Leave it to Portland to have a wealth of riot grrrl-adjacent art shows going on simultaneously. MoCC's Alien She is open through January, and a new show with riot grrrl ties opens at next week's first Thursday at PNCA's 511 Gallery. Successfully Kickstarted last spring, Molly 16's Rock n Roll Fantasy features multimedia work from Amber Dawn at Molly 16, Dawn's friend who died in 1995. It's linked with a documentary of the same name, currently in production.

"Molly 16 took her life in October 1995," writes Dawn in a press release sent to the Mercury today. "The exhibit commemorates the 20th anniversary of her death. The multimedia show features Molly's art, letters, stories from her zines and four TVs screening segments of the documentary, including animation of an interview with Courtney Love at La Luna 1993, short films (92-96) and interviews with musicians, Justin Trosper (Unwound), Rachel Carns (The Need, Kicking Giant) and others."

Dawn also describes their friendship at length:

I met Molly at Lincoln High in Portland, Oregon in 1991. As 14-year-olds, we bonded over rape and shattered home lives. In the early '90s, counter-culture became mainstream, and we came of age into a tide of feminism that encouraged young girls to show their pain. Molly didn't hold any punches. In her zine, Rock n Roll Fantasy, she recounted her struggles of being taken from an abusive home, becoming a ward of the state and living in group homes while writing and singing songs for her all-girl band. Molly's artwork is feminist, personal, and filled with questioning of a society that treats at-risk youth like castaways. Molly found help from Kathleen Hanna and Courtney Love, she sang in a band with Kathleen called the Troublemakers. Her artwork was used by Bikini Kill and published by Portland's the Secret Press.

It should surprise no one that rape and sexual assault, resources for at-risk teens, and questioning society are very much concerns of today's young feminists. It should be fascinating to see these larger concerns channeled through the hyperlocal lens of a Portland-based friendship between two teenagers.

An opening reception for Molly 16's Rock n Roll Fantasy will be held Thursday, November 7, at 6 pm. The exhibition runs through December 29.