Ann Kendellen
These small prints are nothing if not modest; they speak quietly rather than shout, and their unassuming scale and range of gray tones create a familiar intimacy with the viewer. Blue Sky Photography Gallery, 1231 NW Hoyt, 225-0210, through Sept 2

I Do Adore
Renowned's newest show features "emerging and established women photographers from across the world." Said artists include: Angela Boatwright, Abbey Drucker, Cheryl Dunn, Helena Kvarnstrom, Ye Rin Mok, Chrissy Piper, Liz Haley, Emily Shur, Deanna Templeton, and Claire Weiss. Renowned, 811 E Burnside #111, 714-642-8009, Sept 1-29

Illegal Art
In what has all the makings of a fascinating exhibit, Stay Free gathers contemporary artworks that have run afoul of copyright laws. These issues were at the forefront of a lot of work from the '80s: How have 20 years of sampling and downloading culture affected the discourse of appropriation? Here's a good place to start investigating. Featured artists include David Byrne, Heidi Cody, and others. Philip Feldman Gallery, PNCA, 1241 NW Johnson, 226-4391, through Oct 21

Robot Cupcake Blast
Christ, you can't go wrong with robots and cupcakes! What if you throw a bunch of good artists like Cynthia Star and Zak Margolis into the mix? Then shit only gets sweeter! The Last Thursday opening party (6 pm-late) will have a DJ, drinks, cupcakes, and sparklers! Random Order Coffeehouse, 1800 NE Alberta, 290-4739, through Oct 25

The View From Here
Photographs of deteriorating domiciles from Portland artist Rachel Shapiro and Georgia's Greg Turco. Picture tattered curtains, peeling paint, and shafts of sunlight sweeping across abandoned rooms, and you've got the idea. The work on view here provides solid, colorful examples of this genre, but this style of photography is so overdone and familiar that it's hard to work up any enthusiasm. Newspace, 1632 SE 10th, 963-1935, Sept 1-Oct 1

Waiting Room
Scott Wayne Indiana's Waiting Room isn't actually a room at all, but a bit of lowered ceiling with 39 hatchets buried in it. The idea is rather compelling: You walk into a closed room where the artist has forcefully lodged axes above your head that could theoretically come crashing down at any minute. Viewers get the thrill of eminent danger; metaphors are made about the artist destroying the (overhead) structure of the gallery; it has roots in action-based sculptures like Richard Serra's thrown-lead pieces. Too bad the actual installation doesn't work out this well: As mentioned before, it's not an actual room, so there's no sense of claustrophobia or containment. But more detrimentally: The axes aren't forcefully hacked into the ceiling. They're held in to the panel somehow, and the pre-cut slots that they fit into are painfully obvious. Hatchets stuck into the ceiling with sheer force are one thing. Hatchets safely rigged into gaping, prefab slots are something else entirely. Portland Art Center, 32 NW 5th, 239-5481, through Sept 3