CULTUREPHILE: PORTLAND ARTS Blog

phile under: gallery

Shine A Light

Posted by: Anne Adams on Oct 15, 2010 at 10:02AM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

Tonight PAM shines a light on Wampire, and assorted other pop attractions.
Photo by Tyler Kohlhoff.

It’s been a big month for Social Practice Art, aka the “no more snootiness, let’s get everybody onboard” strategy of arts curation. First there was The People’s Biennial at TBA, (which closes this weekend), then there was last week’s FlashMob performance of Marian The Librarian at the Central Library, and tonight, PAM gets in on the action, hosting Shine A Light, an evening of accessible adventure, within its vaunted halls.

Says Wampire frontman (and natural cheerleader) Rocky Tinder, “There’s so much rad stuff going on at this show! I’ve never been to one of these yet but people have been telling me it’s super rad! Weird happenings throughout the whole museum. Food and beer too. Not bad, Portland Art Museum.”

Here’s a condensed list of events and times:

DJ Sexy Cousin 6-8:00

Music From The Milieu 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30

B-Boy Is For Break Dance 7:00

A Teaching Collection 7:45-8:15, 9-9:30

Two Boys, Wrestling 8:00, 9:30

Performance By Wampire 8:15

Guidance Counselor 9:45

Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside 11:00pm

Other attractions, including food and beverage provision, will occur throughout. For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar anytime!

Add a Comment »

Tags: Art, social practice art, modern art, weekend picks, portland, Live, Galleries, Portland Art, Portland Art Museum,

phile under: gallery

Gallery 903 hosts
Alexandra Becker-Black

These nuanced nudes are getting the gallery treatment Culturephile told you they deserved.

Posted by: Anne Adams on Oct 15, 2010 at 10:01AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

“I told you so.” It’s an obnoxious statement, but occasionally so true.

Case in point:

Last week, Gallery 903 threw a moderately posh First Thursday opening, accompanied by a live flamenco guitarist and a gracious gallery hostess with a hint of a French accent.

I went. And while browsing Allen Stephenson’s golden pastoral landscapes, and admiring Jeff White’s vibrant firey cloudscapes—I was stopped in my tracks by Alexandra Becker-Black’s subtly masterful watercolor nudes. Where had I seen these before?

A quick search of this site * yielded the following post from a July edition of Weekend Picks:

There doesn’t have to be good art on the walls, for me to enjoy my coffee. Coffee shops know this, and so often when they see me coming, they whisk all the good art off the walls and tack up something unremarkable. However: yesterday as I happened into Backspace, I noticed several starkly beautiful pieces by Alexandra Becker-Black. Large expanses of white space and delicate splashes of monochromatic watercolor combined for surprisingly fresh depictions of the most classic subject: the female nude. Part of a show that will disappear at the close of July, these works seem worth visiting—even if you aren’t looking for a latte.

At the time of that post, Ms. Becker Black’s works were displayed—well, rather nakedly. They were hung on the wall poster-style, cringingly close to errant sprays of coffee spatter. Now that these delicate nudes are getting the star treatment they deserve, all the more reason to go see them. Why? Because I told you so.

*Portland Monthly’s site recently got far more searchable—give it a try!

Gallery 903 is open weekdays and Saturday, 10-5:30, Sunday, 12-5. For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar anytime!

Add a Comment »

Tags: Art, Portland Art, Museums, Galleries, painting, weekend picks, galleries, nudity

phile under: books

From Brews To Bikes:
Portland’s Artisan Economy

Art Department hosts book release.

Posted by: Anne Adams on Oct 15, 2010 at 09:59AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

A book about microbrews, bicycles and artisans. Allow me to translate: “three things Portland loves, inside another thing Portland loves.”

Does that mean you’ll love this book? Maybe. Culturephile hasn’t seen it, and can’t say. But you might as well stop by Art Department to have a look, and simultaneously sample New Deal Distillery’s wares, and let your kids try their little hands at bookmaking crafts.

Displaying artisans include: Emily Katz, David King Bass Guitars, Langlitz Leather, Mudeye Puppet Company, Pereira Cycles.

Art Department is located at 1315 SE 9th, and this event runs 7-10pm. For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar anytime!

Add a Comment »

Tags: Crafts, Beer, Craft Beers, crafts, book, bicycle, portland bicycle, weekend picks

phile under: theater

The Hillsboro Story

Artists Repertory Theater

Posted by: Anne Adams on Oct 15, 2010 at 09:58AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Let’s be clear: we’re not talking about Hillsboro, Oregon here. We’re talking Hillsboro, Ohio, the epicenter of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that racially desegregated public schools in the 50’s. The performance that opens tonight is not a play, per se, but a multifaceted piece by local playwright Susan Banyas, which captures this civil-rights moment through movement, monologues, and visual images, accompanied by an original music score by jazz composer David Ornette Cherry.

7:30pm on the Morrison Stage. Parking available in Alder Street lot for $5. For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar anytime!

Add a Comment »

Tags: Theater, music, Artists Repertory Theatre, weekend picks, Black history,

phile under: books

Portland Zine Symposium

Posted by: Anne Adams on Aug 27, 2010 at 10:59AM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

Does that say “readings 4 dorkz?”
Read at your own risk.

What happens when just anyone can publish their own book or magazine? As you might imagine, many elements slip into the mix at Portland Zine Symposium.

Rebels
Content that would normally get nixed by a publisher, becomes fair game for the printed page: incendiary rants, unauthorized cut-and-pastes of copyrighted content, and a barrage of unedited, indulgent diary confessionals. Some of this stuff is cathartically irreverent, or awkwardly humorous. Some of it is intriguingly “outsider.” And some of it is illegible, or otherwise un-readable, point blank. (Caveat emptor: if you can’t read the cover, may as well put it down.)

Artisans
On the other hand, with little economic incentive, and no third-party directives, many zine-makers feel free to create something more wonderful than the market demands. Handmade touches emerge, like letterpress impressions, screen-print, hand-coloring, and crafty binding. Illustrations abound. Some authors who don’t try to “market,” prove nevertheless quite compelling to read. One gets the sense that the content is purer, unchecked by an editor’s agenda-pen.

Professionals
Some small publishers, like recent Culturephile featuree Brandon Seifert, writer of Witch Doctor, self-publish with one eye on the prize of a mainstream deal. They bring slick, shelf-ready books to the zine scene, providing readers a sneak preview of work that will eventually “go big.”

So what does the zine world offer? Variety. Freedom. Risk. Rarity. Enough stuff, that there’s probably something for you. Head over to PSU, browse the tables and meet the makers.

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar!

Add a Comment »

Tags: Publishing, comics, writer, weekend, weekend, weekend picks, Arts Education, author, book, Weekend Plans, zine

phile under: dance

Salsa En La Calle

Posted by: Anne Adams on Aug 27, 2010 at 10:00AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Ever thought to yourself, “Any day now, I’m gonna get dolled up and go to a five-dollar salsa dance lesson at one-a-them local clubs…?”

Sure you have. But maybe it has yet to happen. Consider this weekend your wakeup Calle.

Instead of dipping one peep-toe in the shallow waters, why not plunge shoulder-deep into Sunday’s waterfront extravaganza, Salsa En La Calle? This year’s event features twelve hours of live music from local and international Latin acts, unlimited dance lessons, and succulent Latin foods, sure to satisfy all your salsa appetites.

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar! Or for more outdoor options, visit The Muddy Boot!

Add a Comment »

Tags: Dance, Weekend Plans, Festivals, weekend picks, weekend, Latin

phile under: fashion

AEQUANIMITAS Grand Opening

Posted by: Anne Adams on Aug 27, 2010 at 09:00AM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

A god’s-eye by designer Rachelle Waldie.
Gaze into it, and find “AEQUANIMITAS!”

Tonight, fair friends, we usher in the age of AEQUANIMITAS, the most unspellable new art/fashion studio space in the Central Eastside complex erstwhile known as Grass Hut Gallery Row (8th and E Burnside, north side of the street).

The invitation is in all-caps, and wildly poetic. But this is is what we know:

~Designer Rachelle Waldie costumes experimental art-rockers. Her client list includes Deelay Ceelay.

~The word “aequanimitas” refers to the transcendent calm that a physician experiences in the face of life-and-death circumstances.

~The event starts at five tonight in the rear parking lot. It promises libations, and hints at revelations.

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar!

Add a Comment »

Tags: Art, Portland Art, Galleries, Crafts, Fashion, Weekend Plans, crafts, weekend picks, weekend

phile under: dance

Rumpus Room Dance

Posted by: Anne Adams on Aug 27, 2010 at 08:59AM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

Tonight, OBT alum and choreographer Rachel Tess presents Always, Always/Never, Never, a new work which showcases her progress toward a touring winter solo show. Tess has apparently been workshopping with Juliard grad Isaac Spencer and lighting designer Jennifer Linn, and will take her solo show on the road in December. Go peek in on their progress.

Meanwhile, as a broad point of reference, here’s some footage of Tess in a rehearsal with Bouand DanceCompany:

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar!

Add a Comment »

Tags: Dance, Weekend Plans, weekend picks, weekend

phile under: music

Holy CD Releases! Blue Cranes or Sean Flinn & The Royal We

Posted by: Anne Adams on Aug 27, 2010 at 07:00AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

You shouldn’t suffer for lack of options this Saturday night, as two critically-acclaimed local acts release new albums at two approachably-posh venues. Maybe try a quantum-physics feat, and put yourself in both places at once. Neither of these events are to be missed.

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar!

Add a Comment »

Tags: weekend picks, folk, northwest, portland, album, Live, music, Weekend Plans, weekend,

CULTUREPHILE: PORTLAND ARTS

Shine A Light

Gallery 903 hosts
Alexandra Becker-Black

From Brews To Bikes:
Portland’s Artisan Economy

The Hillsboro Story

Portland Zine Symposium

Salsa En La Calle

AEQUANIMITAS Grand Opening

Rumpus Room Dance

Holy CD Releases! Blue Cranes or Sean Flinn & The Royal We

Recent Posts

Archives

Saga City Media, Inc.

Subscriber Services:

Email Newsletters:

Website Services: