In the wake of the presidential election, I heard a common refrain: It’s okay because art is going to be so much better under Trump! Part of my job is to write about art. It matters to me a great deal. But this did not make me feel better, because it isn’t true. I would trade all the good art in the world for a President Hillary Clinton, for security for people who are currently threatened, for an incoming government that does not normalize hatred, for my friends to not have to be frantically scheduling appointments for IUD insertions. None of this is okay, none of it is normal, and art isn’t going to be better under Donald Trump, because the idea that good art can only be made under duress is woefully imprecise. Art won’t get better—trust me, bad art springs eternal—but it will be more important, because art is what helps us make sense of a surreal world. Right now, Portland’s artistic communities are showing up for social justice in necessary, hope-bolstering ways. With the inauguration of the Assaulter-in-Chief forthcoming, January may well be a rough month. From stand-up to visual art, here’s where to go to preserve your sanity.