In five days, local artist Tom Keating will be moving to NYC. As many folks are used to seeing his work in coffee shops and galleries around town— Backspace, Report, and others— Keating will be missed. His illustrations often incorporate newsprint and always depict unique interpretations of the human anatomy. His characters hands are stumpy, […]
Artsy
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Merce Cunningham Dies, and White Bird Remembers Him
Today’s sad sad sad news came early: the unspeakably moving modern dance choreographer Merce Cunningham passed away last night, at age 90. There is a Portland connection here: Cunningham’s company was presented twice by White Bird, our city’s very own intrepid dance presenters. In an email message to the Mercury, White Bird co-founder Walter Jaffe […]
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RESA: Dance Preview Review
The Rumpus Room Dance website bills RESA as a chance for directors Stephan Laks and Rachel Tess to “renew their commitment to exploring the theme of tension and transition in Portland’s evolving urban neighborhoods.” Curiosity as to how they would do this without resorting to corny interpretive dance brought me downtown to the Ace Cleaners […]
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OBT No Longer “Exposed”
Although they succeeded in raising more than $750,000 to save their organizational bacon, a lack of corporate sponsors means Oregon Ballet Theatre has cancelled its popular annual “OBT Exposed” series on the South Park Blocks next month, a staple of late summer Portland arts events that ran uninterrupted for fourteen years. Until now. What does […]
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Tonight: Art Opening at the Fine Grind Cafe
Tonight from 6-10 p.m. the Fine Grind Cafe is hosting an opening for their first national show, entitled Compañeros, curated by L.A. artist Lesley Reppeteaux. The show features limited edition prints by Tina Darling, Logan Hicks, Daryll Peirce, Ironclaw, Christine Laporte, John Palmer, Tanner Goldbeck, and Lesley Reppeteaux. DJ A-Minus will be spinning and PBRs […]
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A classical music weekend that is NOT dull (promise!!)
Does that guy look like a classical music composer to you? Well, does he?!? Because – surprise! (maybe) – he is. His name is Mason Bates, he’s all of 30 years old, and a new work of his is one of the highlights of what’s turning out to be a pretty interesting weekend upcoming of […]
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Exactly How Much Blood is in this Opera?
Ya gotta love those kooky classical music students over at Portland State University! Who else would come up with a new opera involving a quartet of brain-sucking zombies? Classical music in Portland may never be the same. The opera in question, “Maelstrom: A Zombie Opera,” opens this Friday night with a first-rate cast of PSU […]
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OBT Leads Big Arts Rally Today in Pioneer Square
When was the last time the Portland arts community got up a big public rally to celebrate its own bad-assness? It hasn’t happened in recent memory, but Portland’s Oregon Ballet Theatre has big reason to pop a cork, of course: they succeeded in raising more than three-quarter of a million dollars in less than three […]
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This is Great and Beautiful.
Maira Kalman draws another wonderful history comic for the New York Times.
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Michael Bay’s Genius, Distilled and Concentrated.
Ever notice how there’s one thing that’s in every single Michael Bay movie? And yes—of course there’s one in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. More of Bay’s finest moments can be glimpsed in The 10 Douchiest Michael Bay Movie Scenes of All Time. Via Gorilla Mask.
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Oregon Bach Festival Will Dominate PDX This Weekend
Allow me to geek out on classical music here for just a moment. **FREAKOUTCLASSICALBAROQUEMUSICGEEKOUTOMFG!!!** Phew. OK… so the cause of this meltdown is something pretty exceptional, actually: the Oregon Bach Festival is hiking up to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (and First United Methodist Church) this weekend for two unmissable Baroque music performances: Haydn’s roaring […]
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Critical Craft: Call + Response at the Museum of Contemporary Craft
Here’s the concept: Eight craft-based artists are paired with professors of art history or theory. The duos meet, have free-flowing discussions about the work, and then the historian writes a reflective, critical essay. The art is the call. The essay is the response. The result is a show where large wooden sculptures mingle with textile […]