Culture

All articles tagged "Culture"
Video Games Today 6:00 AM

Panic Invites Players for a Big Walk in Its Downtown Portland Offices

House House’s new friend hang video game made me motion sick, but I'd play it again.

Movies & TV Fri 5:30 PM

Pixar Underdog Hoppers Is Undeniably Delightful 

It's also the funniest Pixar movie in forever.

Theater & Performance Fri 12:30 PM

Theater Review: A Mirror Fractures, Like a Kaleidoscope

The questions Sam Holcroft poses about making art under authoritarianism are certainly timely.

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Culture Fri 10:50 AM

Update: Portland Design Commission Accepts Master Plan for the Lloyd Center Mall

Portland Permitting and Development says this decision is about zoning code, not demolition.

Movies & TV Thu 3:00 PM

Bruce Campbell on Death, Dying, and the Evil Dead

The legend talks about DIYing his new movie Ernie & Emma.

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Culture Thu 8:00 AM

Should Portland Try to Save Lloyd Center Mall?

A growing community taking hold in the mall wants to have some say in its future.

Culture Feb 26 2:00 PM

Portland’s First-Ever Azn Zine Fest Is Coming to Fubonn This Weekend

Over 100 zinesters will flood the halls of the shopping center on Saturday.

Visual Art Feb 19 4:30 PM

David Hockney Is So Changeable

Portland Art Museum’s new exhibition shows the artist’s evolving style across 60 years and 200 artworks.

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Music Feb 19 10:00 AM

Don’t Be Sad, the Waterfront Blues Festival Is Back

In a new partnership with TrueWest, the festival expands our understanding of the genre. 

Art Snack Feb 18 5:30 PM

Art Snack: In a Shocking Twist, Mother Foucault's Nonprofit Will Buy That Building After All

The date for the 2026 World Naked Bike Ride is here! But Sheridan Fruit Company is gone.

Music News Feb 17 1:47 PM

Update: Supporters to Rally Thursday Over Funding Cuts to Innovative PCC Music Program

Students and faculty are trying to save Portland Community College’s modernized music program that could soon disappear. 

Movies & TV Feb 12 6:30 PM

Emerald Fennell Has Made the Least Fucked-up Version of Wuthering Heights

This film seems destined for a long and vibrant afterlife of teenage slumber parties.

Music Feb 12 5:15 PM

Meet The Off Beat: Portland's Newest All-Ages Music Venue

Friday the 13th sees the all-ages venue opening in the former Dancin' Bare strip club. 

Movies & TV Feb 12 12:00 PM

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie the Mercury Review 

The latest entry in Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s high-spirited satire of their own lives is a funny big budget time travel misadventure.

Music News Feb 10 7:45 PM

The Landmark Saloon Calls It Quits

Southeast Division’s long-running watering hole hosts its last two-step February 13.

The Trail Blazers Feb 10 3:30 PM

Portland Trail Blazers Send Philly’s Cheesy Asses Packing

The win over the Philadelphia 76ers last night marks a three game winning streak for the Blazers. 

Books Feb 10 2:00 PM

For Human Use Isn't Really About Dating Corpses

The irreverent speculative horror debut by Sarah G. Pierce puts the gore in allegory.

Theater & Performance Feb 9 1:30 PM

Portland-Raised Playwright Kallan Dana on Her Lynchian Thriller Racecar Racecar Racecar

Artists Repertory's 2025-2026 season produces works by women playwrights with ties to the Pacific Northwest.

Books Feb 9 10:15 AM

Literary Arts Announces 2026 Oregon Book Award Finalists

It's no surpise to see Lidia Yuknavitch, Leah Sottile, Breena Bard, and David F. Walker among the nominees.

Music Feb 5 4:00 PM

Portland’s Newest Music Festival and Conference Comes Out Swinging 

Soundscape Northwest’s inaugural lineup is international, local, of color, and stacked. 

Movies & TV Feb 5 1:05 PM

Second Run Portland: In Picnic at Hanging Rock, Valentine’s Day Turns Mysterious 

This month, nine films on love, desire, and human psychology.

The Trail Blazers Feb 2 11:00 AM

Blazers and Beyond

A guide to Portland's major men's teams: Trail Blazers, Rip City Remix, PSU Vikings, and UP Pilots 

Books Jan 30 3:40 PM

Hurricane Envy Has Something to Do with You

Sara Jaffe’s short story collection digs deep into queer parenting, the rise of the music algorithm, and the many shapes of adulthood.

Movies & TV Jan 29 4:30 PM

Gimme Shelter: Jason Statham’s Latest Thriller Warms Up a Typically Cold January

Director Ric Roman Waugh thinks this is the perfect time of year to have grizzled action stars confront their mortality.

Food and Drink Jan 28 9:00 PM

Revered Portland Restaurant República Has Announced It Will Close

Considered the flagship of its restaurant group, República represents a devotion to "Mexico-forward" cuisine and multi-course cultural storytelling.

Theater & Performance Jan 28 6:00 PM

Profile Theatre’s Tiger Style Delivers Great Comedy and Sharp Bite

Mike Lew’s deftly drawn play shows the difficulty of claiming identity. 

Art Snack Jan 28 12:45 PM

Art Snack: Portland's Weapons Connection, Newbery Award Winner, and 2026 James Beard Semifinalists

Republica stans rise up. Todos Media asks for community help to tell the story of a Minneapolis chef.

Books Jan 27 2:00 PM

What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome Documents Justin Townes Earle's Time in Portland

Music journalist Jonathan Bernstein first knew the singer-songwriter as a fan.

Pickathon Jan 26 4:15 PM

The Pickathon 2026 Music Lineup is Here! 

Marcos Valle, Cosmic Tones Research Trio, Folk Bitch Trio, and more pull up to Pendarvis Farm, July 30 to August 2.

Theater & Performance Jan 23 5:20 PM

Caught in the Middle of Impact Play

At Performance Works NW, a new show from Genderbomb builds radical intimacy through kink. Are audiences prepared?

Music Jan 23 4:15 PM

Singing All the Parts: The Vocal Dynamism of Portland’s Jimmie Herrod 

The America’s Got Talent star goes pop with the Oregon Symphony.

Visual Art Jan 23 11:00 AM

What Wanders Through a Body? 

At curious Portland gallery Lumber Room, corporeal works by Louise Bourgeois and Isabelle Albuquerque converse.

Photo Essay Jan 21 3:00 PM

Spectators and Players, Portland Is a Ping-Pong Town

Major League Table Tennis matches make it clear: The hype for ping-pong shouldn't end at Marty Supreme

Art Snack Jan 21 1:30 PM

Art Snack: Vegan Paczki Promises, Frog Brigade Franchises

This week in Portland art and culture news, two reopenings and a barbeque.

Movies & TV Jan 15 5:50 PM

Gus Van Sant's New Film Returns to His True Crime Roots

In Dead Man's Wire nothing goes according to plan, including Van Sant's return to his true crime roots.

Movies & TV Jan 14 1:30 PM

Swimming Through Trauma in The Chronology of Water

Kristen Stewart’s first feature film interprets Lidia Yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir through fragmentation and aquatic metaphor.

Books Jan 12 12:30 PM

Terry Dactyl Traces Queer Survival From the AIDS Crisis to 2020 Seattle

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s signature style rolls and whirls with long sentences—descriptions as artfully enduring as her characters.

Movies & TV Jan 9 8:00 AM

Second Run Portland: Rich People Behaving Badly

Peter Greenaway’s gourmet art film and Frederick Wiseman’s snowy documentary show vastly different approaches to class critique.

Culture Jan 7 2:00 PM

Literary Portland for Palestine Plans Readings, Still Asks Literary Arts To Divest

A call for Portland Book Festival to reject corporate bank funding coalesced into a collective that seeks to raise awareness with the written word.

Movies & TV Dec 31 5:00 PM

Bi Gan’s Resurrection Revives 100 Years of Movie-Making for One Long Dream

Dream logic takes over in the Chinese writer-director’s latest technical marvel.

Mercury 2025 Recap Dec 31 12:00 PM

The Mercury's Best Photos of 2025

Portland protests, swims in the river, and dons costumes across all concievable occasions.

Books Dec 24 12:00 PM

The Mercury's 10 Favorite Romance (and Romantasy) Books of 2025

 Escape into airplane lust, dragon eggs, and lessons in queer flirting.

Theater & Performance Dec 22 7:58 PM

The Wordless Animal Dances of ZooZoo Present Smart Theater for All Ages

Don't call it experimental. Imago Theatre’s world-renowned “physical mask comedy” pulls from miming, circus, and dance.

Food and Drink Dec 22 5:00 PM

The Canned Cocktails in This Advent Calendar, Ranked

A guide to Straightaway Cocktails' ingenious 12 Nights of Cocktails—from the "great" to the "not for me, thank you."

Movies & TV Dec 22 3:00 PM

The Mercury’s 10 Favorite Movies of 2025

The best movies of 2025 are at war with the machine, data centers, and helplessness. What a relief.

Movies & TV Dec 17 3:00 PM

With Marty Supreme Josh Safdie Gives Us Another Movie by and for Insecure Men

 It will almost certainly win a lot of prizes.

Theater & Performance Dec 15 3:30 PM

Portland Opera's New Theater Opens With an Animated Show

Everest tells a harrowing true story of three mountaineers who climbed Earth’s highest mountain.

Visual Art Dec 12 3:50 PM

Laying Down in the Portland Art Museum with Pipilotti Rist

Her installation 4th Floor to Mildness encourages super comfy social transgression and undersea daydreams.

Culture Dec 10 5:30 PM

Portland Artists Hold a Round Table on Generative AI “Machine Nightmares”

Tired of the machine takeover? So are local artists, like Roger Peet, Lydia Kiesling, John Niekrasz, and Celeste Noche.

Music Dec 10 2:00 PM

Portland Jazz Festival: A 2026 Primer of the Best the Fest Has to Offer

Mavis Staples or Shirley Nanette? SML or Roger Eno? All of the above!

Photo Essay Dec 8 11:30 AM

Photo Essay: Krampuslauf in Portland

Demonic goats, witches, and winter spirits gathered in Sewallcrest Park before treating SE Hawthorne to a holiday sight.

Visual Art Dec 4 5:20 PM

Portland Art Museum Wants to Be Used

Once hidden galleries can now be found; Rothko Pavilion presents a new way to see what was already there.

Music Dec 3 2:15 PM

Film Review: The New Sun Ra Documentary Does the Impossible

Christine Turner’s excellent film travels the jazz visionary’s storied galaxies.

Movies & TV Dec 1 3:00 PM

A Very Festive Second Run Portland

City cinemas come bearing 13 repertory films you should see this month.

Music Nov 26 11:00 AM

When Wonder Ballroom Says All Ages, They Mean All Ages

Portland music venues push against the OLCC for more inclusive spaces.

Visual Art Nov 25 11:00 AM

Seeing Ursula K. Le Guin’s Many Sides

Oregon Contemporary’s tribute to the novelist and multi-practice artist gets in the weeds in the best way possible.

Movies & TV Nov 24 2:00 PM

Portland and Guillermo del Toro Are Symbiotically Bound

At a Tomorrow Theater screening, the director discussed the rise of AI, the future of stop-motion animation, and who he identifies with in Frankenstein.

Culture Nov 20 3:30 AM

From Sacred to Profane: Portland’s Best Holiday and Holidayish Events

On this list: Grinch Skate, Krampuslauf, and a longtime celebration of the Nativity as alien visitation.

Winter Guide 2025 Nov 20 3:25 AM

Portland Opera Ascends

In the organization’s new theater, animated production Everest tells a harrowing true story.

Winter Guide 2025 Nov 20 3:20 AM

What Wanders Through a Body? 

A new exhibition at Portland gallery Lumber Room compiles corporeal works by Louise Bourgeois and Isabelle Albuquerque. 

Movies & TV Nov 18 6:00 PM

Eternity Is the Straightest Rom-Com That Ever Straighted

A24’s ode to serial monogamy dismisses a perfectly rational two-husband solution.

Movies & TV Nov 18 1:30 PM

Kelly Reichardt’s Small Politics

The Mastermind’s Josh O’Connor is an art thief who can’t outrun the world he’s avoiding.

Music Nov 17 4:30 PM

The QuietQuietLoud of Sigur Rós in Portland

As the Icelandic post-rock group winds down their multi-year tour with Wordless Music Orchestra, this seems far from the last time they'll show off their symphonic side.

The Trail Blazers Nov 17 4:00 PM

An Ode to Becoming the Most Annoying Team in the NBA

The Blazers are the new face of basketball’s latest defensive trend.

Theater & Performance Nov 17 3:30 PM

Recent Tragic Events Reminds Us of Past and Present Hopes

Third Rail Repertory revives its first-ever production, which was written in the shadow of 9/11.

Movies & TV Nov 14 5:15 AM

Edgar Wright’s The Running Man Doesn’t Really Go Anywhere

The idea of a righteously angry movie about the shitty state of 2025 had a lot of potential; it was squandered by a too-handsome Glen Powell.

Comics Nov 13 2:50 PM

How Making Nonfiction Comics Changed My Mind

Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris have created the only primer on ethical comics reporting.

Music Nov 12 4:00 PM

Portland Says Goodbye to Its Sweetie, Lollipop Shoppe

We’ve got a couple weeks of shows before the Central Eastside mainstay… leaves. 

Photo Essay Nov 11 2:00 PM

Sweating Out the Fascism With Anti-ICE Aerobics

Portland’s absurdist protest tactics continued with people emulating aerobics instructor/activist Jane Fonda outside the ICE facility.

Movies & TV Nov 7 4:20 PM

Second Run Portland: In Memoria, Tilda Swinton Has a Sonic Headache

Plus more slow cinema, Celtic myth, and Sergei Parajanov in smell-o-vision.

History Nov 5 1:05 PM

Let My Country Awake Puts the Pacific Northwest at the Center of an Anti-Colonial Struggle

A new nonfiction history from Scott Miller explores the complexity of Indian resistance against the British Empire during World War I.

Movies & TV Nov 4 3:00 PM

Train Dreams Go on When I Close My Eyes

Director Clint Bentley's ode to a small, quiet life in the Pacific Northwest is also one of the year’s most plainly beautiful films.

Food and Drink Oct 31 2:15 PM

Portland Responds to SNAP Shutdown Delays and Funding Cuts: Resources to Use and Support

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dollars are delayed. These organizations, markets, restaurants, and cafes are trying to fill people's plates.

Transportation Oct 31 12:00 PM

Do You Believe in Life After Cars?

The authors of this new book—and hosts of The Wars on Cars podcast—have hope.

Movies & TV Oct 29 5:15 PM

Bugonia Is a Good Time Yorgos Lanthimos Film

The famous Greek director of strange and unsettling movies has made another strange and unsettling movie.

Visual Art Oct 29 4:20 PM

What Wanders Through a Body?

A new exhibition at Portland gallery Lumber Room compiles corporeal works by Louise Bourgeois and Isabelle Albuquerque.

Theater & Performance Oct 29 12:00 PM

Tony-Nominated "Musical About Corn" Shucked Is a Total Romp

 The touring Broadway show shares some of life's simple joys: fast jokes and catchy songs.

Movies & TV Oct 22 1:30 PM

What To Flirt To, What To Cry to at QDoc 2025

Portland's queer documentary festival turns 17 with Bboys, house music, true crime, and Boy George’s enormous hat. 

Theater & Performance Oct 22 11:10 AM

Theater Review: In Dancing on the Sabbath, the Viewer Is the Villain

Shaking the Tree’s new Grimm fairy tale adaptation implicates its audience in a silent system of surveillance.

Theater & Performance Oct 20 3:00 PM

Profile Theatre's Witch Has Perfect Spooky Season Meets Fall of America Vibes

Playwright Jen Silverman reworks a classic 17th century drama for present day, declaring "no faux-period accents, please."

Theater & Performance Oct 16 4:10 PM

Imago’s Design for Living Explores Success Through the Lens of a Bright Young Throuple

Noël Coward’s nearly 100-year-old comedy unpacks questions still asked by lovers today.

Comedy Oct 16 11:00 AM

Comedy Q&A: Guy Branum on Telling Queer Stories

The stand-up comic recently added a section to his show Be Fruitful—about why dinosaurs weren't fat.

Movies & TV Oct 15 1:00 PM

The Strange Sublime Cinema of Motern Media and Evil Puddle

Matt Farley and Charlie Roxburgh make micro-budget films followed by and starring their fans.

Photo Essay Oct 13 11:00 AM

Portland's Emergency Naked Bike Ride in Photos

Hundreds held a die-in on the Burnside Bridge before continuing to the ICE facility in South Portland.

Music Oct 10 12:15 PM

Oregon Music Hall of Fame Honors New Inductees While Looking to the Future

The event will honor inductees including Portugal. The Man, Yob, Mary-Sue Tobin, and Jim Brunberg.

Bikes Oct 10 11:40 AM

Portland's Emergency World Naked Bike Ride Location Released

"This ride is clothing optional." organizers say. "It’s your choice how much or little you wear."

Theater & Performance Oct 8 5:07 PM

Paradise Blue Is a Story of Displacement Told as Noir

An ensemble cast at Portland Playhouse does it justice.

Movies & TV Oct 7 5:02 PM

Second Run Portland: Phantasm’s Freaky Mortician Takes Over a Portland Funeral Home

Plus, city theaters pregame for Halloween with Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s neo-noir Cure and a fashionable giallo classic.

Music Oct 2 3:00 PM

Dead Moon Night Rides Again

Celebrate Portland's best rock & roll band on October 5 at Cherry Sprout Park.

Comedy Oct 1 4:05 PM

In Heart Throb, a Vampire Looks for Love

The Kickstand Comedy improv show pokes fun at your dating options with group chat humor and a DIY spirit.

Music Oct 1 10:00 AM

Books to Beats: Music in Juvenile Detention

How a Portland library worker and teacher are using hip-hop to help incarcerated youth create, learn, and heal.

Album Review Sep 29 11:00 AM

Album Review: The Sophisticated Sleaze of Menos el Oso Turns 20

Minus the Bear’s opus gets the deluxe treatment, heralding massive US tour

Movies & TV Sep 25 1:00 PM

One Battle After Another Captures the Relentless Overstimulation of Being Alive in 2025

Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film is a funny, breathless, sometimes overwhelming spectacle of American violence.

Visual Art Sep 23 4:00 PM

A Snapshot of Portland's DIY House Show Scene

Buckman Publishing collects Choice Cuts from Corbin C's immense archive.

TBA Sep 22 5:19 PM

The Time-Based Art Festival Is Still Alive

With virtual landscapes, textile talismans, and sonic architecture, TBA 2025 centered artists who reshape space.

Books Sep 22 11:00 AM

A Silent Treatment

Jeannie Vanasco’s new memoir grapples with the agony of mother-daughter love.