'm not big on printmaking. Usually. But next door at the Froelick Gallery this month there are prints by Japanese printmakers. Given the history of fine paper in Japan, and that philosophical aesthetic of quality uniquely Japanese, this is probably a priori worth seeing. www.froelickgallery.com 817 SW 2nd
February 3
Visit Eastside art spaces Newspace Photo, Small A Projects, New American Art Union, Moshi Moshi, Denwave, Oddball Tattoo. Details to come...
February 4
Rose City Rollers... GO BY TRAIN
February 6
The PSU art department lecture series continues with Yan Chung-Hsien. His work spans literature, film and installation, internationally, oh, he's an architect too. nzzz.myweb.hinet.net/yan/home.html Arrive early - recent events have been packed. 5th Avenue Cinema Room 92 510 SW Hall St. Free 7PM
The Art Institute of Portland presents Alex Jimenez, co-founder of Tesseraction Games who will relate the "Dirty Secrets of the Video Game Industry." Unbelievable.. Jimenez, www.tesseractiongames.com , has worked on X-Men: Children of the Atom, Dungeons & Dragons, BattleTanx, and Enigma 4:30-6 Free, limited seating.
February 8
Holocene presents Junktown - "We make art for living rooms, not galleries!" This group of local artists makes work from found and recycled materials. Music from the Salavation Army DJs plus secret surprises. www.holocene.org/calendar 6PM $1
February 10-25
The Northwest Film and Video Center opens it's International Film Festival Friday, the series continues with films each evening until the 25th. Some showings sell out, especially weekends. Details at NWfilm.org or pick up a paper schedule around town.
February 11
Moon Patrol presents "Circle Science" crew exhibitions by Hardwood Heroes (PDX) vs Rhythmic Motions/1742 (WA), Sould Felons (WA) vs Misguided Steps (Tac), Defcon 5 (PDX) vs Fraggle Rock (Sea), Raw Action (Eug) vs Funky Sneakers (Sea) and a solo battle by Tony (Art of Movement) vs Chase (Funky Sneakers) Beats by Wheels of Steel: DJ Skeme Richards (Philly). This is a welcome followup to last month's performances at the IFCC and a ready tonic to compensate for losing Wax. Plenty of space and a kick ass floor to share moves. Doors 7:30, battles 8:30 - early show, all ages Nocturnal 1800 E Burnside $8
February 13
The PSU art lecture series continues with local artist Daniel Attoe who primarily exhibits in LA, London and Berlin. I can't resist just reprinting the press release: "Daniel Attoe's paintings are like short stories. They’re informed by the rural places he's lived in from Idaho to Wisconsin, the people he's known and the anxiety he inherited. Heavy Metal, punk rock and Hollywood have been equally influential to Attoe. Recurring characters and themes in his work are: camping, birds, geology, topography, pornography, Christmas lights, psychological disorders, heavy metal, trucks, sex, trees, frozen lakes, northern lights, storm clouds, knife fights, concert t-shirts, county fairs, mythical animals, real animals, the government, rural bars, drugs, dogs, religion, National Geographic, farming, road trips, insects, grunge music, country music, twelve gauges, dirt, factory work, fishing, county fairs, alcohol, scantily clad women and suspicious men." David Lynch meets Norman Rockwell? Free 5th Avenue Cinema Room 92 510 SW Hall St. 7PM
February 16
Small A Projects opens a new show by Chicago artist Josh Mannis. His collages and video works mashup pop culture with the effect that those pesky gaps between what is and what should be are laid bare. www.smallaprojects.com/images...ttt.jpg and www.smallaprojects.com/MANNISPR.pdf
www.smallaprojects.com 6-9PM 1430 SE 3rd
February 18
Homeland is homeless. Two spaces have been lost through landlord antics. So Homeland is taking up temporary residency at Rake. I'm feeling lazy so here is the press release:
"Gallery Homeland is pleased to announce a new venture with our friends at Rake Gallery. Starting on Saturday, February 18th Gallery Homeland's founders Paige Saez and Paul Middendorf will be unveiling two of their newest projects - Staking Claim and Welcoming Committee – as well new collaborations with Rake Gallery which will take place around town in the following months.
Staking Claim – is a new project by Gallery Homeland that will bring plots of land to Portlanders from this end of the city to the next. To compete with the rising prices of real estate and high property taxes the Homeland folks will provide each person with a chance to stake claim to their very own land, free of charge! Each Portlander will have a chance to sign up at Rake Gallery to receive their very own plot of land to be placed within their yards and doorsteps. Each plot comes equipped with several square feet of untainted land and a flag for staking. Come to the Rake Gallery on February 18th to see an example, sign up, and here more about the project. Welcoming Committee – is a new Gallery Homeland group project that celebrates the safe arrival of an unaware traveler to his or her given destination. Posted at such welcoming spots as the airport, train station, bus malls, or place of employment, Gallery Homeland will roll out the red carpet to greet the lucky traveler. The committee will include musicians, photographers, and celebrators, equipped with party favors, muffins, balloons and more. The unsuspecting person will also be given parting gifts and a ride into town. Learn more about future locations of these performances by visiting the Rake Gallery on February 18th.
Contact rakeart.org for the time
The Portland Art Center, Echo Audio (echohifi.com) and PRA Radio (praradio.com) host a listening party Hexasion hosted by Portland experimental musicians Jason Frank and Andy Brown. They will be playing new recordings by portland progressive musicians World, David Tollefson, Strategy, Nudge, and Decopod Claw and a film by Phillip Cooper. Beer and wine for sale for your listening pleasure... live simulcast at www.praradio.com and PRA 96.7, but more fun there! (also that night 3 blocks away Homeland at RAKE)
32 NW 5th Avenue 8.30 pm to 10:30
February 19
Holocene presents the experimental ambient music by White Rainbow and Bonus (Seattle, Collective Jyrk drone artists) as well as Argumentix (James Squeaky new age acapella) 9PM Free!
February 20
Holocene presents Mice Parade, Tom Brosseau and small sails - take a look at the holocene.org website for details including artist links. Small sails is the new name for adelade, producers of love space ambient musice accompanied by sweet super 8 projections. Their website has free samples: www.smallsails.com/home.html. They play first. $7 9PM
The PSU art lecture series continues with Arnold J Kemp, African American artist and curator from San Francisco. More at www.worksarnoldjkemp.com/ Arrive early. 5th Avenue Cinema Room 92, 510 SW Hall St Free 7PM
February 23
Who has not been affected by our proximity to Mexico? Trying to make sense of that mix, or nonsense, is performer Guillermo Gómez-Peña. You can see him perform "Mexterminator vs. the Global Predator" for free tonight. Pena has performed with former partner Coco Fusco, as an undiscovered primitive race, caged in a public square in Spain ( www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/U...ind.html ) and elsewhere. He has worked with Hispanic community groups, where one particpant lauded him as a "Chicano from the future." Another project allowed the audience to anonymously voice stereotypes of Mexicans, comments which were documented and published. Pena is a master at creating a poety of language, mixing Mexlish with musings on our cultural future into a very activist politico-cultural performance artform. More at www.pochanostra.com/ The performance sponsored by 2Gyrlz, OCAC and PNCA is presented as the annual William Jamison Lecture named after a Portland artist and gallerist who opened the first espresso shop in Portland, the first gallery with dual NY and Portland branches (hey can we get that going again?), and was the first to move his gallery into the Pearl District. Jamison, who died of AIDS over 10 years ago, is responsible more than any individual for setting Portland on its current art vector. arrive early 7PM PNCA
February 24-26
LA performer Michael Sakamoto will be at Conduit with a solo performance Friday and Saturday of his butoh-influenced dance theater works. Included will be his interpretation of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". Lewis Segal of the LA Times writes: "Sakamoto, the choreographer, approaches the unsparing power of perhaps the starkest, most pitiless 'Rite' thus far created". Well spring it almost is. You can check out his work at www.empireofteeth.org and www.michaelsakamoto.com. The space is small, reservations essential (503) 221-5857. 8pm. Tickets are $10-$15 (sliding scale).
On Sunday he will present a workshop "Mind/Body/Time: Creating Character through Movement" at Conduit. "A step-by-step process through the concept and development of creating characters through movement, dance, and/or visceral presence utilizing interdisciplinary performance and dance theater techniques". Pre-register via email at empire@empireofteeth.org. 1-4pm, $40 (includes free admission to either Friday's or Saturday's performance)
Conduit is located at 918 SW Yamhill Ave., Ste. 401 in Portland - 4th floor above Art Media on the Max line
February 25
The Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan presents Wayang Kulit shadow puppet theater in the round at Lewis and Clark College. The gamelan is always a treat, leaderless musicians improvising cooperatively, the world as it should be. For this performance, choose your seat to see the shadow side or the live side for the puppet show - or was it the other way around? www.gamelanmusic.com 8PM Agnes Flanagan Chapel $10, 5 kids.
February 25-May 28
The Portland Art Museum shows a machine for making art by Roxy Paine. Paine's work challenges all past models of artmaking, successfully.
Mark your calendars now for a talk by performance artist Marina Abramovic at Reed 7PM March 7th and free. www.eyestorm.com/feature/ED2n_article.asp
February 1
Art preopenings...
February 2 First Thursday
The Portland Modern project (see the call for artists for the next cycle) presents gallery shows by its artists. Holly Andres and Andrew Myers will be exhibiting at Ogle. Andres, a PSU MFA graduate last year presents obsessive installations of pop culture and consumer goods. Some are pink. She has also made great video work. Details on the artists at www.portlandmodern.org or www.radiusstudio.com/portlandmodern/ 310 NW Broadway early close, about 8:30
The other artists in Portland Modern #3 Mariana Tres, Marc Manning, TJ Norris, and Craig Payne will all be featured at the Portland Art Center temporary space. Details www.portlandart.org 32 NW 5th St.
The Everett Station Lofts are always worth visiting including the Rake Gallery, a new artists' coop effort. Tonight a new gallery opens: Tilt at #106, curated by Jenine Nagy, recent artist in residence at PNCA. Her low relief wall mounted sculptures are brilliant - keep an eye on the space and this artist's own work. Opening tonight "Paper Fences" by Stephanie Robinson. Thanks to portlandart.net for this tip. 625 NW Everett #106
Courtesy of Michael Merrill blogger, and metablogger-founder of urbanhonking: Khaela Maricich fully embraces grey winter with a performance installation. Khaela's music project with Jona, the Blow, has been hibernating. She has been writing. What better place to hibernate, write and sing but an igloo? Igloo in situ, tonight Khaela will take requests for themes for new songs from *you* written on index cards and carried into the igloo, Brooklyn clothesline style, by a system of pulleys and strings. In her igloo, she will compose and sing the songs for the audience outside. Refreshments 6-9 p.m. B street gallery on 13th and NW Davis
See the B street gallery discussion under artist opportunities...
Around the corner, at Vault Martini, filmmaker, artist, graphic novelist, photographer and DJ, Arnold Pander presents "Symmetry" velvet paintings. Girls, silhouettes - you've got it. His velvet paintings have become fixtures in Portland establishments such as the Gypsy, Dots, and Dante’s. They have also been displayed in the Hollywood Standard Hotel. Note also the velvet painting museum gallery on NE 28th sometime (admission charge applies). The show at Vault is free.
226 N.W. 12th 6-10PM
Patrick Rock: San Francisco artist who has moved to Portland. He was responsible for the interactive giant hot dog sculpture in the Fresh Trouble show. Now artist in residence at PNCA, he's showing "I think there might have been some kind of mistake..." an interactive installation in the PNCA Intermedia Gallery. www.pnca.edu
First we were terrorized by Yeti's, then by 'zines - they were everywhere in Portland - well now Homeland Security better get ready for the YETI 'zine. This Portland based journal will be distributed internationally. YUMMY FUR opens with the work of artists in the journal: Kevin Arrow (Miami, FL), Julianna Bright (Portland, OR), Claudia Brown (Portland, OR), Mark Dwinell (Brooklyn, NY), E-Rock (Portland, OR), Alan Greenberg (Portland, OR), Liz Haley (Portland, OR), Chris Johanson (Portland, OR), Josh Kermite (Portland, OR), Robert McCormack (Brunswick, NJ), Jason Miles (Seattle, WA), Tara Jane O'Neill (Portland, OR), Lucy Raven (Brooklyn, NY), Alysin Smith (Portland, OR), Marian St. Laurent (Brooklyn, NY), Gregory Van Maanen (Patterson, NJ), Gretchen Vaudt (Portland, OR) and Randy Wood (Seattle, WA). If it's dark when you visit, feel free to use one of the flashlights scattered about to see the work better. For more information, a sample issue, or whatever, feel free to contact the editor ringleader Mike McGonigal at yetimike@gmail.com. Valentine's 232 SW Ankeny
The Nine Gallery, inside the Blue Sky Gallery, presents new work by installation artist Bill Will. Will is a professor at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts who specializes in installations incorporating elaborate mechanisms. One was a room filled with bowling balls which swiveled in unison to face the viewer. Another repurposed an electric garage door opener to wrap a large American flag around the viewer, blocking any view of the world. Here is what Oregonian art writer David Row says: "The DIY Award: [awarded to] To Bill Will. Two decades before the DIY movement invaded Portland's empty warehouses and Eastside homes turned into evening art keggers, Bill Will had been creating heady, conceptual art fare that no commercial gallery would show or collectors could fit into their living rooms. His brilliant midcareer retrospective at The Art Gym at Marylhurst University offered inspiration to every artist whose work doesn't fit snugly into the commercial system: Keep visiting the studio every day and don't give up."
www.blueskygallery.org 1231 NW Hoyt
At the Art Institute of Portland Ethan Ham shows an installation "EMail Erosion". Something about the patterns of spam defining the structure - sounds like John Cage would smile. Haven't seen it, but I'd take the time to see any installation art in Portland.
Mark Woolley Gallery shows the paintings of Rebecca Bloom Guberman. 1996 PNCA graduate and HIV survivor, Guberman was doing the art thing, the tribal thing, the permaculture thing, natural building, filmmaking and fire performing back when they were all truly fringe in Portland. Cultural explorer with a big heart, artist. www.markwoolley.com 120 NW 9th, Suite 210
Artist, curator, critic, Jeff Jahn has made one of his sandcastle installations and a painting titled "Romance Languages" in the expanded space of the PDX window project. Thanks portlandart.net for the tip. 405 NW 9th
Compound Gallery Presents 3 shows: T-Boy by Shin Tanaka - textured monsters meet graffiti world; The Romance Between 0 and 1 by Erik Sandberg & Justin Wood - illustrations of people and worlds enigmatic; and a Valentine's Day themed group show on love, romance and desire (better check with the Pope on that...) 107 NW 5th
Next door, Backspace presents "Sleepless" photographs by Elisa Lazo de Valdez, Lyla Emery Reno and Joshua Dommeruth www.backspacegallery.com 113 NW 5th
Pushdot Studios presents sculptures and an installation by Junko Iijima. Iijima's admixes, with her unique Japanese sensibility, traditional forms, in this case, cast iron teapots, with kawaii (cute), in that oh so Japanese way, cartoon characters. www.pushdotstudio.com 830 NW 14th near PNCA and REI
Red wine, valentine's - nice group show by some members of this tribe and friends. Vino Paridiso Winebar 417 NW 10th 3-11PM
Sugar Gallery presents "we are your family now" and exhibit exploring the psychic terrain of child soldiers in West and central Africa by Josh Arsenau. Arsenau has shown previous work on the same theme at Milk. Arsenau taps a color palette which would be at home in equatorial Africa and a rough and ready representational style that could be a poster from the Nigerian film industry. Other works are finely detailed character studies on dress patterns. The work references Uganda's LRA, the Lord's Resistance Army, which sows a twisted violent Christianity; and the NPFL, National Patriotic Front of Liberia, madman Charles Taylor's vehicle for wrecking over 10 years of the most unspeakable violence on Liberia and the surrounding countries. If you have seen the film "Lord of War", the African president depicted is Taylor, *before* he got really bad. Arsenau also draws parallels between the American gang culture and Africa's child soldiers. www.josharseneau.com and www.sugarartgallery.com 420 SW Washington 5th floor (old Gallery 500) 6-9PM
Laura Russo has the textures of the 80's down. Two artists that do it well are sculptor JD Perkin and painter Rae Mahaffey. Judge for yourself: www.laurarusso.com/exhibits/index.html Laura Russo Gallery 805 NW 21st Ave
Augen presents stunning silver gelatin prints, portraits of Africans by Thomas Miller. Also a group show "Under 500" - sounds good to me. www.augengallery.com 817 SW 2nd
I'm not big on printmaking. Usually. But next door at the Froelick Gallery this month there are prints by Japanese printmakers. Given the history of fine paper in Japan, and that philosophical aesthetic of quality uniquely Japanese, this is probably a priori worth seeing. www.froelickgallery.com 817 SW 2nd
February 3
Visit Eastside art spaces Newspace Photo, Small A Projects, New American Art Union, Moshi Moshi, Denwave, Oddball Tattoo. Details to come...
February 4
Rose City Rollers... GO BY TRAIN
February 6
The PSU art department lecture series continues with Yan Chung-Hsien. His work spans literature, film and installation, internationally, oh, he's an architect too. nzzz.myweb.hinet.net/yan/home.html Arrive early - recent events have been packed. 5th Avenue Cinema Room 92 510 SW Hall St. Free 7PM
The Art Institute of Portland presents Alex Jimenez, co-founder of Tesseraction Games who will relate the "Dirty Secrets of the Video Game Industry." Unbelievable.. Jimenez, www.tesseractiongames.com , has worked on X-Men: Children of the Atom, Dungeons & Dragons, BattleTanx, and Enigma 4:30-6 Free, limited seating.
February 8
Holocene presents Junktown - "We make art for living rooms, not galleries!" This group of local artists makes work from found and recycled materials. Music from the Salavation Army DJs plus secret surprises. www.holocene.org/calendar 6PM $1
February 10-25
The Northwest Film and Video Center opens it's International Film Festival Friday, the series continues with films each evening until the 25th. Some showings sell out, especially weekends. Details at NWfilm.org or pick up a paper schedule around town.
February 11
Moon Patrol presents "Circle Science" crew exhibitions by Hardwood Heroes (PDX) vs Rhythmic Motions/1742 (WA), Sould Felons (WA) vs Misguided Steps (Tac), Defcon 5 (PDX) vs Fraggle Rock (Sea), Raw Action (Eug) vs Funky Sneakers (Sea) and a solo battle by Tony (Art of Movement) vs Chase (Funky Sneakers) Beats by Wheels of Steel: DJ Skeme Richards (Philly). This is a welcome followup to last month's performances at the IFCC and a ready tonic to compensate for losing Wax. Plenty of space and a kick ass floor to share moves. Doors 7:30, battles 8:30 - early show, all ages Nocturnal 1800 E Burnside $8
February 13
The PSU art lecture series continues with local artist Daniel Attoe who primarily exhibits in LA, London and Berlin. I can't resist just reprinting the press release: "Daniel Attoe's paintings are like short stories. They’re informed by the rural places he's lived in from Idaho to Wisconsin, the people he's known and the anxiety he inherited. Heavy Metal, punk rock and Hollywood have been equally influential to Attoe. Recurring characters and themes in his work are: camping, birds, geology, topography, pornography, Christmas lights, psychological disorders, heavy metal, trucks, sex, trees, frozen lakes, northern lights, storm clouds, knife fights, concert t-shirts, county fairs, mythical animals, real animals, the government, rural bars, drugs, dogs, religion, National Geographic, farming, road trips, insects, grunge music, country music, twelve gauges, dirt, factory work, fishing, county fairs, alcohol, scantily clad women and suspicious men." David Lynch meets Norman Rockwell? Free 5th Avenue Cinema Room 92 510 SW Hall St. 7PM
February 16
Small A Projects opens a new show by Chicago artist Josh Mannis. His collages and video works mashup pop culture with the effect that those pesky gaps between what is and what should be are laid bare. www.smallaprojects.com/images...ttt.jpg and www.smallaprojects.com/MANNISPR.pdf
www.smallaprojects.com 6-9PM 1430 SE 3rd
February 18
Homeland is homeless. Two spaces have been lost through landlord antics. So Homeland is taking up temporary residency at Rake. I'm feeling lazy so here is the press release:
"Gallery Homeland is pleased to announce a new venture with our friends at Rake Gallery. Starting on Saturday, February 18th Gallery Homeland's founders Paige Saez and Paul Middendorf will be unveiling two of their newest projects - Staking Claim and Welcoming Committee – as well new collaborations with Rake Gallery which will take place around town in the following months.
Staking Claim – is a new project by Gallery Homeland that will bring plots of land to Portlanders from this end of the city to the next. To compete with the rising prices of real estate and high property taxes the Homeland folks will provide each person with a chance to stake claim to their very own land, free of charge! Each Portlander will have a chance to sign up at Rake Gallery to receive their very own plot of land to be placed within their yards and doorsteps. Each plot comes equipped with several square feet of untainted land and a flag for staking. Come to the Rake Gallery on February 18th to see an example, sign up, and here more about the project. Welcoming Committee – is a new Gallery Homeland group project that celebrates the safe arrival of an unaware traveler to his or her given destination. Posted at such welcoming spots as the airport, train station, bus malls, or place of employment, Gallery Homeland will roll out the red carpet to greet the lucky traveler. The committee will include musicians, photographers, and celebrators, equipped with party favors, muffins, balloons and more. The unsuspecting person will also be given parting gifts and a ride into town. Learn more about future locations of these performances by visiting the Rake Gallery on February 18th.
Contact rakeart.org for the time
The Portland Art Center, Echo Audio (echohifi.com) and PRA Radio (praradio.com) host a listening party Hexasion hosted by Portland experimental musicians Jason Frank and Andy Brown. They will be playing new recordings by portland progressive musicians World, David Tollefson, Strategy, Nudge, and Decopod Claw and a film by Phillip Cooper. Beer and wine for sale for your listening pleasure... live simulcast at www.praradio.com and PRA 96.7, but more fun there! (also that night 3 blocks away Homeland at RAKE)
32 NW 5th Avenue 8.30 pm to 10:30
February 19
Holocene presents the experimental ambient music by White Rainbow and Bonus (Seattle, Collective Jyrk drone artists) as well as Argumentix (James Squeaky new age acapella) 9PM Free!
February 20
Holocene presents Mice Parade, Tom Brosseau and small sails - take a look at the holocene.org website for details including artist links. Small sails is the new name for adelade, producers of love space ambient musice accompanied by sweet super 8 projections. Their website has free samples: www.smallsails.com/home.html. They play first. $7 9PM
The PSU art lecture series continues with Arnold J Kemp, African American artist and curator from San Francisco. More at www.worksarnoldjkemp.com/ Arrive early. 5th Avenue Cinema Room 92, 510 SW Hall St Free 7PM
February 23
Who has not been affected by our proximity to Mexico? Trying to make sense of that mix, or nonsense, is performer Guillermo Gómez-Peña. You can see him perform "Mexterminator vs. the Global Predator" for free tonight. Pena has performed with former partner Coco Fusco, as an undiscovered primitive race, caged in a public square in Spain ( www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/U...ind.html ) and elsewhere. He has worked with Hispanic community groups, where one particpant lauded him as a "Chicano from the future." Another project allowed the audience to anonymously voice stereotypes of Mexicans, comments which were documented and published. Pena is a master at creating a poety of language, mixing Mexlish with musings on our cultural future into a very activist politico-cultural performance artform. More at www.pochanostra.com/ The performance sponsored by 2Gyrlz, OCAC and PNCA is presented as the annual William Jamison Lecture named after a Portland artist and gallerist who opened the first espresso shop in Portland, the first gallery with dual NY and Portland branches (hey can we get that going again?), and was the first to move his gallery into the Pearl District. Jamison, who died of AIDS over 10 years ago, is responsible more than any individual for setting Portland on its current art vector. arrive early 7PM PNCA
February 24-26
LA performer Michael Sakamoto will be at Conduit with a solo performance Friday and Saturday of his butoh-influenced dance theater works. Included will be his interpretation of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". Lewis Segal of the LA Times writes: "Sakamoto, the choreographer, approaches the unsparing power of perhaps the starkest, most pitiless 'Rite' thus far created". Well spring it almost is. You can check out his work at www.empireofteeth.org and www.michaelsakamoto.com. The space is small, reservations essential (503) 221-5857. 8pm. Tickets are $10-$15 (sliding scale).
On Sunday he will present a workshop "Mind/Body/Time: Creating Character through Movement" at Conduit. "A step-by-step process through the concept and development of creating characters through movement, dance, and/or visceral presence utilizing interdisciplinary performance and dance theater techniques". Pre-register via email at empire@empireofteeth.org. 1-4pm, $40 (includes free admission to either Friday's or Saturday's performance)
Conduit is located at 918 SW Yamhill Ave., Ste. 401 in Portland - 4th floor above Art Media on the Max line
February 25
The Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan presents Wayang Kulit shadow puppet theater in the round at Lewis and Clark College. The gamelan is always a treat, leaderless musicians improvising cooperatively, the world as it should be. For this performance, choose your seat to see the shadow side or the live side for the puppet show - or was it the other way around? www.gamelanmusic.com 8PM Agnes Flanagan Chapel $10, 5 kids.
February 25-May 28
The Portland Art Museum shows a machine for making art by Roxy Paine. Paine's work challenges all past models of artmaking, successfully.
Mark your calendars now for a talk by performance artist Marina Abramovic at Reed 7PM March 7th and free. www.eyestorm.com/feature/ED2n_article.asp
